Learning To Find The Fructans: A Label Reading & Recipe Swap Tutorial For Newbies
So Now That You Know More About Fructans & GOS, Let’s Put That All Into Practice.
This blog will focus on how you can decipher which ingredients on the back of your kitchen staples contain fructans & GOS, and if so, what you can substitute them with whilst following a low FODMAP diet.
If you missed the blog post introducing fructans & GOS and which foods contain these, find it here.
Can You Spot The Fructans & GOS?
Here is the ingredients list for a standard butter chicken curry sauce you can find in the sauces aisle of your local supermarket.
Can you try spotting which ingredients contain fructans or GOS out of this list of ingredients?
You may like to revisit the list of fructan & GOS-containing foods from the blog post earlier this week.
How Did You Go?
The two ingredients that are high in fructans including fried onions (6%) and garlic puree (0.1%).
Ingredients lists are ordered from descending order of weight in the final product. Therefore, the ingredients with the highest percentage will be listed first and the smallest percentage last. If a high FODMAP food is at the end of an ingredients list, the product may be tolerable.
Since fried onion is one of the first components listed in this sauce, it is safe to assume that this product may be high in fructans. After ingesting this product, people with IBS may experience symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhoea and bloating.
It is important to note that the low FODMAP diet is not the “no FODMAP” diet, meaning that small amounts of fructans may be present in foods that do not cause symptoms. If the fructan containing ingredient is at the end of the ingredient list, and there are no other high FODMAP ingredients in the food, you may be able to eat this product symptom free.
Each individual has their specific threshold of FODMAP tolerance, which is why it is important to consult an Accredited Practising Dietitian in order to find out what FODMAPs and in what quantities you can tolerate.
You may also notice some other ingredients that could also be high in FODMAPs, but are not fructans and GOS, such as tomatoes in high quantities and cream. We will explore these ingredients in later posts this month as we continue to explore all the different types of FODMAPs – watch this space!
Being able to identify fructans and GOS on the back of packaging will ensure that you are confident the products you are buying will keep your gut happy and symptom free! If you have IBS and have yet to try the low FODMAP diet, head to our FODMAP Friendly smartphone App to find a dietary specialist near you.
Alternatively, take the stress away from finding the fructans & GOS in the ingredients list by looking for the FODMAP Friendly Certification logo on food packaging. Any foods displaying the FODMAP Friendly logo have been laboratory tested to be low in FODMAPs. Even if you spot an ingredient high in fructans & GOS in the ingredients list, you can eat with confidence knowing that the product is safe to consume on a low FODMAP diet. The FODMAP Friendly smartphone App provides a comprehensive list of FODMAP Friendly Certified products.
Look for the green logo on FODMAP Friendly Certified products:
If you’re looking for butter chicken curry sauces that are FODMAP Friendly Certified, here are some great examples of products you can eat with confidence:
FODMAPPED For You Butter Chicken Curry Simmer Sauce
Buy here: https://www.fodmapped.com/simmer-sauces/
Can you spot any fructans & GOS in the following ingredients list of this Sour Rye Sourdough Bread?
How Did You Go This Time?
As you can see, some fructans and GOS that appear in this list of ingredients are wheat flour (23%), rye flour (23%). However, Alpine Breads Sour Rye Sourdough Bread is a FODMAP Friendly Certified product!
So, This Product Contains Fructans & GOS. Why Does It Have The FODMAP Friendly Certification?
Yes, this product contains ingredients that are typically considered as high in fructans & GOS. However, the secret may be the sourdough cultures and yeast in this product which is known to lower fructan content in sourdough. (1)
Sourdough culture is a combination of yeast and lactobacillus bacteria, which consumes some of the carbohydrates during the process of fermentation. This process reduces the fructan content in sourdough breads. (2) The addition of yeast in the ingredients list also augments the reduction the fructan content in this product. (3)
Are All Sourdough Breads Low Fodmap?
It is important to note that not all sourdough breads are low in FODMAPs, as the fructan content is dependent on the processing of the sourdough. To find low FODMAP breads that are 100% safe to consume whilst on a low FODMAP diet, download the app and browse through the list of certified products, or look for the FODMAP friendly certification in your local supermarkets.
Try This Simple Low Fructan & GOS Roasted Pumpkin, Walnut and Quinoa Salad
Recipe photo sourced from: https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/roasted-pumpkin-quinoa-salad/8cc5655d-4552-43d3-807e-34b3440635a3
Recipe Serves 4:
Ingredients:
- ¾ Cup Cooked Plain Quinoa
- 2 Cups Of Butternut Pumpkin
- ½ Cup Finely Chopped Mint
- ½ Cup Finely Chopped Parsley
- Zest From ½ Lemon
- 1 Cup Roasted Walnuts
- 1 Tbsp Cobram Estate Garlic Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 40g Feta Cheese
Method:
- Place pumpkin on roasting tray, drizzle with Cobram estate garlic infused extra virgin olive oil and roast. For 20 minutes at 180C until brown and crispy.
- Place quinoa in a small saucepan (1/3 quinoa, 2/3 water), simmer with lid off for 10-15 minutes until the seed splits forming little curls and water is absorbed.
- Toss through some Cobram Estate garlic infused extra virgin olive oil to prevent clumping and allow to cool.
- Crush walnuts with a paper bag and rolling pin.
- Combine all ingredients together, adding mint, feta cheese and zest at the end.
- Add salt, pepper and a dash of Cobram Estate garlic infused extra virgin olive oil to taste.
How is Cobram Estate Garlic Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil low FODMAP?
We know that garlic is a high FODMAP ingredient due to its fructan content.
The fructans in garlic are water soluble. This means that they do not mix with the oil, therefore they do not leach into it during the infusion process. The product is therefore able to retain the delicious flavour of garlic, minus the fructans! Drizzle with confidence!
Buy here: https://cobramestate.com.au/our-oils/infusions/garlic-infused-extra-virgin-olive-oil
Stay tuned for next week’s blog posts, where we explore the effects of disaccharides including lactose on our gut, and what low FODMAP substitutes you can incorporate on a low FODMAP diet.
References:
- Knez M, Abbott C, Stangoulis JC. Changes in the content of fructans and arabinoxylans during baking processes of leavened and unleavened breads. European Food Research and Technology. 2014 Nov, 239(5):803-811.
- Laatikainen R, et al. Pilot Study: Comparison of Sourdough Wheat Bread and Yeast-Fermented Wheat Bread in Individuals with Wheat Sensitivity and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Nutrients. 2017 Nov, 9(1215):1-16.
- Struyf N, et al. Bread Dough and Baker’s Yeast: An Uplifting Synergy. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2017 Jul, 16(5).
Recipe photo sourced from: https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/roasted-pumpkin-quinoa-salad/8cc5655d-4552-43d3-807e-34b3440635a3
Eat with Confidence!
