Fodmap diet, everything you need to know to do it safely

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With summer just around the corner, all kinds of diets are once again on the table, some with more success than others and some, in fact, quite dangerous that, far from achieving healthy

what they cause is the dreaded

, among other sequels.

This is not the case with the

, but neither is it a regimen that can be followed lightly.

"It is not a diet to

, it is another thing to lose weight with it," warns Dr. María José Crispín, nutritionist at Clínica Menorca.

"It's really for people who have digestive problems. It's usually recommended for people with

people who get a bloated belly when they eat and don't know why, gas and aches."

Mireya García Pérez, dietitian and nutritionist at Deusto Salud, also insists on this point.

"The low-FODMAP diet reduces the intake of a group of

short-chain

including abdominal distension, pain and diarrhea."

Therefore, "it is not a diet that focuses on weight loss, but on improving

," she says.

And although with it you lose

, "it is not an adequate strategy to do it," warns Mireya García.

An argument that all the

insist on .

"I do not recommend it for someone who does not have irritable bowel syndrome. It is not a

diet , it is very restrictive. A healthy person should not do it," says Dr. Crispín.

And also

specialist in dietetics and nutrition at the Obesity Unit of Clínica Option Médica: "It is not a nutritional plan designed for someone with problems of being overweight or obese, it is not a slimming diet".

Is the Fodmap diet safe?

In any case, under the supervision of a

, "and as long as the protocols are followed and it adapts to the tolerance and needs of the person, it can be healthy," says Lis Zamora, dietitian, nutritionist and member of Training of the College Official of Dietitians-Nutritionists of the Valencian Community (CODiNuCoVa).

As this specialist explains, the latest

indicate that this diet is around 70%

in improving the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

And why is it used to

?

Weight is lost "because, in the initial phase, the variety and quantity of suitable foods is considerably reduced," answers

In other words, "this diet prevents eating certain high-calorie foods, such as sugar, which in the long run contributes to weight loss," says

However, Zamora warns, losing weight or not is something "very

that depends on each case."

And the control of a specialist is always necessary to carry it out safely.

What to eat on the Fodmap diet

The name of this diet responds to the

of the English Fermentable Oligo Di Monosaccharids And Polyols, and refers to those foods rich in oligosaccharides, disaccharides, fermentable monosaccharides and polyalcohols", says

. Actually, the expert explains, to be exact we would have to talk about a low-

diet , that is, one that follows a dietary pattern that limits the consumption of these foods, "which are not fully absorbed in the small intestine and reach the colon.

In the large intestine they are fermented by our intestinal

, which causes gas and other

, "such as bloating, pain, diarrhea or constipation".

The intention of this diet is none other than to identify the foods that trigger symptoms in Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and currently the only way to do it "is to eliminate and reintroduce them," says Javier Molina Infante, a doctor at the Service of the Digestive System of

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How to do the Fodmap diet

According to the Spanish Digestive System Foundation (

), this diet consists of two phases.

In a first, which lasts between four and eight weeks, a severe restriction of

is carried out .

Later, a second phase begins "in which they are reintroduced, according to the

of each person."

To these two stages is added a third, the adaptation phase, in which "the

is adapted to the maximum normality possible", explains

.

"It has to be a guideline as

as possible and created according to individual tolerance; the ideal would be to achieve a total, but there are usually certain

."

And if the

do not improve with the first phase, "the ideal is to re-introduce some foods and assess if there are other triggers," recommends the expert.

To

foods, "one of each group is tested for three days, with one rest between them, above all care must be taken that the diet is

in nutrients," explains Dr.

.

How long can the Fodmap diet be followed?

The low-Fodmap diet should only be followed for a certain period of time, which "will depend mainly on the improvement of symptoms during the initial phase," says

.

However, it is not necessary to exceed

because "maintaining it for a long time can lead to important nutritional deficiencies," warns

.

In addition, this expert assures, this diet "greatly limits the consumption of foods with

action , which serve the beneficial bacteria and favor the proper functioning of our intestinal

, which in the long run can have negative effects."

In other words, this nutritional plan aims to modify the microbiota, therefore, "people who follow it without a diagnosis of

only manage to reduce families of beneficial

," warns

And therefore harm your health.

What to eat to deflate the intestines

With all the above conditions, and under the supervision of a specialist, a

balanced

can be followed , although limited in time.

These are the examples of menus with this type of regimen that the

Service of the University Clinical Hospital of Valladolid has prepared.

In general, they recommend including 30 grams of

-free bread at lunch and dinner, always using extra virgin olive oil, eating at least three

a day, at least two

-free dairy products, and drinking two liters of

or infusions daily ( 8 cups).

In addition, food must be

without fat, grilled, steamed, en papillote, in the oven or microwave, avoiding fried, breaded and battered foods.

We must also control the amount of

for cooking (less than 3g/day) and avoid carbonated soft drinks,

, commercial juices, sausages, butter and margarine, sauces, pre-

foods and processed meats due to their high fat content.

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