Why You Need to Eat Vegetables on a Low Fodmap Diet for Fatty Liver

Including liver cleansing low fodmap vegetables in the diet is essential for anyone on a low fodmap diet for fatty liver and SIBO.

The low fodmap SIBO diet can feel quite restricting and is often high in fat and animal protein which can also be problematic for those with low stomach acid, fatty liver or a sluggish gallbladder.

For this reason, I love to focus on incorporating low fodmap vegetables into the diet for IBS and fatty liver.

The following list of low fodmap vegetables is excellent for supporting the body with nutrient-dense, low calorie, and liver cleansing vegetables which can be lacking when following the low fodmap diet or SIBO diet. Vegetables are excellent foods to include when doing a low fodmap cleanse or diet.

Many people following the low fodmap diet or SIBO diet often have a high-fat diet since fats are not fermentable the way vegetables can be.

But if a sluggish gallbladder and poor bile flow are one of the underlying causes of your SIBO symptoms, a high-fat diet is not exactly beneficial either.

Fats will place an extra burden on the gallbladder and liver, which need liver cleansing vegetables to function optimally. The increased intake of pro-inflammatory saturated fats can also be problematic if inflammation is present alongside SIBO.

Eating low fodmap vegetables is highly beneficial for anyone suffering from SIBO or IBS symptoms associated with a sluggish gallbladder. When following a fodmap diet for fatty liver it is crucial to include lots of low fodmap vegetables and fruits.

This liver cleansing low fodmap vegetable list will help provide the liver and body with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and healthy carbohydrates without causing the excessive bloating and IBS symptoms associated with high fodmap vegetables such as onion, garlic, and asparagus.

Low FODMAP Vegetable List to Include on a FODMAP Diet for Fatty Liver

Alfalfa sprouts
Bok choy
Red bell pepper and green bell peppers
Carrot
Chives
Cucumber
Eggplant
Kale
Silverbeet
Rocket
Romaine Lettuce
Baby spinach and English spinach
Spring onion (green tops)
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Canned or pickled beetroot (or two slices of beet)
Radish
Green Beans
Bean sprouts
Red cabbage and regular cabbage
Oyster mushrooms
Celery (medium fodmap)
Rhubarb
Okra

You can also enjoy fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, turmeric, and ginger as herbs to spice up the low fodmap diet.

High FODMAP Vegetables

Whole artichoke
Asparagus
Garlic
Onion
Cauliflower
Mushrooms (button, white, shitake)

High fodmap vegetables will often trigger digestive symptoms such as bloating and IBS, but they are also prebiotics for healthy gut bacteria.

While following the low FODMAP diet for a short time is beneficial for someone with IBS or SIBO, the low fodmap diet can harm the gut microbiome in the long term.

A strict low FODMAP diet has been associated with reducing the abundance of beneficial bifidobacteria species and butyrate-producing bacteria.

An increase in mucus degrading bacteria has also been noted among people following a strict low fodmap diet (which should only be done for 2-6 weeks).

While the FODMAP diet has a purpose when dealing with IBS and SIBO, it is not a diet that should be strictly adhered to for the long term due to disruption in the microbiome.

Identifying trigger foods and reducing or eliminating high fodmap triggers foods to be beneficial and more sustainable for the long term. The ultimate goal when dealing with SIBO is to reduce the excessive amount of bacteria in the small intestine so people can tolerate fiber and fodmap foods.

Once SIBO had been reduced, slowly reintroducing and bringing back the fiber and high fodmap foods in small amounts are beneficial for a diverse, healthy microbiome. Supporting the body with lots of low fodmap fruits and vegetables is especially important for anyone on the fodmap diet for fatty liver as a high fat low fodmap diet will still burden the liver.

So, I will leave you with two questions.

Which high FODMAP foods do you notice are trigger foods? 1, 2, or all of them?

And which low fodmap vegetables do you love eating?

Need some low FODMAP recipes?

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additional underlying causes of SIBO
testing for SIBO
Symptoms of SIBO
types of SIBO
biphasic SIBO diet
antimicrobials for SIBO

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References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5390324/

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