As I shared yesterday, I am in the midst of a week of Low FODMAP eating. In order to prepare there were a few purchases I needed to make.
I spent a lot of time (3 or so hours total) browsing Whole Foods , Trader Joe’s AND M.O.M, reading label after label, carefully studying the ingredients.
Overall, I found there to be lots of options for people with special dietary needs which is awesome. Yes, it requires some time and knowing where to look and what to look for, but it can be done.
Here are some of the “FODMAP Friendly” items I purchased:
BREADS:
Bye bye whole wheat, hello spelt. Spelt is an ancient grain that despite being a distant cousin of wheat, doesn’t seem to give people issues. I’ve had spelt bread before and find it to be tasty. You’ve gotta search a bit for it though….in Whole Foods it lives in the freezer section.
I had a taco dinner party planned with friends had needed a wheat-free tortilla option. These Food for Life corn ones were fantastic! Most importantly I liked the simple ingredients: corn, water, sea salt, lime.
DAIRY:
Those following a low FODMAP diet are to avoid lactose and soft cheeses. This means no yogurt or cottage cheese. Two of my favorites! Nooooooo.
I picked up a sampling of lactose-free yogurts that included cultured coconut & almond milk. I’ll be honest, it’s just not the same. I tried them and the texture is no where near as thick as my beloved Greek yogurt and they contain TONS of added sugars. Far too sweet for my liking.
Z and I regularly buy almond milk, so no lactose, no problem in that department. I’m a sucker for a new product and bought this blend at Whole Foods which I immediately used in my Berry-Coconut smoothie on Friday.
SNACKS:
I needed a new gluten-free cereal to accompany almonds in my daily dose of trail mix. This 100% whole grain brown rice cereal came recommended.
Then came the graham crackers for our nightly s’mores. The Trader Joe’s variety that Z and I love are FODMAP nightmare—wheat, molasses, honey—bad, bad and bad.
While shopping I was so excited to find gluten-free ones, that I completely neglected the fact that they are HONEY flavored….duh. Oh well. I still ate them and they are phenomenal (according to the package they are Europe’s #1!).
PRODUCE:
I have to say, I stocked up quite a bit!
- strawberries
- blueberries
- grapes
- pineapple
- clementines
- grapefruit
- sweet potatoes
- tomatoes
- carrots
- celery
- baby spinach
So far I’m loving the change in fruit around here! I forgot how delicious strawberries at breakfast can be or blueberries as a snack at lunch. It just goes to show how easily we can fall into eating ruts.
As I said, they good part about this eating strategy is that you don’t have to cut out any one food group entirely, but simply be selective about which you choose.
I’ve been journaling my eats this week and plan on sharing what I came up with later on.
Sara @ Magia e Pasta said:
I am an apple-a-day girl, so that would definitely be rough for me, but other than those my favorite fruits are tropical – I could totally get on board this Low FODMAP thing! Will definitely keep an eye out for those corn tortillas, I love it when bread products have a short ingredient list. Be sure to keep us updated on what’s working for you!
theadventuresofzandk said:
No apples is sad. But not as bad as I expected. I’ll keep you posted about my thoughts and results from all this. If nothing else it’s an excuse to educate myself a bit further about food and its effects on our bodies.
kate said:
thank you for this! I am gluten free but just switched to low FODMAP.
kate said:
also, WHAT is that picture of just above the comments?? It looks yummy~
theadventuresofzandk said:
Kate, glad I could help! The whole low FODMAP thing was tricky at first, but now making appropriate choices is becoming a natural thing. I’m continuing to journal my eats and noting any time I ate something higher in FODMAPs. That way I can track my symptoms and know what things I can/can not tolerate.
The picture above are gluten-free Vans waffles (note: I believe they may have apple/pear juice concentrate so be forewarned), with almond butter, strawberries & bananas and my favorite toasted coconut almonds on top. One of my favorite breakfasts for sure!
kate said:
mmmmmm. I used to eat the Vans gf blueberry waffles.
My biggest concern is protein really, b/c although I do eat meat, I don’t eat tons of it. I was keeping a food diary before, stopped, and am restarting now just to see how this diet goes. I am already feeling better. I’m bummed about apples and things like chocolate, but this is not forever. I gave up coffee over a month ago, swapped it for tea, and have been using plan rice milk, which isnt as yummy tasting as raw milk, but it works. Anyway..thank you!