SIBO Two Week Backpacking Meal Plan (Low-FODMAP, gluten-free)| Long Trail
In my previous blog post, I mentioned dealing with digestive struggles that had me limited to very specific foods unless I wanted to spend an evening keeled over in pain. Since then, I have been diagnosed with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, or SIBO. It’s certainly nice to have an answer and a subsequent game plan for how to feel better, but the diagnosis also left me wondering what type of foods would be best for me on my upcoming hike of the Long Trail in Vermont.
With the guidance of an amazing nutritionist and some heavy internet research, I learned that the low-FODMAP diet (although not created specifically for SIBO sufferers) is consistently used for reducing digestive symptoms in SIBO patients. Low-FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols--basically these are certain carbohydrates that the small intestine might have a hard time with. I set out to create a rough backpacking meal plan that would be mostly low-FODMAP and mostly gluten-free.
**It’s important to note that the low-FODMAP diet is meant to be short-term while a root cause of digestive symptoms is healed or discovered. It allows symptoms to be mitigated temporarily, but it should never be a permanent diet plan. There are many high-FODMAP food items that are extremely nutritious and healthy for your gut in the long run. ALSO, I AM NOT A DOCTOR, NUTRITIONIST OR MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. This isn’t medical advice-just what has worked for me.**
On this thru-hike, I wanted to find the balance between minimizing digestive pain/bloating and providing more than just empty calories for fuel. Unfortunately a lot of processed simple carbs were the food items NOT giving me trouble, but I wanted to give myself better options on trail so that I wouldn’t be riding the blood sugar roller-coaster all day long. I mitigated this with incorporating healthy fats and protein and trying to limit simple sugars.
Here’s an example of a typical day of food on the Long Trail. I started out with five days of food and sent myself one resupply package. There were a few grocery store resupplies along the trail where I did my best to emulate this plan.
**I wasn’t strict low-FODMAP or gluten-free. You may find items here that contain gluten or ingredients that may not work for you. This is but a rough guideline of what worked for me while on this particular hike**
Breakfast
Enjoy Life Breakfast Ovals- Chocolate Chip Banana
Kind Bar - Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate
Snacks
Pepperoni or Salami stick
Homemade Trail-Mix: Macadamia nuts, coconut chips, Bare Banana Chips, chocolate chips, freeze-dried strawberries, walnuts, pecans.
Dinner
I cold-soaked my dinners, but either of these could also be prepared warm.
Mashed Potato Dinner: Instant mashed potatoes, freeze-dried beef or chicken, freeze-dried green beans, olive oil packet, mayo packet, collagen powder, low-fodmap seasoning
-OR-
Peanut-Butter Ramen Dinner: Lotus Foods Ramen, freeze-dried chicken or beef, freeze-dried spinach, olive oil packet, collagen powder, peanut butter powder or packet, coconut milk powder. (If cold-soaking, the noodles take about an hour to soften)
Dessert
While planning my trip, I knew that my specific digestive needs would require me to plan ahead and divert from the typical thru-hiker diet. Resources regarding SIBO and backpacking out there are slim, so I hope to help some people who are in a similar boat as I was. Please comment below with any questions, and let me know if you would enjoy more SIBO content, pre and post treatment!
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