In April, Monash released a blog post addressing the changes to their recommendations for foods appropriate to use for the Challenge phase of the Low FODMAP circle of life. The TL;DR is that after retesting some foods, there were notable changes in the kind and/or amount of FODMAPs present that affect whether the foods were suitable for challenging. For those new to the Low FODMAP diet concept, please see this previous blog post from 2023. The concepts still apply.

Since retesting, it’s been found that previously appropriate foods are now not appropriate for different reasons. Crops change to adapt to climate change and other environmental factors. Their FODMAP content is no exception.

If you are in the middle of the Challenge phase, please note the changes and plan accordingly. Some categories may require a do-over if the previous challenge suggestions were used. Even if you have completed the challenge phase, the work is not over. It’s recommended to retry challenges every 6 months or so to test whether any tolerances have shifted. Ideally eating a varied, balanced intake is the goal. Restricting over long periods is in direct opposition to this.

To view the changes, go to the Diary section in the Monash app, click the + in the upper right corner, then select the icon resembling a circled apple. From there, you can choose which food to challenge and toggle through the recommended serving for the corresponding day of the challenge. It’s always good to have dietitian supervision when using the Low FODMAP diet to identify food triggers. If I can help, please reach out!