A new resource has been launched to help those suffering from a gut health condition known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS.
Around one in five Australians experience symptoms of IBS, with younger people and women more affected.
Now 30, Melbourne mother Lyndal Collins was first diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome 14 years ago.
A long-term condition affecting the digestive system, symptoms include abdominal discomfort, bloating and a change in bowel habits over a period of at least three months.
Ms Collins says the gut disorder has impacted all areas of her life.
“I would say it’s very debilitating just being uncomfortable all the time. Not being able to do normal activities that I would enjoy like my normal exercise. Having to worry all the time about what you’re eating and what might trigger it off. Struggling to go out and enjoy your normal social life because you’re worried about what might be in certain foods that you eat out at a restaurant and you don’t necessarily know what the ingredients are.”
From the first time Lyndal went to her GP with symptoms, it took a year to be diagnosed with IBS.
“It’s kind of one of those conditions where doctors I think are a bit scared to diagnose it because they’re worried they might have missed something else. I
“With the diagnosis you have to exclude every possibility first before they give you that IBS label whereas maybe it needs to be the other way around, where it’s like we’ll treat you as if you have IBS while still doing these other kind of investigations and tests in the background.”
And she isn’t alone.
Every year, 50 per cent of Australians experience gut health problems, including IBS, according to the CSIRO.
It is believed one in five Australians have symptoms of IBS at some point in their lives, but only a portion of that group are diagnosed with the medical condition.
The condition is more common in younger people and women.
It is not life-threatening – but it can impact on quality of life.
Health experts say what we eat can play a major role in the prevention and treatment of IBS.
That’s why researchers at Monash University have developed a cookbook to help figure out what types of food trigger the symptoms in individuals.
Associate Professor of gastroenterology at Monash University Jane Muir helped to pioneer the evidence-based science underpinning the cookbook – the food plan known as the low-FODMAP diet.
What is a low-FODMAP diet?
“It (FODMAP) stands for a group of short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly fermented in the small intestine. And the F stands for fermentable, and O for oligosaccharides, and D for disaccharides, and M for monosaccharides and P for polyols. So they are actually just sugars that are naturally in our diet that can basically trigger gut symptoms.”
Although there are differences among individuals on what foods trigger symptoms.
Some foods to avoid that are considered high in FODMAPs include: watermelon, garlic and onions. Low FODMAP foods to enjoy include: blueberries, sweet potato and ginger.
The eating plan does not work for everyone – it has however been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms for 75 per cent of IBS sufferers.
The approach is prescribed for a limited time period under the supervision of a registered dietitian with speciality skills on the low-FODMAP diet.
Associate Professor Muir says the 120 recipes contained in the new cookbook show that the meals can be enjoyable to eat.
“What we decided to do was just to modify really great favourite dishes. We’ve got Italian dishes and French dishes, we’ve got Indian curries and we’ve got vegan and vegetarian options. Modifying really favourite dishes can be as simple as spaghetti bolognese. Modifying it so it’s low FODMAP.
Dietitians Australia vice-president Jemma O’Hanlon in Melbourne says she welcomes the resource, but says it is important that a skilled dietitian is involved in the supervision of the low-FODMAP diet for it to be effective.
“This diet is really important to be done in consultation with an accredited practicing dietitian because they’re the experts in dietitian and can make sure someone following a low FODMAP diet can still meet all their nutritional needs so that’s really important.”
