FODY Foods (or simply “FODY” for short) is a line of packaged snacks and cooking ingredients specifically for people who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Here’s our FODY review.
What Is FODY Foods?
FODY is a large collection of products that have been specifically formulated to cause less stress to the digestive systems of individuals suffering from IBS. These products take the form of cooking spices and seasonings, granola bars, trail mixes, pasta sauces, barbecue sauces, salsas, and olive oil.
FODY Foods Features: How Does It Work?
FODY provides an opportunity for those who suffer from IBS to still enjoy the foods they love without the risk of triggering symptoms.
FODY products are designed to be low in Fermentable Oligo-saccharides, Di-saccharides, Mono-saccharides And Polyols (FODMAPs), which have been shown to have the potential to make IBS systems worse.
These short-chain carbohydrates are thought to be fermented by gut bacteria, leading to additional symptoms in IBS sufferers, but a diet low in FODMAPs has been shown to reduce symptoms in 75% of IBS sufferers, according to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.
Who Makes FODY Foods?
FODY is made by the FODY Food Company, based in Canada and founded by Steven J. Singer, the current CEO and formerly of Glutino, the largest gluten-free food company in America.
FODY Foods makes use of registered dietitians with specializations in gastrointestinal health in order to formulate its low-FODMAP foods.
FODY Foods Ingredients
When it comes to its wide selection of low-FODMAP foods, spices, and condiments, it’s more about what’s not in FODY’s products than what is.
These products leave out certain ingredients that are incompatible with a low-FODMAP diet; for example, all of FODY’s dry spices and seasonings have no garlic, onion, gluten, or lactose; other products, like FODY’s salsa and its tomato sauce, are also free from these spices and substances. In fact you’ll find that all of FODY’s food products are lactose and gluten free.
FODY Foods Pricing
Pricing on FODY products differs from one specific item to another. Its dry seasoning and spice blends are $7.99 for anywhere between 2oz and 4oz depending on the product, while its salsa and tomato sauce products retail at $5.99, though these two products are available in 6-packs for $32.99 as well as in individual jars.
Other products include vegetable and chicken soup bases, retailing at $9.99, packages of organic trail mix, each of which hold six mini-packs, for $12.99, and 12-packs of granola bars for 24.99 (or a two-bar sample pack for $5.97).
Some of these products come bundled together in “intro packs,” which are priced from $19.99 to $64.99 depending on each bundle’s contents.
FODY Foods Reviews: What Do Customers Have to Say?
FODY products are relatively niche, so it makes sense that these products don’t have hundreds of reviews to their name.
Instead, the Amazon listings for the majority of FODY’s products feature just a handful of reviews each. Despite this lack of overall reviews, these reviews are relatively favorable overall, ranging from 3.5 stars to a perfect 5 stars.
Pros:
- Effective in Reducing IBS Symptoms – The low FODMAP ingredients in these food products have led to many reviewers with IBS claiming they can eat FODY products without fear of their intestines tying themselves up in knots.
- Delicious Flavor – The flavors of FODY food products is so pleasing that reviewers admit to wanting to still eat them even if they didn’t suffer from IBS.
Cons:
- Quite Expensive – Reviewers have complained about the high price of these products, especially since “normal” versions of these food products are so much cheaper and more widely available. A typical jar of tomato sauce at a supermarket is at the very least half the price of a jar of FODY sauce.
- Only Effective at Recommended Amounts – Some of the ingredients in FODY products are only considered low-FODMAP because of the quantity contained in these products – consuming more than the recommended amount can lead to issues.
- This is most prevalent in the FODY Almond Coconut bars, as almonds are only low-FODMAP if you consume 10 or less almonds a day – roughly the amount in 1 Almond Coconut Bar.
Should You Buy FODY Foods?
Living with IBS can lead to many painful and humiliating moments, and being able to manage even some of your IBS symptoms by eating a low-FODMAP diet is a major blessing for IBS sufferers. This makes FODY food products a major game changer in terms of quality of life for anyone who’s experienced IBS.
That being said, providing yourself a higher quality of life by eating a low-FODMAP diet isn’t the easiest thing on the planet, nor is it the most affordable.
FODY food products certainly make staying low FODMAP easier and more convenient, but the trade-off here is that you’re going to need to shell out some serious money in order to remain in better health.
This is likely a small price to pay for some. However, for other IBS sufferers with smaller food budgets, being able to afford FODY food products may be out of reach. If you can afford FODY food products, you’re likely to experience a reduction in your IBS symptoms, which will lead to more comfort and being able to enjoy your life more.
If FODY food products are out of your price range, you will have to find alternative, less costly sources of low-FOMDMAP food ingredients instead.
