Use the FODMAP Friendly App to Calculate FODMAP Portions & Combinations Using the FOD-Stacker!
Have you ever wondered about the coloured circles with percentages on the FODMAP Friendly App? It is designed to help you identify two things:
1) Suitable portion sizes
2) How to combine low FODMAP foods
Suitable Portion Sizes
We know that portion size is important, as too many FODMAPs can push us over threshold levels and may trigger IBS symptoms. In the app, it is important to understand that 100% is the threshold level where the portion size becomes high FODMAP.
For example:
A 75g serve of sweet corn contains 130% mannitol and is high FODMAP. But when you reduce this serve size by half, to just under 40g, the load of mannitol drops to 65% and is low FODMAP.
You can also click on “How much passes to see the maximum serve size for any food or product.
Similarly, a 40g serve of dried figs (2 figs) is rated at 70% of the threshold for fructans and is low FODMAP. However, if you were then to eat 60g, or 3 figs in one serve, the fructan load would increase to over 100% and become high FODMAP. These examples indicate that portion sizes are key when it comes to gaining good symptom control.
Creating Your FOD-Stacker to Combine Foods
People rarely eat foods in isolation and it is normal to consume a variety of foods in one meal. When meals commonly contain more than one food or food group, you may need to be aware of FODMAPs compounding to a high FODMAP load, especially if you are not gaining good symptom relief.
Don’t panic though, it is easy to create a balanced meal with multiple low FODMAP foods.
Example of a Low FODMAP Meal
This recipe remains low FODMAP as the totals for all FODMAP groups remain under 100%.
Example of a meal compounding to become High FODMAP overall
This recipe becomes high FODMAP for GOS at 120%. To make a serve of this snack low FODMAP, you have three choices:
1. Reduce the amount of almonds and blueberries until the total amount of GOS are less than 100%.
2. Divide the snackinto more serves until you are below 100% for all FODMAP groups. 2 serves or half of the snack would bring GOS down to 60% and become low FODMAP.
3.Swap the almonds for a different nut with a lower FODMAP content such as walnuts
Final thoughts
In the long term the goal of the low FODMAP diet is about balancing dietary variety with good symptom control. If your symptoms are under control you don’t need to worry about food combining. Similarly if you are not sensitive to a particular FODMAP group e.g. lactose you don’t need to worry about foods containing that FODMAP.
At FODMAP Friendly our goal is to provide you with simple yet effective tools to manage your low FODMAP diet and support you to eat with confidence. The FODMAP Friendly smart phone App is just one way we help you do this.
Download the App for iPhone and Android here: https://fodmapfriendly.com/for-consumers/the-fodmap-friendly-app/.
