Monash University FODMAP Diet App help

• A 'Food Guide' containing the largest database of FODMAP tested foods in the world, with regular free updates as new foods are tested. 
• Uses a simple traffic light system to classify foods low FODMAP (green), moderate FODMAP (amber) or high FODMAP (red). 
• A 'Recipe' book with over 80 recipes and meal ideas. 
• A 'Booklet' containing important information about IBS, FODMAPs and practical tips to help you follow a 3-step FODMAP diet. 
• A 'Diary' to help you record your food intake, IBS symptoms and reintroduce foods as part of your 3-step FODMAP diet. 

Yes, the app is currently being used in over 100 different countries worldwide. The FODMAP information in the 'Food Guide' section of the app (with the exception of Monash University Low FODMAP Certified™ products) can be applied internationally. We’ve also tested a large range of foods specific to individual countries – in the app, these food are labelled with that country’s flag. You can also use the settings to choose whether you’d like information displayed in metric (grams) or imperial (ounces) measurements.

We’re constantly working with dietitians and food companies around the world to expand the range of international foods in the app. We independently test these products in our laboratory, and add their FODMAP information to the app. These updates are free of charge. You can see which country tested foods are from by looking out for the flag in the product information on the app.

As the app is being used in over 100 countries around the world, we are unable to name specific brands unless they are part of the Monash University Low FODMAP Certified™ program. Instead, we aim to include detailed descriptions of food ingredients where possible – giving you greater confidence to choose suitable products when shopping.

The newest version of the app requires iOS 13 or later.

The newest version of the app requires Android version 9 or later.

The app is compatible with Apple Family Sharing and Google Play Family Library, meaning that you can share your app purchase with other devices you/your family own of the same type (i.e. iOS or Android). Please note: the iOS and Android versions of the app are unique and purchases cannot be transferred/shared between an iOS and Android device or vice versa. The Monash FODMAP team have no control over Apple Family Sharing/Google Play Family Library sharing functions and this service must be set up by the individual app user.

Unfortunately, due to the different operating systems and the way the app is created individually for different software, it isn't possible to transfer the app between an iPhone and an Android phone as one runs through Google Play and the other uses iTunes. These apps have different criteria they need to fulfil to meet the requirements of each app store as well as being programmed differently for the corresponding operating system. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

Yes, the newest version of the app is compatible with iPod Touch installed with iOS 13 or later.

Yes, in the newest version of the iOS app, traffic light colours will change when the filters are activated and specify your tolerance for each FODMAP type. Please refer to the ‘using the filters’ tutorial in the app for more information about how to use the filters.

The serving sizes listed in the app are per meal, not per day. There is no definite rule in regards to how long you should wait in between (as everyone's gut works at slightly different speeds), but we generally say that 2-3 hours should be sufficient. 

The serving sizes are the raw weights, unless otherwise specified. For example, when you click into pasta or rice it will say 1 cup, cooked. 

The order in which the weight measurements are displayed is related to whether or not the food is high or low in FODMAPs in a 'typical' serving size. Foods that are high (red) in a 'typical' amount will list the red serving size first, whereas foods that are low (green) in a 'typical' amount will list the low serving size first. This reflects the fact that some foods are usually low in FODMAPs but become high in larger amounts and that some foods are usually high in FODMAPs but become low when eaten in smaller amounts. Read more about our traffic light system in this blog.

Our app does not involve any sort of subscription model, it is a one time payment only when you first download the app. Therefore, if you no longer wish to use the app anymore you can simply delete it from your phone with no ongoing charges. 

Sorry to hear you have not found the app worthwhile. 

If you have an iPhone you will have to request a refund through apple.

Otherwise, if you are using android we can issue a refund for you, we will just need your order/transaction ID found on your receipt. Please email this to enquiry@monashfodmap.com

There is a search function, sorry if it's not an obvious motion to find it.

For iOS - instead of scrolling down in the guide just scroll up and the search function will appear or pull down with your fingers.

For Andoird - please use the magnifying glass symbol in the top bar of the food guide.

You can change your app language through your phone settings. Here is a blog explaining how to change the app language. 

Do you have your email set up in the 'mail' app on your phone? In order to export you need emails set up on your phones default mail app as our app uses this to then email the diary to yourself.

Recipes and shopping lists can be printed by clicking the ‘export’ icon and emailing the recipe to yourself and printing from there. This function is currently only available on iOS devices.

Yes, you are able to make your own notes about foods listed in the ‘Food Guide’ section of the app – this is helpful if you have other non-FODMAP related food reactions that you want to note. To do this, simply select any food and use the ‘notebook’ icon to record a note. You can also add notes in the ‘Diary’ section of the app.

The ‘Diary’ allows you to record your food intake, IBS symptoms, bowel habits and stress levels. The data you record can then be exported to show your health care professional. The 'Diary' is also particularly useful in Step 2 of the diet (reintroduction) as it provides suggestions about the type and quantity of food to reintroduce and allows you to monitor your symptoms. The data is time stamped, saved indefinitely and you can export the data in a time frame of your choice.  

The app does update automatically every 15 days, but occasionally we do release a major update which requires you to do this manually. If there are any manual updates available, please check in the 'App store' under 'updates'. You can also manually 'refresh' your app to download any new data that becomes available ahead of the automatic update period. To do this, open your app, then go into 'settings' in the top right hand corner. Once in settings scroll down to where it says 'clear cache' and select this to refresh the app. 

You may need to refresh your app and clear the cache, to do so, please go to 'settings' on the home page, and scroll down and click on 'Clear Cache' this will refresh your app. If you have offline mode enabled, please switch this off before updating and clearing the cache, as we have recently refreshed our data therefore you will need internet connection in order to download the new data.

Unfortunately the app cannot be accessed through a laptop or computer. It is only available through Android and Apple smartphones and tablets, as well as Kindle Fire. If you can't access the app, we would recommend purchasing our hard copy booklet instead.

In order for offline mode to work please follow these steps while connected to wifi: Enable offline mode in settings - Go into the food guide - Click into each food category until all foods are loaded (while on wifi) - The foods will then be downloaded onto your phone so you can access them without wifi. 

We made the decision to only put a limited number of recipes on the app to make sure the app doesn't take up a huge amount of storage up on people's phones. If we were to add more recipes, the app would be a much bigger size and people with smaller phones or less storage space wouldn't be able to download the app. 

For this reason, we use our website for the majority of our recipes to make it accessible for everyone. Here is our recipe collection. 

Monash University will not collect any personal information that you enter into the Monash University FODMAP Diet App, including your name or contact details. Any information you enter in the app (including in your food diary) such as foods eaten and bowel symptoms will be stored locally on your device for your personal use only and will not be collected by Monash.

You can change your filter settings by clicking the filter icon in the top right hand side of the screen in the ‘Food Guide’ section of the app.

It’s important to check the detailed serving size information and FODMAP breakdown, rather than relying on the food’s overall traffic light rating alone. For some foods, serving size can make a significant difference to the FODMAP rating.  

We do not measure the gluten content of foods. The app is not a suitable tool for people with coeliac disease to manage gluten avoidance.  

Each food in the app contains nutrition information which includes fibre. You can get more information about how much fibre you require and the different fibre types from your dietitian.  

Many factors were carefully considered before deciding on the final price of the app. Analysing foods for total FODMAP content is expensive. The full FODMAP analysis of a food is labour-intensive and takes about 2-4 weeks. Proceeds from the sale of the app contributes to expanding our list of foods and further research in the area of FODMAPs. Our app is also a one-off purchase and provides you with regular, free updates when newly tested foods are added. 

The app needs internet access to see all the data. However, if you are going to be without access, e.g. on an aeroplane, switch ‘offline mode’ on in settings, then open the 'Food Guide' and scroll down to the bottom of each category to load all foods - the information will then stay in the app for 60 days.

The app has an automatic update feature, and will automatically download any new data as long as ‘offline mode’ has not been selected.

If you cannot see all of the images in the app, your internet connection may not be strong enough. If you do have a poor internet connection, you can ensure that images load faster by decreasing the quality of the images displayed in the app - to do this, select the ‘settings’ icon in the top right corner of the app home screen and set the image quality slider to 'low'. 

The app may be running slower than usual if you have a lot of apps open in the background, if you have a poor internet connection, or if your phone has very low memory and performance capabilities.  

Food scanning operates on the basis of the food ingredients listed on the package. This approach, however, is not accurate for FODMAPs. FODMAP levels can vary greatly depending on how a food is processed, meaning it is not possible to accurately determine the FODMAP content based on a list of ingredients. Foods must be laboratory tested for total FODMAP content. This is why we developed the Monash University Low FODMAP food certification program. This program makes it easier for consumers with IBS to identify low FODMAP food products in the supermarket.   

If a food is not in the Food Guide section of our app, this means that we are yet to test it for its FODMAP content.

Until this food is tested, we would suggest testing your own tolerance.