The end is near

Bonjour!

About two months ago my blog was created. Its purpose was to be some kind of repository of the recipes which was meant to help me to deal with the first phase of the low FODMAP diet.

Now I can say to myself: "Well done!", because I survived the elimination phase.
YES, I DID.

My symptoms have improved significantly so now I can re-challange the FODMAP groups to see if I can reintroduce certain products back to my regular diet.

The goal of this phase is to develop an understanding of individual tolerance levels to each of the FODMAP groups. During this phase you might discover that you tolerate a little bit of some of them, have no issues with other groups or that you need to stay on the low FODMAP plan for certain groups.

The reintroduction phase is not easy, because it's likely at some stage that the symptoms will reappear when you find a trigger food and it could last for a few days. Although you might feel uncomfortable, at least you will have a confirmed trigger that you can actively manage. You still may be able to reintroduce this food back into your diet but at a lower level.


There are 10 FODMAP re-challenges to complete. One FODMAP group is introduced per week and it is tested for 2 to 3 days during that week. After that time you can decide whether the FODMAP can be added back into your diet based on your reaction.

There are two ways you can test FODMAPs. This is the first way:

But if you are concerned about testing three days in a row you can use an alternative testing schedule.

Additionally, you need to be symptom free for at least 3 days before you start testing another group. After three days of being without symptoms you can start testing the next FODMAP group under the guidance of your dietitian.


What are re-challenge foods?

Re-Challenge foods are foods that only contain one of the FODMAP groups.

Here's an example of a testing schedule and recommended re-challenge foods.

Remember!

Once you have finished testing a food do not add it back into your diet until you have finished testing all of the FODMAP groups.

I really hope that there will be only few foods which I don't tolerate or I do but in a very small quantities.

But as I said few posts ago, I will not resign of healthy eating. The low FODMAP diet has not only helped me with reducing my ailments, but it has also made me be much more aware of my own body and its functioning.

Sharing with you my embroiled thoughts and lousy jokes was a real pleasure.

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According to this - I would like to present to you today, another recipe for delicious low FODMAP and gluten-free cookies.

Some time ago I had a great desire for something sweet. Not fruits, not chocolate, not the coconut cookies. I wanted to try to do something new. Something that will be easy enough for my still somewhat limited culinary skills

The easiest way to make the low FODMAP cookies is to use the recipe in which milk is not obligatory.

I therefore propose to cook the oatmeal cookies, which are tasty and healthy, and their preparation takes no more than 40 minutes.

Things you will need:

- 3/4 a cup of oat flour

- 1/2 a spoon of baking powder

- 1/4 a spoon of baking soda

- about 60 g of a soft butter

- 1/2 a cup of sugar

- 1 big egg

- 1 and 1/4 a cup of oatmeal

- 1 cup of coconut shrims

The preparation:

Firstly, mix the flour with the baking powder and soda.

After that, mix butter and sugar in the second vessel, add the egg and mix it again.

Then connect the contents of both vessels.

Next, add the oatmeal and coconut shrims and mix it one more time. If the mass is too thick, you can add another egg or just add water.

Form the dough into balls and place it on the baking mold.

Bake it in the oven (preheated to 180 degrees) for about 15-20 minutes.

After baking, wait until it cools down a little bit, otherwise you will get your tongue burnt (as I did).

The green light.

Hey, hi and heeeeeello!

Some time ago, I promised that one day I will present to you some ideas for healthy, low FODMAP dinner.

The day has come.

It's no secret that since I'm on the diet I eat a lot of omelettes. Like... A LOT. Not because I don't have anything else to eat, but because I simply like it. It's easy to prepare and it can be served in many different ways. But, obviously, you may finally get sick of it.

That is why I want to share with you one of the enriched versions of the dish.

The omelette is still absurdly easy to prepare, but it's also green now.


"Green?" you may ask...
Yep. Super green.

Things you need:

- 3 eggs

- about 1/3 of package spinach (fresh or frozen; less or more)

- some spices (I used salt, pepper and curry)

It's not very hard to guess that spinach is the factor which makes the omelette green.


So now - the instructions of preparing:

Step 1: Fry the spinach and add some spices.
Step 2: Mix the eggs.
Step 3: Add the spinach to the eggs.
Step 4: Mix it.
Step 5: Fry it again.

And BOOM - you've got a  tasty green omelette. You can also decorate it with some tomatoes and mozzarella, as I did. Right here:

In case you're not convinced to spinach, let me give you some background about this vegetable.

Spinach is a valuable source of mineral salts, in particular magnesium and phosphorus, and vitamins, especially A, E and C.

It is also distinguished by a high content of proteins.

The other components are present in the average or small quantities. Optionally, as in the case of iron and calcium, they are chemically bonded and are not absorbed by the human body.

What's interesting, spinach in frozen form doesn't lose its nutritional properties, which are rapidly decreasing as the extension of the storage of fresh spinach.

And if you prepare it properly, it's really delicious!
I swear.

Conclusion?

You should totally eat it.

One bite and all your dreams will come true

Hello! 

Ready for another heartbreaking story of my life?

Yeeaaaaaaaaaaah, let's get it started!

Today's story is about the day when - since the moment of awakening - there was only one thought in my mind, namely:

Seriously, I was thinking about it throughout the day.

But, naturally, I couldn't just go and eat pizza. Well, actually I could have done it, but then I would had broken like... BILLION rules of the low FODMAP diet . 

But I love pizza SO MUCH... It was like...

And all I could do was to repeat over and over again:

But there are so many people in the world who adore pizza much more than I do. REALLY.

They make memes about pizza:

They joke about pizza:

They wear pizza:

They sleep under the pizza:

They even date pizza:

As you can see, it's not easy to forget about the need of the delicious slice(-s) of pizza.

In that situation, I started to search for some recipes which I could possibly adapt to the requirements of my diet.

After many hours of futile searching I decided to change the strategy.

I decided to delude my own mind.

I decided to... prepare pizza-look-alike dish.

Aaand VOILA!

The tart with spinach and feta cheese

THE HOMEMADE LOW FODMAP PIZZA!

The ingredients for the dough:

- 1 or 1 1/2 cup of flour (I've used oat flour instead of wheat flour and it worked!)

- 1 egg

- 1/3 cube of butter

- a pinch of salt

The ingredients for the filling:

- 1 or actually 2 packages of spinach (fresh or frozen)

- 1/2 of the pack of feta cheese

- 1 big tomato or a few small ones

- 1 spoon of lemon juice

- a pinch of nutmeg

How to prepare this preciousness?

Step 1: Knead the dough and put it for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. At this time, prepare the filling.

Step 2: Fry the spinach in butter. Stir regularly to make it frostbitten.

Step 3: Add the nutmeg and lemon juice.

Step 4: Spread the dough in the baking mold and put it in the oven (preheated to 180 degrees) for 15 minutes. 

Step 5: After removing from the oven, put the spinach, crumbled feta cheese and the tomatoes on it.

Step 6: Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees and at the end - for 5 minutes at 200 degrees.

Excellent both hot and cold. 

Bon appetit!

Man does not live by bread alone...

...especially when they are on the low FODMAP or gluten-free diet.

But speaking personally, I'm a bread admirer and it was really hard for me to eliminate it from my menu for such a long time.

I was looking for some gluten-free recipes in the Internet, but all off them contained milk or some expensive substitute so I gave up.

But one day my sister send me the recipe of a bread (baked by her colleague) which she had an opportunity to taste. She was so thrilled that I decided to experience it firsthand.

This was the day I baked my first bread.

And this was the day I fell in love.

With this bread.

Figuratively.

Do you want to know what was it made of?

Any guesses?

No?

Well, how about the most incredible fruit in the world called a BANANA?

Seriously, banana is like... I don't know... The horn f plenty! It tastes amazingly good in any form! I even eat it right know, in this moment, writing this post (fried bananas with a little bit of melted cocoa and coconut shrims).

Let's get back to the point - THE RECIPE FOR A HEAVENLY GOOD BANANA BREAD:

- 2 bananas

- 100 g of oat flour

- 3 eggs (3 egg whites and 2 egg yolks)

- 1-2 spoons of baking powder

- 1-2 spoons of cinnamon (not necessary)

Well, yeah. That's the recipe I was given. But the thing is that if you use all the ingredients in the stated amount, you will receive delicious but very flat bread.

Like the one I've made:

(the "Something went wrong")

That's why I now use the double amount of each ingredient...

Like...

- 4 bananas

- 200 g of oat flour

- 6 eggs (6 egg whites and 4 egg yolks)

- 2-4 spoons of baking powder

- 2-4 spoons of cinnamon

So unfortunately - that is also why the banana bread is actually not very economical...

But is tastes soooooo good that it's really worth to bake it once in a while.

It looks like this:

So now, step by step:

1. Whip egg whites to stiff.

2. Smash bananas and mix them with the rest of the ingredients.

3. Add the egg whites and mix it again together.

4. Pour it to the baking mold (length: 18 cm, height: 6 cm)

5. Insert the mold to the preheated oven.

6. Bake for about 35 minutes in 180 C (356 F)

7. Enjoy the delicious, soft, cake-tasting banana bread!

However, if you don't want to "waste" such a quantity of bananas for "JUST a bread"... Here you are - a song (more than one song, actually).

And remember the saying - 

Bread is the staff of life.

Love at first sigh-t

No one hates pancakes. Everybody at least tolerates it.

Me? I adore them.

But, of course, it contains both milk and wheat flour. Soooo... I shouldn't eat them, unless I finish the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet...

But one day, me and my sister came back home together and when we crossed the door, we smelt pancakes. My sister was like: "MOM! Are you making PANCAKES?! Please, SAY YES!!!"

So my mother said something like: "Yes, but this time they're different because I used an oat flour instead of wheat, 'cause I know Weronika (that's me) couldn't eat it. But there's no lactose-free milk in the frigde, so I used regular milk and... I don't know. Oh, and there's an apple in it (which I can't eat either)."

Well, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MUM. At least you tried.

So what should I've done? Should I watch them eating this preciousness and cry on the inside? NO WAY! I decided to prepare my own pancakes. I mean... a substitute of it.

Let me now introduce to you the BANANA OMELETTE (or banana pancake)!

Banana and egg - this combination sounds disgusting, doesn't it?

But I assure you it tastes uncommonly good!

Things you need for banana omlette:

- banana
- egg

Yep, that's it. No milk, No flour. Just banana and egg. Well, you can eat it with fruits or chocolate glaze or even with sugar powder but there is completely no need to it.

 If you use 2 bananas and 2 eggs, you will have about 6 little banana pancakes (if you use small-size pan)

How to prepare:

First, mash the banana.

Then add egg and stir it with a spoon.

At the end - fry in oil or butter.

As you can see, it's ridiculously easy. Just try!

Official thanks to Maja M. for the recipe. It saved my life many times.

Sweet dreams are made of this

Goooooooooooooooooood morning!

As you already know, the low FODMAP diet primarily excludes milk, wheat and High Fructose Corn Sirup (HFCS) which are.... like almost in all products purchased on a daily basis.

And you certainly know that everyone in the world has good and sometimes bad days. So when "sometimes" comes, I have the great need of consolation. I need support from my best, most reliable friends - sweets. Because sweets don't ask silly questions. Sweets understand.

But there is one problem... I shouldn't eat chocolate while being on the low FODMAP diet. I mean... I CAN eat chocolate, but with 60% cocoa and it's not the one I'm friends with. That's kinda depressing.

So what then?
Here's the story I want to share with you...

Recently, I was meeting my friend from high school. We were laughing, walking around the city, but we also talking about our current worries. In one minute my belly began to demand a small, sweet pleasures, so we decided to go to the cafe.

We came in and we saw all these beautiful, tasty-looking, fluffy muffins... which I can't eat.
But there were only two options for me: meringues - which I don't particularly like - and coconut cookies. So I obviously chose the latter. Oh, how great sorrow overwhelmed my heart, when they proved to be hard as a rock and not very tasty...


This was the moment I decided to make my own coconut cookies. It turned out to be easier than I thought.

To satisfy you curiosity - these cookies DO NOT contain neither flour nor milk.


The ingredients are:

- 2 egg whites
- pinch of salt
- 4 spoons of sugar
- 100 g of coconut shrims (about 1 1/4 a cup)

And now - step by step:

1. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt (you can use a mixer).
2. When the foam begins to stiffen, gradually add sugar (still mixing).
3. If the egg whites are already well beaten and fluffy, add the coconut. You can mix it with a spoon or a mixer, but at minimum speed.
4. Shape the mass into balls with a spoon on a baking tray lined with baking paper or aluminum foil, previously smeared with butter.
5. Bake about 20 minutes in an oven heated to 170 degrees.



Here's how the final result should look like:

I assure you this is child's play, and the cookies are dietary, low FODMAP, gluten-free, soft on the inside and what's most important - they taste incredibly great!

The most favourite part of the day - eating

Hey, hi and hello!

Some time ago I promised that I will show you how my diet looks in practice...

I was putting it off for a long time, because I am not a masterchef and I would have been embarrassed, if you had seen any of the dishes I prepared at the beginning.

But now I can see progress in my culinary adventure, so I think I can share with you some sample photos.

As you know (or maybe not, but you should), breakfast is the most important meal - it gives you the energy for a whole day. I mean... not exactly WHOLE day, but for whole morning. What I want to say is that every good day starts with a tasty and nutritious breakfast.

Since I'm on a diet, I had to change my breakfast habits, so instead cornflakes with milk I eat porridge. Being more specific - my low FODMAP breakfast includes:

- 3 spoons of oatmeal
- 3 spoons of spelt-flakes
- a little bit of coconut shrims
- some shelled sunflower seeds
- a fruit (usually a banana, because it has a protective effect on the stomach and I also love it)

Porridge is usually eaten with milk, but - as I said in the first post - low FODMAP diet excludes milk, so I pour just a little bit of boiling water into the bowl with oatmeal and wait until it gets softer.


So here you are, porridge - version with straw- and blueberries or banana and kiwi:

Preparing porridge is not a big deal, but... Yeah, actually... It's as easy as falling off the face of the earth, but... But I had to start somewhere, so I've started from the beginning.

So! Anybody wants to know what low FODMAP dinner I can prepare? Oh yeah, I can see this dense hands forest. OKAY, I will tell you this sweet secret. Or should I say "salty"?...

It's really interesting that the low FODMAP diet excludes milk and milk products in general, but it does not exclude certain types of cheese as camembert, brie etc. Luckily, feta cheese is also allowed!

So, if you want to eat delicious and filling lunch, I totally recommend pasta with spinach and feta cheese - it's a heaven in mouth!

You only need to replace the plain pasta with the gluten-free one. But do not worry - it is now readily available!

Summarizing, the ingredients are:

- 1 package of frozen spinach in briquette (or in leaves)
- 1 package of feta cheese (I use the semi-fat)
- gluten-free pasta (as much as you can eat)

Just fry the spinach in a pan, then add the feta and mix it with a spoon. I sometimes add to that a little salt, pepper and curry, but speaking personally - I don't think it's necessary. Feta is doing all the work!

Here's the photo:

I also wanted to show you what I eat on evening, but the only photo of sample dish is blurry, so maybe next time...


...or maybe YOU will share with me some ideas for healthy dinner?

Hello

Hello, it's me.
I was wondering if after all these weeks you'd like to read
About low FODMAP recipes.
They say that the diet's supossed to heal me
But I have to verify it first

Hello, can you read this?
I'm in my hometown dreaming about what I used to eat
When I was omnivorous and free
I've forgotten how it felt before I got rid of bread and milk

There's such a difference between how
I was feeling then and now

Hello from the healthier side
I must have tried a thousand times
To tell you I'm proud of the healthy dish that I've made
But when I cook it rarely seem to be great
Hello from the low FODMAP side
At least I can say that I've tried
To stay on my diet at least for 6 weeks
But it doesn't matter. Soon I will show you some pics, maybe more

Hello, how are you?
It's so typical of me to talk about myself. I'm sorry
I hope that you're well
Did you ever make a fit version of your favourite dish and did it taste okay?

It's no secret that the healthy life
Can really be alright

I don't want to but I have to

Hi!

My name is Weronika. Aaand I have no idea how to introduce myself properly. I have never even thought about writing a blog, especially in English. But life is full of surprises and unexpected things can happen everyday, in every minute. So this is why I'm here. 

My story is short and quite sad. As most people I love eating. But I also live in hurry. One day I eat enormous amounts of food, and the other - almost nothing. I'm almost one hundred percent sure that's why my stomach has initiated a rebellion and persuaded the intestine to participate in it.

Recently, my GP suggested that maybe I should try the low FODMAP diet. "What is FODMAP?" you may ask. Then let me fill this blank page, which appears in your mind.

FODMAP means Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Monosaccharides and Polyols. What? Still nothing? Well, I totally understand your confusion. Let me explain it to you briefly and concisely. 

FODMAPs are those little invisible pranksters which stomach just can't stand, so he sends them straight to the gut. They arrange there a party, after which remains weeping and teeth gnashing.

What I mean here is that these are short chain carbohydrates (oligosaccharides), disaccharides, monosaccharides and related alcohols that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine.

These include fructans and galactans, lactose, fructose and sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and maltitol.

So the aim of the low FODMAP diet is to eliminate the products with a high content of FODMAP, such as dairy products and bread, in order to alleviate the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

The first phase of the diet should last 6-8 weeks. The second step is a slow return to eating products high in FODMAP (separately lactose and fructose) to identify which ones are harmful for us.

You may ask me now (as the most people do): "Do you eat ANYTHING?". Oh yes, I do. And I will show you. But not today.

I admit, it is not easy to exclude milk and fresh, crispy rolls, which I just adore. Actually, it almost made me cry at the beginning, but it's OK now and I'm not on this diet to the rest of my life, so I think it's worth the effort.

So this is why I'm here. I know that culinary blogs are a bit overrated, because sooooo many people now runs a blog about cooking, but I decided to make one to show you that being on low FODMAP diet is not the end of the world.

It's not easy, but can be tasty and it makes you eat more "consiously", what is very important these days.

See you next time!

PS. OKAY, you got me. It's not a "short" story. It's not and it never will be. Because I'm talkative.