Avoiding carbs known as FODMAPS (trust me, you don’t have to know the acronym’s long name), may help prevent irritable bowel syndrome. Vocabulary words to remember for these short-chain carbohydrates include fructose, lactose, fructans (found in wheat), galactans and polyol sweeteners. Remembering this list is important in fending off this painful syndrome because the body has a hard time absorbing these items. They remain in the GI tract and become a source of “GI tumult” when the gut bacteria ferment them. Galactans are found in dried beans and peas, and while polyol sweeteners are in lots of healthy fruits with pits or stones (e.g., peaches), they are also are used in many artificial sweeteners