Low FODMAP Diet
Fructose, fructans, sorbitol, raffinose
Gastrointestinal disorders can involve symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, wind, reflux, diarrhoea and/or constipation. FODMAPs are a group of short chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed. They are therefore fermented by intestinal bacteria releasing gas and leading to these symptoms. You have been advised to avoid the following FODMAPs for a period of at least 8 weeks after which time your dietitian will advise you whether to challenge any of the FODMAP groups.
What Foods Need to be Limited?
1. Foods with EXCESS FRUCTOSE
• Honey
• Apples
• Pears
• Mandarin
• Peach
• Mango
• Watermelon
• Honeydew melon
• Lychee
• Carambola, star fruit
• Nashi fruit
• Coconut cream / coconut milk
• Tinned fruit in natural juice (pear juice)
• Fructose or corn syrup
• Fruit juice (even need to limit safe fruits to 1/3 glass of juice)
• Dried fruit (limit safe fruits to 1 tablespoon)
2. Foods with FRUCTANS
• Wheat (in large amounts)
• Rye (in large amounts)
• Onion – brown, white, spring, spanish, shallots
• Leeks
• Artichokes
• Zucchini
• Chicory - Ecco, Caro drinks
• Dandelion Tea
• Inulin (artificial fibre added to products, e.g. dairy foods)
• Fructo-oligo saccharides (FOS) (artificial fibre added to some nutritional supplements)
3. Foods with SORBITOL
• Apricots
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Cherries
• Plums
• Apples
• Pears
• Artificially sweetened gums, mints, lollies
• Artificial sweeteners: Sorbitol, Mannitol, Xylitol, Isomalt
4. Foods with RAFFINOSE
• Cabbage
• Brussel sprouts
• Green beans
• Asparagus
• Legumes – chickpeas, lentils, red kidney beans, baked beans
What Are The Safe Foods?
SUITABLE alternatives to honey:
• Jam, marmalade
• vegemite, marmite, promite, Aussie Mite, Mighty Mite, Vege Spread
• peanut butter
• maple syrup, treacle, golden syrup, rice syrup
Fruits that are SUITABLE:
• Berries: blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberries
• Citrus: cumquat, lemon, grapefruit, lime, orange, tangelo
• Melons: cantaloupe
• Other: banana, jackfruit, kiwifruit, grapes, passionfruit, pineapple, rhubarb, tamarillo, tomato, avocado, guava, pawpaw, lychee, persimmon
• N.B the quantity of these is important. No more than the size of a small orange at a time. Separate each serve by ~2 hours.
Vegetables that are SUITABLE:
• Alfalfa
• Bamboo shoots
• Beanshoot
• Beetroot
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Capsicum
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chilli
• Chive
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Fennel
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce
• Olive
• Parsnip
• Peas
• Potato
• Pumpkin
• Marrow
• Mushroom
• Silverbeet
• Snow Peas
• Spinach
• Squash
• Swede
• Sweet Potato
• Sweet Corn
• Taro
• Turnip
• Waterchestnut
• Watercress
SUITABLE alternatives to Ecco, Caro and Dandelion Tea:
• Enjoy tea, coffee (regular and decaffeinated), tea infusions, herbal teas, hot water
Note: Caffeine can be a gastric irritant. You may want to minimise your coffee intake to <2 cups per day if you suspect caffeine contributes to your symptoms.
SUITABLE alternatives to Onion:
• Onion is a MAJOR problem, even when eaten in small amounts
• Check commercially prepared products eg. sauces, soups, canned flavoured tuna
• Consider Asafoetida powder (Indian spice markets) for onion flavour
• Use other herbs and spices to flavour food.
• Garlic is usually tolerated in small amounts (minimise if symptoms persist)
• You may be able to cook with (but not eat) onion:
o Cut onion into large strips for easy removal
o Cut onion into large chunks in stir fries, but leave behind on plate
o Use whole onions in gravies of casseroles and remove prior to serving
o In soups, place onions in muslin bag/stocking while cooking, then remove.
Understanding wheat fructan restriction:
• Wheat-based products are only a problem when WHEAT IS THE MAIN INGREDIENT, e.g. bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, etc,
• Where wheat is an ingredient in only small amounts (eg. biscuit crumbs on the chocolate coating of an icecream) it is NOT a problem.
• There are many wheat ingredients that are safe, as they do not contain fructans. These include:
o wheat starch, wheat thickeners
o wheat maltodextrin, wheat dextrin
o wheat dextrose
o wheat glucose, wheat glucose syrup, and
o wheat colour caramel.
Wheat Free / Gluten Free? There is a difference:
People who are gluten free cannot have any traces of wheat, rye, oats and barley
The diet for fructose malabsorption is only low wheat so you can eat rye, oats, barley and small amounts of wheat or wheat ingredients.
Gluten free products are wheat free, so they are suitable for fructose malabsorption, but you still need to be aware of fructose ingredients such as onion, honey and fruit.
Wheat alternatives:
Problem Suggested Alternative
Bread Wheat based including:
White, wholemeal, multigrain, sourdough, spelt, kumut, dinkle, flat breads. Rye breads Gluten free (Country Life, Moores, Old Time Bakery)
Pasta Regular pasta is made from wheat. Gluten free pasta (San Remo, Orgran, Buontempo), Rice
Breakfast Cereal Most are made from wheat, many also contain large amounts of dried fruit Porridge, Cornflakes, Rice Bubbles, Wheat free muesli (e.g. Freedom Foods), Gluten free cereals (e.g. Rice Flakes)
Noodles Two Minute, Hokkein, Udon Rice Noodles, buckwheat (soba) noodles
Cakes, baked goods Most are made from wheat. Cakes, muffins, scones, crumpets, croissants, puddings. Fruit cakes are a double problem! Gluten free cakes and mixes (eg. Basco, Well and Good), Cornflour sponge, Flourless cakes
Savoury Biscuit Usually wheat based eg. Salada, Sao, Jatz, water crackers Corn thins, Rice Cakes, Rice Crackers (check onion powder), Eskal crackers and pretzels
Sweet Biscuit Wheat based eg. Tim Tams, Teddy Bear, Country Cream Gluten free (eg. D’Lush, Eskal wafers, Freedom Foods), Almond Macaroons, Arnotts Rice Cookies
Pastry Wheat based pies, pastries Gluten Free pastry mixes (Orgran)
Eat the middle out – leave pastry behind!
Breadcrumbs Made from wheat Gluten free crumbs (Orgran, Freedom Foods), Polenta, Cornflake Crumbs
Other Semolina, Couscous, Bulgar Polenta, Millet, Buckwheat, Sorghum
