Understanding the Monash FODMAP App

Understanding the Monash app can be a make or break factor in your low FODMAP success. It’s no good having the app in your pocket if you don’t know how to use it and make it work for you.

On the face of it, the app is a comprehensive list of foods with their relevant portion sizes and FODMAP types. This makes it your go-to resource when planning meals, writing shopping lists and creating recipes. In reality, it’s so much more than that, and gaining a good understanding of it before you need to put it into practice is really invaluable to the overall success of the diet. 

Jump to:

• Basic features of the app
• Helpful basic settings
• Food guide overview
• Individual food entries
• Diary features
• Tips and quirks
• Comments

Before we start I need to point out that I won't be using any screenshots from directly within the app as the information is subject to copyright. If you're not familiar with the Monash app you can see a brief overview here. This gives you a feel for the style and layout. I also made a quick run through video that you might find helpful to give you a visual understanding of how the app works.

The rest of this post requires you to download your own copy of the app in order to be able to follow along and help you to explore the features you may not be familiar with. Please note I use the Android version of the app. Some features and layouts I describe may differ from the IOS version.

Basic features of the app

The general features of the Monash app include;

• An easy to read guide explaining everything from how the digestive system is affected by FODMAPs to shopping, cooking and eating out on a low FODMAP diet.
• Detailed lists of foods broken down into multiple categories. This includes individual foods as well as FODMAP certified brands and meals. Monash has also added a new foods list so you can more easily find the most recent foods and updates in the app.
• Separate directory for certified low FODMAP brands including contact details and stockists.
• Basic recipe guide with a limited selection of simple, low FODMAP recipes.
• Diary function where you can track your meals, symptoms, stress levels and even bowel habits. This is also where you'll find the reintroduction guide that specifies the foods and quantities for each day of your phase 2 challenges.
• International directory of Monash FODMAP trained dietitians.

Helpful basic settings

Tap the cog in the top right of the home screen to access these helpful settings and set your general preferences.

Units: Set your preference to metric (grams) or imperial (ounces). This alters how the portion sizes are displayed within the main food list, recipes and reintroduction guide.

Colour blind assistance: Replaces the coloured traffic light system in the food guide with a series of icons. This shows at a glance which foods are low, moderate or high FODMAP.

• ✓ Ticks = low FODMAP
• ! Exclamation = moderate FODMAP
• X Cross = high FODMAP

Offline mode: I believe this is a new feature, it's certainly one I never realised existed back in 2017/2018. It's really useful to be able to save your mobile data when out shopping or travelling with limited connectivity.

Once it's activated you save the current version of the app's data for use offline. Just remember to turn this feature back off once you're connected to wifi or you could miss out on important updates.

Food guide overview

Whilst the food guide is where you'll spend most of your time within the app it includes so much more functionality than just a basic list of foods and portions. Let's take a look at some of the lesser-known features.

Filter by country

It's possible to filter the items that display in the food guide by country. This then displays the generic names, common ingredients, brands available and specific foods tested in the selected country. From within the food guide, click on the triple slider icon towards the top right of the screen to access filters.

Pros of filtering by country

• Identify different brands, ingredients and varieties typical to the chosen country.
• Useful when travelling to a different country.
• Displays a flag beside the foods and brands specifically tested in the chosen country.

Cons of filtering by country

• Very basic functionality that offers only general distinctions between countries in search results.
• Not sensitive enough to filter by common name. For example, it will still show a duplicate listing for arugula/rocket or zucchini/courgette rather than just show a single listing for the typical name of the ingredient in the selected country.
• Doesn't filter out the brands not available in your selected country, e.g will still show branded foods you won't be able to find.
• It's possible that you may miss a particular food or ingredient you typically eat because it's not considered common in your chosen country. This happened to me in the early days with sauerkraut.

My thoughts on filtering by country

Whilst it may be useful when travelling, I don't feel that the filter by country option is detailed or accurate enough to be a crucial everyday setting within the app. Leaving filters off displays more entries in the guide. In my opinion, this makes it less likely to miss foods and allows for more variety and the option to experiment with new, unfamiliar ingredients.

Filter by sensitivity

This feature gives you the opportunity to set your sensitivity to each individual FODMAP type. This indicates to the app if you can tolerate a large, moderate or small amount of each particular FODMAP. In turn, this alters the recommended safe serves in the food guide based on your current level of sensitivity.

Pros of filtering by sensitivity

• Setting these filters (after completing each reintroduction challenge) will tailor the traffic light system in the main food guide to display the amount suitable for your specific tolerances.
• Allows for easier, at a glance browsing based on the traffic light system.

Cons of filtering by sensitivity

• Until you complete each FODMAP reintroduction the majority of people won't accurately know which FODMAPs they tolerate and in what amounts.
• Having the option to restrict FODMAPs before completing the challenges, either through expectation or fear of a particular FODMAP, could cause unnecessary restriction.
• Sensitivities change over time. You may forget that you have these filters set or forget to update them as your tolerances change. This could lead to unnecessarily limiting foods and portions.
• Setting filters will alter the basic traffic light data within the app. Accidentally setting or forgetting that filters are set could lead to confusion and discrepancies between safe servings. Recently, a well-known gut health nutritionist declared on Instagram that a high FODMAP food had a generous safe serving. When I questioned it in a DM they realised that they have filtered their app for their personal tolerance. This means they were recommending a much higher safe serving than is suggested for most people during the elimination phase. Oooops!

My thoughts on filtering by sensitivity

To see the recommended safe servings suitable for the majority of people during the elimination phase of the diet, leave this option turned off. Leaving this filter off will always show you the most cautious recommendations. These default values are less likely to lead to FODMAP stacking. They are beginner-friendly for learning the basic portion sizes. They also represent the portions you're most likely to revert to in times of flare-ups.

If you wish to explore this feature I recommend you wait until your reintroduction challenges have been completed. This way you have a more accurate understanding of your tolerance of individual FODMAPs.

It's important to remember to reset these filters over time, especially if you rechallenge FODMAPs during the personalised phase of the diet.

Categories

The basic categories featured in the food guide include:

• low FODMAP certified foods
• low FODMAP certified meals
• breads, cereals, rice, pasta
• vegetables
• fruit
• dairy, soy & lactose-free
• pulses, tofu, nuts
• beverages
• meat, fish, eggs
• fats & oils
• condiments
• snacks, bars & cookies
• confectionary & sugars
• dietary supplements
• new and updated foods

Clicking into each category will bring up a detailed list of foods in that category, shown in alphabetical order.

There is some crossover between categories, for example, FODMAP certified products will also show up within the generic categories such as bread, condiments, snacks etc.

Traffic light system

The basic traffic light system within the app represents the following;

• green = low FODMAP
• amber = moderate FODMAP
• red = high FODMAP

To the right of each listing, you will see a large round circle displaying one of the traffic light colours. This is the overall FODMAP rating for that food at a full portion size. Beneath each listing, you may see additional traffic light ratings and alternative portion sizes. I'll explain these in more detail in the individual food entries section below.

New foods

The app updates periodically as new foods and certified brands are added. Get into the habit of re-checking the app on a semi-regular basis or follow the Monash FODMAP blog and Instagram page for the latest information.

Updated foods

Given the most recent updates to the app, that caused a fair bit of shock and controversy in the low FODMAP community, this is definitely a section to keep your eye on.

As Monash routinely retest foods already listed in the app this is where the updated findings will appear. Whilst you're likely to hear about it first on social media if you've not used the app for a while or you're having a FODMAP do-over then you'll need to get familiar with any recent changes.

It's surprising how much things change on the low FODMAP diet. Since I started using the app in 2017 I've seen multiple changes to not only serving sizes but also the FODMAP classification of foods. Things that could once be eaten freely have jumped to high FODMAP. Other foods high in one type of FODMAP are now high in another.

My issue with this section is that it only lists the new values. Historical changes made to safe servings or FODMAP types of retested food are not shown. Whilst I appreciate this is to keep things simple for new users I think it could be helpful to clear up confusion when those new to the diet come across older safe food lists or recipes written prior to the changes.

Individual food entries

Whilst the category lists are a great way to get an overview of foods at a glance, the individual listings are where the real value of the Monash app hides. Clicking on any food in the list opens up the detailed entry for that particular food.

Traffic light display

In addition to the main traffic light, displayed on the category listing, each individual entry has a detailed traffic light rating. This gives us much more useful information than we initially see on the main screen.

Below every food, you can see in detail exactly which FODMAPs a food contains and in what quantities. The traffic light system is broken down into sections for low, moderate and high FODMAP servings. Each FODMAP type will have its own traffic light to show you the levels within the food you're currently viewing.

The written description below each listing shows which foods can be eaten freely and which foods or portions to limit or avoid.

The detailed listing is also where you'll discover which high FODMAP foods have low FODMAP serving sizes. I highly recommend spending some time exploring common foods in detail. This is the easiest way to see the variety of foods you can safely eat during the diet.

Nutritional info

Within the individual entries, each serving of food (low-high FODMAP servings) has basic nutritional data in an expanded menu. This includes energy in kilojoules, macros, sugar and fibre. On Android, this is to the far left of the listing and is hidden behind an icon that looks like the outline of a strawberry with the letter "i" inside.

For anyone that may find these values triggering, you'll be pleased to hear this information doesn't show by default. You have to specifically click into a separate, expanded menu in order to view this info.

I think this is a particularly helpful feature to track how much fibre you're eating on a daily basis. Maintaining adequate fibre intake on the low FODMAP diet is quite a controversial subject and one that remains of utmost concern to researchers and health professionals.

Favourites

The star icon with a + sign inside it, located to the top right of every listing allows you to add individual foods to your favourites list. You can use this in any way you like.

In my elimination phase, I found it handy to add all the FODMAP free foods I enjoyed to my favourites. I found this helped me to plan my meals and recipes around the foods that can be eaten freely.

Detailed notes

You can create personalised notes for each individual food. I think this is a particularly helpful feature to use during your reintroduction phase challenges. You could also use this area to write up recipes or ideas for using a particular food during each phase of the diet. These notes display above the individual listing and are also accessible from every page within the food guide.

Shopping list

There is the option to add items to a shopping list. You can do this from the individual listing for each food. Simply click on the shopping cart icon towards the top right of the listing.

The shopping list is then accessed from the homepage. From here you can free type foods that may not be available in the app. This means you only need to create one list for all your shopping which is a handy feature. The list is displayed with checkboxes down the side so you can tick each one off as you shop.

Diary features

In my opinion, the integrated diary feature is what makes the Monash app worth every penny. This is a fantastic all in one resource for keeping track of your progress through the diet. Being able to keep detailed notes of your experience throughout every phase of the diet is an incredible accountability tool. It's also an invaluable resource for sharing your progress and struggles with your dietitian and healthcare team.

The main diary section is accessed from the home screen. When you first open the diary the page appears blank until you fill out the diary sections. Across the top is a sliding calendar bar that makes all the previous and upcoming dates available within a scroll. To add sections to the diary you need to click on the + sign in the top right of the page. It's hard to miss and not immediately obvious. This then opens a pop up that contains 6 icons that symbolise each section of the diary. Whilst the layout and icons are not the most intuitive to pick out, once you've identified which symbol opens which section they are quick and easy to complete.

Food diary

The food diary section is accessed via the knife and fork icon. It's designed to be filled out meal by meal. It's simply a basic note feature that records in the daily diary either at the time you enter the note or at a specific time that you set.

As food diaries go, I think this is the least triggering format possible. There are no assumptions such as the number of meals per day, inclusion of snacks or timings. You can write as much or as little detail as you like.

Whilst keeping a food diary of any kind is not right for everyone I think this one strikes the right balance for the majority of people.

Symptom tracker

The end of day symptom tracker is accessed via the wiggly colon icon. It's made up of 5 simple sliders which make it quick and easy to complete. It captures the most basic information about your symptoms without the need to type everything out or go into detail.

The symptoms sliders range from none at all to the worst it has been. They include details about;

• overall symptom control
• abdominal symptoms overall
• pain/discomfort
• bloating
• wind

Reintroduction guide

The reintroduction guide was a popular addition to the last major update of the app. It's accessed via the apple inside a curved arrow icon. From here you select which FODMAP type you're intending to reintroduce. The guide then offers a small list of the food suitable for each FODMAP challenge. Once you've selected the food you wish to use the portions are displayed for all 3 days of the challenge.

When working through each introduction you can save each challenge within the daily diary. This makes it so easy to follow which day you're on and ensure you're leaving enough washout days in between. If you should encounter a setback it's also a good way to see how long you've left since your last challenge, which can be great motivation to spur you forward.

This is all essential information to keep recorded and organised for your dietitian to assess and provide feedback.

Personal note

This area needs no explanation but I wanted to mention it as it's part of the icons in this section. It's accessed via the sheet of paper symbol. This is the area where you can freely record extra details not already covered by the rest of the section.

Stress tracker

The stress tracker is accessed via the brain icon. As with the symptoms tracker, this is a simple, single slider to indicate your current stress levels on a scale of low to high.

Tracking your stress can offer so many insights into your triggers. It's also a good metric to take note of at times when you feel as though you react to a specific trigger in one instance, but not the next.

Bowel movement tracker

The bowel movement tracker is accessed through the toilet icon. It's based on the Bristol Stool Chart which is the industry standard for identifying the different types of bowel movements.

I love a good poop tracker! In my opinion, it allows for an impartial way to record exactly what's going on, in a way that's not influenced by your current state of health or mind. I know that for me, on days I'm not feeling my best, I can feel as though I've been on the toilet all day. Tracking the reality, with timings, usually helps me to see that my bowels are better than my mood currently allows me to appreciate.

All of these trackers automatically populate in the diary on the date and current time that you make the entry. You can manually override them if you need to. This allows you to complete the diary at a time that's convenient for you. However, I always think that your immediate response, in the moment, is the most reliable and accurate.

Generate report

If you click the share icon at the top of the diary page you have the option to download all of your diary data in PDF format. You can select your desired date range so in theory, you could split the data into weekly sections or filter based on phases of the diet.

Tips and quirks

As someone that's experienced the low FODMAP diet both with and without access to the Monash app, I will happily sing its praises all day long. That being said it's really just a basic tool that helps to make life a bit easier as you work through the diet, day to day.

The Monash app is not designed to be used as a stand-alone treatment plan in the absence of a dietitian. It has its fair share of glitches and quirks and there are often no obvious patterns or reasons for these inconsistencies. There is a learning curve to understanding and navigating the app and it can seem a little frustrating in the beginning.

Here are a couple of things to look out for in the app and pointers for things I wish I'd known when I got started.

Main category versus individual listings

• Most foods are listed in their dried or raw weight. (This catches a lot of people out).
• Some foods are specified in the category display as cooked/uncooked whilst for others, you need to click through to the individual listing to see if you should measure your serving cooked or uncooked.
• Many high FODMAP (red traffic light foods) have low FODMAP (green traffic light) servings. This is not always obvious from the main category listing.
• In the early stages of using the app, it's best to click through from the main category listing to the individual listing. This is to ensure you see the complete information for each specific food. There is often hidden information that you'll miss if you rely on the main category listing alone.

Consistency

• The app doesn't consistently display all the information for each food listing in the same way. Some entries use the traffic light system whilst others have the maximum portion buried in the written details beneath the individual listing.
• Some low FODMAP foods have no upper limits specified but are not listed as "eat freely". This suggests that they do have a limit but we are not told how much that is. In these cases, I assume it's much more than I'm likely to eat and don't sweat it.
• The order of traffic lights changes depending on the FODMAP value of the food you're looking at. Whilst most people assume that the individual entries would run from the low FODMAP portion to high this only applies to food considered low FODMAP. If a food is High FODMAP then the red traffic light rating is listed first, to establish that it's a high FODMAP food. Whilst this makes sense once you understand the format it can be confusing at first glance.

Glitches and missing features

• The recipe section is woefully inadequate, particularly for vegetarian and vegan recipes. If you're hoping to be able to come up with enough meals to see you through 6 weeks of elimination then you'll struggle. Thankfully, the app is best used when cross-referenced against the many low FODMAP recipes and cookbooks available online.
• No functionality to add ingredients directly to a shopping list from within a recipe.
• Monash has made it clear that they do not agree with the concept of a barcode scanner within a FODMAP app. I fully understand this point of view. After using a barcode scanning app on another FODMAP app I honestly think they are not worth the bother. However, the lack of a barcode scanner comes up time and again in reviews. Doing without it seems to be a major sticking point for some people.
• The search function can be a bit hit and miss. In the past it was quite glitchy, often causing the app to freeze. This is now much improved but still sticks if you allow the app to time out whilst in search.
• During the time I've been using the app, several foods have changed the FODMAP category they belong to or had their safe servings significantly changed. These don't appear in the new foods section. There's also no reference to this change within the individual listing in the app. E.g The safe serving of a Schar pizza base dropped from 1 whole base to 1 slice!

https://youtu.be/XrA7Rim1cpc

Are you ready to get started on the low FODMAP diet? Check out the other posts in this series.

Do you have any more questions about the Monash FODMAP app? Please let us know what quirks you wish you'd known about the Monash app in the comments below.