Avocado: A portion that is 1/8 a single fruit is low-FODMAP.Sweet potato: A ½ cup portion is low-FODMAP.Broccoli: A ¾ cup serving of florets is low-FODMAP.Cabbage: A ¾ cup serving is low-FODMAP.Canned pumpkin: A 1/3 cup serving is low-FODMAP.
Lunch Salad with grilled chicken, strawberries, and feta Snack Small berry smoothie Dinner Homemade pork fried rice Dessert Lactose-free frozen yogurt
Day 2
Breakfast Omelet with spinach and feta Lunch Gluten-free margherita pizza Snack Crunchy chickpeas (¼ cup) Dinner Salmon-avocado sushi Dessert Raspberry sorbet
Day 3
Breakfast Rice cake with peanut butter and mashed raspberries Lunch Bean-free veggie soup with gluten-free crackers Snack Walnuts Dinner Fish tacos on corn tortillas Dessert Sliced pineapple
Day 4
Breakfast Overnight oats with bananas and macadamia nuts Lunch Beef vegetable soup Snack Carrot sticks and peanut butter Dinner Gluten-free spaghetti Bolognese Dessert Gluten-free blueberry crumble bar
Day 5
Breakfast Scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and red bell peppers Lunch Chili (made with canned lentils instead of beans) Snack Orange and sunflower seeds Dinner Beef stew Dessert A square of 80 percent cacao dark chocolate
Day 6
Breakfast Shakshuka (poached eggs in a tomato sauce) Lunch Tuna salad over greens Snack Gluten-free crackers and cheddar cheese Dinner Pork tenderloin with zucchini Dessert Sliced strawberries
Day 7
Breakfast Two hard-boiled eggs with cantaloupe Lunch Quinoa salad with chicken, zucchini, and radishes Snack Popcorn Dinner Eggplant Parmesan made with gluten-free breading Dessert Chocolate sorbet Neha Shah, MPH, RD, a digestive health nutrition expert at Stanford Health Care in San Francisco, tells her patients with IBS that it can take up to two to six weeks to feel better. “What we’re looking for is less abdominal pain, and less gas and bloating,” she says. It’s possible you can still have symptoms after a low-FODMAP diet. In that case, an evaluation by a registered dietitian can pinpoint potential snags, like hidden FODMAPs or excess consumption of low- or moderate-FODMAP foods, which can also potentially trigger symptoms.
If you have disordered eating habits, have a history of an eating disorder, or are underweight, a low-FODMAP diet can be too restrictive for you, triggering further restriction, says Scarlata. “In this case, other IBS treatments, such as enteric peppermint oil, probiotics, or gut-directed hypnosis could be alternatives to diet-based treatments,” she says. Work with your healthcare team to find out whether these options may benefit you.
Phase 1: Elimination
Pick a start date and remove all high-FODMAP foods from the diet. This is where it’s critical to have a registered dietitian working with you, as they can provide guidance on appropriate food substitutions. “To be successful, it’s important to understand how to eliminate FODMAPs in different life scenarios — at work, traveling, at home — and learn how to find substitutions in each environment,” says Shah. Extra credit for planning ahead and getting low-FODMAP foods in your kitchen and removing high-FODMAP foods. This lasts for two to four weeks.
Phase 2: Reintroduction
The main goal with phase 2 is to identify your food triggers, says Shah. While there’s no clear-cut method on how to reintroduce foods, she says that often the recommended step is to reintroduce each FODMAP at a time with a select list of foods. So reintroducing lactose may involve drinking 1 cup of cow’s milk, and watching how your body reacts. Reintroducing fructose may be ½ cup of watermelon. During this time, you’ll continue to follow a low-FODMAP diet so that you can identify what triggers symptoms. Keep a food journal handy, either by using an app on your smartphone or an old-school paper notebook, to track your symptoms. This phase lasts six to eight weeks.
Phase 3: Personalization
“We continue to expand the low-FODMAP diet by eating FODMAPs that are tolerated well and eliminating those that are bothersome,” says Shah. She notes that it’s unlikely any one food needs to be completely avoided. Generally bothersome foods may not be eaten daily or may only be eaten in a small amount, as tolerance often depends on the dose. One important thing to keep in mind throughout is that you don’t have to be perfect. “The goal isn’t to have a FODMAP-free diet, but rather to reduce FODMAPs in the diet to modify GI symptoms,” says Scarlata. “Added stress with diet changes can impact gut symptoms on its own, and that’s not the goal here,” she says. Get the recipe from Monash University.
2. Low-FODMAP Roasted Chicken With Maple and Rosemary
This juicy roasted chicken features a low-FODMAP marinade made from lemon juice, oil, maple syrup, and herbs. Get the recipe from Rachel Pauls Food.
3. Low FODMAP Turkey Chili With Sweet Potato and Lentils
This chili gets its heartiness from sweet potatoes, ground turkey, lentils, and leeks, and its warm-you-up flavor from a low-FODMAP taco seasoning and cinnamon, making it perfect for a chilly day. Get the recipe from Fun Without FODMAPs.
4. Parsnip Chowder With Crispy Sage (Low FODMAP)
This is one of the most delightfully creamy soups you’ll eat all year. Potatoes and parsnips serve as the base, while coconut milk thickens the soup, and sage leaves makes each bowl beautifully fragrant. To make the recipe more low-FODMAP-friendly, skip the garlic. Get the recipe from Feed Me Phoebe.
5. Low-FODMAP Pork Loin Roast With Herb Rice Stuffing
When you need a recipe for a dinner party (or just want leftovers for later in the week), this pork loin roast is a winner. Serve it up with the pumpkin seed–studded risotto, and you have a restaurant-worthy dish. Get the recipe from A Little Bit Yummy. The site and accompanying app are well laid out and extremely informative in guiding you through the diet and helping to identify low-, moderate-, and high-FODMAP foods. Everyone on this diet needs to have this resource in their back pocket. A Little Bit Yummy Not only will you find low-FODMAP recipes, but also e-courses, entire meal plans, and added support (for example: how to “FOD-ify” your existing favorite recipes) to find success on the plan. The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step This book, by Kate Scarlata, RDN, and Dede Wilson, is packed with delicious recipes (more than 130) to help you successfully execute the diet throughout its three phases. The Low-FODMAP Diet for Beginners A No 1. bestseller in its category, this guide by Mollie Tunitsky teaches you how to shop appropriately, find the recipe depending on your dietary needs, like vegetarian, pescatarian, and more. The Flexible FODMAP Diet Cookbook By Karen Frazier, this resource packs in a variety of meal plans, plus a bevy of recipes for every meal, snack, side, and dessert. A: No. The low-FODMAP diet is not a weight loss diet. It’s a diet that helps people with IBS limit or avoid GI discomfort that can accompany eating. Q: What foods have fructans? A: Wheat, onion, and garlic are foods that contain fructans, or inulin, according to Stanford Health Care. Q: Why is a FODMAP diet low? A: The “low” in a low-FODMAP diet refers to the specific foods that contain low amounts of certain carbohydrates in foods that may be difficult to digest, and can trigger GI symptoms in IBS patients. Q: What is FODMAPs intolerance? A: This may refer to someone who has IBS who finds that eating high-FODMAP foods or larger amounts of moderate-FODMAP foods sets off GI symptoms like gas, bloating, and diarrhea or constipation. Q: What kind of bread can I eat on a FODMAP diet? A: Low-FODMAP breads include millet bread, corn bread, sourdough bread, sourdough spelt bread, and gluten-free white bread. Work with a registered dietitian for help on identifying more low-FODMAP foods. People with active eating disorders, however, should avoid a low-FODMAP diet. Following a low-FODMAP diet involves limiting or avoiding foods that are high in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, which includes legumes; gluten-containing grains; high-lactose dairy; some fruits, like apples and stone fruit; vegetables such as cauliflower and mushrooms; and certain sweeteners, like honey. After following the three-step elimination diet protocol, you may see a notable reduction in GI symptoms in two to six weeks, though some people report feeling better within days.
