MONASH UNIVERSITY UPDATES

Monash University is regularly adding new food items to the app and certifying newly released Low FODMAP products. With constant changes it can be difficult to keep up, but our team is working hard to highlight the latest updates to the app as they happen so you can continue eating well for your health and your gut, without all the confusion and guesswork.

If you are following the Low FODMAP diet and haven’t already downloaded the app, we recommend you do. This is the best tool to provide you with an up-to-date list of low, moderate, and high FODMAP foods. New foods are regularly added in addition to updates for existing items based on the latest testing and research.

New Monash Certified Low FODMAP Food Products

The majority of Monash certified low FODMAP foods are Australian but they are in the midst of testing new products from other markets… which is very exciting!

FODY Foods

As mentioned above, FODY Foods specializes in delicious, Low FODMAP food products. They launched in the US market in October and the Canadian market this week! The FODY pasta sauces, salsa and BBQ sauce have all been certified Low FODMAP by Monash University and are listed in the app.

Nestlé’s ProNourish Drink

Nestle recently introduced a Low FODMAP nutritional drink called ProNourish. Two flavours of ProNourish has been certified Low FODMAP by Monash and can be found in it’s own section called “Nutritional Drinks”.

Bodhi’s Bakehouse

Bodhi’s Bakehouse is an Australian bakery that now offers a Low FODMAP version of their spelt bread, Spelt 2. Spelt breads made using the traditional sourdough methods are considered the lowest in FODMAPs compared to wheat and multigrain breads. Two slices of Bodhi’s Spelt 2 are low in oligosaccharides, fructose, polyols and lactose, in comparison to some varieties where one slice of spelt bread is high in fructose. You can find this in the app.

New Feature: Filtering By Country

The Monash Low FODMAP app was developed in Australia and the team has worked diligently to include more items from around the world. You can now filter items based on your country of origin to narrow the brands you see in the search function. At the moment the filter function includes the following countries: Austria, Australia, Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Norway, New Zealand, and the United States.

Monash is working hard to keep us all well within the Low FODMAP diet, so keep checking it to hear about their latest and greatest updates to keep you eating well and feeling better.

MEDIA UPDATES

Atlantic Bar and Brasserie: The UK’s First Restaurant Offering Low FODMAP Options

A French bistro in Scotland, called the Atlantic Bar and Brasserie, teamed up with Lesley Reid, a local dietitian, to create a low FODMAP menu for people with IBS. Lesley noticed that many of her clients complained about the difficulty dining out with family and friends. Enjoying a meal with others is one of the many ways we bond and socialize with loved ones. When Lesley proposed the idea to the Mario Gizzi, the director of DRG, he saw it as “an opportunity to give customers that find it hard to eat out an enjoyable and pleasurable experience”.

The meals are decadent, which goes to show that you can enjoy a variety of cuisines on the Low FODMAP diet. The dishes include succulent duck, seared scallops, and a light chocolate mousse. Prior to launching the Low FODMAP menu the restaurant invited those with IBS to sample dishes and provide their feedback.

One patron revealing that, “It was nice to eat out and not feel as if I was causing a fuss. I really like the fact I did not have to worry about the ingredients, that everything had already been checked for me.”
Diners wanting to order off of the Low FODMAP menu need to make reservations 24 hours in advance to give kitchen staff enough time to prepare. Hopefully, with greater awareness about IBS and FODMAPs we will see more restaurants offering Low FODMAP options.

RESEARCH UPDATES

Relief from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with the Low FODMAP Diet

In a recent study published on October 11, 2016 in the journal Gastroenterology, researchers at the University of Michigan compared the Low FODMAP diet to traditional dietary advice given to those with IBS. What did they find out?

The team studied 84 people with IBS-D. They picked IBS-D in hopes of seeing if the FODMAP diet would help with bowel movements, in addition to, pain relief. Prior to starting the diet participants met with a dietitian that guided them through their new diet and answered any concerns. They followed their prescribed diet for 4-weeks, keeping track of their daily intake with food and symptom journals.

More than 50% of people following the Low FODMAP diet experienced a decrease in symptoms like, abdominal pain and bloating. People also described less of an urgency to evacuate stools (i.e. have a bowel movement). In comparison, individuals following traditional dietary recommendations like, modifying fibre, eliminating lactose, and minimizing fat and caffeine, only saw a 20% decrease in symptoms.

Improved Quality of Life with the Low FODMAP Diet

Many participants following the Low FODMAP diet felt more in control of their symptoms and thus rated a higher quality of life during the 4-week period. As some of you may have experienced, scheduling your day based on accessibility to a washroom or your symptoms can be very stressful so this makes a lot of sense that when symptoms improve, so do our lives!

A previous study conducted by the American Gastroenterological Association, found that those with IBS typically miss two days of work or school every month due to their symptoms. The ability to plan social activities or work without worrying about your IBS can vastly improve how you live your life.

Putting the study into perspective those following the Low FODMAP diet were less likely to feel like their IBS was dictating their life. The individuals in this study were only at the beginning of the elimination stage of the FODMAP diet at the 4 week mark, for some this stage can last several months or longer, while others will be heading into the re-introduction phase next. We think that it would be interesting to compare the differences between groups if they had followed the diet for a longer period of time.

This study supports what many dietitians have been experiencing in practice, which is, that the Low FODMAP diet is a really beneficial tool to improve dietary symptoms of IBS and IBD, and is a great starting point. It’s interesting that that study shows the diet works better than traditional advice given, as in previous studies traditional advice has provided similar results.
Combining traditional advice along with the Low FODMAP diet may help those suffering with IBS and IBD manage symptoms even better, since both diets show an improvement. What our team has found in practice is that pairing them together can increase symptom improvement, long-term health and wellness and your ability to re-introduce FODMAP foods.

 

PRODUCT AND SERVICE UPDATES

FODY Foods: Low FODMAP Food Company

FODY is a Monash University, Low FODMAP certified food company. They offer a range of products that many with IBS have had difficulty finding Low FODMAP versions of that are seriously delicious! (we know, we’ve tried them!) Stephanie, our founder, has been lucky enough to work with this company over the past 6 months to help them get delicious products Low in FODMAPs and available as soon as possible This includes: tangy salsa, two types of pasta sauce, and BBQ sauce. FODY has just released two delicious nut bars that are the perfect sweet snack. They sell a range of infused olive oils along with Nice bars. We’ll be doing a more in depth review of FODY Foods coming up in a few weeks as they get ready to release products in Canada. You can visit them online here: FODYfoods.com

Epicured: A Low FODMAP Meal Delivery Service

Epicured is a meal delivery start-up that is aimed at people with digestive health issues. All of the meals they deliver are gluten-free and low in FODMAPs. The founders, Renee Cherkezian, a registered nurse, and chef, Richard Bennett combined both of their passions to create Epicured. Renee saw that many of her patients were not “[deriving] a lot of pleasure from food”. She wanted to create a delicious, seasonal menu that people with digestive health issues could enjoy. The current menu includes a savoury pad thai, tikka masala, coconut shrimp stew and paella. Hungry yet? At the moment, the delivery service is only available in the New York City boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Nassau County. Dishes range in price from 12.99-14.99 per meal.

ProNourish: Nestlé’s Low FODMAP Nutritional Drink

In October, Nestlé released a Low FODMAP dietary supplement in the US called ProNourish. Similar to products like Boost or Ensure, ProNourish seeks to be a quick snack for those that may not be meeting their nutritional needs. At the moment, the drinks are available 8 ounce bottles and come in two flavours, French vanilla and strawberry banana. Drinks are 170 calories and contain 6 grams of sugar and 3 grams of fibre. It is currently only available in the US and price ranges from $10.99 for a 6-pack and $41.99 for a 24-pack.

 

Written by Adi Hazlewood, News & Culture Editor

 

References

1. Eswaran SL, Chey WD, Han-Markey T, Ball S, and Jackson K. A randomized controlled trial comparing the low FODMAP diet vs Modified NICE Guidelines in he US adults with IBS-D. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. Taken from: http://www.nature.com/ajg/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ajg2016434a.html
2. National Institute for Health and Care Excellance. NICE Guidelines. Taken from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG61/chapter/1-Recommendations
3. Piper L. Scottish restaurant launches one of the UK’s first IBS friendly menus. Taken from: http://stv.tv/news/features/1373191-scottish-restaurant-launches-one-of-uk-s-first-ibs-friendly-menus/
4. Atlantic Bar and Brasserie. Low FODMAP Taken from http://www.atlanticbrasserie.co.uk/low-fodmap/plats-principaux
5. Epicured. Current Menu Taken From: https://www.getepicured.com/menu
6. Epicured Offers Low FODMAP, Gluten Free Meal Plans for People with Digestive Disorders. Taken from: https://themighty.com/2016/11/epicured-offers-gluten-free-low-fodmap-meal-plans-for-celiac-and-ibs/
7. The Monash University App for iPhone