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Label Reading for Low FODMAP
HOW TO: Label Reading for Low FODMAP
Something that can be an overwhelming and daunting part of following the low FODMAP diet, especially during the strict elimination phase is grocery shopping and selecting suitable products. It can be difficult to decipher what exactly is in a product and whether it is high or low FODMAP and safe for you to eat without triggering a flare. Here are some handy tips that may help take some of the stress out of grocery shopping.
TIP 1: ALWAYS CHECK THE INGREDIENTS
It is super important to make sure you’re reading the ingredients list on all products!! The ingredients list can generally be found on the back or side panel of a product. Ingredients are listed in order from highest volume to lowest volume. This means that although a product may contain an ingredient that is high FODMAP, if it is further down on the ingredients list, it may be in a dose that is safe to eat.
The ingredients list also often contains allergy notice which can be very important!!
TIP 2: BE AWARE OF COMMON HIGH FODMAP INGREDIENTS
The ingredients list can be a confusing place, filled with big and confusing additives and preservatives which are often misunderstood. Knowing which ingredients to look out for will save you time & stress! Here listed are some common ingredients that are known to be high FODMAP. If these ingredients are in the first few ingredients, it’s an indication that the product is most likely high FODMAP and should be avoided.
TIP 3: STAY ON THE LOOK OUT FOR LOW FODMAP GREEN FLAGS
Monash University and Fodmap Friendly certifications can make it easy to identify FODMAP approved products. These are two symbols that are often found on the front or under the ingredients panel of low FODMAP products. They indicate that laboratory testing has been carried out to determine that the product is low FODMAP. Both symbols are equally as reputable – one symbol is not rated more highly than other. So, if a product contains either or both symbols, you can rest assured that it is safe for consumption. They can also be used if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to study the ingredients list!
TIP 4: USE YOUR APPS!
There are many apps available that can be used to help better understand specific ingredients or products. They are laid out in an easy to follow layout and rely a lot on visual elements which is great if you don’t like a lot of reading! The Monash University FODMAP app is one of the most comprehensive apps available however it does have an initial purchase price of $12.99. However, there are other great, apps available that serve a similar purpose like Spoonful and FODMAP friendly app which are cheaper or free.
One of the keys to the success of the low FODMAP diet is knowing your food products and what is safe for you to eat. Having the knowledge of label reading is an amazing and important tool to have in your toolbox in order to help you achieve that success. By knowing your way around labels and what to look for, this can remove the stress and feelings of overwhelm that surround grocery shopping and allow you to feel safe and in control of your low FODMAP journey.
Are you looking to learn more about IBS and the low FODMAP diet? I would love for you to join me for my free training, The Five Mistakes to Avoid on the Low FODMAP Diet.
Chelsea McCallum
Chelsea is an online dietitian based in Brisbane, Australia. She specialises in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and the low FODMAP diet. She provides professional online video consultations and programs enabling clients from across Australia and around the world to access her specialised services.
Dining out: Japanese Cuisine – Anne Willner
Dining out: Japanese Cuisine
With many naturally gluten free options, Japanese food can be a great choice when dining out. However, although sushi is often safe, there are other places where gluten lurks.
In addition to the obvious gluten unfriendly dishes such as dumplings and noodles, check for the following when confirming which options are gluten free.
1. Soy sauce and wasabi
This is basic but very important to know and keep in mind – standard soy sauce contains wheat! Gluten-free soy sauce and tamari are great substitutes that taste incredibly similar. Some Japanese restaurants may have GF soy sauce available if you ask, but always double-check when dishes are made with soy sauce. In addition, some packaged wasabi uses wheat starch as a thickener.
2. Tempura
Not only is there wheat flour in batter used for tempura dishes, but tempura flakes (also known as “crunch”) that are used as a topping on sushi rolls have wheat as well. In addition, keep in mind that if a restaurant offers tempura, there’s a good chance they are using the same fryer for tempura as well as other dishes, so be sure to ask about potential cross-contamination.
3. Imitation Crab
Imitation crab (also known as “crab stick”) almost always contains wheat starch as a binding agent. This is why California rolls – which usually use imitation crab – are almost never gluten-free. Always ask about ingredients if there is any sort of imitation crab or fish in a dish.
4. Sauces and Dressings
Soy sauce and wheat starch are often in dressings and sauces. Watch out for seaweed salad especially – it almost always has soy sauce in the dressing.
5. Fish Roe
Some fish roe (e.g., those orange fish eggs used as a sushi topping) have an added wheat thickener to help bind the eggs together. This isn’t always for the case, but it’s worth checking.
6. Edamame
Believe it or not, some restaurants use steam from boiling wheat-based noodles to cook edamame and other vegetables. This can potentially cause cross-contamination. While this practice won’t be used at all Japanese restaurants, it is worth double-checking to be sure.
Anne Willner
Born and raised in New York, I relocated to Sydney, Australia in 2018 for work. I love exploring the incredible gluten free food scene in Sydney as well as experimenting with gluten free cooking and baking.
I was diagnosed with Celiac when I was 12 years old and in the 14ish years since my diagnosis, I‘ve maintained a strict gluten free diet. I love sharing tips and tricks I’ve learned through my experience and showing how a GF diet can be exciting and delicious.
A conversation about Coeliac Disease with Olivia from Yum Gluten Free
A conversation about Coeliac Disease with Olivia from Yum Gluten Free
Have you heard of the well renowned online platform, Yum Gluten Free? Managing director & publisher Olivia Jackson Battye shares with us how her journey with Coeliac Disease begun, how she transitioned her household into a Gluten Free safe space, how to support someone dealing with Coeliac Disease and why she started Yum Gluten Free.
Olivia Jackson Battye
Managing director & publisher of Yum GF
After nine years of unexplained symptoms, Olivia was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2010. She has always been a lover of food, health and wellness and has channeled this diagnosis into a passion for spreading awareness about the harmful effects of gluten on those with Coeliac Disease. With her background in public health and nutrition, she is passionate about increasing awareness for Coeliac Disease, sharing practical tips and tricks for managing strict dietary restrictions and connecting gluten free products to consumers everywhere!
Managing the festive season with your child’s food allergies – Melinda Braithwaite
Managing the festive season with your child’s food allergies
Whilst the Christmas festive season is often full of joy and celebrations with families and friends it can be a very stressful and challenging time if your child has food allergies. To help you head into the festive season feeling more confident and prepared I have put together some of my favourite tips for how you can keep your child safe this festive season.
- Speak to the host in advance if you have been invited to celebrations at family or friend’s homes. Advise them of your child’s food allergy/allergies and offer to bring foods which your child can eat. If they refuse your offer still bring something for your child to eat just in case. It can also be very helpful to offer to sit down with them and plan the menu together.
- If family or friends are wanting to provide foods for your child be specific about what foods they can provide. If they are making a dish ask them to provide you with the ingredients, including any brands so that you can check they are suitable. Before your child eats ensure no changes have been made to the dish.
- If food is being prepared by family or friends ensure you have discussed with them the importance of avoiding cross contamination with allergens.
- Ensure other family members and friends at social gatherings are aware of your child’s food allergies and ask them not to give your child any food without first checking with yourself. Also chat to your child depending on their age about not accepting food from others and how to stay safe with their food allergy.
- If you are feeling anxious going to family or friends homes for celebrations offer to host the celebrations. Plan the menu around foods you know are safe for your child. If family or friends are bringing food you can politely request they only bring allergy free foods or if you are comfortable with some allergen containing dishes ensure you have safety precautions in place. These should include keeping allergen containing foods separate from allergy free foods, placing allergen foods away from your child at the table, separate utensils for serving each dish, everyone washing hands after handling food or eating, foods only allowed to be eaten at the table to avoid crumbs being dropped everywhere and the table wiped down thoroughly after eating.
- Barbeques can be a source of cross contamination. If having a BBQ use a sheet of foil or BBQ liner to cook your child’s food and cook their food first prior to cooking the other foods.
- If you are eating out at a restaurant make sure to contact the restaurant in advance to check that they can cater for your child’s allergies and that they have procedures in place to prevent cross contamination risk.
- Ensure you have your child’s ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis, Epipen and any other medication before leaving home.
- If you are away from home ensure you are familiar with where the nearest hospital is in case of emergency.
I hope you find these tips helpful and can enjoy a lovely and safe festive season. If you would like more support on managing the festive season with your child’s allergies please get in touch.
MELINDA
Melinda is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and founder of Lifestyle Nutrition, a paediatric practice based in Melbourne. She has completed further post graduate training in paediatrics including her Certificate in Paediatric Nutrition and Dietetics with the Royal Children’s Hospital.
As a paediatric dietitian Melinda has a special interest in food allergies and intolerances. Melinda understands how challenging and upsetting it can be for parents trying to navigate the complexities of food allergies and intolerances. She enjoys being able to help these families identify food triggers, relieve distressing symptoms and feel confident feeding their baby or child.
Why it is important to be tested and diagnosed with coeliac disease – Georgia Hexter
Why it is important to be tested and diagnosed with coeliac disease.
Georgia Hexter @oftengood
Georgia Hexter @oftengood
You’re experiencing a lot of symptoms that sound (and feel!) like coeliac disease, and you usually feel your best when you’re avoiding gluten-containing foods, so it must be celiac disease, right?
It is common that people confuse symptoms in response to fructan malabsorption for coeliac disease, and vice versa! Fructans are a carbohydrate structure made up of chains of fructose, that are poorly digested and absorbed by some people, particularly those with IBS. Fructans are found in rye, barley, oats and wheat, and which are also gluten-containing foods.
Symptoms of fructan malabsorption include increased flatulence, bloating, and diarrhea, similar symptoms to that of coeliac disease. It is common for people to cut out gluten, and begin to feel better as the fructan load of their diet has reduced, and therefore come to the conclusion that is must be coeliac disease..
Part of the low FODMAP diet often includes choosing gluten free breads, biscuits and pasta, but it is important that your GP has tested for coeliac disease before your commence a low FODMAP diet in order to ensure we aren’t confusing coeliac disease of IBS.
When testing for coeliac disease your gastroenterologist will be looking for the damage caused to your body when you are eating a gluten including diet. If you have stopped eating gluten containing foods your body may begin to heal, resulting in unreliable, and falsely negative results. This might mean you continue to include small amounts of gluten, or not consider cross contamination, and therefore have improvements in symptoms but still be exposed to gluten, and still be damaging your gastrointestinal tract.
If you have begun a gluten free diet before testing it isn’t the end of the world! It just means that a normal, gluten containing diet much be resumed for at least 6 weeks before your tests. This usually includes a gluten challenge, in which a minimum equivalent of four slices of wheat-based breads should be consumed each day. Speaking to a dietitian to receive support and guidance on your gluten challenge can be really helpful!
A clear diagnosis is important! If it is IBS then cross contamination with gluten containing products, and inclusion of small amounts of wheat-containing products is typically ok. Fructans are part of the FODMAP family, and management of fructan malabsorption often involved a low FODMAP diet and structured reintroduction in order to understand what other foods may trigger symptoms, and how much of each of the FODMAP groups, and the overall FODMAP load you can tolerate.
On the other hand, a strict gluten free diet must be adhered to if coeliac disease is the reason behind the symptoms and discomfort. Either way, the help and support of an accredited practicing dietitian can be incredibly helpful!
Georgia Hexter
Georgia is a Melbourne based private practice dietitian, nutritionist and recipe creator, and the face behind @oftengood on Instagram!
She is passionate about making healthy eating fun, accessible and achievable for all people. Georgia follows an ‘all foods fit’ approach to nutrition, and promotes mindfulness, intuitive eating and joyful movement.
Georgia is committed to empowering and inspiring her clients to improve their health and wellbeing through sustainable nutrition and lifestyle changes. She specialises in Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating, and improving food and body relationships, and follows a non-diet approach.
Georgia also assists clients in managing gut issues including Coeliac disease and IBS, and Chronic Disease Management. Georgia is committed to providing evidence based, collaborative, nurturing and client-centred care, and her skills lie in building client confidence and capacity to take charge of their health.
So you have been diagnosed with lactose tolerance… what next? – Frances Walker
So you have been diagnosed with lactose tolerance… what next?
Being diagnosed with lactose intolerance does not mean you have to avoid dairy. In this video I look at 3 easy low lactose hacks so you know which dairy foods to avoid, and which dairy foods can be safely included in your eating plan. Not only that, but how you can reduce lactose in your diet without compromising the all important calcium. Get savvy about lactose, manage your lactose intolerance and boost your calcium intake in one quick 10 minute update.
Frances Walker
I love working as a food Intolerance Dietitian and find my work is split across FODMAPs, whole food intolerances (including dairy protein intolerance) and food chemical sensitivities. Working with breast fed babies, children and adults- I find myself covering the whole spectrum of ages. Dairy intolerance is often an issue in the food sensitive people I see- with either lactose intolerance, protein intolerance/allergy or both being at play. Hence, I have developed a particular interest in dairy! With an education background, I relish opportunities to inform my client, groups and undertake education sessions to help food sensitive people become empowered with knowledge on how to move forward.