IBS: Free at Last!: Change Your Carbs, Change Your Life with the FODMAP Elimination Diet

by Patsy Catsos

El SII no debería hacerte perder el ritmo-¡vuelve a sentirte bien! ¿Cansado de perderte los momentos de diversión debido a tu síndrome del intestino irritable (SII)? ¿Confundido sobre qué comer? ¿Piensas qué eres el único que se siente mal cuando toma comida sana como frutas, verduras, legumbres y yogurt? No estás solo. El SII afecta al 15% de jóvenes y adultos.
Si pudieras volver a sentirte bien en unas pocas semanas siguiendo un nuevo tipo de dieta, ¿lo harías? Las dietas de alto contenido en fibra para el SII son la vieja escuela. ¡Es hora de que aprendas sobre FODMAPs! SII—¡Libre al fin! contiene lo último sobre cómo los alimentos que consumes pueden causar tus síntomas de SII. Patsy Catsos, dietista registrada, explica en detalle un programa dietético para ayudarte a encontrar los alimentos FODMAP que desencadenan tus síntomas. Miles de lectores de la primera edición de SII—¡Libre al fin! fueron los primeros en beneficiarse. Ahora te toca a ti.
La señorita Catsos traduce la ciencia de los FODMAP en información práctica, incluyendo menús, listas de la compra, consejos de lectura de etiquetas, listas de alimentos de alto y bajo contenido en FODMAPs y ¡algunas recetes para ayudarte a comenzar! La nueva edición incluye más de 50 páginas de material inédito: actualizaciones basadas en las últimas investigaciones, más sobre como superar la intolerancia a los FODMAPs y cómo disfrutar de tus alimentos preferidos de nuevo así como respuestas a más de 100 de las mejores preguntas de los lectores. SII—¡Libre al fin! Segunda Edición, responde a la pregunta más importante: "¿Qué alimentos PUEDO comer para mi SII? ¿Sabías qué no necesitas tener un lector Kindle para comprar y leer libros Kindle? Puedes descargar las aplicaciones de lectura gratuitas Kindle, proporcionadas por Amazon, para casi cualquier dispositivo, tablet, ordenador o smartphone. Con este ebook, SII—¡Libre al fin!, puedes acceder a cualquier parte del texto en tu ordenador, leerlo en tu Kindle o bien hacer de él un punto de referencia portátil en tu smartphone.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Nutrition, Cooking, Food, Reference

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2009

About the author

PATSY CATSOS, MS, RD, LD, is a leader in the field of low-FODMAP diet. A nutritionist based in Portland, Maine, with a BS in nutrition from Cornell University and a master’s degree in nutrition from Boston University, she completed her internship at Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital and now maintains a private practice. She also speaks at conferences for other nutritionist and doctors.
She was first to publish a book about the low-FODMAP diet, IBS—Free At Last! in 2009. Before long, it was adopted not only by IBS sufferers, but by health care professionals and major medical centers. Her step-by-step elimination diet is updated for ultimate usability and effectiveness in this new edition, The IBS Elimination Diet and Cookbook. It helped set the standard of care for patients using diet, not medicine, and continues to be the most recommended by doctors.
She lives in Portland, Maine, with her husband, Paul.

Reviews

[Alverna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year my IBS symptoms were rapidly getting worse to the point that I was more miserable than I'd ever been over the 2015 holidays. I had already implemented all of the "classic" non-pharmacological methods to manage IBS (increased water consumption, limited dairy, added a probiotic and extra fiber, etc.) with some (but not nearly enough) improvement in my symptoms, so I "went drastic" and completely cut out both gluten and dairy. I felt worlds better within a few weeks, but couldn't figure out why certain random foods still seemed to trigger my IBS symptoms. I would have attacks after eating a large helping of watermelon or a Fiber One bar or a very onion-y food or a small bowl of chili. I began to suspect FODMAPS specifically (rather than gluten) as my trigger after listening to a couple of podcasts on this topic. (Unfortunately, it appears I'm lactose intolerant, so no getting around dairy products. Lactaid does help though, so I can partake in infrequent small servings of dairy.) This book lays out an easy to follow plan for identifying MY specific IBS triggers, which is exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up.

Patsy is brief and to the point, even providing worksheets in her book and on her webpage. It's impossible to go wrong if I follow her simple plan: cut out all FODMAPs for two weeks, then reintroduce (challenge) each group of FODMAPs one at a time over the course of six weeks or so. Once I'm done, I should know exactly what I can and cannot eat in order to avoid triggering my IBS. Patsy does a great job of breaking the information down for her readers without dumbing it down to the point they don't understand the science behind the dietary guidelines. My goal is to know exactly what my triggers are so I can eat as wide a variety of foods as possible. Patsy's plan fulfills that goal. She also has lots of bonus nuggets, for example: traditional sourdough bread loses almost all its fructans (the type of FODMAP found in wheat products) to the yeast so it's probably OK for most IBS sufferers to eat, she outlines which cheeses have little to no lactose, and she explains why even though I'm lactose intolerant butter doesn't seem to bother me. She also explains some important information about fiber supplements and why certain types can actually make IBS symptoms worse. This is very important considering supplementing fiber is one of the classic treatments for IBS. Finally, she makes a great point about lactose intolerance and hidden sources of lactose such as prescription and OTC medications.

My one complaint with this book is that - as others have mentioned - there are some inconsistencies. For example, Patsy recommends avoiding soy products as a potential trigger, but includes tofu on her allowed foods list. Personally I can't eat tofu for other reasons so this is a non-issue, but particularly for vegetarian/vegan IBS sufferers this is a pretty important food source. Otherwise, IBS: Free at Last (not a fan of that title though!) gets the job done. Bye, bye food triggers!

[Rachel Groves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I particularly appreciate the style in which this is written making it accessible and easy to implement the FODMAPs diet. She explains everything well and goes into detail about the Challenge Phase of the diet which I found sketchy in the other book I've read on FODMAPs diet (The Complete Low-Fodmap Diet: A Revolutionary Plan for Managing Ibs and Other Digestive Disorders).

She has a good Q&A section and goes also into the science of FODMAPs. I also recommend Patsy's blog where she publishes new findings which have allowed me to update a few things on the allowed/not allowed food lists - new testing is happening all the time and it's impossible for a published book to be absolutely up to date on FODMAPs.

The only thing missing, for which I'd point you to Sue Shepherd's book instead, is a detailed look at bowel function, although this is touched on. I think Patsy wants to keep the book accessible and for me it's like someone talking it over with me, whereas Sue's book feels much more technical and formal. Over the two I think, despite the title which I'm not a big fan of, the IBS Free At Last would be my go to book to get you started quickly and easily on the FODMAPs diet. I have done quite a bit of reading about this diet on the internet but found the book essential to having the confidence and strategy to implement it. There's also conflicting information about some foods, so having Patsy's blog to suppliment gives me faith in using her information for this diet transforming process.

[Zahwil Dossa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for people with ongoing or sporadic stomach problems. The author's approach is to target FODMAPSs which is an acronym for Fermentable Oligo-, Di- and Mono-saccharides And Polyols.

In a nutshell, FODMAPs are undigested carbohydrates (sugars and fibers) that are not absorbed as they should be in the small intestine, and instead fermented (broken down) by bacteria in the large intestine, causing such symptoms as bloating, gas, etc. The mal-absorption arises because some people lack the necessary digestive enzymes (e.g. lactase for lactose), fast intestinal transit time of the food, and overload of sugar in the meal relative to the capacity of your small intestine. This is due to genetics or another disease that damages or shortens the small intestine.

Sensitivity to FODMAPs is difficult to diagnose because they come from a variety of different sources and their effect is cumulative over a period of time.

The offending foods are fructose (fruit sugar) when it's not balanced by glucose (HFCS, honey), lactose (milk sugar in milk and yogurt), frutcans (wheat, rye, onions and garlic), Polyols (prunes, apples, peaches, plums, cherries), and Galatcans (legumes such as beans, chickpeas, soybeans and lentils).

The author's approach is to suggest an elimination diet of 2 weeks in which you avoid all FODMAPs and then introduce one group at a time to identify which ones are most troublesome.

I'm not sure if I'll do the diet, but it was good to read about the unsuspecting foods that may be the sources of discomfort, and to be weary of the these foods because of their fermentation in your gut.

[Jill Holmberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't personally helpful to my form of IBS but I did learn a few things from it! It also doesn't help that I have other digestive syndromes and intolerances that if I take those into consideration the baseline to the start of the elimination diet leaves me with almost nothing to eat so this would be very difficult for me. I hope it helps others!

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have suffered for 15 plus years with IBS. I have seen specialist and had every test known to man and up until this book I continued to have pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea on a daily basis!!!!! I am on my 2nd week of elimination and feel 100% better by day 2!!!! I ate lettuce & spinach for the first time in 8 years and savored every bite. My husband is amazed at the transformation in me. I am a healthcare professional and had never even heard of FODMAPs until I read this book. I would recommend this book to anyone with IBS symptoms, it has changed my life!!!!

[s_evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot that I appreciate about this book - her experience personally and professionally especially. However, I feel like there are contradictory or inadequate explanations for some of the foods and to be a detailed book, I want more details! The FOD-MAP diet seems to work for me in many regards, and this book helps with some understanding, but it still leaves (and in a few instances creates) more questions, so I wish it was more comprehensive and clear.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jury is out. Have to try to the recommended diet to see if her ideas actually make me 'free at last'. But the science is intriguing and makes the most sense of anything I've read so far. Plus it's not a total 'you can't eat this' protocol. She makes some excellent points - I'll update this review once I've done this for a few months with my thoughts and results.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book hoping to find a reason for my IBS. I wanted to get rid of the symptoms and I head the FODMAP elimination diet could be the way to go. This book spells it out for you in nice simple steps, gives you a sample menu and a few recipes at the end of the book to help along the way.

I haven't tried the diet out yet, but I think it may be worth a try.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Praise Jesus! I have been symptom free for 2 weeks with ONE exception. On that day I ate 4oz of sweet potato at one sitting and that's the only thing I can contribute to being done differently that day. I felt horrible, but thankfully my symptoms were gone by the next morning. I need to start the challenge phase now but I'm scared too

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was put onto the FODMAP diet by my dietician, to identify my food intolerances and triggers of IBS. The FODMAP diet has a 76% success rate when followed accurately but to do so takes time and tremendous discipline. Whilst on the diet (for the best part of a year), IBS-Free at Last! became my FODMAP bible and enabled me to find complete success.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introduction to IBS control

Good information for people who are sick and tired of their gut controlling their lives. Explains how foods are handled in the gut and how to find the right foods for you.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read IBS diet book. I read it in an hour. I'm in the 3rd day of the elimination diet and it's OK pretty well so far. Hope it works long term. Worth a try anyway.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little brief, but a good overview of the FODMAP diet for IBS, and how to do an elimination diet to test for FODMAP sensitivity.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Her diet plan is simply laid out and seems easy to follow. Might give it a go!

[Megan the Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read... Gonna put the diet into action after Labor Day and will report back :)

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much in terms of actionable items. It has good information, its just available on the web in more concise form.

[Cindy Chapman jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for people with food issues, not just IBS. Good information to help understand food and how it can affect your body.

[Regina Worrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medical book that was very helpful.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read so far about IBS. Very informative!!
It is a book I'd consider buying.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really no different than the many books I have read on specific diets.