When Good Intentions Backfire: The Low FODMAP Diet and Eating Disorder Recovery
A guide for parents supporting children in eating disorder recovery
If your child has an eating disorder and also experiences gut symptoms, like bloating, constipation, or pain, you may have come across the low FODMAP diet as a possible solution. It’s everywhere these days: Instagram tips, gut health blogs, and even GP clinics often recommend it.
But before you start removing foods from your child’s diet, it’s important to ask: Could the low FODMAP diet do more harm than good in eating disorder recovery?
For many families, the answer is yes.
What is the Low FODMAP Diet?
The low FODMAP diet was developed by Monash University in Australia to help people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It works by removing short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the gut and can cause bloating and discomfort.
It’s meant to be done in three phases:
Short-term elimination (2–6 weeks)
Structured reintroduction (to test which foods cause symptoms)
Personalisation (building a varied, tolerable diet)
But here’s the problem: many people stay stuck in the restrictive phase, often without professional guidance, especially when they’re desperate to help a child who’s in pain.
Why This Is a Concern in Eating Disorder Recovery
1. It Removes a Huge Number of Foods
The low FODMAP diet cuts out:
Wheat, rye, barley
Dairy (especially milk, yogurt, soft cheeses)
Legumes
Onions and garlic
Certain fruits (apples, pears, watermelon)
Many vegetables (cauliflower, mushrooms, etc.)
That’s a massive list, and for someone recovering from restriction or fear of food, it can feel impossible to navigate.
“It felt like we were back at square one. We’d just made progress with pasta and bread, and suddenly we were told to cut them again.” — Parent of a teen in recovery
2. It Can Harm the Gut Microbiome
Many of the foods removed on the low FODMAP diet are prebiotics — they feed beneficial gut bacteria. Long-term restriction of these foods can reduce gut diversity, especially Bifidobacteria, which are linked to better digestion, mood, and immunity.
Long-term use of the low FODMAP diet has been associated with a reduction in key gut microbes (Halmos et al., 2015; Staudacher et al., 2017).
3. It Reinforces Disordered Thinking
In eating disorders, it’s common for kids (and adults) to convince themselves they prefer a lower-calorie or less satisfying food. For example:
“I like almond milk better than cow’s milk” (even though it has less protein, energy, and satisfaction)
“Coconut oil is better than butter” (even though the flavour may be off-putting)
“I feel safer avoiding bread or fruit” (even though they’re important for gut health)
The low FODMAP diet can unintentionally validate those ED thoughts by making restriction look medical or necessary, even when it’s not.
Experts have warned about orthorexia-like patterns emerging when restrictive diets are misused, especially in vulnerable individuals (Reilly et al., 2021; Monash University, 2024).
4. The Gut–Brain Link Needs More Than Diet
We now know that gut symptoms in eating disorders are often linked to:
Starvation
Stress and anxiety
Disrupted gut-brain communication
That means recovery may be better supported by:
Regular meals and snacks (with enough energy and fibre)
Relaxation practices and gut-directed CBT
Time for the gut to heal alongside refeeding
Gut-directed CBT has shown results equal to or better than dietary interventions for managing IBS symptoms (Peters et al., 2016; Everitt et al., 2019).
What You Can Do Instead
If your child is struggling with gut symptoms:
Work with an eating disorder-informed dietitian before trialling any elimination diet.
Prioritise consistent meals with plenty of fluids, fibre, and fat.
Use gentle strategies first: warm foods, chewing slowly, and relaxation after meals.
Trial individual foods (e.g. “onion might be tricky” is different from cutting all high-FODMAP foods).
Focus on adding variety, not removing it.
“We shifted from trying to fix the bloating with rules to supporting her body with love and regular meals. That’s when things started to settle.”
🙋♀️ Final Thoughts for Parents
It’s natural to want to ease your child’s discomfort. But in the context of eating disorder recovery, the low FODMAP diet often creates more anxiety, more restriction, and more harm than good.
Instead, think of healing the gut as part of healing the relationship with food, with patience, support, and the power of enough.
📚 References (Parent-Friendly)
Monash University (2024) – “The low FODMAP diet is not intended for long-term use and should be done with dietitian support, especially in people with eating disorders.”
Halmos, E.P. et al. (2015) – “A diet low in FODMAPs reduces beneficial gut bacteria including Bifidobacteria.” Gut, 64(6), 937–943.
Staudacher, H.M. et al. (2017) – “Effects of diet on the gut microbiota and implications for IBS.” The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 112(6), 865–873.
Peters, S. et al. (2016) – “Randomised controlled trial of gut-directed hypnotherapy vs. low FODMAP diet in IBS.” Gastroenterology, 150(4), 938–947.
Reilly, E.E. et al. (2021) – “Orthorexia Nervosa: An examination of the possible misuse of dietary restriction.” Current Psychiatry Reports, 23(6).
Everitt, H.A. et al. (2019) – “Cognitive behavioural therapy for IBS vs. usual care: ACTIB trial.” The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 4(11), 707–717.