IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common digestive disorder characterised by stomach cramps, bloating diarrhoea and constipation. If you suffer from this you know how debilitating this condition can be. Simply put, it's not fun, I know as I suffer myself. There is no cure but medication and diet changes can help. A FODMAP diet could help. Let's have a look at what that means, and a range of food suitable for the FODMAP diet called Slightly Different Foods. This is an advertorial with Slightly Different Foods, all words and opinions are my own.
Who are Slightly Different Foods?
Home cook and founder Sonia Fox developed the company Slightly Different Foods after being diagnosed with IBS in 2014. Her research into ways in which to alleviate her condition led her to the low FODMAP diet, but what does that mean? FODMAPs or Fermentable, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols are short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and are prone to absorb water and ferment in the colon.
The low FODMAP diet is a diet to follow only if you have been diagnosed by a doctor with IBS. It's an elimination diet where you avoid certain foods thought to trigger IBS symptoms and then you slowly reintroduce foods one at a time to find your triggers. Common triggers are foods like garlic, onion, cow's milk, wheat products and milk.
Slightly Different Foods have created store cupboard foods that have been developed to be gut-friendly for those following a diet that is low in FODMAP foods.
Their food has no artificial preservatives, flavourings or colouring, is lower in sugar and salt than normal store cupboard food and is free from animal-based ingredients. The food is also Gluten-Free certified, and they exclude all 14 of the major allergens in all their products.
I was sent the Around The World pack of Low FODMAP sauces to review by Slightly Different Foods. Now, this pack is extensive and consists of a selection of 10 sauces, these are Smooth Bolognese, Chilli Non Carne, Thai Red Curry, Arraibiata, Tomato and Basil, Sweet and Sour, Tropical Curry, Sweet Chili, Tikka Marsala and Mexican Fajita.
I haven't managed to eat all the sauces yet, so I will show you a selection of the sauces I've tried so far. I think it will take me at least a month or two to work my way through the sauces so this is a taster of what they have in stock.
Bolognese
It was good to read the ingredients on the label that there are no additives in the sauce. The sauce was easy to use and I added it to browned minced beef. You could make this veggie-friendly by adding suitable vegetables instead that are low FODMAP.
The bolognese sauce was tasty. I did notice that it was not as sweet as other bolognese sauces I had used in the past. It had a nice herby flavour. It was great that there was no onion or garlic used, and I did wonder how the company would recreate the flavour, but they managed to do this using herbs and spices. If you are not following the FODMAP diet strictly (perhaps you have already done this and have reintroduced food slowly), you could add some extras if you know they do not affect you. I would normally add a squirt of tomato sauce for sweetness when making a bolognese.
Chilli
Again it was good to read the chilli label and that it had no suspicious additives. If you are not being strict about the FODMAP diet you could add some chopped red pepper and some kidney beans like I did.
The chilli I thought was better than the previous sauce. It was quite spicy and tomatoey and had some good acidity. Again you couldn't tell that it did not contain onions or garlic, two big triggers for many people suffering from IBS. A dish like a chilli can normally be very triggering for people with IBS but this did not upset my stomach at all.
Thai Red Curry
Now Red Thai Curry is one of my favourite dishes so I was excited to try this. A good Red Thai Curry has flavours of coconut, and some spice and is slightly sweet. It's my go-to meal that I order in a Thai restaurant. For this dish, I stir-fried some Quorn vegan pieces to brown them for 10 mins and added the Red Thai Curry sauce and heated it through for 10 mins. I served it with pilau rice to make a tasty meal on the table fast.
I really enjoyed this Red Thai Curry and I think it was my favourite sauce that I tried. The sauce was flavourful and had hints of coconut and lemongrass. It had mild heat from the chilli too. I was pleased that it had a little sweetness. I think the sauce is a good store cupboard standby.
None of the sauces seemed to affect my stomach which I was incredibly pleased about. The sauces pack some great flavour and they are useful to have in the cupboard if you experience any digestive issues.
If you are interested in these sauces and want to check out everything the Slightly Different Food company sell check out their website. From cooking sauces to mayo to condiments and table sauces, they sell a range of gut-friendly food products.
Let me know, would you try these sauces?
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What a great idea, my mum suffers so I will show her. Thanks
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