Overview
About FODMAPs
FODMAP load groups foods high in fermentable carbs — like onion, garlic, wheat, and apples — that can cause gas, bloating, or discomfort in sensitive guts.
FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates that can cause digestive distress in sensitive individuals. They include fructose, lactose, fructans, galactans, and polyols. These sugars are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and ferment in the colon, potentially causing bloating, gas, and discomfort.
In the data
Where you will find FODMAPs
- Rated high in fructans, the FODMAP behind the classic post-pasta bloat and gas
- Strained yogurt sits lower in lactose because the whey drains away with the sugar in it, while flavoured yogurt usually gains fruit puree, syrup or added inulin and lands higher in FODMAPs than the plain version
- High in both excess fructose and sorbitol, a double FODMAP load that is why apple behaves more harshly than its serving size suggests
- Apple juice is graded worse than the whole fruit in our data, rating very high on FODMAPs and excess fructose, because the fibre is gone and one glass is several apples
- Rated high in fructans and FODMAPs, which is why floury sauces, roux and breaded foods can bloat sensitive guts
Examples
A few ingredients either way
Grading
How we grade FODMAPs
Every ingredient in the database carries one grade for FODMAPs, and this page, the checker and the app all read that same grade. It describes the ingredient as it is usually eaten. Portion size and preparation move it.
Practical
Working with FODMAPs
- Start with smaller portions of high-FODMAP foods.
- Check which FODMAP type affects you (fructans, GOS, polyols, etc.).
- Start with a 2-6 week elimination phase, removing all high-FODMAP foods
- Keep a detailed food and symptom diary to track your reactions
- Reintroduce one FODMAP group at a time to identify your specific triggers
- Remember that threshold varies - you may tolerate small amounts
- Work with a dietitian trained in the low-FODMAP diet for best results
Method
Test it with a diary
Most people find their own triggers by logging meals and symptoms for a few weeks and reading the result back. Three steps.
- 1Log every meal for a few weeks. Type it, say it out loud, or scan a barcode, and it lands as a list of ingredients.
- 2Rate how you feel through the day on whatever you are tracking, whether that is bloating, headaches, skin or sleep.
- 3Read the pattern back. Every ingredient you logged is scored against the days you felt worse, and the result ranks FODMAPs against everything else you eat.
Questions
Questions people ask
Are spring onions and scallions the same as onion for FODMAPs?
Not quite, and the difference is which end you use. Whole scallions grade C for FODMAPs and D for fructans because the white bulb is the loaded part. The green tops are the low FODMAP portion and the standard way to keep onion flavor during elimination. Chives sit at A for fructans and B for FODMAPs because they are leaves rather than bulbs.
More about onionIs beef ok on a low-FODMAP diet?
Yes. Plain beef has no FODMAPs, so it fits the low-FODMAP diet. The FODMAPs almost always come from what is added to it: sauces, marinades, breadcrumbs, and onion or garlic seasoning are the usual culprits.
More about beefIs chicken low FODMAP?
Yes. Plain chicken contains no FODMAPs and has no serving limit on the low-FODMAP diet. The catch is what goes on it: breading, gravy, marinades and garlic or onion seasoning are high-FODMAP, so keep it simply cooked and season with garlic-infused oil or herbs instead.
More about chickenIs garlic powder high FODMAP?
Very. Garlic powder is graded E for fructans, the highest FODMAP tier. Because drying concentrates the fructans, even a quarter teaspoon can push you over a low-FODMAP limit, which makes it one of the most common hidden triggers in packaged food.
More about garlic powderHow do I get garlic flavour without the FODMAP?
Fructans do not dissolve in oil, so garlic-infused oil gives you the flavour without the FODMAP as long as you use the oil and strain out the solids. The green tops of chives or spring onion and pungent dry spices like mustard powder are other low-FODMAP ways to build savoury depth.
More about garlic powder
Read next
Where to go next
References
FODMAPs sources
Where the FODMAPs grades come from: food composition databases, clinical guidelines and patient organisations.
7 sources from peer-reviewed research, regulatory bodies, and clinical guidelines.
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Tracking FODMAPs?
Log what you eat and how you feel, and the app finds the pattern for you. Or look an ingredient up here first.
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