Almost every Filipino dish starts with gisa: garlic (bawang) and onion (sibuyas) gently sautéed in the pan. Delicious, but those two are exactly the ones rich in fructans, one of the FODMAP groups that causes symptoms for many people with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). The good news: with a few smart swaps, adobo is still adobo. Masarap pa rin, still delicious!

Please note: this article is general information, not personal medical advice. If you have gut symptoms, talk to your GP or a FODMAP-trained dietitian.

The tricky ingredients and their swaps

Bawang (garlic) — Swap

Rich in fructans. Fructans dissolve in water, not in oil, so garlic-infused oil gives flavour without the FODMAPs. Choose a certified brand, or an oil without "garlic flavoring" or "garlic essence" on the label. Pickled garlic may fit in a small serve; check the Monash app for the current serving size.

Sibuyas and shallot (onion) — Swap

Use spring onion greens, leek greens or chives. The white part of leek and spring onion is high FODMAP. Monash names garlic-infused oil, ginger, leek greens and spring onion greens as versatile flavour builders.

Toyo (soy sauce) — Low FODMAP

Soy sauce fits a low-FODMAP diet if you keep the serve limited; check the Monash app for the current serving size (see also Good Noms, Honey!). Check the label for added garlic or onion. Coconut aminos is not a safe substitute: according to FODMAP Everyday only a very small serve is low FODMAP.

Bagoong alamang (shrimp paste) — Low FODMAP

Shrimp paste can be low FODMAP in a small serve; check the Monash app (see also George Eats). Note: ready-made bagoong guisado is often fried with garlic and onion, so always read the label.

Patis (fish sauce) — Uncertain

Often cited as low FODMAP in small amounts, with mannitol and GOS in larger amounts. We have not been able to check this directly with Monash, so check the app.

Gata (coconut milk) — Portion matters

How much coconut milk is low FODMAP varies a lot by type: regular canned, light, UHT, canned with inulin and coconut cream all score differently. Regular coconut milk contains sorbitol in larger serves. So use a small amount.

Further reading: FODMAP Everyday on coconut milk (see sources). Serving sizes differ between sources, so check the Monash app for your product.

Sampalok (tamarind) for sinigang — Uncertain

Reportedly low FODMAP in a small serve, with fructans in larger amounts. This comes from secondary sources and we have not been able to confirm it with Monash itself.

Sinigang mixes and stock cubes — Avoid

These often contain onion or garlic powder, and those powders are high FODMAP. Cook with real tamarind or calamansi and a low-FODMAP stock instead.

Wheat lumpia wrappers and pancit canton or miki — Swap

Wheat contains fructans. Choose rice paper or rice noodles (bihon). Monash does use small portions of wheat wrappers in its own wonton recipe, so portion size matters a lot.

Ingat sa bawang, watch out for garlic! Vegetables such as chayote, kangkong, gabi, langka, okra and eggplant depend heavily on portion size. We have not yet collected verified Monash figures for these, so check the Monash app before using large amounts. Monggo (mung beans) is rich in GOS.

Filipino recipes that already exist in low-FODMAP form

We found published low-FODMAP versions of adobo, arroz caldo and maja blanca. For sinigang, tinola, pancit, kare-kare, lugaw and ginataan we have not yet found a reliable low-FODMAP recipe, so we will develop those ourselves. Tara na!

Sources