Rye Crispbread

Why rye crispbread is rated high

Rye crispbread is high FODMAP at 2 biscuits (20g), and the driver is the fructans in rye itself. Crispbread is close to pure grain: almost all the water has been baked out, so what is left is a concentrated slab of rye flour, and two thin biscuits carry enough fructans to clear the line. There is no smaller low serve to work with.

What changes your risk

• Serving size 2 biscuits (20g) comes in high, and there is no smaller serving that comes in low, so one biscuit is not a workaround, and a plate of them for lunch goes further the wrong way.
• Labels that suggest fermentation Crispbread is a dry baked product, and a pack labelled sourdough flavoured or sourdough style has not changed what the rye carries. Treat any rye crispbread the same way, whatever the front of the box says.
• What goes on top Crispbread is a vehicle for toppings, and the topping often carries more FODMAPs than the biscuit. Onion and garlic hide in hummus, pesto, pâté, dips and stock-based spreads, and soft cheeses such as ricotta and cream cheese bring a load of their own.
• Seeded and flavoured versions Added onion or garlic powder, inulin or chicory root fibre listed as added fibre, and dried fruit or malt in the darker varieties all add load on top of the rye fructans rather than diluting them.
• Toasting and staling do nothing Fructans are not destroyed by heat or by time in the cupboard, so a crispbread that has gone soft and been crisped in the oven carries exactly what it did before.

Swaps

The role here is a dry, crisp base with a snap, and several low FODMAP options fill it: plain rice crackers and rice cakes, corn-based or polenta crisps, buckwheat crackers, and oat-based crackers with no wheat or rye in the ingredient list. Gluten free crispbreads and crackers built on rice, corn or buckwheat flour are the closest match on the shelf, and plain gluten free bread toasted hard gives a similar crunch when you want bread rather than a cracker. What will not solve the problem is swapping rye for ordinary wheat or barley crackers, wheat crispbread or wholemeal crackers, since all of them carry fructans too.

How to lower the load

Read the flour, not the front of the box, because rye hides in products sold on fibre, wholegrain or Scandinavian styling. In the cracker aisle look for rice, corn, buckwheat or oats as the first ingredient and no wheat, rye or barley further down, and be sceptical of anything listing inulin or chicory root fibre. Since crispbread is usually eaten for the topping, plan that part too: cheddar, parmesan or swiss, plain tuna or chicken, egg, cucumber, carrot, bell pepper and baby spinach all sit well on a rice or buckwheat cracker, and garlic-infused oil gives you the garlic flavour in a dip without the fructans as long as no solid pieces are left in the oil. Store the swap in an airtight container, since rice and corn crackers go soft faster than rye does.

Common questions

is rye crispbread low fodmap

No. It is high FODMAP at 2 biscuits (20g), because of the fructans in rye.

how much rye crispbread can i eat on a low fodmap diet

2 biscuits (20g) is already high, and there is no smaller serving that comes in low, so there is no portion of rye crispbread to aim for.

is sourdough rye crispbread ok

No. Rye crispbread is high at 2 biscuits (20g), and a pack labelled sourdough flavoured or sourdough style carries the same rye, so it should not be assumed to behave differently.

what crackers can i eat instead of rye crispbread

Plain rice crackers or rice cakes, corn and polenta crisps, buckwheat crackers, or gluten free crispbreads made from rice or corn flour. Ordinary wheat and barley crackers are not a fix, since they carry fructans too.