There have been some recent FODMAP content updates to the range of alternative milks available to purchase including soya, coconut, almond, hemp, oat and rice milks. Just before I left the King’s College London FODMAP research team we sent a batch of UK alternative milks to Monash University to test for FODMAP content, the results of which have been updated on their low FODMAP app. This update has left many people asking about soya milk and its suitability on the low FODMAP diet.

Isn’t soya milk low FODMAP?

In the UK previously soya milk was allowed on the low FODMAP diet but the recent analyses by Monash shows soya milk made from soya beans does contain FODMAPs in the form of galacto-oligosaccharides ( GOS). At the moment all soya milks available in the UK are made from soya beans rather than soya protien which is low in FODMAPs and suitable on the low FODMAP restriction diet.  In regards to soya milk made from soya beans; in the UK the King’s FODMAP team recommend that a maximum portion size of 60ml will be classed as low in FODMAPs.

Soybean Composition

It is worth saying that people have been doing the low FODMAP diet in the UK for a few years now and have consumed soya milks (made from soya beans) as part of the low FODMAP restriction diet. The majority have still obtained a reduction in their IBS symptoms. However there were always a minority of people that felt soya milk was a problem and now this recent analysis shows this was probably due to the GOS content.

Regarding other soya bean based products such as soya yoghurt or ice cream, they have not been analysed by Monash. Probably like the soya milk it may be that a smaller portion size is needed and that a minority of people will find it triggers symptoms. Unfortunately a clear answer can not be given at this point but again people have consumed these foods in the past and still seen a reduction in their symptoms.

So what if I want to consume soya products as I don’t like the other alternative milk products?

The choice is yours but I would suggest that if consuming these products will make the low FODMAP diet more acceptable then this is what you should do. Remember the diet is not a ‘FODMAP free’ diet but aims to restrict your overall load of FODMAPs which hopefully will reduce your symptoms – so just be strict with everything else.

Two Key points:

1. Alternative milks made from soya beans are high FODMAP

(stick to less than 60mls for a low FODMAP portion size)

2. Alternative milks made from soya protein are low FODMAP

(but very hard to find in the UK)

We are currently travelling around the world and plan to bring you‘Around The World In 80 Low FODMAP Dishes’ – a collection of the best low FODMAP foods and recipes as we travel the globe. See more on our low FODMAP diet travel section.

Good news! Very soon the first ever book dedicated to reintroducing FODMAPs will be available to purchase on Amazon Kindle. The book will be titled ‘Re-challenging and Reintroducing FODMAPs – A self-help guide to the entire reintroduction phase of the low FODMAP diet’. Click on the logo for more details.

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Low FODMAP recipes here.

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LeeMartinRD

Lee is a UK Registered Dietitian who worked as a researcher at King’s College London University researching the low FODMAP diet for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Previously Lee worked for the NHS with many years’ experience of treating IBS. Lee has run a popular blog www.rmdietetic.com on the low FODMAP diet since 2013 where you can learn all about his experiences of following the low FODMAP diet, find information on the research behind the diet, the practicalities of implementing the diet along with low FODMAP meal and baking recipes. This year Lee has published the first ever book dedicated to the reintroduction phase of the low FODMAP diet. More information on the book entitled ‘Re-challenging and Reintroducing FODMAPS: A self-help guide to the entire reintroduction phase of the low FODMAP diet’ can be found on the website www.reintroducingfodmaps.com

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