Tips: labels and eating out

Reading labels:

• Scan the ingredient list for: onion, garlic (also "powder", "dehydrated", suspicious "natural flavours" in stocks), wheat, rye, honey, high-fructose corn syrup, agave, inulin/chicory root, and polyols E420, E421, E953, E965, E966, E967, E968.
• "Gluten-free" does not mean "low FODMAP" (it may contain honey or apple), and low FODMAP does not require gluten-free.
• Ingredients are listed by weight: garlic at the end of a long list may be tolerable.

Eating out:

• Choose simple dishes: grilled meat or fish with rice, potato or salad; oil and lemon dressing.
• Ask for no onion or garlic, or "sauce on the side". Sides can often be swapped.
• Friendly cuisines: Japanese (sashimi, rice), grills and steakhouses. Beware Italian (garlic everywhere) and Indian (onion-based sauces).
• If you can't control the dish, control the portion: small servings of a doubtful dish are usually better tolerated.
• Carry a snack you have already tested (a firm banana, walnuts, rice cakes) for emergencies.

Above all: one slip ruins nothing. Symptoms pass in hours or a few days; get back on track and keep going.