FODMAP Elimination Protocol
Cut and reintroduce suspect foods to find what quietly hurts your performance
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 72%
FODMAP stands for fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols, but Briggs' point is that the label doesn't matter; the practice does. High-FODMAP foods cause gut inflammation, and since digestion and metabolism suffer when you're constantly inflamed, that quietly drags on energy and recovery. Rather than blanket-banning trendy villains like gluten, the protocol is a slow elimination-and-reintroduction. Starting from current symptoms, you cut suspect high-FODMAP foods (commonly dairy and wheat first), hold each removal over a two-to-four-week cycle, then reintroduce it. If symptoms return, that food stays out; if not, it can stay in, and you move to the next group. It is deliberately trial-and-error and individual, and a food-allergy chart can sharpen the process. The end state is a refined food list where you simply feel great, which Briggs treats as the real signal that you're doing well.
Origin
Explained by nutritionist Tim Briggs on Modern Wisdom as the elimination approach he uses with athletes to strip out inflammatory foods and individualise diet.
Core principles
- 01Inflammation from hard-to-digest foods degrades digestion, metabolism and energy
- 02Everyone has some intolerance; the response is individual, not one-size-fits-all
- 03Your own felt reaction beats any TV or media claim about a food
- 04Reintroduce foods one at a time so you can actually identify the culprit
- 05Eating for how good you feel is the underlying goal
How to run it
- 1
Baseline your symptoms
Notice current signs of trouble such as inflammation, an upset gut, poor bowel movements and lower-than-usual energy.
- 2
Cut one suspect food group
Begin eliminating high-FODMAP foods, commonly starting with dairy or wheat, removing one group at a time.
Pro tip Limit dairy first as a high-yield starting point for many people.
- 3
Hold and reintroduce
Keep the food out for a two-to-four-week cycle, then reintroduce it and observe how you feel and how your gut responds.
Watch out This is genuinely slow and trial-and-error; don't expect an instant answer.
- 4
Keep or discard, then repeat
If symptoms come back on reintroduction, remove that food for good; if not, it can stay. Then move on to test the next food group.
Pro tip A food-allergy chart can help you see which foods to prioritise testing.
In the wild
Briggs is allergic to dairy: despite research supporting a post-workout milkshake for recovery, when he drinks one his neck swells. He removes dairy, watches the swelling subside, and treats that felt response as decisive over any general recommendation, then cycles milk out and almond milk in.
→ A personalised diet that avoids his own inflammatory trigger while others' recovery advice stays irrelevant to him.
Common mistakes
Blanket-banning gluten on hearsay
People slam gluten because someone said to; the protocol is about your own reaction, not a trend, so test rather than assume.
Reintroducing several foods at once
Bringing foods back together makes it impossible to identify which one caused a reaction; reintroduce one at a time.
Is it for you?
Best for
Athletes with recurring gut upset, low energy or poor recovery who want to individualise their diet.
Not ideal for
Someone who reacts to nothing and eats a varied diet feeling great, who has no problem to solve.
From the transcript
“if you don't feel 100% when you eat your food don't eat the food”
“it'd be an elimination approach so start to slowly eliminate foods go over two three four week cycle”
From the episode
How To Eat For Performance - Tim Briggs - #070
Tim Briggs