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I need some low fodmap veggie inspiration please


Hannlib

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I did my first whole 30 in May 2013 and have basically eaten to template ever since, I always get ill if I go off plan.

I'm severely intolerant to wheat/ gluten. Fairly intolerant to rice and especially rice flour. Feel much better if I avoid dairy though it doesn't make me ill like wheat and rice do. My symptoms are all digestive issues. I also can't eat tomatoes, especially raw tomatoes which give me abdominal pain. I've always had lots of issues with bloating and trapped wind which are improved by eating to template but the bloating is always ongoing. I am beginning to suspect FODMAP issues. Unfortunately, the red column of the fodmap traffic light table reads like a list of my favourite fruit and veggies.

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/08/modifying-paleo-for-fodmap-intolerance.html

I've eliminated garlic and onions from my meals 1&2 (basically by not eating m3 leftovers). I do use them in meal 3s, but have reduced quantities. Most things just taste so much better with a little onion and garlic. I eat mushrooms for breakfast most mornings. Love sugar snap peas. Love celery and fennel for a base for stews and salad crunch. LOVE braised red cabbage and roasted sprouts. Rarely eat fruit but when I do it's usually apple or grapes in a salad. I made chicken and apple sweet potato hash for lunch the other day - a favourite dish - and looked 6m pregnant all afternoon. Love asparagus, especially the short British season.

I'm feeling the need to do some trials but know I need to eliminate first. I need some inspiration please! Green FODMAP veggies. No tomatoes. Also my husband can't tolerate anything cruciferous at all. I love white potatoes but find them easy to overeat.

Need both batches of veggies to cook ahead and store and easy veggie sides on the fly.

I feel really despondent at eliminating even more foods from the list of things I can eat without getting ill. But it'd be really nice to stop feeling so bloated.

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Hi Hannlib

 

I'm sorry to hear your struggling with bloat.

As you know I've been eating low fodmap for some time, but unlike you (IIRC!) I eat much less prepared recipes and much more in a hot plate kind of way...

My staples are cucumbers, pickled dill cucumbers, kale, spinach, cherry tomatoes (sorry), courgettes, aubergines, peppers, scallions (greens only), carrots, turnips, parnsips, white potatoes, fennel, bok choi & romaine. Fruit-wise I pretty much only eat berries and those go into my salads.

At the minute I'm eating a lot of salads, but I also pretty much always have a batch of roasted veg on the go (currently made up of courgettes, aubergines, peppers & tomatoes), plus i always have a huge batch of braised kale - I chop it up small, add LOADS of ghee/lard/coconut oil depending on my mood, throw in a mix of spices, pop on the lid & let is cook in the fat & steam really slowly... I also usually have some baby boiled potatoes prepared - good hot or cold.

I've also taken to slow cooking a mix of veg (whatever is available really, but usually with a few potatoes as the base) in a little broth or even some coconut milk & some curry spices, or wilting mixed greens in broth - both of these options work really well with seared salmon or other types of fish.

I use the green parts of the scallions/spring onions in place of onions, and use garlic infused oil (which is GREAT in mayo BTW) to get the garlic flavour. I also use A LOT of spices & fresh herbs, ginger etc to add flavour. I still use a whole onion when I'm making broth and I seem fine with that, YMMV.

 

In winter I use the root veg a lot more for roasting, or for topping the likes of shepherds pie.

In short , I keep it really simple, and I've added in Kombucha.

It seemed so restrictive in the early days, but it really was worth it to allow my gut to heal and for the bloating to subside (well, until the egg episode a few weeks back which led to eliminating those too so I know how you feel!!), and there's really very little I miss - and with the trials I've done it looks like I can add back in pretty much all of the fructans, provided I don't go overboard on the portions.
 

Good luck - it really is a case of trial and error.


 

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Hannlib I could have typed your post to describe myself! I've been low FODMAP since 2014, didn't fix everything but it fixed a lot. I really missed cabbage, apples, sweet potatoes at first but not so much that I'll eat them anymore. Been so long I don't crave them now and they just aren't worth it. 

 

My staples are carrots, zucchini (peeled), green beans, small red potatoes, kale or collard, radishes, oranges, berries. I buy those every week, the veggies MUST be cooked or I have gut pain. I occasionally buy butternut squash, kabocha squash, bok choy, brown bananas or plantains (must be brown!) but I can only do half/small servings of these or bloat.

 

Not a long list! But I make it work, here are my favorite ways. Casablanca carrots from Well Fed. Cumin/cinnamon roasted carrots from Mark Sisson. A "hash" with chopped butternut, carrot, green beans, and chicken -- spiced with Moroccan or Mexican. Bowl of zucchini, radish, carrot with Thai chili spices or Greek flavors, add chicken or fish. 

 

I did a strict 8 week elimination, then tried re-introducing because I've read that after some elimination tolerance is better. Some foods I've gained some tolerance for, but many others I still suffer from. Recently tested cabbage to see if I could tolerate --  :wacko: nope.

 

Good discussion, let's get ideas together! Hope this helps.

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Thanks both, that's super helpful! just feels like another round of food grief, facing up to letting go of some more favourites.

Jmcbn I've been following your log with great interest, but didn't want to gatecrash it, so thanks for replying!

I am very interested in kombucha but really don't know where to start ... Any pointers would be v appreciated!

You're right, I absolutely love a recipe. But one of my current goals is to try to cook less, bizarrely enough. I'm home full time with my 3 year old and can easily spend every afternoon cooking. We've just moved house and have a huge garden, and lots of house stuff to do, and I want to get back into my sewing, and we've got sheep, and we are getting a pony, and my kitchen is small and brown and I just want to spent much less time in there but still eat great food. Yesterday I threw some potatoes, zucchini and fennel in the slow cooker with a little broth and it turned out great - I can definitely up my quantities of that. Do you find fennel okay? I think it's on the yellow list?

Luckily I can tolerate raw stuff well and I do love salads - romaine, spinach, cucumber, peppers, carrots. I'll add radishes to my list, I love them buy forget about them iykwim.

I like kale but much prefer cabbage or sprouts. My husband and kids will eat none of these so I do a batch and eat through the week. I could do a batch of braised kale instead - does it keep okay?

Parsnips - I love these plain roasted, braised/ stewed/ pureed not so much. Any other suggestions?

Also turnips. I do not feel inspired by a turnip. Inspiration would be appreciated!!

This week will be a final blow out of all the things in my fridge - sprouts, beetroot, sugar snaps and so on. When I do my next shop I'm going to basically buy everything I can on the green list and see how I get on. I guess it's a case of changing those staple fall backs.

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Kombucha is one of my favorites! I know a lot of people recommend GT's as it is compliant. If you decide to purchase is (you can make your own too!) make sure the only sugar listed is with the kombucha (often in parentheses with the tea and SCOBY) and not after that since a lot of companies will add sugar to make it sweeter/more like soda. As far as flavors go, I love ginger, but I tried one from a local maker that was coconut lime and felt like it was summer outside (we had a blizzard a month ago!) I tend to be adventurous so no flavor is off limits for me, and I haven't made any yet but I may soon.

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I'm in the UK Karen so no GT available here. There's a brand called Love Kombucha which I think is compliant (and tbh I'm not actually on a w30 right now). It's only available mail order .... Maybe I should bite the bullet and order some.

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Kale keeps fine for me in a tupperware for 5-6 days - have you tried baby kale? It;s not always available but it's a lot more like rocket and a nice change in a sald.

Parsnips & turnips I tend to mainly roast, and just mix it up a little by chnaging the fat and spices. Parsnip also works well slow cooked with brisket/shin & lots of wintery spices like all spice berries, cloves, ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg. If I'm making a shepherds pie I add in some chopped courgette to the meat, and then make a topping of mixed mashed carrot, parsnip & white potato.

Fennel I'm okay with, although it's not something I eat often. Same applies to asparagus (on the red list) - I often throw a bunch in with my roasted veg and have one per serving LOL Not sure how I'd do with the whole bunch!

Kombucha - I'm a total convert. I started off with Go Kombucha's earthy something or other off of Amazon. It was good. Really nice tastes, lots of bubbles, but totally unreliable in terms of stock - you'd get an order confirmation, then a few days later they'd email again to say it was oout of stock. It was also expensive to post. Love kombucha were charging more for P&P to NI than they were for the Kombucha so I gave them a by-ball, but they seem to have a big following. I then discovered Equinox - a small brewery in Hebden Bridge who got pretty much destroyed in the floods at Christmas but with a great selection of flavours at a decent price, and they do a mixed box so you can try all of the flavours. Once I worked out that I'd need to remortgage my house to keep me in supplies I looked into brewing my own & the rest is history!

I bought a starter kit from Happy Kombucha (all the info is in my log) and soon realised I'd need bigger jars... and more bottles.... all of which I got at fairly low cost on Amazon. I'm currently brewing in x2 continuous brew 5ltr jars (the old fashioned kind used to serve lemonade at Garden parties, with a tap for pouring), plus x1 x2ltr jar - which gives me around 10ltrs allowing for the scobys displacing some fluid when they're in the jar IYSWIM. I bottle alternate jars every weekend.

I started out using green tea & rooibos but I've moved on to pukka and am experimenting with flavours to save doing the second ferment. I also add in fresh ginger or dried flowers to help with the fizz. 

Shannon & ladyshanny (and many others) are pretty clued in on brewing so if you need any advice just ask - but yeah, try Equinox to find a few flavours you like that won't break the bank, and do some research to see if you can maybe find a local brewer who might be able to furnish you with a scoby or two & some starter brew - or take a look on Happy Kombucha... 

I haven't had nori, but I do buy fresh seaweed (dulse) from my local farm shop & add that to my broths/chowders etc.

Your new house sounds fab by the way - huge garden, sheep, a pony, and sewing - my mum was a dress-maker all of her days so I can relate to that.... perfect!

 

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Yes the postage costs put me off Love Kombucha. I hate to pay postage!! Just looked on Equinox which looks great but they too want £10 for shipping - wowsers. Still would only be £30 for 20 bottles which I suppose is not too bad but still, makes me wince. Maybe I will suck it up. I'll do some more reading on the brewing too, thanks. I am totally caffeine free so the idea of making it from rooibos and herbal teas is super appealing. I did look a while back but got overwhelmed. We have good brewing space here though -  a steady temperature cellar! 

 

The house really is beyond amazing, thank you, though life's day to day slog is not as idyllic as it sounds!!! Still, it's all a project and one I am enjoying very much. 

 

Off to print my low Fodmap list. I've added pickles and garlic oil to my shopping list already. 

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Did you buy the heat tray??

I didn't as I felt I was already forking out enough for the starter kit, and I'd already spent so much on bottle booch already too... I may invest in one next winter though.

When I first started brewing in the winter months with the smaller jars I had a wolly, fleece lined snood which fit snugly round both jars and they were kept in an airing cupboard so the temp was fairly steady. Then when I moved the scobys to the bigger jars I wrapped the jars in long knitted scarves...Now the temp has risen a bit I don't bother wrapping them up - they'll still brew when the temp is lower, they'll just take a bit longer, but the definitely prefer heat.

Honestly, I thought it would be a faff too, but it's pretty much a part of my food prep now. I make the tea when I get up on a Sunday, take my youngest to training, hit the gym for an hr and by the time I come home it's cooled nicely and I can bottle what's already in the jar and top up with the fresh tea - that really only takes 10mins, so 20mins max total with measuring out the sugar, adding tea bags, & boiling water... 

One tip: I made the mistake of buying amber coloured kilner rubber topped bottles (like the Grolsch bottles) which are fab, BUT it's difficult to see how full the bottles are as you fill them. Any extra bottles I've bought since have been clear for that reason. The rubber stoppers give a really good tight seal & that helps get the carbonation going. My last few bottles have fizzed over like beer when I open them! IKEA do a litre bottle for a decent price, or you can pick up the odd one in TK Maxx, but Amazon seems to be the best place for buying in bulk.

You could phone Equinox and try to negotiate a better postage price? I spoke with the guy quite extensively and he seemed very personable... He can only say no - or maybe throw in a few extra bottles to ease the sting? Worth a try.....

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Yes the investment is quite steep. Wrapping in fleecy blankets might be the way to go, this house is 250 years old - it doesn't really do warm!!

I'll give equinox a call. My husband gets business courier rates so could possibly organise collection. We aren't a million miles from mytholmroyd and it'd be nice to support.

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I'm about 1/3 way though the EPIC kombucha brewers thread. Learnt lots already, like not to try to use decaff tea. I think I am developing a brewing strategy, most likely the continuous brew method. 

 

Just hope I like the stuff now!!

 

TBH DH has the potential to benefit greatly from this also. He's been suffering with reflux and gastritis since Christmas and as his dad has oesophageal cancer we really want to minimise his reflux symptoms. I'll tell him it's a bit alcoholic, but whole 30 compliant. That might convince him to take a sip ...

 

In other news I have eaten all the FODMAPS today. But not at breakfast, I skipped the mushrooms for the first time in ages and felt pretty good. 

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Hmmm. I thought carrageenan was extracted from 'Irish Moss' which has that kind of slimy gelatinous texture when in the water... (see Mark Sisson's article below)

There is actually a Whole9 blog post on the consumption of seaweed and it's nutritional benefits. Pound for pound it's thought to be the most nutrient dense food in existence.

This is a pretty good article from MDA

I dunno, I've been eating it from a paper bag since I was knee high to a grass hopper, and it gives great flavour to broths/soups... I actually hadn't been using it for a while but knowing that iodine can help a sluggish thyroid common in menopause and knowing that seaweed is a great natural source of iodine I thought I'd add it back in. Perhaps my gut would like it better if I didn't... 

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I could be wrong.... But my guess is that a whole food that contains carrageenan (like the seaweed) is vastly different then the chemically separated stuff that's added, just like some foods contains nitrites and sulfites naturally, but we want to avoid added stuff to bacon etc that's been ultra processed...

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I think I have it figured out. This is how science nerds spend lunch hour :)

I looked up the type of carrageenan used in the in vitro and mouse studies. Found the chemical companies they were purchased from, and backtracked the original citations to find the species of algae used.

From what I'm reading, carrageenan is sourced from the cell walls of the specific algae in the Order Gigartinales, while dulse is from the Order Palmariales. Some carrageenan is from the Eucheuma, also in the Gigartinales.

I'm not saying this is 100% conclusive, but it looks good for me to try dulse this weekend if I can find it!

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I think I have it figured out. This is how science nerds spend lunch hour :)

I looked up the type of carrageenan used in the in vitro and mouse studies. Found the chemical companies they were purchased from, and backtracked the original citations to find the species of algae used.

From what I'm reading, carrageenan is sourced from the cell walls of the specific algae in the Order Gigartinales, while dulse is from the Order Palmariales. Some carrageenan is from the Eucheuma, also in the Gigartinales.

I'm not saying this is 100% conclusive, but it looks good for me to try dulse this weekend if I can find it!

Yay!! 

 

As I said, I've been eating it straight out of the paper bag since I was a wee nipper - it might be an acquired taste when eaten like that, but it's good in a broth, and I know people sprinkle it on salads too....

Hope you like it!

 

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I had a very grumpy "I don't want to do this" day yesterday. Breakfast ended up being sauteed peppers and green beans and eggs and it was decidedly MEH. Not even improved by the Frank's hot sauce that I probably shouldn't have put on it because it contains garlic powder. I felt very grumpy about the lack of mushrooms/ sugar snaps/ cabbage/ sprouts/ asparagus on my plate. 

 

Anyway lunch was a jacket potato, tuna mayo, romaine, cucumber,carrot sticks, red peppers.

 

Dinner was pork steak with romaine, cucumber, red pepper.

 

No bloat last night, no bloat this morning. Skinny jeans felt comfier than they have for ages. After just one day - is this my imagination?

 

Anyway breakfast this morning I went for 3 fried eggs over romaine, cucumber, peppers. Very nice. Lunch is tuna mayo with romaine, cucumber, peppers, carrot. I am sensing a rut here. 

 

So for dinner I am making some baba ganoush to dip chicken thighs and boiled new potatoes into. I have struggled with this lately, which I have attributed to the vast quantity of raw garlic. I tried it without - ick -  so will try today with garlic infused oil.

 

I also have a bag each of kale and cavalo nero which I need inspiring on please. I looked at them last night and just chopped up some romaine instead ....

Tell me they will be delicious please. 

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I like kale chips (chips is really a misnomer. More like crisps) where you toss the kale in some oil, lay it on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 mins at 375 (I think? You may want to google to verify). They turn out light and airy and crispy. They aren't easy to dip, in my experience, but you can season them too and they are delicious. I have a harder time eating kale otherwise because the texture is kinda rough unless it's cooked and even then I'm not the biggest fan, but I've never really liked "cooked" greens like that because of the texture. If nothing else, it'll bring variety with your meals, like a nice crunch to a salad or something different to add to your veggies?

You got this

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I remove the coarse stalks, chop up the leaves and then either braise it nice and slow & low in a huge pot with a generous serving of ghee or animal fat and my choice of spices, or spread it out in an oven dish, again add a healthy serving on ghee, coconut oil or animal fat, cover with tin foil & cook slow & low - weirdly they taste completely differently. For variety I'll add finely chopped courgettes, or some lightly grilled chopped compliant back bacon. I used to sometimes throw in some nuts but I avoid those completely now.

Lots of folk say it's good lightly massaged with ACV and added to salads but I think what we get here is much more mature (ie. bigger, coarser, tougher) than what they get in the US and I've never liked it much that way - too chewy...

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