Emmental

Low FODMAP

Typical portion

Any typical portion Low

Emmental is Low FODMAP, a hard aged cheese that loses almost all its milk sugar during the long ageing process.

As a firm, aged cheese, the lactose is largely fermented away while it matures, leaving negligible FODMAPs at any typical portion.
Plain Emmental is a reliable pick, though watch for added ingredients in pre-shredded blends or spreads, which can change the picture.

Enjoy it sliced, melted, or grated over your favorite dishes, and reach for other aged hard cheeses when you want a similar savory boost.

Why emmental is rated low

Emmental is LOW at any typical portion, so the holey Swiss style cheese in a sandwich, on a board or melted over a gratin is a straightforward choice. The rating is estimated from what Emmental is made of, a firm cheese given a long maturing, rather than from a measured serving. No FODMAP subgroup is recorded for it, which means there is nothing specific here to work around. The ladder carries a single rung, any typical portion, sitting LOW. That covers cheese used as cheese, and it is not a claim that the amount can go up indefinitely, because the data does not test anything beyond that.

What changes your risk

The portion the rating speaks for Any typical portion reads LOW. Larger helpings than that are outside what the published data covers, so there is no tested basis for calling them low or for calling them anything else.
The bread and crackers under it Emmental spends most of its life on something. A slice on ordinary wheat bread or a wheat cracker puts the meal's FODMAP load somewhere the cheese never would, so the base is the part worth changing.
Fondue and melted dishes Classic fondue is rubbed with garlic and often built on stock or a seasoning blend, and that, not the cheese, is what makes the pot a problem. Melting does not lower the FODMAP content of anything, since heat leaves FODMAPs intact.
Shredded blends and cheese spreads Bags of shredded Swiss style blends, processed slices and spreadable tubs bring in ingredients beyond the cheese. Plain Emmental cut from the block is the form this rating describes.
The company it keeps in one meal A low rating applies per serving, not per meal. On a board or in a toastie, the total load of everything on the plate is what decides how the meal sits.

What else works

There is no need to replace Emmental, but it helps to know which cheeses it keeps company with. Cheddar, parmesan and swiss are hard, aged cheeses that behave the same way, so a grating cheese or a melting cheese is easy to find without leaving safe ground. When a recipe wants something soft and pourable instead, lactose-free milk and lactose-free yoghurt fill that role, and both are ordinary dairy with the lactase enzyme added, not dairy-free foods. Keep the fresh and soft cheeses in a separate mental box: ricotta, cottage cheese and cream cheese are not low at ordinary servings, and ordinary milk and ordinary yoghurt are not swaps for them either. Being a cheese is not what makes Emmental comfortable.

How to keep it low

Buy Emmental as a wedge or a block rather than in a shredded blend, and check the label on anything sold as Swiss style slices, since those are often a different product. Keep it wrapped in paper in the warmest part of the fridge so it stays supple and slices cleanly rather than crumbling. Take what you want to the plate and return the block, which keeps a typical portion honest. For a melted dish, skip the garlic rub on the pot and build flavour with garlic infused oil, white wine, chives or the green parts of spring onions, and serve it with gluten free bread or potatoes rather than a wheat loaf. It melts smoothly at a gentle heat, and rushing it on a high flame just makes it stringy.

Common questions

is emmental low fodmap

Yes. The published serving data puts Emmental at LOW for any typical portion, whether it is sliced, grated or melted.

how much emmental is ok on a low fodmap diet

Any typical portion reads LOW. That is the only rung the data tests, so it covers normal cheese servings rather than unlimited amounts.

is cheese fondue low fodmap

The Emmental in the pot is LOW at any typical portion, but classic fondue is usually rubbed with garlic and built on stock, and that is where the FODMAP load comes from. Leave the garlic rub out and serve it with gluten free bread or potatoes.

can i eat emmental on the elimination phase

Yes, at any typical portion. The rating is estimated from what Emmental is made of rather than a measured serving, and individual tolerance still varies.

Learn more

Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.

Emmental is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

References

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 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. 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.