Hi I’m Kate, mom, wife, sister, dietitian, runner, dog lover, foodie. I grew up in a small suburb of Boston—the youngest of nine. My dad was an “off the boat” German immigrant and my mom an Irish girl from Rhode Island. I married my high school sweetheart, Russell T. Russ and I are best friends, a key component to my living a well-balanced life! My biggest goal in life is to be a good mom and I have been fortunate to have three amazing kids, Chelsea, my artist daughter studying in college in New York city, Kevin, my incredible photographer in high school and my youngest son, easiest going kid on earth, Brennan in middle school.
I love food—love making it, love shopping for it, love eating it. I began my career in nutrition at Simmons College in Boston and finished with post graduate training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate.
Growing up the youngest of nine, we always had a bit of chaos in the house. Our three kids just didn’t provide enough craziness so, we added a little something….along came LUCY, our sassy little chocolate lab.
Check out my site KateScarlata.com!
Hi Kate, It was pleasure to meet you today. I look forward to working with you and loseing and getting my blood sugar low and in control hopefully I may be able to get off insulin if I lose enough weight. Could you please email the grocery list. My email is esterina.dicerbo@emc.com
Hi Kate: Your website has been a huge help to me and I carry your “shopping list” with me everywhere. I purchase your book off Amazon and it mentioned bringing high fiber snack bars and cereal when I am traveling – can you suggest any brands higher in fiber? I am having trouble staying regular.
Thank you,
Tammy
So glad you find the site helpful! I usually make homemade ones with oats, oat bran, sunflower seeds, some almond butter or peanut butter and maple syrup–their is a recipe in my book. The store brands tend to have FODMAP ingredients such as inulin (chicory root), wheat, or too rich in fruits (excess fructose). Other tips for increasing fiber, oat bran or rice bran added to oatmeal, whole white potatoes with skin, blueberries, strawberries, quinoa flakes, and some gluten free pasta blends can be a good source too.
I am on the FODMAP diet and I like to know if I am
allowed to have flax seed or is it better to take
flax oil?
I love your site!
I don’t have any research on whether flaxseed has significant FODMAP content. I know many of my non-sensitive stomach clients find it gassy so I would say use with caution. Oils do not contain FODMAPs as FODMAPs are carbohydrates and oil is carbohydrate free, so flax oil would be fine.
Thank you Kate for your quick reply.
I am impressed.
Ank
Hi
I have been blighted with ibs for nearly a year now and hope that in the New Year, this will all change by following the FODMAP guidelines. I have found your website wonderful and after reading all the information you have offered a “light bulb” moment has given me the incentive I need for the New Year.
Am resident in the UK but hope with the aid of the Internet, that i will succeed.
Good for you Jackie! Kings College London has some great FODMAP diet info as well. They do FODMAPs workshops for dietitians and do research as well.
Hi Kate
IN need of advice, have suffered IBS for years and have now came across Low Fodmap Diet, problem is everything I love is on the bad for you sheet (onions and garlic) which go into most of my dishes. Can you please advise on what I could use instead.
Hi Alison:
Of course–you can add flavor with the green part of a spring onion (scallion) and chives. Adds nice onion flavor without the side effects! For garlic, infuse large chunks of garlic in olive oil and use the oil removing the garlic prior to eating. I generally just sauté a bit of oil with garlic, remove garlic and cook whatever I want the garlic flavor in that oil.
Thanks Kate for quick reply, would this mean I could use the green part of leeks too, not an easy job eliminating foods that I have spent years cooking with esp in family favourite recipes (lentil soup, chilli, bolognese)
I have not seen any research on the green part of leeks. To be safe, I would suggest avoid. Of course, lentils and beans are eliminated on the ‘elimination’ phase of the diet. This diet is not designed to be followed for life per se, you go on the elimination phase for 6-8 weeks and then try to re-challenge foods. Many of my clients can do small amounts of garlic with no major symptoms. Be sure to follow diet with dietitian knowledgeable in it’s details!
Thanks Kate, sorry have posted on wrong part of your site.
I will look into this further and start to keep a food diary which has been suggested, look forward to your views in future.
Your website has Rasperries on the high FODMAP list, can you please confirm this for me?
I have been looking at many websites and all those I’ve seen have put rasperries on the low fodmap list!!
Many thanks if you can help.
Louise
Louise: US data has raspberries as a source of excess fructose. Aussie studies have them as not a source of excess fructose. For now- I am sticking with the US data. The diet is still evolving and there may be slight changes to come.
Kate
i have IBS and enjoy raspberries with home made sponge, my only desert. I keep the raspberries and blue berries frozen and heat them up in water (1/2 cup) and pour over the sponge very tasty. No bad effects ever Yeh
I am confused is pumkin now not recommended on the Lowfod Map diet?
I have seen various reports on pumpkin in the US as a potential source of polyols–The UK and Aussie info has pumpkin as low FODMAP. I am looking further into this.
Love your website! Thank you! I just stumbled upon it last evening-I have been spending a lot of time surfing the web looking for FODMAPS information.
I am 53 and this is a life long problem. In fact my earliest memories are of excruciating gas pain that no one could help me with.
I tried elimination diets, dairy, meat, gluten with out much success. The fructose/sugars mal-absorption sounds like the right thing for me. In fact the FODMAP is very similar to the low carbohydrate diet I followed 8 years ago. This was the only time that my symptoms almost all disappeared. I quit that diet as that hubby is a vegetarian.
We have been concentrating on eating healthily the last five years. Good news cholesterol and triglycerides are great: Gut symptoms are the worst. I have been treated for H pylori almost non stop for the last three years.
My question is what about soy?…its protein but also a bean. We use TVP a lot. Beans are a major staple in our diet.
My plan is to cut the fruit,dairy fist and then the gluten. Or is it better to go “full-tilt” and to see improvement?
With the low FODMAP diet it is best to do the full elimination phase at once. It’s also advised that the diet be taught by a dietitian. It is important to do the diet right to see if it is helpful for you. Many internet sites provide old info and the diet is really evolving and changing. Tofu is allowed, not sure about TVP–have to look into that–but soy flour and milk can contain FODMAPS. Are you in the US? Patsy Catsos has an RD registry on her site that lists RD’s that are knowledgeable in the diet guidelines. Her site is IBSfree.net. This diet has been SO therapeutic for so many of my clients…I hope you find the same results.
Best,
Kate
Hi. I came across your blog while searching for photos of NYC, my home town, for Pinterest. I now live in Miami and my daughter studies in Boston. My dad is also an off-the-boat German by way of Ecuador, where I was born. Anyway, nice to read you, maybe you would like to read my Blog.
Glad you stumbled upon my blog. I did wander over and read a few of your posts. Love the honest voice in your writing.
Kate
[...] Taking care of others around you is just important as taking care of yourself. Read Kate Scarlata’s lovely story about how It Takes a Village to raise a family, and the importance of nurturing [...]
My doctor told me on Friday to use the FODMAP diet to help with IBS, but told me to research it, which is how I found your website. Personally, I think it is unfair to tell me to start something “complicated” (his word) and give me no info.
I know I need to be lactose free, gluten free and frucose free. I looked at labels in the supermarket today and am comfused of what buzzwords I need to look for. For example: Gelato (on the low fodmap list) says it has milk; Lara bars are gluten free but have sugar. Please tell me what ingredients I need stay away from.
Thank you in advance for any help with this.
Hi Stacy-
I recommend you meet with a registered dietitian to review the low FODMAP diet in detail. The diet has many little nuances and it’s best to have these reviewed so that you can undertake the diet properly. The low FODMAP diet is not a gluten free or fructose free diet. FODMAPs are carbohydrates and gluten is a protein. But there is certainly overlap of the gluten free diet while on the low FODMAP diet and that is because wheat, barley and rye are gluten rich and also FODMAP rich so are eliminated on both diets. Fructose is modified (not eliminated) on the low FODMAP diet, we do limit high fructose foods (foods with extra fructose compared to glucose) For instance, blueberries have more glucose than fructose, so they are allowed on the diet. Apples and honey have excess fructose compared to glucose so are not allowed.
Label reading tips: Here is a few tips to get you started–> avoid ingredients such as apple, pear, cherries, apricot, wheat, onion, garlic, honey, agave, inulin, FOS, milk…for starters. So if a food item says gluten free but is loaded with garlic or honey, it would not be suitable for you.
Hope that helps…but do try to connect with a dietitian knowledgeable in the diet.
Thank you!
I am going to call my insurance company tomorrow to find a nutritionist.
By looking online, I thought I needed to be gluten and frucose free. It is frustrating trying to figure this out by myself.
Hi Kate,
Thank you so much for this site and your book. I have been suffering with IBS and gastritis for 15 years now. I’m really hoping this diet will be the solution to my problems. I live in RI and am trying to find a dietitian. My health insurance (United Healthcare)is unable to break RDs down by specialty. Do you have any suggestions for Rhode Island patients? I checked IBSfree.net but they only have MA dietitans. Any guidance here would be greatly appreciated.
There seems to be a shortage of FODMAP knowledgable RD’s and I wish that was not the case. I would call the local hospitals and ask for the outpatient nutrition department and ask the staff if anyone is familiar with the low FODMAP diet. I am co-hosting a workshop with Patsy (IBSfree.net) to educate RD’s so hopefully we will get some RD’s from RI to come to the workshop and learn more about the diet.
Kate
Is decaf coffee ok to drink when following FODMAP diet for IBS?
Hi Stacy-
As long as it is not a Chicory root based coffee I think 1 or 2 cups should be fine.
Kate
Would it be better to use soynut butter, which is dairy and gluten free than peanut butter?
No it would not. Soy beans are a big source of GOS, one of the FODMAP groups. Peanut butter is your best bet. Use all natural peanut butter without added ingredients and that is also gluten and dairy free
Any brand in particular?
Stacy, not sure if I replied? …I like all natural peanut butter such as Smucker’s or Teddie brand. Check ingredients, for low FODMAP diet try to pick one with simple ingredients such as peanuts and perhaps salt. That’s it.
Hello, I have also found your website whilst researching the FODMAP diet, recommended by my gastroenterologist. I have read what peolpe wrote, and I too was given the name of the diet, and nothing else. I asked about a dietician and was told I would be written to – but it has been three months: know I won’t be written to. IBS is not an illness the NHS takes seriously! So I thought I would help myself, and your website has been great. I have 2 questions: 1. 70% dark chocolate contains sugar, as opposed to fructose, so is it ok? In small quantities obviously:)I was on the SCD before, where soya was banned (along a long list of di/polysaccharides, and chocolate, as you know). 2. A fodmap list I retrieved from the Australian researchers’ website allows soya, but you do not. Is it best to avoid it? Thank you!
Not all soy needs to be eliminated on the low FODMAP diet. For instance, some soy milks in the UK are deemed suitable for the low FODMAP diet per the Kings College literature such as Alpro-unsweetened long life or Original chilled or So Good products, also tofu is low in FODMAPs. Soybeans and flours should be avoided. I believe a small amount of dark chocolate would be fine…although I have not seen definitive research on it. Try this link for UK dietitian contacts.
Thank you Kate for your prompt answer! The link did not work but thank you anyways, I will look into Kings College’s research papers.
Hmmmm…see if you can just cut and paste….http://www.dietitiansunlimited.co.uk/
I bought Lara bars that said “gluten free and dairy free” which I assume are fine on the FODMAP diet. Are cheddar and mozzerella cheese slices fine to have? What about Lactaid ice cream? I have been buying So Delicious.
Thank you in advance for your responses.
Lara bars often contain other FODMAPs fruits so I would avoid for now. Cheddar and mozzarella are low in FODMAPs. The lactaid vanilla looks okay…but food with added gums can be a little gassy so try small portion to assess tolerance.
Dates are in the bars which I imagine aren’t ok. I got so excited to see gluten and dairy free!
Any suggestions for morning snack? I usually eat peanut butter crackers (I know that isn’t the best idea) at 8:00 and have oatmeal at 10. Since I don’t have lunch until 12:40, sometimes I need something and eat more crackers. I am a classroom teacher and am limited on snack and lunch time. When I eat something at a different time, I do so when the kids arent’ looking. I would appreciate any ideas.
I’ve been diagnosed with IBS & GERD and also struggle with anorexia. I get severe gas & bloating (look almost 6 months pregnant most of the time). I started the low Fodmap diet about 2 months ago and it seems to be helping, although I still get bloated when I eat almost anything, but not near as bad as it used to be. The only time I see a flat stomach is when I get diarrhea or go for a long time without eating. I did have a lactose, fructose, and gluten test that all came back negative. Should I only be restricting the fructans/GOS & polyols? Do you think it’s ok to eat foods that contain milk & HFCS?
Kaylee-
Please be sure to seek medical help with your history of anorexia. Although this site provides some tools to follow the low FODMAP diet it should not be used as a substitute of medical advice.
Looking for morning snack ideas. Any suggestions?
Hi Kate, I am a huge fan of your Biscotti- chocolate chip. Any chance you would share the recipe?
Susan-
Where do you have these biscotti’s? I’m afraid I am not sure what recipe you are referring to.
ALLCANEAT biscotti, chocolate chip – gluten & dairy free. Sorry, I thought you created the recipe. It’s been so long since I could eat a cookie and not feel sick. They are delicious. Whole Foods carries them, sometimes.
No Susan that is their recipe and I believe that bakery closed recently which is disappointing.
Other tasty cookies include Alexia’s and Gilberts brand–many varieties are low in FODMAPs.
Should have said Aleia’s http://www.aleias.com/
Thanks so much for your speedy replies! Have a good day.