FODMAP explained
FODMAP’s are types of carbohydrates known as short-chain carbohydrates. For certain individuals, the consumption of these carbohydrates can lead to a variety of painful symptoms, including bloating, distended abdomen, flatulence, cramps, diarrhoea and constipation. FODMAP’s are known to exacerbate a number of common digestive disorders.
FODMAP stands for ‘fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols’. In such individuals, the short-chain carbohydrates or FODMAP foods are poorly digested in the small intestine. The undigested food particles travel onto the large intestine, where the gut bacteria begin the process of fermentation. In this process, water is drawn into the large intestine and carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane are produced. It is the production of these gases, which results in uncomfortable symptoms.
