Enjoying Your Favorite High FODMAP Foods: Tips and Strategies

Staying away from high FODMAP foods is usually the goal right? What about those times when you miss that one favorite food or meal but know it might trigger an IBS flare-up? With IBS, managing FODMAP intake is important in making sure your body is operating at its best. (click here if you want to know more about the FODMAP diet)  However, there are a few strategies you can learn so that you can still enjoy those high FODMAP foods you might often avoid. 

Changing Cooking Techniques 

Changing up cooking techniques is a great way to lower the FODMAP content of certain foods and keep that gut happy! Food processes that include water like boiling, straining, soaking, and pressing can help reduce certain FODMAPs that leach into the liquid you end up disposing of. Vegetables, legumes, and tofu are some common foods that can be altered through these processes. Pickling foods or buying food pre-pickled may also be a good option such as onions (my favorite!) which are a particularly high FODMAP food. 

Portion Size and Pairing

Portion control and paring are additional essential strategies when it comes to including some high FODMAP foods into your diet. For example, you can consume a smaller portion of the particular high FODMAP food you want and or pair them with only low FODMAP options to complete your meal. One of my favorite ways to track portion sizes is using the FODMAP Monash University App. The app uses a traffic light system to easily identify which foods are good to eat without worry (green), which may have moderate FODMAPs (yellow), and foods high in FODMAPs (red) per serving. Using the app can be helpful to refer to the serving size to determine how much smaller of a serving you should consume to put that food from “red”, to “yellow” or “green”.  

It's always a good idea to continually monitor symptoms and identify personal tolerance levels. You can do this in whichever way works best for you! Some people enjoy keeping a simple food and symptom log, noting any adverse reactions after consuming specific high FODMAP foods even when you have altered the content using the methods just discussed. By closely tracking your response, you can determine your own unique threshold and be able to make the best decision for you about the quantities and frequencies of high FODMAP foods you can comfortably include in your diet. This allows for a varied and satisfying diet while minimizing potential digestive distress.