Diet Tips:Dining out Asian style!

By Marina Iacovou (Dietitian and PhD Candidate)

There was lots of interest from our post on Facebook about how to dine out on a low FODMAP diet, in particular with Greek cuisine. 

So that got me thinking about another of my favourite cuisines.... anything Asian!

Similar to many cuisines, the use of garlic and onion in Asian dishes is common, but these can easily be avoided when keeping to the general rule – avoid sauces and heavily flavoured, rich and spicy foods and choose, plain meat, fish, and rice noodle based dishes, with fresh salads and vegetables.

Here are some classic Asian dishes that can be low in FODMAPs and some simple tips on eating out Asian style.

VIETNAMESE:

Rice vermicelli – beef, chicken, prawn or tofu comes with salad vegetables and peanuts on top. Ask for it to be without onion. The condiment to this dish is typically fish sauce (low FODMAP) which is served on the side.   Rice paper rolls – vegetarian or prawn Typically wrapped with lettuce, carrot, mint and rice vermicelli noodles. Just in case ask what vegetables are inside.  Served with a condiment on the side.

THAI:                                                                                

While you may need to stay away from the curry dishes there’s usually lots of stir-fries to choose from – just ask that there is no onion or garlic. Typically served with steamed Jasmine rice (Khao Plao). Duck breast stir-fry with lemongrass, chilli, coriander and sweet basil Vegetarian stir-fry with tofu and ‘selected’ vegetables Prawn and mixed seafood stir-fry - with capsicum, chilli and green beans (Pad Talay) Also many Thai restaurants will ask if you would like your stir-fry mild, moderate or hot! Although chilli is given the green light for FODMAPs, it may still be a problem for some. So if this sounds like you, ask for it to be without chilli or mild if you dare!

JAPANESE:

Grilled tofu, seafood, beef or chicken with steamed rice and seaweed Plain raw tuna or salmon – with condiments on the side Rice noodles – your choice of meat and vegetables

KOREAN:

Australian’s are renowned for loving their barbecues - well so do Koreans! While the already mentioned tips can be applied to Korean dishes as well, my suggestion would be to try a Korean barbecue restaurant that cooks the meals in front of you. It’s a fun and easy way to choose what ingredients go into your dish.

Enjoy!

           

Diet Tips:Label reading – how to spot the FODMAPs

By Caroline Tuck (PhD Candidate & Accredited Practising Dietitian)

Reading food labels can assist you to recognize suitable foods on a low FODMAP diet. The table below describes common, FODMAP containing ingredients and products where these ingredients may be found.

Remember that ingredients on food labels are listed in order of weight. So the first ingredient listed is in the highest quantity and the last ingredient listed is in the lowest quantity. When you are starting to re-introduce higher FODMAP foods, you may choose to try products which have high FODMAP ingredients such as garlic powder listed as minor ingredients. You just then need to monitor your tolerance.

NOTE: Whilst label reading is helpful, high FODMAP ingredients cannot always be identified. Some foods which may appear to be low FODMAP according to ingredients, may in fact be high FODMAP. So even if you find a product that looks like it would be safe, use trial and error to confirm that you are able to tolerate it. 

Common ingredients to avoid	Potential sources
Fructose	Soft drinks Some sweet foods e.g. cakes, confectionary Sports drinks and sports gels
High fructose corn syrup	Soft drinks Muesli bars Breads Jams
Honey	Sweetened products Muesli bars Breakfast cereals Breads
Lactose	Dairy products
Sorbitol	Chewing gums and mints Artificial sweetened products Cough medicines / lozenges
Mannitol	Chewing gums and mints Artificial sweetened products Cough medicines / lozenges
Xylitol	Chewing gums and mints
Isomalt	Chewing gums and mints
Garlic. Or garlic products e.g. garlic salt, garlic powder	Flavoured products e.g. pasta sauces, tomato pastes, stocks, flavoured biscuits/chips Dips
Onion. Or onion products e.g. onion salt, onion powder	Flavoured products e.g. pasta sauces, tomato pastes, stocks, flavoured biscuits/chips Dips
Wheat when it is a main ingredient (i.e. listed first to third on the ingredient list)	Breads Breakfast cereals Biscuits Pasta
Rye when it is a main ingredient (i.e. listed first to third on the ingredient list)	Breads Breakfast cereals Biscuits
Inulin	Yoghurts Biscuits
Fructan	High fibre foods
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)	Protein powders Sports products
Chicory	Coffee substitutes
Fruit juices e.g pear juice, apple juice	Muesli bars Breakfast cereals Yoghurts Ciders
Fruit pieces which make up a significant portion of the food	Fruit yoghurts Muesli bars Breakfast cereals

Please note that this table is not exhaustive and not all products listed will necessarily contain these ingredients. Always check the food label to see what ingredients the product contains.