I'm 100% against fad diets but at some point you have to see the benefit of certain trends...such as high protein, low carb diets. However, I believe it's important to understand the science behind the results, and I'm also against making blanket statements like "carbs are bad" and "gluten is bad".
Yes, people that cut gluten out of their diet get results. But why? The research is still inconclusive. Why have humans been able to process wheat products just fine, and thrive off of them, but all of a sudden in the past 50 years we have a drastic rise in "gluten sensitivity"? A term which I find complete bullshit.
In my reading online and in magazines, I came across an article in the New Yorker of all places that shined some light on FODMAPs.
FODMAP stands for: Fermentable Oligo-Di-Monosaccharides and Polyols. FODMAPs are carbohydrates that pull water into the intestinal tract, may not be easily digested, and may be fermented in the intestinal tract when eaten in excess. A low FODMAP diet is commonly prescribed to those suffering from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrom) and a diet high in FODMAPs has been shown to increase bloating, gas, cramps, etc.
Here's a couple links: http://stanfordhealthcare.org/content/da...apdiet.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FODMAP
My interest in this is not as another fad diet, even though I have a feeling that's what this will turn into once it becomes more mainstream. My personal goal would be to cut out 100% of the above foods for a period of about two weeks. I experience regular bloating and intestinal discomfort and my goal is to eliminate this. I also believe that this has an effect on the appearance of my gut; when I go for a period of several days eating very clean, my abdomen has a noticeably slimmer appearance.
After a period of 2 weeks, I would slowly re-introduce certain foods to see which ones make me feel excessively bloated so I can know what to avoid in the future. Obviously I have no intention of permanently cutting broccoli, mushrooms, and fennel out of my diet, but for the purpose of noting specific changes in my body I'll be cutting them out temporarily. I'm going to use this thread to track progress, and I'd be interested in anyone else's results as well.
Yes, people that cut gluten out of their diet get results. But why? The research is still inconclusive. Why have humans been able to process wheat products just fine, and thrive off of them, but all of a sudden in the past 50 years we have a drastic rise in "gluten sensitivity"? A term which I find complete bullshit.
In my reading online and in magazines, I came across an article in the New Yorker of all places that shined some light on FODMAPs.
FODMAP stands for: Fermentable Oligo-Di-Monosaccharides and Polyols. FODMAPs are carbohydrates that pull water into the intestinal tract, may not be easily digested, and may be fermented in the intestinal tract when eaten in excess. A low FODMAP diet is commonly prescribed to those suffering from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrom) and a diet high in FODMAPs has been shown to increase bloating, gas, cramps, etc.
Here's a couple links: http://stanfordhealthcare.org/content/da...apdiet.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FODMAP
My interest in this is not as another fad diet, even though I have a feeling that's what this will turn into once it becomes more mainstream. My personal goal would be to cut out 100% of the above foods for a period of about two weeks. I experience regular bloating and intestinal discomfort and my goal is to eliminate this. I also believe that this has an effect on the appearance of my gut; when I go for a period of several days eating very clean, my abdomen has a noticeably slimmer appearance.
After a period of 2 weeks, I would slowly re-introduce certain foods to see which ones make me feel excessively bloated so I can know what to avoid in the future. Obviously I have no intention of permanently cutting broccoli, mushrooms, and fennel out of my diet, but for the purpose of noting specific changes in my body I'll be cutting them out temporarily. I'm going to use this thread to track progress, and I'd be interested in anyone else's results as well.