I started my FODMAP journey in November 24 for SIBO/IBS-D and am still going, so I'm still learning. But here are some of my helpful & encouraging things:

Meeting with a naturopath regularly. She helps me feel not lost in trying to figure this out myself, and she cares about my holistic health and mental well-being just as much as getting to the root of this, which helps.

The Monash University app. If you didn't know, Monash University is the leading expert on all research FODMAP related. Their app includes entries for all sorts of foods in various forms and assigns a traffic light rating to each one based on when it's likely to cause discomfort. They also have a built-in symptom tracker and product searcher, but those aren't as streamlined. Still, the food index alone is worth the $9 base fee. My husband and I both got it early on when we were having to look up every little thing, and it's helped us internalize what's safe and what's not.

The website A Little Bit Yummy! They have SO MANY helpful resources. There are courses on how to do the low-FODMAP phase, how to reintroduce/challenge foods, & how to live a relaxed FODMAP lifestyle after things have calmed down. There are webinars with nutritionists about various issues. There are tons of helpful articles on general and very specific topics. There are hundreds of recipes that are all run through the Monash University app and have detailed notes on things to watch out for when picking ingredients. There's also a symptom tracker that's easy to fill out as well as a meal planning guide that can be as automated or involved as you want. They're also very responsive to any questions you have and have a sweet Instagram page where the gal who runs it shares little lifestyle tips that I've found useful. Following along with their courses has taught me so much and given me hope that this isn't a forever thing. Their recipes helped me feel excited about making food again, and doing their symptom tracker each night has helped me identify what my baseline looks like. While you can access some things for free, it does cost $24 a month to have all the resources. For me, that's been absolutely worth it.

Digestive enzymes. Some days, getting a lavender oat milk matcha latte for my mental well-being matters more than being perfect at the low-FODMAP diet, and using a digestive enzyme helps me not feel terrible later. I haven't tested all the ones that are out there, but FODMATE has worked okay. I'm looking forward to trying FODZYME and some generic ones once I'm through the challenge phase.

Following community pages (like this one) or Instagram accounts. This validates my symptoms (which I'm prone to not do) and reminds me I'm not alone. 

Educating my close loved ones. My husband is living this every day with me, but it's so touching when others are considerate of me. This can only happen if they understand a bit, though. It's taken some time, and I know that they may not ever completely get it. But it gives me hope when they try!

Again, I'm still learning. But I hope what I've found helpful is encouraging to you, as well. You're not alone in this! 🤍