Interview with the Founder of FODShop

I had the honour of interviewing the founder of FODShop, Shaynie Ashkenazi. The FODshop is an online shop for people on the low FODMAP diet.  The website has 20 different brands, 150 low fodmap products and 7 types of allerges catered for.  The FODshop makes it easy for people to find delicious low fodmap products on a single website.

1. I think the FODshop is such a wonderful idea for people on the low fodmap diet – where did the idea for the one stop shop for low fodmap products come from?

We realised it was really difficult for people with IBS to find suitable low FODMAP food products they could find locally. Let’s face it; you need to run here, there and everywhere to find suitable food you can actually eat. But who honestly has the time and energy to run all over town to find all the right foods?

Having low FODMAP food products available in the one place at one time, makes it so much easier to find safe food products which can be eaten while following a low FODMAP diet. This saves you a heap of time, removing the need to run to various supermarkets, health food stores and off-licences in hope of finding suitable low FODMAP foods.

2. Do you have any personal experience on the low fodmap diet?

Personally, I am not on the low FODMAP diet, however I work with many, many people who are. My work has enabled me to gain a deep understanding & appreciation of the challenges those with IBS face while following a low FODMAP diet, which has inspired me to create access to, and availability of, great food products which can be enjoyed, no matter where a person lives in Australia, or in the world.

3. What are your low fodmap essentials?

Usually I will recommend low FODMAP snacks to customers, as these are often skipped throughout the day. Snacks are super quick to pack with you to take on-the-go if you know you can’t plan ahead. Having low FODMAP ready-to-eat snack foods at your disposal means you’re less likely to give in to hunger cues and make decisions about food that is high FODMAP, giving you more control over your FODMAP intake.

4. Is it true FODshop is run by nutrionialists who vet all the products on the store?

FOD Shop is run by me, I am a university qualified Nutritionist who has extensive experience in food FODMAP testing and technical analysis. I have worked for one of the world’s leading low FODMAP certification bodies, studied clinical gastrointestinal nutrition, and had extensive gut health nutrition promotion experience.

All products at FOD Shop are either certified low FODMAP, or assessed by the FOD Shop team as low FODMAP by ingredient.

5. Do you provide any other advice for people on the low fodmap diet?

Very often we will refer our customers to an Accredited Practising Dietitian (Australia) or Registered Dietitian (UK, USA, Canada, NZ), when they are self-prescribing a low FODMAP diet for the management of their IBS symptoms.

It is very important and strongly encouraged, that our customers receive support and advice from a suitably qualified gut health expert clinician, to lead them through their nutrition for better gut health journey.

6. Where do you deliver your products to in the World?

We deliver Australia-wide and worldwide. We will soon be launching some products physically in the USA and the UK, so please stay tuned!

7. Do you think you will ever have a physical store/s?

This is a definite possibility! It would be amazing to be present in bricks & mortar in countries all around the world.

So go check out the FODshop website and see if it can make a difference to your life.