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Food Chemicals or FODMAPs – What’s Causing Your Symptoms?

Last updated on Jul 31st, 2019 Authored by Joanna Baker (APD)     Reviewed by Geraldine Van Oord (APD)
Woman with gut symptoms - FODMAPs or Food Chemical-2

Some days ‘Anna’s’ gut isn’t just irritable. Some days, it’s furious and vindictive. On these days, multiple bathroom visits mean it takes two hours for her to get ready for work. When she does leave the house, she takes a route that has public toilets along the way. Anna has Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Her IBS means that although her gut is healthy, it doesn’t function properly, which results in unpredictable bloating, pain, and frequent trips to the bathroom. She knows that food has an impact, but trying to work out which foods are the culprit is just confusing.

The low FODMAP diet has been shown to make a consistent and significant improvement in symptoms for 3 out of 4 people who suffer from IBS. But what if you are one of the 1 in 4 for whom it doesn’t work? It may be that you actually have a food chemical intolerance instead.

FODMAP Intolerance vs. Food Chemical Intolerance

FODMAPs and food chemicals can cause identical gut symptoms, but for different reasons. FODMAPs are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and pass through the digestive tract intact. As they pass through, they attract water into the digestive tract causing loose or watery stools before being fermented in the large intestine creating gas (hello bloating). This gas stretches the intestine and irritates nerve endings causing abdominal pain and altered bowel movements.

 

Common symptoms of FODMAP sensitivity include:

  • Bloating
  • Diarrhoea
  • Flatulence
  • Abdominal pain
  • Constipation

Food chemicals, on the other hand, are a little different. When we eat foods that contain these molecules, they are absorbed into our body along with all the usual carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals. How food chemicals cause symptoms is not well understood. It’s thought that in a small amount of people food chemicals may irritate nerve endings and trigger a histamine type response. This reaction is similar to how medications can cause side effects in some people. Because the food chemicals are actually inside the body, they can cause symptoms anywhere.

Common symptoms of food chemical sensitivity include:

  • Skin: Rash, hives, eczema
  • Airway: Sinus, asthma
  • Nervous system: Migraine, headaches, lethargy, moodiness, depression, muscle/joint aches
  • Digestive: Mouth ulcers, nausea, reflux, bloating, wind, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain

What are food chemicals and where you find them?

Food chemicals (salicylates, amines, and glutamates) occur naturally in a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, tea, coffee, cheese, meat, fish, beer and wine, or can be included as a preservative or additive during food processing. Like FODMAPs, although these food chemicals can cause debilitating symptoms in sensitive people, they don’t cause damage to the body.

  • Salicylates – Lots of fruits and vegetables, herbs & spices, tea, honey, peppermint, nuts, wine and beer 
  • Amines – Cheese, chocolate, aged tinned fish, ripe bananas, ripe avocados, ripe tomatoes, wine and beer
  • Glutamates – Soy sauce, soups, snack foods, mushrooms, eggplant, cheese, vegemite & wine
  • Certain additives and preservatives – Fruit, soft drink & cordial, bread, dairy products, processed meats (ham, bacon), and snack foods.

How are food chemical intolerances diagnosed?

Because neither food chemicals nor FODMAPs cause damage or involve an immune response, there is no medical test that can accurately diagnose either sensitivity. You can read more about evidence-based testing techniques for food intolerances in this statement from the Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA).

The only proven way to identify a food sensitivity (be it FODMAP or food chemicals) is with a structured elimination diet and food challenges. Monash University in Melbourne have established a protocol for investigating FODMAP sensitivity and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH) in Sydney have established a protocol for investigating food chemical sensitivity. When these processes are done well, it becomes very clear which molecules you are sensitive too and where your threshold is. This information is then used to determine what foods you need to be careful with so that you can get back to enjoying life.

Do food chemicals and FODMAPs overlap?

There is some overlap with the low FODMAP diet and the RPAH Elimination diet and some people can be sensitive to both. Foodwise, if you go on a low FODMAP diet, you will remove onion, mushrooms, cauliflower and avocado, all of which are also high in food chemicals. In addition to this, you will be making more meals from scratch and including fewer packaged foods with high chemical preservatives and additives. This means that even if you are sensitive to food chemicals, you may get an improvement following a low FODMAP diet.

Symptom wise, differentiating between FODMAP sensitivity and food chemical intolerance can be tricky too. Both FODMAPs and food chemicals can trigger identical gut symptoms, including bloating, pain, wind and altered bowel habits. It’s really the additional symptoms that may come with food chemical sensitivity e.g. skin rash/eczema, sinus problems and migraines that distinguish between the two different types of food intolerances.

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What next?

With any digestive disorder, it’s essential to start by seeing your doctor before removing any foods from your diet. Your doctor will review your symptoms, your medical history, and conduct tests (including a blood test for coeliac disease) to rule out other conditions before considering IBS. Once you have been cleared of other medical conditions, the next step is to see a Registered or Accredited Practising Dietitian with experience in food intolerances and IBS. Both the FODMAP diet and, even more so, the low chemical diet is complicated. Your dietitian can make sure you implement the correct approach for you so that you get the best results.

Author: Joanna Baker (APD)

Joanna is a foodie, an accredited practising dietitian and a registered nurse, who is passionate about digestive health. She now works exclusively in IBS and food intolerance in her Melbourne based private practice Everyday Nutrition. Joanna works alon... Read More

Professional Reviewer: Geraldine Van Oord (APD)

Geraldine Van Oord is an accredited practising dietitian in Australia with a special interest in IBS, gut health and food intolerance. Her daughter had food intolerance as a baby and her husband has IBS. These challenges have inspired her to keep her p... Read More

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If you have been following me for a while then you know I’m obsessed with it. The other day I ran out of dark chocolate which was a scary moment so I came up with an alternative for my chocolate fix.

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So enjoy! Just remember your serving size is 2 tablespoons for this recipe.

Makes ¾ cup (2 tbsp per serve)

Prep time: 2 minutes		Cook time: 5 minutes
*INGREDIENTS*
🍫¼ cup low FODMAP milk
🍫¼ cup boiling water
🍫½ cup soft brown sugar
🍫1/4 cup cocoa powder
🍫2 tbsp maple syrup
🍫½ tsp vanilla essence
🍫2 tbsp cornflour/starch
🍫3 tbsp cold water (for dissolving the cornflour/starch) *METHOD*

1️⃣Place the milk, boiling water, brown sugar, cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla essence in a small saucepan.

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4️⃣ Eat or keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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Comments

  1. Davina Browning says

    August 9, 2019 at 4:14 am

    Hi, i can’t eat oats (even gluten free oats), corn including corn cakes and rice of any kind , even rice cakes and gluten free pasta as that contains rice flour. Gosh i was so bad when i tried gluten free pasta. I haven’t been diagnosed with anything apart from chronic constipation. I paid for a food intolerance test and that came up i was lactose intolerant

    Reply
    • Alana ScottAlana Scott says

      August 11, 2019 at 9:48 pm

      Hi Davina,

      It sounds like you have been through a challenging time! Unfortunately, because food intolerances do not cause damage or involve an immune response, there is no medical test that can accurately diagnose them. The best way to identify the type of food intolerance is through a structured elimination diet under the care of a dietitian. Have you been able to find a dietitian to help you?

      Reply
  2. Brenda Balch says

    August 10, 2019 at 3:25 pm

    Very interesting article. I have often wondered if my IBS was food chemicals, not the actual FODMAP ingredients. My worst symptoms are always after a restaurant meal…..although not every restaurant meal creates misery. Seeing the additional symptoms that might go with food chemical sensitivity is helpful….I have none of those, so I still have to wonder which items cause the symptoms. I would love to see more information on this topic.

    Reply
    • Alana ScottAlana Scott says

      August 11, 2019 at 9:36 pm

      Hi Brenda,

      Thanks for commenting! There are a few things for you to consider:

      1. Has following the low FODMAP diet created a significant and sustained decrease in your gut symptoms? If it has then it’s time to challenge each FODMAP group to see if which FODMAP groups might be triggering your symptoms.
      2. Restaurant meals are often high in FODMAPs due to onion, garlic, honey, and other high FODMAP ingredients used. Additionally, when we eat out we often eat a larger meal so this will also bump up the amount of FODMAPs you consume. Both of these combined can trigger symptoms.
      3. If you think you have a food chemical sensitivity then it’s important that you have a chat with a dietitian who has specialised in helping people with gut issues. As they will be able to consider your medical history, look at your symptom patterns and help you evaluate your diet. If you need help finding a dietitian then just let us know.

      Reply

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