Guides
Plain-language answers to the gluten-free and FODMAP questions people actually ask — which ingredients hide gluten or trigger IBS, which products are safe, and what NZ labelling rules really mean. Every guide is backed by the products and evidence in our database.
Gluten free
Is maltodextrin gluten free?
Maltodextrin is usually gluten free, even when made from wheat — but there is one label detail you must check. What the NZ rules say, plus real products from our database.
Read guide →Is cocoa powder gluten free?
Pure cocoa powder is naturally gluten free — the risk is in drinking chocolate blends and cross-contamination. How to tell the difference, with examples from NZ shelves.
Read guide →Is soy sauce gluten free?
Most soy sauce is brewed with wheat and is not gluten free. The difference between soy sauce and tamari, what the label must declare, and gluten-free options available in NZ.
Read guide →Gluten free bread in NZ
Every gluten-free bread in our NZ database compared — plus the ingredients that catch people out, and what "gluten free" legally means on a bread bag here.
Read guide →Gluten free pasta in NZ
Gluten-free pasta and noodles available in New Zealand, compared in one table — plus the sauces and instant noodles where wheat hides.
Read guide →Are oats gluten free in NZ?
In New Zealand and Australia, oats can never legally be labelled "gluten free" — even imported brands that say so. The FSANZ rule, the avenin problem, and what coeliacs should know.
Read guide →Is xanthan gum gluten free?
Xanthan gum is virtually always gluten free — even when the bacterial fermentation that makes it uses a wheat-based growth medium, the finished ingredient is purified away from any protein.
Read guide →Is vinegar gluten free?
Most vinegar — white, wine, apple cider, rice, balsamic — is naturally gluten free. Malt vinegar, brewed from barley, is the exception to check for.
Read guide →FODMAP & IBS
What is FODMAP?
FODMAP explained without the jargon — what the acronym means, why these carbohydrates trigger IBS symptoms, and how the low FODMAP diet actually works as an elimination-and-reintroduction process.
Read guide →Low FODMAP food list
A starting-point low FODMAP food list organised by food group, why "internet FODMAP lists" (including this one) are never a substitute for Monash's lab-tested app, and how to use our product filters alongside it.
Read guide →The FODMAP diet for IBS
How the low FODMAP diet is actually used to manage IBS: the three phases, why it is meant to be temporary, and where SIBO fits in — plus the NZ resources dietitians point patients to.
Read guide →Are eggs low FODMAP?
Eggs are low FODMAP in any quantity or cooking style — they contain no carbohydrate at all. Why that makes them one of the safest anchor foods on a low FODMAP diet.
Read guide →Is cauliflower low FODMAP?
Cauliflower is high FODMAP even in small amounts, thanks to mannitol — one of the classic "healthy but not low FODMAP" traps. What to swap it for and why size of serving doesn't save it.
Read guide →Are oats low FODMAP?
Oats are low FODMAP at a typical breakfast serve, and only become moderate/high FODMAP at large serves — a completely separate question from whether oats can be labelled gluten free in NZ.
Read guide →Is hummus low FODMAP?
Plain hummus in a small serve can be low FODMAP, but most commercial hummus contains garlic and onion — two of the most concentrated fructan sources — which is usually what pushes it into high FODMAP territory.
Read guide →Is quinoa low FODMAP?
Quinoa is low FODMAP at typical serving sizes and naturally gluten free, making it one of the most reliable swaps for couscous, pasta, and rice on a restricted diet.
Read guide →Is sourdough bread low FODMAP?
Genuine long-fermented sourdough can be low FODMAP even though it's made from wheat, because fermentation breaks down much of the fructan — but most supermarket "sourdough" is a shortcut that skips this step.
Read guide →Is lettuce low FODMAP?
Lettuce is low FODMAP across every common variety — iceberg, cos, butter — at typical serving sizes, making it one of the easiest salad bases on a low FODMAP diet.
Read guide →Is spinach low FODMAP?
Baby spinach is low FODMAP at typical serving sizes — the fructan content only becomes a concern in large, concentrated serves like a wilted-down side dish.
Read guide →Is cucumber low FODMAP?
Cucumber is low FODMAP at any reasonable serving size — its very low carbohydrate content means it rarely causes problems on a low FODMAP diet.
Read guide →Are carrots low FODMAP?
Carrots are low FODMAP at typical serving sizes, raw or cooked, making them one of the most dependable vegetables on a low FODMAP diet.
Read guide →Are potatoes low FODMAP?
White potato is low FODMAP at any reasonable serving size — but sweet potato is a different plant entirely, and becomes moderate-to-high FODMAP in a normal serve.
Read guide →Are oranges low FODMAP?
A whole orange is low FODMAP at a typical serving size — the caution applies to large quantities of juice, not the fruit itself.
Read guide →Is avocado low FODMAP?
A typical serve of avocado is high FODMAP due to sorbitol — only a small amount (around an eighth) stays low FODMAP, which surprises a lot of people who assume "healthy" means "safe."
Read guide →Nutrition
Are gluten-free foods less healthy?
Gluten-free reformulation often pushes fat, sugar or salt up to make up for the texture gluten used to provide. Real GF products from our database with a red-light nutrient, and the naturally gluten-free foods that never had this problem.
Read guide →Are dairy-free foods less healthy?
Removing dairy fat from a product often means adding sugar, salt or a different fat to keep the taste and texture working. Real dairy-free products from our database with a red-light nutrient, and where the "healthy" assumption doesn't hold up.
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