The Low FODMAP diet is an elimination diet aimed at resolving digestive symptoms caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Managing gut symptoms caused by IBS and not experiencing digestive discomfort is the ultimate goal.
What does FODMAP stand for?
- Fermentable
- Oligosaccharides
- Disaccharides
- Monosaccharides
- And
- Polyols
We will be taking the standard Paleo Food List we’ve created and showcasing what is and isn’t okay on a Low FODMAP Diet. Note: we believe the foods found in a standard / agreed to Paleo diet is always a good starting point in trying to understand what foods are best for us to consume (in our day). In this post you’ll see ALL foods that are good / bad on a Paleo Diet.
The red highlighted words represent those foods that should be avoided on a Low FODMAP Diet.
Avoid These Foods
Low FODMAP From the Animal (All Varieties)
- Grass-fed and Finished
- Forage Fed
- Wild Harvested
- Wild Caught
- Trapped
- Eggs
- Grass-fed Gelatin
- Grass-fed Collagen
- Grass-fed Broth
- Grass-fed Ghee
Low FODMAP Healthy Fats
- Avocado Oil
- Avocados
- Butter
- Clarified Butter (ghee)
- Coconut flesh
- Coconut Milk
- Coconut Oil
- Duck Fat
- Lamb Fat
- Lard
- Macadamia oil
- Mackerel
- Nut Butters
- Olive Oil
- Palm Shortening
- Red Palm Oil
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Tallow
- Veal Fat
- Walnut Oil
High FODMAP Vegetables
High FODMAP Veggies Listed Items NOT highlighted are a-okay on a Low FODMAP Diet.
- Acorn Squash
- Artichokes
- Arugula
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Beet Top
- Beets
- Bell Peppers
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Buttercup Squash
- Butternut Squash
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cassava
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Chicory
- Collard Greens
- Cucumber
- Dandelion
- Eggplant
- Endive
- Garlic
- Green Onion
- Jerusalem Artichokes
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Mustard Greens
- Okra
- Onions
- Parsnips
- Pumpkin
- Radicchio
- Radish
- Rapini
- Rutabaga
- Seaweeds
- Spaghetti Squash
- Spinach
- Sweet Potatoes
- Swiss Chard
- Tomatoes
- Turnip Greens
- Turnips
- Watercress
- Yams
- Yellow Crookneck Squash
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zucchini
High FODMAP Nuts & Seeds
High FODMAP Nuts Listed Items NOT highlighted are a-okay on a Low FODMAP Diet.
- Almonds (more than 10)
- Brazil Nuts
- Cashews
- Chestnuts
- Chia seeds
- Flax Seeds
- Hazelnuts (more than 10)
- Macadamia Nuts
- Pecans
- Pine Nuts
- Pistachios
- Pumpkin Seeds (pepitas)
- Sesame Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Walnuts
High FODMAP Fruits
High FODMAP Fruits Listed Items NOT highlighted are a-okay on a Low FODMAP Diet. Practice moderation with fruits on a Low FODMAP Diet.
- Apples
- Apricot
- Avocado
- Bananas (fresh and firm)
- Blackberry
- Blueberry
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries
- Coconut
- Cranberry
- Dates
- Figs
- Grapefruit
- Grapes
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Lemon
- Lime
- Lychee
- Mango
- Nectarines
- Olives
- Oranges
- Papaya
- Passion Fruit
- Peaches
- Pears
- Persimmon
- Pineapple
- Plantains
- Plums
- Pomegranates
- Raspberry
- Strawberry
- Tangerine
- Watermelon
Mushrooms are High FODMAP
- Button Mushroom
- Chanterelle
- Crimini
- Morel
- Oyster Mushroom
- Porcini
- Portabello
- Shiitake
Spices and Herbs
Items NOT highlighted are a-okay on a Low FODMAP Diet.
- Basil
- Bay Leaves
- Black Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
- Chilies
- Chives
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Dill
- Fennel Seeds
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Horseradish
- Hot Peppers
- Lavender
- Mint
- Mustard Seeds
- Nutmeg
- Onions
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Star Anise
- Tarragon
- Thyme
- Turmeric
- Vanilla
Sweeteners
Items NOT highlighted are a-okay on a Low FODMAP Diet.
- Honey
- Stevia
- Maple Syrup
- Coconut Sugar
- Coconut Sap
- Coconut Nectar
- Date Sugar
- Fruit Juice
- Birch Xylitol
- Monk Fruit -unkown
- Erythritolcoccoco
Flours
Items NOT highlighted are a-okay on a Low FODMAP Diet.
- All Nut Flours – Almond
- Sweet Potato Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Tapioca Flour
- Arrowroot Flour
- Cassava Flour
- Tigernut Flour
Fermented Foods Not Okay on Low FODMAP Diet
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Distilled Vinegar
- Sauerkraut
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
- Coconut Kefirs
- Coconut Yogurt
- Nut Based Yogurts
- Drinking Vinegars
Miscellaneous (most likely in products)
- Sunflower Lecithin
- Baking Soda
- Egg-Derived Lecithin
- Gum Arabic
- Xanthan Gum (depends on source)
- Mastic Gum Lactic Acid
- Citric Acid (depends on source)
- Ascorbic Acid (depends on source)
- Coffee
- Tea
- Psyllium Husk
What’s NOT included in a Paleo Diet?
Sometimes the bigger question is “What foods are NOT okay on the Paleo diet?” Items highlighted represent foods that are NOT okay on a Low FODMAP Diet as well.
No Grains on Paleo / Low FODMAP Diets
- Amaranth
- Barley
- Buckwheat
- Bulgur
- Corn
- Hominy
- Kamut
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Rye
- Sorghum
- Spelt
- Teff
- Triticale
- Wheat
- Wheat Berries
No Legumes on a Low FODMAP Diet (Paleo too)
- Beans
- Lentils
- Peanuts
- Peas
- Soy and Soy derivatives
- Tempeh
Dairy-Free FODMAP
- Caseinates
- Cheeses
- Cream
- Evaporated Milk
- Milk
- Milk Derivatives
- Yogurts
AVOID These Ingredients
These aren’t ALL particularly considered High FODMAP foods but you should avoid them all regardless.
- Acesulfame Potassium
- Alcohol Sugars with the exception of naturally-derived alcohol sugars
- Artificial and natural esters
- Aspartame
- BHA and BHT
- Caramel
- Citric Acid e330
- Coloring Derived from coal
- Corn Syrups
- Cyclamates
- Essences
- FD&C Blue No. 1
- FD&C Blue No. 2
- FD&C Green No. 3
- FD&C Red No. 40
- FD&C Yellow No. 5
- FD&C Yellow No. 6
- Glutamates
- Guanylates
- Hexamine
- Inosinates
- Neotame
- Flavors created in a laboratory by blending either “natural” chemicals or “synthetic” chemicals to create flavorings
- Petroleum
- Potassium Acesulphame
- Potassium Ferrocyanide
- Propionic Acid and Propionates
- Refined Sugars
- Sodium Ethyl Para Hydroxybenzoate
- Tar
- Tartrazine
- TBHQ
- Tetramine
Low FODMAP Diet
The Low FODMAP diet consists of an elimination diet where all of the food you consume and the period of doing so before reintroducing high FODMAP may range from 6-12 weeks.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is a condition of the large intestine. It’s a common disorder, and can have both physical and emotional symptoms.
IBS is not an inflammatory disease. It’s actually a functional disorder, which means it’s caused by abnormalities in the way that your intestines work. In most cases, you have IBS if you have chronic abdominal pain or discomfort, feelings of constipation or diarrhea, bloating and gas.
Symptoms can range from mild to severe, but most people with IBS will experience some level of discomfort every day.
Many lactose intolerance (IBS) sufferers continue to suffer digestive symptoms other than bloating (which is exacerbated when the amount of lactose is too much, it can be hard to digest.) Lactose intolerance is an inflammatory bowel disease.
The Low FODMAP elimination diet may be beneficial for those suffering from IBS.
IBS sufferers are extremely affected by food choices. Most of those who suffer feel much better when they eliminate high FODMAP foods.
IBS is diagnosed by determining the FODMAP content of the diet, and then by observing symptoms associated with the intake. Some patients have irritable bowel syndrome while others have inflammatory bowel disease.
FODMAP Intolerance
What are the main symptoms of FODMAP intolerance?
The main symptoms of FODMAP intolerance include bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and flatulence. If left untreated, this condition can lead to malnutrition or deficiencies in minerals like iron.
A food allergy is an allergic reaction to or hypersensitivity to a food, ingredient, type or quantity. Usually, the immune system responds to these allergies in a way that affects the body, but can also be triggered by immunocompromised or injured parts of the body, including the immune system.
Understanding FODMAP
The FODMAP diet is a dietary approach used to try and determine if an individual is sensitive to fructose, lactose, fructans or glutamates, which may be present in high FODMAP food.
Fodmap food which is not absorbed, but rather, fermented in the small intestine, includes fructose, lactose, fructans and oligosaccharides. Fermentable oligosaccharides can be poorly digested in the small intestine, so they are fermented in the large intestine, something that immediately causes problems for everyone. The large intestine contains the dairy products, wheat, rye, and bananas as well as some fruits and vegetables, as the FODMAP food gets fermented there.
Fructans are short chain carbohydrate that can be poorly digested in the small intestine. During digestion, Fructans take place in the broken down proteins of the intestine, like for example Fructooligosaccharides (FOS). This means they may not move as fast in the large intestine as they should, thus causing more symptoms when consumed in people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
FODMAP Elimination Diet
FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides, And Polyols. These are carbohydrates that are not digestible by the human body, because our stomachs lack the necessary enzymes to break down these sugars.
The elimination diet is a diet that excludes a number of a certain type of food or food groups from your diet. This is done in order to determine if a person has a particular food sensitivity or allergy. A systematic elimination can also be used for this purpose.
This type of diet follows the idea that many foods have been associated with functional gastrointestinal disorders such as IBS and IBD, and people who have these disorders may benefit from eliminating certain foods from their diets.
The low FODMAP diet is an elimination diet that allows the diet to identify which foods are problematic. The diet works by removing the high FODMAP food from the diet for a short time and then reintroduces the high FODMAP food one by one to determine if an individual is sensitive to any high FODMAP food. While elimination is generally recommended for IBS, the low FODMAP diet is extremely helpful for those with the condition.
The FODMAP diet is not a diet for life, it’s to test and understand what foods you should avoid.