Ten Surprising low FODMAP Foods
A few weeks ago we had a blog about our favourite low FODMAP foods – 10 foods with no FODMAPs or very low in FODMAPS that you could pretty much enjoy freely.
This week our blog is all about foods that you think are off the menu during the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet, but which in fact you can enjoy if you take care.
Adding as much variety as possible to your diet is beneficial to you and your gut microbiome, so include these foods if you can.
1. Garlic
Garlic is an important component of many culinary traditions, but it is a common trigger for people with IBS. And yes, it is very high in FODMAPs, specifically fructans.
Even a single 3 g clove is high in fructans.
However, there are some options that allow you to get the flavour without the tummy problems. A single clove of pickled ginger 3g (1 clove) is low FODMAP.
Garlic infused oil is another flavour packed alternative. Whilst the fructans in the garlic dissolve in water, they don’t dissolve in oil, so garlic infused olive oil is low FODMAP.
I find that rather than buying the oil, it is easier to simply add the garlic clove at the beginning of cooking as I heat the oil and then remove it before adding any water containing ingredients, like vegetables or tomato sauce.
2. Onions
Onions contain similar fructans to garlic and are another common trigger of IBS symptoms.
Recent re-testing by Monash has indicated that there is a very small low FODMAP serving size. Ten grams of either raw Brown Vidalia onion or raw Spanish Red onion is low FODMAP.
Pickling also increases the serving size, but the pattern is a little odd. The maximum serving size of the very small pickled onions is just 3g, whilst for drained large pickled onions it is 60g per meal.
A better option to get the flavour is using the green tops of spring onions. In fact, one of our readers suggested that this should have been in our list of Top Ten Low FODMAP foods because they work in so many dishes. 75g of green tops are low in FODMAPs.
3. Bread
Wheat based products also contain fructans, but typically longer chain fructans than those found in onions and garlic. They are a common, but slightly less potent trigger of IBS symptoms. Which is why a low FODMAP serving size of bread is larger than for onions, so don’t give up on your toast or sandwiches just yet.
1 ¼ slices of regular wholemeal bread is low FODMAP, 1 slice of white bread is low FODMAP and 2 slices of wholemeal sourdough bread is low FODMAP.
4. Fruit
When we think of high FODMAP foods we often think of fruit, and it is true that the carbohydrates that give fruit its sweetness are frequently FODMAPs.
Often the problem is excess fructose and polyols, specifically sorbitol. These fermentable carbohydrates cause IBS symptoms when fructose exceeds glucose, or when polyol levels are high, often leading to bloating and pain. Some fruit also contains fructans.
Low FODMAP serving sizes vary considerably. Some fruit with generous low FODMAP serving sizes are blueberries, kiwi fruit, raspberries. and oranges…but to broaden your variety try:
Pink Apple: 20g
Firm Green Banana: 100g (1 medium)
Ripe Banana: 37g (1/3 banana)
Strawberries: 65g (5 medium)
Cherries: 20g (2 medium)
Watermelon: 18g
Yellow Peach: 103g
Yellow Nectarine: 86g (½ medium)
Raw apricot: 67g (1 ½ medium)
Blackberries: 32g
Papaya: 140g
Passionfruit: 46g
Red Seedless Grapes: 10g
Green Seedless Grapes: 11g
Yes, often these don’t make up a whole fruit serve, so it’s easiest to include these if you share your fruit with the rest of the family, or add just a small amount to your smoothie. Whilst it might be tempting to stick to options with a large serving size, including a variety in your diet provides many different vitamins, polyphenols and other beneficial plant compounds.
But take care, combing lots of fruits together can lead to FODMAP stacking so don’t be tempted to throw everything together into a fruit salad.
5. Cauliflower and Cabbage
We typically think of cruciferous vegetables are ‘quite gassy’ and assume they are packed with FODMAPs. They do contain fructans, but the low FODMAP serving sizes are quite generous.
White Cauliflower: 76g
Purple Cauliflower: 75g
White Cabbage: 75g
Red Cabbage: 75g
Savoy Cabbage: 75g
Brussel Sprouts: 75g
6. Mushrooms
Regular button mushrooms are a problem. A low FODMAP serving size is just 7g due to the mannitol and fructan content. Similarly, a low FODMAP serving size of portobella mush rooms is 9g. However, there are options with more generous serving sizes. Processing of mushrooms reduces the FODMAP content, champignons that have been canned in brine have a low FODMAP serving size of 76g or 6 pieces. Similarly, a low FODMAP serving size of oyster or maitake mushrooms is 75g.
7. Chickpeas and Beans
Another food group often regarded as gassy is legumes and they are indeed high in GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides). These cause digestive symptoms primarily because humans lack the enzyme needed to break them down. When these reach the large intestine, gut bacteria ferment them, resulting in rapid gas production and subsequent discomfort for people with sensitive guts.
The secret to having a good serving size, is in the way they have been prepared.
Unfortunately, when you soak and boil your own beans a lot of the GOS remain. However, if you buy canned beans and drain and rinse them well, a lot of the GOS are removed. Prepared this way you can have the following low FODMAP serves:
Chickpeas: 80g
Black Beans: 45g
Red Kidney Beans: 86g
Butter Beans: 53g
9. Milk
The only FODMAP found in milk is lactose, so the easy fix here is opting for lactose-free options. They are pretty common in the supermarket now, or you can follow our instructions and make your own with lactase drops.
10. Hard cheeses
Most of the time, there is no need to buy lactose-free cheese.
Most hard cheeses at least are naturally very low in lactose because most of the lactose is removed along with the whey during the draining and pressing process. A long aging process then allows bacteria to convert almost all remaining lactose into lactic acid, making it virtually undetectable.
Cheddar, parmesan, and Swiss cheeses have substantial low-lactose serving sizes. The serving size for Fetta, Brie and Camembert are more moderate, but have a low FODMAP serving of at least 40g. Opting for lactose-free cream cheese is a good idea, and is probably best to skip cottage cheese.
Summary
Our key message is that very few foods are completely off the menu on the low FODMAP diet. If you check in the app you will find that most foods have a low FODMAP serving size, even if it is very small.
Having a selection of very low FODMAP foods on hand will make preparing dishes easier, but try to add in a small amount of foods that do contain FODMAPs, just at the low FODMAP serving size. This will help keep things interesting and the variety will be good for you and your gut.
As you move through the stages of the low FODMAP diet and work out which of the FODMAP groups are your personal triggers, you will be able to add in even more of the foods that don’t trigger your symptoms.