For International Chocolate Chip Cookies day I wanted to celebrate by creating a healthy, dietary restriction friendly cookie. I love to recreate favourite recipes into healthier versions, and it is even better when I can meet the needs of people who have intolerances or are on special diets. I created this recipe with my team mate in mind who is on a low FODMAP diet, as well as giving the girls a great snack option pre/post our hard AFLW preseason sessions. Based on their feedback I made some adaptations to the recipe and feel have now nailed it!
If you haven’t heard of FODMAPs, they are short chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that are found in a variety of foods. These foods have been linked to exacerbate symptoms of IBS as they are poorly absorbed in the small intestine so move into our large intestine where they ferment from bacteria causing gas, or their high osmotic load draws water into the bowl causing irregular bowel movements. The acronym FODMAP stands for:
- Fermentable: as the molecules are fermented by the bacteria in the large bowel
- Oligosaccharides: a type of sugar with many molecules joined together. This group usually causes a response in most of the population even without noticeable symptoms, with examples including onion, garlic and cabbage (galactic-oligiosaccharides) and wheat, barley and rye (fructans).
- Disaccharides: two sugar molecules joined together. Examples of foods include milk, yoghurt and soft cheeses (lactose).
- Monosaccharides: one sugar molecule. This is usually excess consumption of fructose in foods such as honey, apples, mango and watermelon. AND
- Polyols: sugar alcohols added artificially or found naturally. Natural sources include apples, apricots and mushrooms. Artificial include sorbitol, xylitol and malitol.
People with severe IBS or gut issues may benefit from reducing the FODMAPs in their diet. It’s important to seek advice from your GP and an Accredited Practicing Dietitian if you think you fall into this category as many of these foods have important fibre and vitamins and minerals you can miss out on. As you can tell this can be quite a restrictive diet, so it is great to be able to create some healthy alternatives to tasty treats for people to consume without causing gut issues.
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