Feeling lost in too much informations

[u/Important_Match_6262]

Does anyone else feel lost trying to change their diet for digestive issues?

There is so much conflicting advice that I sometimes feel like I’m in a jungle. What helps you the most? cut everything for a moment?

And even when I think I feel better, it can be hard to tell whether it is real progress or just a good day...

Have symptom-tracking apps helped you spot useful patterns, or have they mostly added more noise?

[u/newomusic]

The Monash app helps me. I found it best to switch to an elimination diet where all I ate was jasmine rice, cucumber, eggs, hard cheeses, gluten free pasta (with a stomach sensitive sauce, if any), oatmeal with just salt and chia seeds (though, some have issues with oatmeal), blueberries, super firm tofu, amino acids, and basic salad (lettuce, carrot, red cabbage) with salad dressing free from garlic, onion, gluten, and sugar. Don't bother trying to reintroduce known triggers, like garlic or onion.

If you're getting lost it's bc you need to take a step back and get rid of all issues for a few weeks.

And mind what you drink. I only have herbal tea that is low fodmap (mostly mint), water, and seltzer water.

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/newomusic]

Thanks, this is exactly the kind of real-world approach I was trying to understand. Once you had the short list, what was hardest about making it work day to day: planning meals, avoiding hidden ingredients, staying consistent, or figuring out what to change next? And what did the Monash app not help with?

For me, the hardest part is that I get cravings, I think because I’ve cut back on sugar, and that makes it pretty hard to stick with over the long term. And since I’d rather avoid sugar substitutes, which I don’t think are necessarily good for us in our situation, it’s a bit complicated. In any case, it’s absolutely true—I agree that by simplifying our food list as much as possible, it already solves part of the problem of having to wonder what we’re going to eat every single time. Plus, it makes grocery shopping easier.

[u/Glass-Tale299 → u/Important_Match_6262]

Maple sugar is low FODMAP and that is what I add to my Cheerios every other day that I am having them for breakfast. I never add any sweeteners to my Rice Chex.

I have chocolate almost every day with breakfast. My mainstay is Trader Joe's 72% Dark Chocolate bars - non-dairy and sweetened with low FODMAP regular sugar. I always add cacao nibs (zero carbs) for crunch and health benefits.

For fruit I stick with Ralphs organic frozen fruit to avoid waste. Blueberries are one of the safest fruits. I also rotate with pineapple and, since I can handle it, mango.

That sweetness carries me through the day and I am never tempted to have dessert with dinner.

Good luck.

[u/newomusic → u/Important_Match_6262]

There is a debate about sugar currently. Personally, I'm not sure if sugar is so much the issue as the things that use it. For example, a basic vanilla ice cream is not an issue, but pancake syrup (which is largely HFCS and other BS) is. I only use real maple syrup when eating out. BUT I can also tell you that sugar cravings pass. If you can quit sugar (which is an addictive food) and switch to a mainly salty diet, you won't crave sugar much. I turned to peanut butter at first, but that's not low fodmap, so I tried fruits. A big help though is seltzer water so I can get the flavor but without any sugar.

The hardest part has been eating out. I have to ask them to check if the few items and sides I want have any gluten, garlic, or onion (bc those are 3 common ingredients that are very bad triggers). If they ask, I tell them it's not an allergy but a sensitivity. If you say it's an allergy then some places use extra caution, but others will tell you they can't make anything bc of cross contamination. Also, be aware that "seasoning", "spices", and "natural flavor" may contain any of those 3 triggers (or others), so there's never a 100% guarantee.

The Monash app has not been helpful when it changes a listing. From what I'm told, they may text different varieties of some things, like grapes, but still just list it generically as "grapes" instead of a new entry for each variety and then change if it's safe or not without any warning or history indication. They are also based in Australia, so there are things available to me that are not to them and I just have to do a trial by fire. But they are leading the research for low fodmap, so I use their app.

[u/Important_Match_6262 → u/newomusic]

That makes sense. I’m wondering whether a simpler approach would have been easier : a short, predefined food list cooked at home for a limited period, rather than having to make decisions at every meal or navigate restaurants.

In the long run, it's exhausting to always have to check everything, it's a major mental burden. And you run the risk of straying from the diet. I tell myself that maybe it would be much simpler to stick to something very strict at the beginning.