PRESENTED BY PATSY CATSOS, MS, RDN, LD

Every dietitian should know more about FODMAPs! Why? Because 10-20% of Americans have IBS, including many of your patients, consumers, friends and family members. An expert command of the FODMAP approach can help you get better outcomes for these people. A FODMAP elimination diet is a science-based “learning diet” that helps up to 75% of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) effectively manage debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms. But patients need more than a list of high- and low-FODMAP foods; they need detailed, customized, effective nutrition care, provided by a knowledgeable RDN--you!

A FODMAP elimination diet has a specific purpose: to establish whether FODMAPs are part of the clinical picture for a patient, and if so, which ones, and to what degree. Likewise, this workshop is specifically focused on the FODMAP approach, and reflects a food-based approach to treatment, with minimal use of diagnostic tests or supplements.

At this in-depth workshop, the foundation of the FODMAP approach will be established with an abbreviated review of the literature; emphasis will be on studies published since 2015. The remainder of the course will be devoted to clinical decision-making during the elimination and reintroduction of FODMAPs, and to case studies. Patsy will share practice pearls from her extensive experience delivering this diet to thousands of patients. Plenty of time will be available for questions and answers, and Patsy will lead discussions about special topics such as:

•  IBS vs. SIBO. Is low-FODMAP diet indicated for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)? How to proceed given the current lack of evidence on nutrition therapy for SIBO.
• IBS v. NCGS. Without a biomarker, non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is a diagnosis of exclusion. Are your patients unnecessarily eliminating gluten?
• Detecting hidden FODMAPs in manufactured food and supplement ingredient lists.  Help your patients read labels and understand the dos and don’ts.
• The spectrum of fermentable carbohydrates including fibers, gums, and starches. Understanding the nuances.

Who should attend: Healthcare professionals, particularly registered dietitian nutritionists with prior exposure to FODMAPs and wishing to fine tune clinical decision-making skills and increase competence in identifying high- and low-FODMAP foods and supplements. Take your FODMAP practice beyond the basics!

Educational Objectives: After attending this session, attendees will be able to:

• Define FODMAPs and describe the mechanisms by which they may trigger IBS symptoms in affected individuals.
• Identify whole foods and food ingredients suitable for low-FODMAP diets, including those from soy, corn, wheat, dairy, starches, and gums.
• Outline a treatment plan for using the FODMAP approach with an IBS patient.

Schedule of Events:

• 8:30-9:30 FODMAPs: Mechanisms, efficacy, and risks of the approach for IBS and other GI conditions (1.0 CPEs)
• 9:30-10:00 FODMAP composition of foods (.5 CPEs)
• 10:00-10:15 Break
• 10:15-11:00 Label reading (.75 CPEs)
• 11:00-12:15 Nutrition care planning (1.25 CPEs)
• 12:15-1:00 Lunch
• 1:00-1:15  Supplements, FODMAPs and IBS (.25 CPEs)
• 1:15-3:30 Case studies and role-playing (2.25 CPEs)

CPE Level: 3

CDR Pre-approved for 6 CPEs

Performance Indicators

• 10.2.8 Establishes the plan of care, directly addressing the nutrition diagnosis in collaboration with the patient in defining the time, frequency and duration of the intervention.
• 8.1.3 Integrates knowledge of macronutrients and micronutrients for absorption, digestion and metabolism throughout the life span in practice.
• 8.1.5 Applies medical nutrition therapy in disease prevention and management.

Learning Need Codes

• 2020: Composition of foods, nutrient analysis
• 5220: Gastrointestinal disorders
• 5000: Medical Nutrition Therapy
• 3000: Nutrition assessment & Diagnosis

Patsy Catsos MS, RDN, LD, maintains an IBS- and SIBO-focused private practice in Portland, Maine. Ms. Catsos was an early adopter of the FODMAP approach and is an expert on dietitian delivery of the FODMAP-elimination diet for management of the irritable bowel syndrome. Her speaking engagements have taken her to the national conference of the Dietitians of Canada and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics FNCE 2015, as well as to Prato, Italy and to the Netherlands. She is the author of several books, including The IBS Elimination Diet and Cookbook, IBS—Free at Last!, and Flavor without FODMAPs. 

Ms. Catsos earned degrees in nutrition at Cornell University and Boston University. She completed her internship at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital. She is an active member and past-president of the Maine Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and was honored as the 2014 Outstanding Maine Dietitian of the Year.