Today you will see a food diary from a reader on the blog for the first time! I thought it would be really interesting and inspiring to see how different people deal with the low FODMAP diet. Everybody makes different choices and eats different things and we can inspire each other. Therefore, you will find a food diary from a reader on the blog every other week! If you would like to keep a food diary for my blog too, you can send me an e-mail to karlijn@karlijnskitchen.com or leave a reaction below. But first, Ati’s food diary! 

Introduction

Hi everybody. Let me introduce myself: I am Ati Kleine, 41 years old and I live with my husband Peter and son Sven, who is 3 years old, in Eelde (Drenthe). I work as a communications officer at Maternity care Het Groene Kruis and in my free time I love to sport a lot: running, fitness, zumba, strengh training and more! Next to that, I really love going out for dinner (I love eating in general ;-)) and I love to read (especially the young adult genre, such as the Hunger Games).

I have been having stomach problems for several years. A few years ago I had a lot of examinations at the hospital to find out what was causing my problems, but nothing was found. So I couldn’t do more than just go on. But the complaints stayed and they got worse: bloated stomachs, being tired and irritated. About two months ago, I was really sick of it. I went to the doctor, who gave me the diagnosis IBS and told me about the FODMAP diet. In the Martini hospital there are dieticians who are specialised in the low FODMAP diet and at the end of June, I could have my first consult. I have been on the FODMAP diet since the 3rd of July. In the beginning, the elimination phase was quite difficult. I had to search a lot, what can I eat, what can I not eat. Buying groceries was mainly reading ingrediënt lists. But I must say, you get used to it. And you will get more creative with your recipes! After a week, I already noticed a difference. It was such a relief to not have a bloated painful stomach on a daily basis!

On the 14th of July, I started the introduction phase: lactose. This went well, so I can cross this off my list. While I am writing this, I am testing fructose: mango. Also, that seems to go well. I am very curious how I am going to react to the fructans and polyols. I suspect that wheat, cabbage, onion and garlic are the biggest problem for me, next to fat and sugar. We will see what happens!

On Friday the 25th of August, I kept a food diary for the first time. That was also the day that I tested 3/4 of a mango.

Ati’s low FODMAP food diary

7.30: I started my day with a large bowl of lactose-free yoghurt from Arla, a few spoons of Melkunie protein quark without lactose for the proteins (I sport a lot, so proteins are essential for me). I put mango into the yoghurt and a handful of cornflakes. Next to that, I had a large glass of normal tea.

8.15: A nice cup of black coffee to wake up

10.14: I had breakfast early, so I was hungry again. I took two thick rice cakes with sea salt with cumin cheese in between.

11.13: we went to the pool with our little man. I drank a bottle of water.

11.55: we have lunch a bit later today because we were in the pool. As a snack, I ate another rice cake with sea salt.

13.15: lunch, finally. Quite late for what I am used to, so I already noticed that my stomach started to protest. Also when I don’t eat enough, my stomach gets bloated. I ate three slices of sourdough spelt bread from the bakery. One with chicken breast and a boiled egg, one with cumin cheese and tomato and one with smoked ham. I tolerate spelt bread well, therefore I can eat three slices. Two is not enough for me. I drank a large glass of tea.

16.30: I felt hungry again, so I ate a piece of banana and a gluten-free oat cookie. I love them, also crumbled in the yoghurt.

17.30: In Karlijn’s Kitchen’s recipes I found the low FODMAP taco bake. It looks tasty and simple. Perfect for a Friday. I gave it a try and added some extra ingrediënts to the recipe. I made the bake with minced meat, red bell pepper, spinach (because my little boy loves it), cubed tomatoes, tomato sauce (without garlic and onion of course), grated cheese and cumin, paprika powder, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Of course, I also added taco shells. I made the dish for 3-4 persons. You can find the recipe here. We really enjoyed it!

18:30: A cup of black coffee after dinner.

20:30: I drank a large glass of water

21:00: I ended the day with a gluten-free oat cookie and a few cubes of milk chocolate.

Thank you for keeping a food diary Ati, I really enjoyed reading what you eat in a day! What do you think of this food diary? Would you like to see blogs like this more often?