Cheddar (aged)
Tested serving
- Any typical portion
Aged cheddar is Low FODMAP at any typical portion, a firm cheese where ageing leaves mostly protein and fat.
- No FODMAP group reaches a meaningful level in aged cheddar, so it sits low at any typical portion.
- Flavored or spreadable versions can add other ingredients that change the picture.
Grate it over eggs, melt it into a rice dish or slice it onto a gluten-free cracker for an easy savory snack.
Why cheddar (aged) is rated low
Good news for anyone who lives on cheese toast: aged cheddar is low FODMAP at any typical portion. Long ageing leaves mostly protein and fat, and at a normal helping no FODMAP group reaches a meaningful level. A couple of slices or a good handful grated is the kind of amount this page describes. That is genuinely reassuring, but it is a statement about the cheese alone. It says nothing about what the cheddar is melted into or served on.
What changes your risk
- How much ends up on the plate Any typical portion is low. A block grated until it buries the whole dish is well past a typical portion, so grate onto a plate or a scale rather than straight from the block over the pan.
- What it is served with Cheddar rarely arrives alone. Ordinary wheat crackers, bread and pasta bring FODMAPs of their own, and so does the onion in a chutney or a pickle. The cheddar can be low while the plate as a whole is not.
- Total load across the meal A low rating is per serving, not per meal. Several low servings of different foods in one sitting still add up, so it helps to look at the whole plate and to spread things across the day rather than stacking them into one sitting.
- Flavoured and spreadable versions Spreadable cheddar, cheese spreads and flavoured blocks are a different product with a different ingredient list. Check for onion and garlic powder, added milk solids and inulin or chicory root fibre, any of which changes the picture.
- The sauce it goes into Melting cheddar does not change its FODMAP content, because heat does not break FODMAPs down. What changes the picture is the base: a cheese sauce built on ordinary milk is a different dish, and lactose-free milk keeps the sauce closer to where the cheddar started.
What else works
If aged cheddar works for you, the other hard aged cheeses behave the same way, so parmesan, swiss and aged gouda all belong on the same list and give you somewhere to go when you want a different flavour. The lookalikes to watch are the fresh and soft cheeses that sit next to cheddar in the same fridge aisle: cream cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta are not stand-ins for it, and neither are ordinary milk or cream when a recipe calls for something creamy. For that role, lactose-free milk and lactose-free yoghurt are the honest choices, and it is worth saying plainly that they are ordinary dairy with the lactase enzyme added rather than dairy-free products, so they are not suitable for a milk allergy.
How to keep it low
Buy cheddar as a block rather than pre-shredded where you can, since bagged shreds sometimes carry anti-caking additives and the block gives you control over how much actually lands on the food. Grating makes a typical portion look generous and go further, which is useful when the aim is to keep to a normal helping. Store it wrapped in the fridge and bring only what you plan to eat to the table. When you order out, the cheese is usually not the problem: the bun, the onion rings, the chutney on the board and the creamy sauce underneath are the things worth asking about, so ask what the sauce is made with rather than whether there is cheddar in it.
Common questions
is aged cheddar low fodmap
Yes. Aged cheddar is low FODMAP at any typical portion, where no FODMAP group reaches a meaningful level.
how much cheddar can i eat on a low fodmap diet
Any typical portion is low, roughly a couple of slices or a handful grated. Keep to a normal helping and pay attention to what else is on the plate.
can i eat cheddar on the elimination phase
Aged cheddar is low at any typical portion, so it generally fits during elimination. Watch the crackers, the bread and any chutney or sauce it comes with, since those are the parts of the plate that usually cause trouble. Any reintroduction work is done with a dietitian.
is spreadable cheddar the same as block cheddar
No. Spreadable and flavoured cheddars are made with additional ingredients, and onion powder, garlic powder, milk solids and chicory root fibre all turn up in them. Read the ingredient list, because the low rating here is for the plain aged cheese.
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Where this rating comes from
Cheddar (aged) is rated from published lab measurements of its FODMAP content, using the low, moderate and high cutoffs of Varney et al. (2017).
Feedback sent through the FODMAP Foods app has led to changes in this list.
Sources
- Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
- Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
- Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
- Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns between healthy individuals and patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
- FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.
Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.