The 'do you know list' for the LoFoJourney

The average time I spend with clients teaching them the low FODMAP diet differs and sometimes I do not get to do a full tutorial on how to use the FODMAP App in detail as there is just not enough time to fit everything into one visit and it can get very overwhelming for someone learning about the diet for the first time.

Even though the phase 1 elimination diet is a short-term temporary method used to identify if FODMAPs are the cause of all that havoc in your gut; impacting your quality of life, it is essential to know the features in the app.

This prevents unnecessarily prolonging the first 2 phases of the diet and a quicker transition to the personalization phase of the diet (phase 3). The best way to get through the seemingly complicated and confusing diet is to use the app the right way.

It is therefore important to explore the app thoroughly on your own or on follow-up visits with the dietitian.

When you download the app there may be some features you may or may not end up using.

Over the years I have taken note of some of the features clients do not use because they were either unfamiliar with the app or were too overwhelmed to bother with these features.

This is when this list of ‘did you know features’ comes in handy. Here is one short ‘did you know list’ I created.

• The app has tips that teach you how to modify recipes

• There is a blog page you can follow which can be very informative on all three phases of the diet.

• There are recipes for DIY dressings, condiments, seasoning, dips, and sauces

• You can record and send your food and symptom diary to your dietitian using the app in Phase 2. This is a great way to keep in touch with your dietitian weekly until all reintroduction categories are completed. It is important to have ongoing support from your dietitian as Phase 2 can get really challenging for some individuals

• You can tag a recipe as a ‘favorite’ for easy access

• You can add notes to the in-app recipes if particular low FODMAP recipes caused a reaction in your gut for some reason. Making notes help you keep track of your LoFo journey.

• You can also take note of changes you have made to recipes to suit your taste preference using the in-app notes feature

• You can add your frequently used ingredients to your favorites for easy access each time you are drawing up a meal plan for the week.

• There are food lists from other countries on the app which can be handy when traveling or when buying ingredients from ethnic grocers e.g., Japan, India, Italy...

• You can filter the food guide by sensitivity and by country which is very helpful in each phase of the diet.

• You can use the app filter to do a simple FODMAP elimination diet.

• You can identify a low FODMAP dose to increase variety in all phases of the diet.

Remember it is much easier to do the diet with the support of a dietitian and include follow-up appointments to ensure that all 3 phases are done the right way. One visit with the dietitian is not enough. There are always questions, and every aspect of the diet cannot be discussed in one visit.

I hope these tips are useful to you !!