Ahhh I'm here because I have a hard time digesting foods like onions & garlic so it seems mean / difficult that these are at the same time necessary to make my digestion better. 😥 Do you have any recommendations on how to deal with it? Would you recommend including those foods in low doses into my diet or would you rather exclude them if having a hard time digesting them?
Hi Inkeri! I totally get how tricky it can be with onions and garlic if you have a sensitive gut. The key is finding the right balance. I’d recommend trying small amounts and seeing how your body responds, and working 1:1 with a dietitian can provide further guidance too - though I appreciate it's not always an option for everyone. There are other prebiotics (I've shared some in other comment replies above that may help).
Likewise, for someone who needs to avoid FODMAPs: Can you please suggest some FODMAP-friendly prebiotics? And probiotics?? Do supplemental digestive prescription enzymes destroy the prebiotic or probiotic beneficial effects?
Hi Em, great question! A low FODMAP diet isn’t about cutting out all FODMAPs - it's about finding the right balance for you. Some FODMAPs, like fructans and GOS, are prebiotics that feed certain 'good' bacteria in your gut. The key is serving size and avoiding too many of the same type of FODMAP in one day - this is called 'stacking.' I recommend using the Monash or KCL FODMAP apps to check portion sizes (I don’t have any personal connection with them). You can try smaller amounts of artichokes, beetroot, butternut pumpkin, pomegranate seeds (¼ cup), and almonds (10 nuts). Rinsing canned beans can also reduce FODMAP content. I'll cover probiotics in next week's post!
Hi, thanks for sharing your perspective! I link studies directly within the posts themselves, I find that means that readers can click straight through to the study without having to copy the title/DOI from a reference list.
Thanks for sharing Paula. It’s important to find the right balance that works for you, and there are plenty of other prebiotics to try. The low FODMAP diet is meant to be a short-term approach with the guidance of a dietitian, as it’s highly personalised and complex. Ideally, it should allow for all foods in the long run, just with consideration for portion sizes (e.g. small servings occasionally), but I completely understand it’s different for everyone.
Hi Vyonne! Thanks for sharing. For prebiotics, there are low FODMAP options to include - the key is the dose - he could try a small amount of artichokes, beetroot, butternut pumpkin, pomegranate seeds (¼ cup), or almonds (10 nuts). For serving sizes you can use Monash or KCL FODMAP apps for guidance to help find the right portions while avoiding digestive discomfort. It also depends on which FODMAPs your partner is sensitive to, and I would always recommend seeing a dietitian 1:1 if you can for tailored advice.
I would love to see some strategies to help someone move from a situation where a fermentable carbohydrate (e.g. oligosaccharides) cause digestive upset (uncomfortable levels of bloating, gas and mucus-y stool) to a situation where this type of nutrient is a comfortable part of regular intake. Quantities / timing to add into the diet, duration of progression (steps), how to troubleshoot the process, what to pay attention to / ignore / tolerate...
Hi Sebastien, this would be individual to you and your body, and I recommend working with a dietitian 1:1 to get tailored guidance that works for you if you are experiencing digestive issues.
Super information! There is a prebiotic seeded rye bread that I buy at a German bakery in Toronto. Wonderful. Thank you for sharing this important information.
Thankyou for explaining prebiotic and probiotics. I love green beans, how do they compare to other varieties ie black, white, kidney etc? Being green does this enhance certain nutrition benefits? Is one variety of bean better than the others? Thankyou.
Hi Angela, you're very welcome - so glad you found it useful. All bean varieties are great and provide slightly different nutrients. There isn’t one “best” bean - it's more about variety and balance in your diet to get the full range of nutrients!
I like that you’re offering real food options for prebiotics. Currently with food producers pushing probiotics in so many things I wonder how long it will be before they start adding, and marketing, prebiotic rich on the food label. Hopefully more people will opt for some of the delicious choices you’ve shared.
It would seem many of the beneficial prebiotics mentioned could pose a problem for many people on the old school anticoagulant warfarin (garlic has blood thinning qualities and a few of the recommended foods are rich in vitamin K).
Would you have any alternatives that aren’t contraindicated for people in my situation? I’d love to get my gut microbiome running smoothly.
Ahhh I'm here because I have a hard time digesting foods like onions & garlic so it seems mean / difficult that these are at the same time necessary to make my digestion better. 😥 Do you have any recommendations on how to deal with it? Would you recommend including those foods in low doses into my diet or would you rather exclude them if having a hard time digesting them?
Hi Inkeri! I totally get how tricky it can be with onions and garlic if you have a sensitive gut. The key is finding the right balance. I’d recommend trying small amounts and seeing how your body responds, and working 1:1 with a dietitian can provide further guidance too - though I appreciate it's not always an option for everyone. There are other prebiotics (I've shared some in other comment replies above that may help).
Thanks a lot!
Likewise, for someone who needs to avoid FODMAPs: Can you please suggest some FODMAP-friendly prebiotics? And probiotics?? Do supplemental digestive prescription enzymes destroy the prebiotic or probiotic beneficial effects?
Hi Em, great question! A low FODMAP diet isn’t about cutting out all FODMAPs - it's about finding the right balance for you. Some FODMAPs, like fructans and GOS, are prebiotics that feed certain 'good' bacteria in your gut. The key is serving size and avoiding too many of the same type of FODMAP in one day - this is called 'stacking.' I recommend using the Monash or KCL FODMAP apps to check portion sizes (I don’t have any personal connection with them). You can try smaller amounts of artichokes, beetroot, butternut pumpkin, pomegranate seeds (¼ cup), and almonds (10 nuts). Rinsing canned beans can also reduce FODMAP content. I'll cover probiotics in next week's post!
It would be really great if you provided a research reference list that backs up what you suggest.
Hi, thanks for sharing your perspective! I link studies directly within the posts themselves, I find that means that readers can click straight through to the study without having to copy the title/DOI from a reference list.
I have done the FODMAP diet twice to identify foods difficult to digest for me. Beans are off the menu in any quantity.
Thanks for sharing Paula. It’s important to find the right balance that works for you, and there are plenty of other prebiotics to try. The low FODMAP diet is meant to be a short-term approach with the guidance of a dietitian, as it’s highly personalised and complex. Ideally, it should allow for all foods in the long run, just with consideration for portion sizes (e.g. small servings occasionally), but I completely understand it’s different for everyone.
My partner is on a low FODMAP diet and therefore can’t have garlic or onion, and kombucha seems to disagree with him, any suggestions?
Hi Vyonne! Thanks for sharing. For prebiotics, there are low FODMAP options to include - the key is the dose - he could try a small amount of artichokes, beetroot, butternut pumpkin, pomegranate seeds (¼ cup), or almonds (10 nuts). For serving sizes you can use Monash or KCL FODMAP apps for guidance to help find the right portions while avoiding digestive discomfort. It also depends on which FODMAPs your partner is sensitive to, and I would always recommend seeing a dietitian 1:1 if you can for tailored advice.
I would love to see some strategies to help someone move from a situation where a fermentable carbohydrate (e.g. oligosaccharides) cause digestive upset (uncomfortable levels of bloating, gas and mucus-y stool) to a situation where this type of nutrient is a comfortable part of regular intake. Quantities / timing to add into the diet, duration of progression (steps), how to troubleshoot the process, what to pay attention to / ignore / tolerate...
Hi Sebastien, this would be individual to you and your body, and I recommend working with a dietitian 1:1 to get tailored guidance that works for you if you are experiencing digestive issues.
Super information! There is a prebiotic seeded rye bread that I buy at a German bakery in Toronto. Wonderful. Thank you for sharing this important information.
Catherine this sounds delicious! and happy microbes too!
Thankyou for explaining prebiotic and probiotics. I love green beans, how do they compare to other varieties ie black, white, kidney etc? Being green does this enhance certain nutrition benefits? Is one variety of bean better than the others? Thankyou.
Hi Angela, you're very welcome - so glad you found it useful. All bean varieties are great and provide slightly different nutrients. There isn’t one “best” bean - it's more about variety and balance in your diet to get the full range of nutrients!
thank you!
You're so welcome Julie - really great to have you here!
Really helpful. Thank you.
Thank you Stacey, so glad you found it helpful - thanks for being here!
I like that you’re offering real food options for prebiotics. Currently with food producers pushing probiotics in so many things I wonder how long it will be before they start adding, and marketing, prebiotic rich on the food label. Hopefully more people will opt for some of the delicious choices you’ve shared.
It would seem many of the beneficial prebiotics mentioned could pose a problem for many people on the old school anticoagulant warfarin (garlic has blood thinning qualities and a few of the recommended foods are rich in vitamin K).
Would you have any alternatives that aren’t contraindicated for people in my situation? I’d love to get my gut microbiome running smoothly.
Thank you Dr.