List of Foods to Eat and Avoid in FODMAP

FODMAP foods that aggravate the symptoms should be avoided to reduce or avoid related symptoms. These carbohydrates are called FODMAPs.

• Fruits such as apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries, mango, nectarines, pears, plums, and watermelon, or juice containing any of these fruits
• Canned fruit in natural fruit juice, large amounts of fruit juice or dried fruit
• Vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic and garlic salts, lentils, mushrooms, onions, and sugar snap or snow peas
• Dairy products such as milk, milk products, soft cheeses, yogurt, custard, and ice cream
• Wheat and rye products 
• Honey and foods with high-fructose corn syrup
• Products, including candy and gum, with sweeteners ending in “–ol,” such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and maltitol

Instead, base your meals around low-FODMAP foods such as:

• Eggs and meat. 
• Certain cheeses such as brie, camembert, cheddar and feta 
• Lactose-free milk, rice milk and almond milk 
• Grains like rice, quinoa and oats 
• Vegetables like eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, lettuce, tomato cucumbers and zucchini
• Fruits such as grapes, bananas, lemons, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and pineapple, maple syrup and lime.
• Gluten-free cereals and bread

Many studies have shown that a low FODMAP diet led to sustained improvement in all gut symptoms.

When one says “FODMAP diet,” they usually mean a diet low in FODMAP i.e. certain sugars that may cause intestinal distress. This diet is designed to help people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and/or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) figure out which foods are problematic and which foods reduce the symptoms. It’s a short discovery process to determine what foods are troublesome for an individual. 

The best way to see if this is a problem is to eliminate high FODMAP carbohydrates from the diet (under the careful supervision of an experienced healthcare provider) for a few weeks to see if the symptoms resolve themselves. Research has found that it reduces symptoms in up to 86% of people. 

There are two phases of the diet: 

1. The first phase is a strict “elimination diet”, which means removing foods high in FODMAP for 2-6 weeks. If you feel significantly better during that time, then some FODMAP carbohydrates may indeed affect you.
2. The second phase of the diet involves re-challenging foods by type. For example, the lactose challenge involves adding back in milk, cottage cheese, and/or ice cream. If those don’t seem to cause symptoms, then you can try another challenge group. These challenges should be done one FODMAP group at a time. It can then be extended further.

It's a really good idea to work with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) who has experience in working with patients in this area. Most FODMAP-trained dietitians have reported it takes an average of 2-4 weeks to see noticeable changes.

A 2013 study of 90 patients with IBS who were followed for almost a year and a half showed that 75% felt improvement with those symptoms. A low FODMAP diet is effective in most people with IBS, but not all. It shows us that around 50 to 80% of sufferers will experience an improvement in their IBS symptoms during phase 1 of the diet, leaving 20-50% of people who will not respond.