FODMAP Eating: High and Low Foods

If you are interested in healing your digestion and treating conditions like irritable bowel 
syndrome, then you have probably been looking into following a low FODMAP diet. This 
is a type of elimination diet where you eat only foods on the low FODMAP list, then 
gradually add one food at a time to figure out what your body is sensitive to.

Before you can start this type of elimination diet, you need to know what foods you can 
eat, and which ones you can’t. Here is a list of the high and low FODMAP foods so you 
know what to eat or avoid.

Avoid These High FODMAP Foods

First of all, you should know what foods you are avoiding or reducing. Most people will 
skip them entirely, but depending on your circumstance, you might just want to reduce 
how much you consume them for a while. To start with, you should avoid garlic and 
onions as much as you can. These tend to affect your digestive system, so stick to other 
ways of seasoning your food.

Many fruits are on the high FODMAP list and should be avoided because they can be 
high in fructose. These include, but are not limited to:

Bananas 
Apples 
Cherries 
Nectarines 
Grapefruit 
Mango 
Peaches 
Pears 
Blackberries

There are many vegetables you can eat, but avoid some of them, like cauliflower, 
asparagus, artichoke, and larger stocks of celery. Most meat is fine, though you want to 
avoid sausage and chorizo. Avoid wheat products, including baked goods, pasta, bread, 
biscuits, and cereals. Some nuts are not allowed, like walnuts and pistachios. You are 
also avoiding sweeteners and a variety of other foods. Make sure you see a complete 
list of foods that you should not consume while following the low FODMAP diet.

Enjoy These Low FODMAP Foods

An easier way to plan your meals is to know the low FODMAP foods. That way, you can 
print out a list of these foods and head to the grocery store, making sure you only pick 
foods from this list. This is not a comprehensive list of low FODMAP foods, but they 
include some of the major options for you. Be sure to check out a full list for meal 
planning purposes.

Most vegetables are allowed – Luckily, you can continue eating most vegetables. Here 
are some favorites:

Broccoli, olives, pears, carrots, smaller stalks of celery, butternut squash, brussels 
sprouts, kale, lettuce, spinach, pumpkin, red peppers, and many others. 

Low fructose fruit – If you are a fan of fruit, not to worry. There are still some you can 
enjoy, ubt you want to stick to the low fructose fruits, like cranberries (1 tbsp only), 
mandarin, passion fruit, oranges, cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, 
papaya, and raspberries.

Meat and fish – Continue eating most of the meat and seafood you already enjoyed, 
including poultry, cold cuts, chicken, beef, lamb, salmon, canned tuna, shrimp, and 
crab.

Cereals and grains – With the baked goods and grains, just make sure they don’t 
contain wheat or gluten. This includes foods made with buckwheat flour, brown or whole 
grain rice, corn or oats, rice bread, shortbread (limited amount) and potato bread.

Other foods and sweeteners – You can have some sweeteners, including aspartame, 
golden syrup, glucose, and most jams or jellies. Condiments like peanut butter, 
mustard, mayonnaise (with no garlic or onion in ingredients), fish sauce, maple syrup, 
ketchup (limited amount), and many others are allowed.

For alcoholic drinks, stick to clear spirits, one beer or one glass of wine, or whiskey. You 
cn have coffee as long as it decaf or regular, and with lactose-free milk.

