About Trader Joe’s
Many of us in the U.S. love our Trader Joe’s. It’s where we get good food at a great price. One can argue about GMO vs. non-GMO, organic vs. not organic, and sodium content levels but regardless of where you fall on any of those topics most everyone can find something they love at Trader Joe’s.
They make it so easy to add an amazing side dish or dessert to a meal – easily and inexpensively – and often organic! Sadly you can also usually count on the fact that that beloved item will be discontinued without notice sending you into withdrawal and depression for weeks to come. There are even Pinterest boards dedicated to memorializing discontinued Trader Joe products!
Trader Joe’s turned 50 in the summer of 2017. The company grew from one store in Pasadena, CA to 467 across the U.S., currently in 41 states. You can find out here where the closest one is to you.
About Our Trader Joe’s Low FODMAP Shopping List
Please read our “Shopping List Series” Intro here first. It contains all of our FODMAP Everyday® Disclosures and explains how we go about building these lists.
This list is not an exhaustive list. Trader Joe’s products are seasonal, may vary by locations, or may be discontinued. This list was created by a Monash Low FODMAP Diet trained RDN and reflect best effort at using available information to curate likely low FODMAP products.
This list was UPDATED in FEBRUARY of 2022!
Unless a product bears a low FODMAP certification stamp from an official certification body it cannot be guaranteed it is low FODMAP. In cases where an individual food product was not tested by Monash University or FODMAP Friendly, clinical and subjective judgment was used to determine if a product can be included on this list.
This does not replace a CERTIFICATION process. Please work with your GI or RDN to make sure all food choices meet your specific requirements. Please use common sense and read our Terms of Use.
Shopping List vs. Serving Size List
We are not including information on the amounts of what is considered safe, or not, to eat. For this information please use the Low FODMAP Diet App by Monash. This is where you will find the most up-to-date information detailing serving sizes from the experts.
Some additional guidance and information on how we compiled this list:
• Foods with natural flavors unconfirmed by Trader Joe’s were not included.
• Per FDA regulations in the USA, the term “spices” cannot include garlic or onion, which will help clear up some confusion if you see this term on the label.
Here are a few examples when best judgment was utilized.
- Cheese: Aged, hard cheese is naturally low in lactose. Avoid fresh cheeses such as fresh mozzarella, cottage cheese, and ricotta since they contain excessive lactose. Beware of cheese spreads or cheese foods because whey protein is often added which increases the lactose content to unsafe levels. A good rule of thumb is to aim for cheeses with less than 1 gram of sugar, which means it contains less than 1 gram of lactose making it a safe low FODMAP option.
- Celery powder has not been tested by Monash, however celery is low FODMAP at ¼ stalk (12 g) therefore this ingredient was included since this is a common ingredient in cured meats in the U.S. We may change our mind about this once Monash tests U.S. brands of bacon which use celery powder instead of other nitrate or nitrites. For the most part we have heard from most people that they do not have a problem with bacon cured with celery powder.
Additional notes:
- If there are any concerns with a specific food test a small portion when symptoms are under good control to assess your tolerance.
- Please see article about FODMAP stacking when combining several foods with specified portions at the same meal.
- Some wheat products such as wheat based bread and wheat pasta has been tested low FODMAP at small portions, however, these foods were not included since Monash recommends avoiding these when on the Elimination phase.
The ketchup clearly states onion powder on the ingredient list… not sure why it was included here. I do appreciate the list though I am sure it took a long time to make!
Vanessa responds: Ketchup is one of the few exceptions when onion or garlic powder is safe for the low FODMAP elimination phase – due to servings size. U.S. based ketchup was tested safe at 13 grams or 2 teaspoons per the Monash app. Feel free to enjoy Trader Joe’s ketchup at this safe serving size.
Dede responds: Moira, at first glance, especially when you are first getting to know the diet and the Monash App, there might appear to be discrepancies. Believe me, Ketchup is not the only place you will notice this! It is often due to serving sizes, so as Vanessa said, pay heed to that part of the App ingredient listing and recommendations. You will see the same thing with Worcestershire sauce, for instance.
Is Worcestershire sauce okay to use a little bit on steak?
Worcestershire sauce is one of those condiments that Monash gives a Green Light in small portions. And yet, garlic is listed on the label for most brands and this can be confusing. It comes does to portion control! Their Green Light amount is a generous 2 (Australian) tablespoons, so certainly go ahead and try! Only your digestive system can tell you ultimately what is okay for you. We say at least try!
I have a question about marzetti sweet poppyseed dressing. There us a small amount of onion in it located as the last ingredient on the list. Would this be ok to have?
Hello Kay,
Unfortunately I would avoid this salad dressing since it contains onions. It is best to avoid onion and garlic during the elimination phase even in small portions such as less than 2% when looking at the ingredient list. Small portions of onions and garlic can trigger IBS symptoms. There are very few commercial low FODMAP salad dressing available at the grocery store. FODY Foods sells certified low FODMAP salad dressing. Here is a link to some homemade ones, the poppyseed one found here may be a good alternative.
Why are potatoes on the list? I thought they were high fodmap.
Hi Kathleen, white potatoes are low FODMAP and green per Monash app. No FODMAPs have been detected in white unpeeled potatoes. Sweet potatoes are safe up to 1/2 cup per serving. Larger portions of sweet potatoes contain excessive polyols making them high FODMAP in portions greater than 1/2 cup.
Is trader joe’s garlic flavored olive oil safe to use
Hi Linda,
Trader Joes’s Organic Spanish Extra Virgin Garlic Flavored Cold Pressed Olive Oil contains garlic extract which leads us to believe it may not be a safe garlic infused oil. We suggest avoiding garlic oils that are flavored with garlic oil,garlic essential oil, garlic essence,garlic flavoring, natural roasted garlic flavor, natural flavor or anything with little chunks of garlic floating in the oil. If you want to ensure you are consuming a safe garlic infused oil please read this article for suggestions https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/commercial-garlic-infused-oils/
Through this link there is also a link to Monash University Certified Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil which you can make at home. I would say that many have experimented with Trader Joe’s Garlic Flavored Oil and have experienced mixed reactions. I would encourage you to either avoid this oil if you are in the Low FODMAP Elimination Phase or test tolerance to a small portion when symptoms are under good control and monitor your symptoms closely for the next 24 hours.
RECALL: Undeclared Gluten (Wheat & Barley) in Envirokidz Gorilla Munch Cereal is this true?
Yes, this was confirmed on the FDA’s website. I would avoid this product if purchased with the BEST BEFORE DATE listed on this link
https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm631510.htmif you have celiac, non-celiac gluten sensitivities, or a wheat allergy.hi DeDe.
I’m on Day 3 – so far, so good; 1st time I haven’t been sick post-dinner in a long time.
I don’t use a smartphone for the app and cannot download the list – could you kindly
email the list?
Many thanks.
Lisa Copeland
Hi Lisa, I would order a booklet from Monash to have on hand ASAP. It won’t be as up-to-date as the app, but will still be enormously helpful. We will email you the Shopping List ASAP.
is trader Joe’s sourdough batard fodmap friendly?
Hi Jody, I cannot find an image of the ingredient list anywhere online. Please review this article on sourdough.
it says.. unbleached flour( wheat flour, malted barley flour ) water, Rye flour, sea salt, whole grain spelt flour, whole wheat flour
Jody, I saw that entry but as far as I know that was a representation of the label and not the label itself. Entries like that are not necessarily accurate.
I see the TJ’s brewed tea is on the list. I was wondering about it, since we’re supposed to have “weakly brewed tea.” Does that mean you think it’s weakly brewed? It would be nice to be able to keep drinking this without having to think about strength.
If you have been drinking it and tolerating it, then your questions have been answered! Don’t change a thing! As stated, none of the items on our list are lab tested; the low FODMAP designation is based upon low FODMAP ingredients and reviewed by a Monash trained RD.
I’ve been drinking it along with my regular, non-FODMAP diet. Definitely not symptom-free; I’m still a pre-FODMAP-diet mess! I’m about to start the elimination phase, so I’m trying to figure out what I can drink while on it. I was just wondring if the reason you included TJ’s tea on the list was that you thought it seemed weakly brewed. It does seem much weaker to me than, say, Milo’s.
The diet is meant to be undertaken with the guidance of a RD. There are many ways to approach this diet and we do not give medical advice, and as I mentioned, Vanessa was reporting on ingredients, not manufacture. Personally, and this is just sharing what I did not necessarily a recommendation, when I went through the Elimination Phase I did not use any prepared foods. By cooking from scratch, and even brewing tea, I had greater control. Certainly consult your medical team. There IS a pain-free lifestyle waiting for you; you just have to figure out your own needs, which is easiest if you have professional help.
Is TJ’s lentil soup low FODMAP?
If this is the product you are looking at, then no it is not. Onions are the second ingredient. Please download both the Monash University app and the FODMAP Friendly app so that you can easily look up raw ingredients. Also, please read our article on LENTILS for some very important general information.
I was surprised that I didn’t see TJ canned artichoke hearts on list. Monash says ok at 1/2 cup and you have other veggies on your list that are ok at even smaller amounts (butternut squash, raisins, raspberries for example)
Thank you again for this great resource. Learning so much!
Hi Wendy It could be that they were not available at the time the list was generated.
I am not sure when this product was rolled out, but are the gluten free pumpkin spice bagels low fodmap?
They look like a good candidate for sampling. The molasses, natural flavors etc. are less than 2%. There is unlikely a high FODMAP amount of pumpkin per bagel. None of the other ingredients are problematic from a FODMAP perspective. Only you can tell if you tolerate them! Check out our article What If A Food Has Not Been Lab Tested?
This list is so helpful! One question…I see cream cheese on the list, but everywhere I’ve read it says that cream cheese is high FODMAP. Is this a case of serving size making the difference?
Yes, it is portion related. This is why having the Monash app is indispensable and we consider it a Must. You will see that 2 Australian tablespoons or 40 g of conventional cream cheese is low FODMAP.
SoyCreamy is low FODMAP?
There are MANY soy products that are low FODMAP including soy milks based on protein, soy sauce, miso and much more. We have a few articles for you HERE and HERE.
I see that Sweet or Spicy All Natural Fully Cooked Chicken Sausages from TJs is on the list. However they have onion and or garlic in the ingredients. Aren’t these high fodmap?
Hi There! The sausages that we have mentioned do no not contain garlic and onion.The product we list contains these ingredients: Skinless chicken meat, red and green peppers, water, seasoning (salt, spices, turbinado sugar). In the US, garlic and onion cannot be “hidden” within “spices”. You are most likely looking at the organic, which are not the same. Also, FYI, depending on the amounts of garlic and onion, there are many lab tested and certified ingredients that contain these items that do have a low FODMAP serving size (such as Worcestershire sauce, numerous condiments like many of the San J sauces, etc.). We have not included these on the Shopping Lists, UNLESS they are lab tested and certified.
Are you charging for this Trader Joes FODMAP FOODS SHOP LIST? Cant find it ?
It is $1.99. Can you see it here?