Why should I avoid eating a large amount of beans on a FODMAP challenge?

The FODMAPS elimination diet is based on limiting "FODMAPS" in the diet. FODMAPS stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di- and Mono-saccharides And Polyols. Specifically, some of the dietary carbohydrates described by the term FODMAPS are lactose, fructose, fructans, polyols and galactans. These are sugars, starches and fibers in food that some people cannot fully digest and absorb. A FODMAPS diet challenge involves challenging yourself with each class of FODMAPS carbohydrates.

Do not consume dried peas, beans or lentils multiple times a day for the FODMAPS diet challenge. There is no need to do this because you are guaranteed to malabsorb galactans (complex carbohydrates found in beans and some vegetables). Use smaller, more cautious amounts of high-galactans foods to explore how much of them you can tolerate without provoking symptoms. Some people find that their tolerance for galactans does improve over time with continued exposure to small and then gradually larger portions of food.