The Low-FODMAP Grocery List That Actually Works

Produce

• •Vegetables: carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, spinach, lettuce, kale, red bell peppers, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant.
• •Portion-aware picks: broccoli heads, sweet potato, pumpkin, avocado — fine in the portions on their food pages.
• •Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, oranges, pineapple, grapes (small handful), firm bananas.
• •Flavor base: spring onion green tops, chives, fresh ginger, lemons and limes — your onion-and-garlic replacements.

Proteins

• •All plain fresh meat, poultry, and fish — FODMAPs are carbs, so unseasoned proteins are naturally safe.
• •Eggs and firm tofu.
• •Canned tuna or salmon in oil or water (check for no onion/garlic broth).
• •Watch: marinated, crumbed, or "seasoned" anything — the coating is where triggers hide.

Grains, dairy, and pantry

• •Grains: rice, quinoa, oats, corn tortillas, rice noodles, sourdough spelt bread, certified gluten-free pasta.
• •Dairy: lactose-free milk and yogurt, hard cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, swiss), butter.
• •Pantry: garlic-infused olive oil (the flavor without the fructans), maple syrup (never honey), peanut butter, plain rice cakes.
• •Nuts: peanuts, walnuts, macadamias, pecans; almonds capped around 10.

Label traps to skip

• •"Natural flavors" plus onion or garlic powder — in most stocks, seasoning mixes, chips, and sauces.
• •Inulin / chicory root — added fiber in "gut-healthy" bars, yogurts, and cereals that is itself a concentrated fructan.
• •High-fructose corn syrup — sodas, ketchup, dressings, many breads.
• •Honey, agave, apple or pear juice concentrate as sweeteners.
• •Sugar-free gums and mints with sorbitol, mannitol, or xylitol.

Make the store do the work

When a product's ingredient list is longer than a sentence, scan it: the barcode or ingredient photo gets you a score in seconds, which beats squinting at fine print in aisle five.

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