FAQs
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- 1This product with a FODMAP Friendly trademark has honey in it, so how can it be FODMAP friendly?
- FODMAP Friendly certification enables products to be identified as being low in FODMAPs. Foods are not required to be free from FODMAPs – small amounts are suitable, as has been proven in various scientific studies about FODMAPs. Whilst honey has more fructose in it than glucose, ie. it has the FODMAP “excess fructose”, the amount of honey present in the food has not impacted on the final laboratory analysis. That is, all the ingredients together produce a product that has more glucose than fructose and so the final product is low in FODMAPs.
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- 2How is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) diagnosed?
- Diagnosis of IBS is determined by a qualified medical practitioner. Diagnosis is based on the Rome III criteria for recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort for at least three days per month for the last three months, associated with two or more of the following symptoms, when other medical causes have been excluded:
- pain is relieved by defecation;
- onset of pain is associated with a change in bowel frequency (either diarrhoea or constipation);
- onset of pain is associated with a change in appearance of the stool (loose, watery or pellet-like).
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- 3I am lactose intolerant but I have been told hard cheese can have the FODMAP Friendly logo on it – how is this product suitable?
- Aged cheeses have virtually no lactose, or the level of lactose is often insufficient to cause problems for most people. Hard cheeses have been tested to pass the FODMAP Friendly laboratory testing standards.
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- 4If almonds contain fructans, does that mean I can’t eat any food products that contain almonds?
- No – it depends on how many almonds you consume in a serve of the food product that contains them. FODMAP Friendly certification means products have been tested for fructan levels, and if a product has the FODMAP Friendly logo, this means the fructan content per serve is suitable for people on the low FODMAP diet.
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- 5Do foods labelled fructose friendly have the same criteria?
- No, FODMAP Friendly certified products are the only products that have satisfied the rules of the certified trademark is approved by the ACCC.
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- 6I have symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome after I eat wheat. Should I start the low FODMAP diet?
- The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (including abdominal bloating, excessive wind, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation or a combination of both) are similar to those of coeliac disease. It is important to note that wheat is a problem food on both the gluten free and low FODMAP diets. It is essential to speak with your doctor about being investigated for coeliac disease BEFORE you change your diet. Your doctor can organise blood tests and perhaps a gastroscopy to test you for coeliac disease, however these must be done while you are still consuming gluten in the diet. If you don’t have coeliac disease, it may be that the low FODMAP diet is an effective treatment. It is best to speak with your doctor and consult a specialist dietitian to be taught the two steps of the low FODMAP diet.
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- 7I am confused about spelt. Some information says spelt is high FODMAP and yet there are spelt-based products with the FODMAP Friendly logo. Could you please explain?
- Although spelt contains FODMAPs, the amount present is much less than regular wheat. So, with the Wholeberry muffins and cookies, which use spelt flour instead of regular wheat flour, the amount of FODMAPs present per serve has been tested and indeed it is low and therefore these products are eligible to use the FODMAP Friendly logo. Other products containing spelt may not be low FODMAP, so the FODMAP Friendly logo is a great guide to let you know those foods that have been tested to be low FODMAP per serve.
Please note: Spelt is not gluten free – for people following a gluten free diet, spelt is not suitable.
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- 8There is a lot of contradictory information on the internet about the low FODMAP diet. Where can I learn reliable information?
- Specialist dietitians in FODMAPs recommend that you consult with a specialist dietitian to learn about the low FODMAP diet. You can find an Accredited Practising Dietitians in the FODMAP Friendly App or dietitiansaustralia.org.au (Australia) and dietitians associations in other countries. A dietitian can teach you the two steps of the low FODMAP diet – step one, which is the strict restriction of FODMAPs for 6-8 weeks, and step two – which is where your diet is liberalised to your own individual threshold levels after learning the type and amount of FODMAPs that you can tolerate. It is highly recommended that you undertake the low FODMAP diet in consultation with a dietitian to ensure your diet is nutritionally balanced and to ensure you do not avoid foods unnecessarily – your dietitian will work with you to establish your own tolerance threshold.
- 9Can I only eat foods with the FODMAP Friendly logo when following the low FODMAP diet?
- There are many foods that are low FODMAP, for example some fresh vegetables (eg. carrots, spinach, cucumber, potato, capsicum) and fruits (eg. banana, blueberry, strawberry, orange, mandarin, kiwifruit), eggs, unprocessed meat, fish, chicken and more. The FODMAP Friendly logo is used on packaged foods so that it takes away the “guess work” when reading ingredients lists. It is a convenient way to identify foods that are low FODMAP – and you can trust that they are, as they are laboratory tested. The logo is only used on foods that are confirmed with laboratory testing to be low in all FODMAPs. Other packaged foods may be low FODMAP – however without a logo on the pack, the only way to try to determine if it is low FODMAP is by reading the ingredients. If you would like a manufacturer to use the logo on a food product you suspect is low FODMAP, you might like to encourage them to enquire with us about what is involved in using the logo.
- 10I have read the ingredients on some of the Alpine Breads products and notice ingredients including spelt, rye, barley and lentils. I thought these were all high FODMAP ingredients and don’t understand how these breads can be FODMAP Friendly?
- Indeed lentils, barley, spelt and rye all contain FODMAPs, and are normally restricted whilst on a low FODMAP diet. However, you can enjoy two slices of the FODMAP Friendly Alpine Breads products (80g serving size) due to the special bread making process that the baker at Alpine Breads uses to make the FODMAP Friendly varieties. Although FODMAPs are present in raw lentils, barley, rye and spelt, through unique preparation and processing of these ingredients before making the bread, these otherwise high FODMAP ingredients have had their FODMAP content dramatically reduced…. And the result is a great tasting bread that is indeed FODMAP Friendly. Enjoy!