Low-FODMAP food list

The low-FODMAP diet is about portion as much as choice, a safe food turns high-FODMAP in a big serving. Here's what to eat freely, what to keep to a measured portion, and what to cut in the elimination phase, with the Monash thresholds that actually matter. A companion to the low-FODMAP recipes pillar, built to print and shop from.

1. 01

   Eat freely: proteins, eggs, and firm tofu

   Plain meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and firm tofu carry no FODMAPs, they're the one tier you don't have to weigh. Watch only for added high-FODMAP ingredients in marinades, sausages, and breaded products (onion and garlic powder are the usual culprits). This is the protein base of the low-FODMAP pasta and every dinner in the hub.

2. 02

   Eat freely: the low-FODMAP vegetables

   Carrots, zucchini, spinach, kale, bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, green beans, eggplant, bok choy, and common potatoes are safe in normal portions. A vegetable on every plate still applies here. Use the green tops of spring onions and chives where a recipe wants onion, the green part is low-FODMAP, the white bulb is not.

3. 03

   Eat freely: rice, oats, quinoa, and gluten-free starches

   Rice (all kinds), oats, quinoa, polenta, buckwheat, and gluten-free pasta are the safe carbohydrate slot. They fill the role wheat pasta and bread usually play. Most gluten-free bread is low-FODMAP, but check the label for inulin/chicory root and honey, which sneak FODMAPs back in.

4. 04

   Measured portion: fruit, one serving at a time

   Strawberries, blueberries, oranges, kiwi, grapes, and firm bananas are low-FODMAP in a single portion (about a handful, or one medium fruit), but stack two servings and the sugars add up to high-FODMAP. The Monash app gives the exact thresholds. Spread fruit across the day rather than eating it in one sitting.

5. 05

   Measured portion: nuts, seeds, and safe legumes

   Walnuts, pecans, macadamias, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts are fine in a small handful; cashews and pistachios are high-FODMAP and out. Canned, drained, and rinsed chickpeas and lentils are tolerable in a quarter-cup, the canning leaches FODMAPs into the liquid. Portion is the whole game with this tier.

6. 06

   Measured portion: dairy, lactose-free or hard-aged

   Lactose is the FODMAP in dairy, so lactose-free milk and yogurt, and naturally low-lactose hard cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, feta, brie) are safe. Regular milk, soft cheeses, and ice cream are high. A tablespoon of feta on a grain bowl is fine; a glass of milk is not. Lactose-free Greek yogurt keeps the high-protein breakfasts on the table.

7. 07

   Cut in elimination: onion, garlic, and wheat

   The three that catch everyone. Onion and garlic are high in fructans and hide in nearly every stock, sauce, and spice blend. The fix is garlic-infused oil, the FODMAPs are water-soluble, not oil-soluble, so the flavor carries and the fructans don't. Wheat (bread, regular pasta, couscous, most baked goods) is the other big one. This is how the low-FODMAP pasta keeps its flavor.

8. 08

   Cut in elimination: high-FODMAP fruit, veg, beans, and sweeteners

   Apples, pears, mango, watermelon, cherries, dried fruit; mushrooms, cauliflower, asparagus, snow peas; most dried beans and lentils in quantity; honey, agave, high-fructose corn syrup, and the polyol sweeteners (sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol in sugar-free gum). Maple syrup and table sugar are fine in moderation. Read sugar-free labels, the polyols are everywhere.