Low FODMAP snacks:
20 ideas that pass the label test

Meals are often the easy part of the low FODMAP diet. You cook them, so you know what goes in. Snacks are different. They are often packaged, eaten in a hurry, and made with long ingredient lists that you do not have time to read.

Snacks are also where some of the less obvious FODMAP sources tend to appear. Flavoured crisps often carry onion or garlic powder. Protein bars may contain inulin or chicory root fibre. And "sugar-free" sweets often get their sweetness from polyols such as sorbitol or maltitol.

The good news: many everyday low FODMAP snacks are simple foods you may already have at home. Here are 20 ideas, grouped by where you find them, with a note on what to check for each one.

From the fruit bowl

Fruit can be a good snack, but the type and the portion both matter. Some fruits have a low FODMAP serving, and larger portions may contain more fructose or fructans. Our guide to low FODMAP serving sizes explains why the same food can be low or high depending on how much you eat.

1. Strawberries. They have a low FODMAP serving, and larger bowls may contain more fructose. Monash University reduced the serving after a retest, so check the app for the current amount. For a frozen version, try our strawberry, chocolate and hemp stars.
2. Kiwi. Green and gold kiwi both have a low FODMAP serving. Cut one in half and eat it with a spoon.
3. A firm banana. Ripeness matters here. Monash University lists firm, less ripe bananas with a larger low FODMAP serving than ripe ones, because fructan content increases as the banana ripens. If you like them spotty, a smaller portion may be a better fit.
4. Oranges and mandarins. Both have a low FODMAP serving that fits a typical snack. Fruit juice is a different matter, because one glass can contain the juice of several fruits.
5. Grapes. They have a low FODMAP serving, but Monash University reduced it after a retest, so a small bunch fits better than a big one. Raisins are different again. Drying concentrates the sugars and the FODMAPs, so a handful of raisins can contain much more than the same handful of grapes.

If you eat several fruits at once, keep stacking in mind. Two low FODMAP servings of fruit eaten together can contribute more fructose than either one alone.

From the fridge

6. Hard cheese. Cheddar, parmesan and similar hard cheeses tend to be very low in lactose. Most of the lactose leaves with the whey when the cheese is made, and ageing reduces what remains.
7. Lactose-free yoghurt. The lactase enzyme splits lactose into glucose and galactose, which is why lactose-free yoghurt can be a low FODMAP option. Check the label of flavoured ones for inulin, honey or apple and pear purée.
8. Boiled eggs. FODMAPs are carbohydrates, and eggs contain almost no carbohydrate. That is why eggs contain no FODMAPs.
9. Vegetable sticks with a dip. Carrot, cucumber and red pepper all have a low FODMAP serving. The dip needs more attention. Hummus is made from chickpeas, and many dips contain garlic or onion. A lactose-free yoghurt with chives is an easy alternative.
10. Cottage cheese chips. Baked lactose-free cottage cheese becomes a crunchy, high-protein snack. Our cottage cheese chips recipe uses only three ingredients.

From the cupboard

11. Rice cakes with peanut butter. Plain rice cakes and peanut butter both have a low FODMAP serving. Most peanut butter contains only peanuts and salt, but some brands add honey, so a quick look at the label helps.
12. Peanuts, walnuts, macadamias and pecans. Nuts are not one group when it comes to FODMAPs. These four have a low FODMAP serving. Almonds have a low FODMAP serving at a small handful. Cashews and pistachios are high FODMAP at a typical handful, and mixed nut bags often contain one or both.
13. Plain popcorn. Popcorn made from corn, oil and salt has a generous low FODMAP serving. Flavoured popcorn may contain honey, onion or garlic powder, or a sweet coating, so read the list.
14. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Both have a low FODMAP serving and add some crunch to a handful of nuts or a pot of yoghurt.
15. Olives. Green and black olives are low FODMAP options. Stuffed or marinated olives can contain garlic, so check the jar.

From the supermarket shelf

Packaged snacks need the closest look, because the base is often low FODMAP and the flavouring is not. Our snack aisle guide goes through this shelf category by category.

16. Plain salted crisps. Potato, oil and salt are low FODMAP ingredients. The problem is usually the flavour. Onion powder and garlic powder are high FODMAP, and they appear in many flavoured packets, including some you would not expect, such as "sour cream" or "barbecue".
17. Plain corn chips or tortilla chips. Corn chips made from corn, oil and salt can be a low FODMAP option. Seasoned versions often contain onion or garlic. A salsa dip may contain them too.
18. Rice crackers. Plain rice crackers can be a low FODMAP option. Some flavoured ones list garlic, onion or a seasoning blend, so read the full list.
19. Dark chocolate. Dark chocolate has a low FODMAP serving, a few squares rather than half a bar. Milk chocolate contains lactose, so its low FODMAP serving is smaller. "Reduced sugar" and "sugar-free" bars may contain inulin or polyols. Our sweet aisle guide covers this shelf in more detail.
20. Snack bars, chosen with care. This is the hardest group. Many protein and cereal bars use inulin or chicory root for fibre, and polyols such as maltitol or sorbitol for sweetness. Fruit and nut bars often contain dates, honey or apple juice concentrate. A bar built on oats, rice syrup, peanuts and dark chocolate is usually a better starting point.

Reading a snack label

You do not need to memorise every product. A few checks cover most of the snack aisle:

• Seasoning. Look for onion powder, garlic powder, shallot and vegetable powder. These are declared high FODMAP ingredients.
• Added fibre. Inulin, chicory root fibre, FOS and oligofructose can be sources of fructans.
• Sweeteners. Sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol and isomalt are polyols. Stevia and sucralose are not, so "sugar-free" is not a problem in every case.
• Sugars. Honey, agave syrup and some fruit juice concentrates can be sources of excess fructose. Plain sugar, maple syrup and glucose syrup are low FODMAP options.
• Vague words. "Natural flavourings", "spices" and "seasoning" do not tell you what they contain. Treat them as unknown, not as high FODMAP.

Ingredient lists show what is in a product, but not always how much. The serving you eat still matters. Our hidden FODMAPs checklist explains each of these ingredients in more detail.

IBS snacks and the bigger picture

Low FODMAP serving sizes describe FODMAP content, not how your gut will react. Individual tolerance varies, and some people with IBS may react to a snack for reasons other than FODMAPs, such as fat content or the size of the portion.

The elimination phase is also temporary. During reintroduction, you can explore which FODMAPs you tolerate and in what amounts. Many people find that some of the snacks they removed at the start return to their diet. A FODMAP-trained dietitian can help you with this step. For tested serving sizes, use an up-to-date source such as the Monash University FODMAP app.

Let Belly Buddy help with the snack aisle

When you stand in front of a shelf of flavoured crisps and protein bars, you do not have to read every list on your own. Scan the barcode or photograph the ingredient list, and Belly Buddy gives you a FODMAP report for the product.

The report flags declared ingredients that may affect the product's FODMAP profile, such as onion powder, inulin or sorbitol. It cannot see what a manufacturer does not disclose. Our rating method explains how Belly Buddy analyses ingredients and reaches a verdict.

Belly Buddy is not affiliated with or endorsed by Monash University. Our FODMAP information is informed by publicly available scientific sources, including research from Monash University.