Monash University FODMAP Diet App help

• A 'Food Guide' containing the largest database of FODMAP tested foods in the world, with regular free updates as new foods are tested. 
• Uses a simple traffic light system to classify foods low FODMAP (green), moderate FODMAP (amber) or high FODMAP (red). 
• A 'Recipe' book with over 80 recipes and meal ideas. 
• A 'Booklet' containing important information about IBS, FODMAPs and practical tips to help you follow a 3-step FODMAP diet. 
• A 'Diary' to help you record your food intake, IBS symptoms and reintroduce foods as part of your 3-step FODMAP diet. 
  

• A designated ‘New Foods’ category, so you are always kept up to date when newly tested foods are added to the app. 
  
• A quick reference guide in every food category. Traffic light ratings are now displayed for every food at each different serving size in the main category screen. 
  
• Separate traffic lights for oligos (fructans and GOS) and polyols (sorbitol and mannitol). 
  
• Nutrition information provided for every food. 
  
• An improved filter function, allowing you to change how the traffic light ratings are displayed in the 'Food Guide' according to your personal FODMAP sensitivities.
  

Yes, the app is currently being used in over 100 different countries worldwide. The FODMAP information in the 'Food Guide' section of the app (with the exception of Monash University Low FODMAP Certified™ products) can be applied internationally. We’ve also tested a large range of foods specific to individual countries – in the app, these food are labelled with that country’s flag. You can also use the settings to choose whether you’d like information displayed in metric (grams) or imperial (ounces) measurements.

We’re constantly working with dietitians and food companies around the world to expand the range of international foods in the app. We independently test these products in our laboratory, and add their FODMAP information to the app. These updates are free of charge. You can see which country tested foods are from by looking out for the flag in the product information on the app.

As the app is being used in over 100 countries around the world, we are unable to name specific brands unless they are part of the Monash University Low FODMAP Certified™ program. Instead, we aim to include detailed descriptions of food ingredients where possible – giving you greater confidence to choose suitable products when shopping.

The newest version of the app requires iOS 11 or later and is compatible with iPhone 5s or later, iPad Air wifi or later and iPod Touch third generation or later.  

The app is compatible with Apple Family Sharing and Google Play Family Library, meaning that you can share your app purchase with other devices you/your family own of the same type (i.e. iOS or Android). Please note: the iOS and Android versions of the app are unique and purchases cannot be transferred/shared between an iOS and Android device or vice versa. The Monash FODMAP team have no control over Apple Family Sharing/Google Play Family Library sharing functions and this service must be set up by the individual app user.

Yes, the newest version of the app is compatible with iPod Touch (third generation or higher) installed with iOS 11 or later.

Yes, in the newest version of the iOS app, traffic light colours will change when the filters are activated and specify your tolerance for each FODMAP type. Please refer to the ‘using the filters’ tutorial in the app for more information about how to use the filters.

Yes, this is a feature in the newest (iOS) version of the app. In older versions, you can get information about which oligos and polyols are present in a food by clicking into individual foods and reading their description.

Recipes and shopping lists can be printed by clicking the ‘export’ icon and emailing the recipe to yourself and printing from there.

Yes, you are able to make your own notes about foods listed in the ‘Food Guide’ section of the app – this is helpful if you have other non-FODMAP related food reactions that you want to note. To do this, simply select any food and use the ‘notebook’ icon to record a note. You can also add notes in the ‘Diary’ section of the app.

Our new ‘Diary’ available on iOS allows you to record your food intake, IBS symptoms, bowel habits and stress levels. The data you record can then be exported to show your health care professional. The 'Diary' is also particularly useful in Step 2 of the diet (reintroduction) as it provides suggestions about the type and quantity of food to reintroduce and allows you to monitor your symptoms. The data is time stamped, saved indefinitely and you can export the data in a time frame of your choice.  

You can change your filter settings by clicking the filter icon in the top right hand side of the screen in  the ‘Food Guide’ section of the app.

It’s important to check the detailed serving size information and FODMAP breakdown, rather than relying on the food’s overall traffic light rating alone. For some foods, serving size can make a significant difference to the FODMAP rating.  

We do not measure the gluten content of foods. The app is not a suitable tool for people with coeliac disease to manage gluten avoidance.  

Each food in the app contains nutrition information which includes fibre. You can get more information about how much fibre you require and the different fibre types from your dietitian.  

Many factors were carefully considered before deciding on the final price of the app. Analysing foods for total FODMAP content is expensive. The full FODMAP analysis of a food is labour-intensive and takes about 2-4 weeks. Proceeds from the sale of the app contributes to expanding our list of foods and further research in the area of FODMAPs. Our app is also a one-off purchase and provides you with regular, free updates when newly tested foods are added. 

The app needs internet access to see all the data. However, if you are going to be without access, e.g. on an aeroplane, switch ‘offline mode’ on in settings, then open the 'Food Guide' and scroll down to the bottom of each category to load all foods - the information will then stay in the app for 60 days.

The app has an automatic update feature, and will automatically download any new data as long as ‘offline mode’ has not been selected.

If you cannot see all of the images in the app, your internet connection may not be strong enough. If you do have a poor internet connection, you can ensure that images load faster by decreasing the quality of the images displayed in the app - to do this, select the ‘settings’ icon in the top right corner of the app home screen and set the image quality slider to 'low'. 

The app may be running slower than usual if you have a lot of apps open in the background, if you have a poor internet connection, or if your phone has very low memory and performance capabilities.  

Food scanning operates on the basis of the food ingredients listed on the package. This approach, however, is not accurate for FODMAPs. FODMAP levels can vary greatly depending on how a food is processed, meaning it is not possible to accurately determine the FODMAP content based on a list of ingredients. Foods must be laboratory tested for total FODMAP content. This is why we developed the Monash University Low FODMAP food certification program. This program makes it easier for consumers with IBS to identify low FODMAP food products in the supermarket.