The Best LOW FODMAP Meal Plans for People with IBS

A lot of diets and healthy lifestyles have become popular trends, like the Mediterranean Diet. That’s because diets have also become more accessible to people who wanted to try them. As technology advanced, people have better access to ingredients required for their diet. And you have entrepreneurs building a business out of it to help busy clients maintain their healthy lifestyles.

However, there are also less popular diets that were recommended because of health issues. One of those is the Low FODMAP diet that’s usually prescribed for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). At first, you’d think it’s not a big deal, but no one wants their day to revolve around their bowels.

That’s why we’ll discuss the definition of a Low FODMAP diet and how to plan meals based on it. That way, you’ll be less worried about how your stomach reacts to what you eat every day, wherever you go. Without further ado, let’s get into the discussion so you can start planning those meals!

How to Define a Low FODMAP Diet

FODMAP is an acronym that determines a class of carbohydrates that’s more difficult for people to digest. They’re fermentable short-chain carbohydrates called Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols.

It’s a temporarily restrictive diet where the intake of those carbohydrates is controlled. This will give your digestive system time to rest and adjust accordingly. By removing the irritants, your gut lining has a chance to repair itself and restore a balance of gut flora. At that point, you can use the low FODMAP diet as a guide to know which foods to limit in the future.

A challenge that you might find in doing this diet is where you’ll start and how to maintain it. In such cases, you can opt to choose a low FODMAP meal delivery service to help you. And then, you can take inspiration from their meals as you learn to plan for yourself. Their meal plans are created by doctors and dieticians, making them a reliable source of information for diets.

What is the Low FODMAP Food You Can Eat?

Below is a list of low FODMAP food that you can eat or use as ingredients but be sure to check with your doctor:

Among Vegetables

1. Bamboo shoots
2. Bean sprouts
3. Carrots
4. Chicory leaves
5. Chives
6. Cucumber
7. Ginger
8. Kale
9. Leek leaves
10. Tomato (in limited amounts)

Among Fruits

1. Blueberries
2. Cantaloupe
3. Clementine
4. Dragonfruit
5. Grapes
6. Lemon
7. Orange
8. Pineapple
9. Papaya
10. Strawberries

Meats and Meat Substitutes

1. Beef
2. Chicken
3. Pork
4. Chorizo
5. Lamb
6. Turkey
7. Cold cuts
8. Processed meat is allowed but please check the ingredients

Seafood

1. Canned fish
2. Cod
3. Salmon Tuna
4. Trout
5. Crab
6. Mussels
7. Oysters
8. Shrimp
9. Prawns
10. Lobster

Cereals, Grains, Nuts, Pasta, and Bread

1. Gluten-free bread
2. Gluten-free pasta
3. Chestnuts
4. Corn tortillas
5. Cornflakes
6. Frosted Flakes
7. Macadamia nuts
8. Oatmeal
9. Peanuts
10. Popcorn

Low FODMAP Meal Plans for People with IBS

1. On Monday/Day 1

You can start the week with oatmeal with blueberries and walnuts for breakfast. Grains like rice, quinoa, and oats have low FODMAP unlike dairy, wheat, and beans. Blueberries, oranges, and grapes are also some fruits that have low FODMAP. But you should avoid apples, pears, and cherries because they’re high in FODMAP.

For lunch, consider salad with grilled chicken and strawberries, and feta on the side. You may have a snack of a small berry smoothie a few hours later. Meat also has low FODMAP so having pork fried rice for dinner is a good choice. Your dessert can be Lactose-free frozen yogurt—with an emphasis on “Lactose-free”.

2. On Tuesday/Day 2

Your breakfast can consist of an omelet with spinach and feta because eggs are also low in FODMAP. Lunch can be gluten-free Margherita pizza because you’re allowed to have tomatoes in your diet. You can snack on some crunchy chickpeas later, about a fourth cup.

Have you tried salmon-avocado sushi because that’s a good dinner to have for a low FODMAP meal? And finish the day with raspberry sorbet for dessert to cleanse your palate.

3. On Wednesday/Day 3

For a different breakfast while keeping it low FODMAP, try a rice cake with peanut butter and mashed raspberries. Lunch can consist of bean-free veggie soup and gluten-free crackers. And instead of having walnuts for breakfast, you can munch on them as a snack. For dinner, you can have fish tacos on corn tortillas and dessert can consist of sliced pineapple.

4. On Thursday/Day 4

Your breakfast on day four can be overnight oats with bananas and macadamia nuts. Your lunch can be beef vegetable soup to get that protein for the day. And you can snack on carrot sticks and peanut butter later in the day.

For dinner, have some gluten-free spaghetti Bolognese to fill you up. And have a dessert of gluten-free blueberry crumble bar. At this point, you’ll notice how there’s a similarity in the ingredients used for the meals. But all of them are low FODMAP meals despite being made differently.

5. On Friday/Day 5

Once again, you have eggs for breakfast but they’re scrambled with cheddar cheese and red bell peppers. Then you can have chili for lunch made with canned lentils, not beans. Your snack can consist of orange and sunflower seeds as these are safe to include in your diet. You can have some delicious beef stew for dinner and 80% dark cacao dark chocolate for dessert.

6. On Saturday/Day 6

If you haven’t heard of Shakshuka, this is the time to find and try it out. It’s made with poached eggs in tomato sauce which are part of a good low-FODMAP meal. Your lunch can be tuna salad over greens for a healthy balance of fish in the diet. And meat in the evening for dinner with pork tenderloin with zucchini. Your dessert can consist of sliced strawberries for that sour palate cleanser from the pork dish.

7. On Sunday/Day 7

On the last day of the week, have two hard-boiled eggs with cantaloupe for a good breakfast. Lunch can be quinoa salad with chicken, zucchini, and radishes—a great combination of flavors. And why not have popcorn as a snack on a Sunday if your doctor allows it?

For dinner, try eggplant parmesan made with gluten-free breading—gluten-free is the keyword. And for dessert, have some chocolate sorbet for a sweet finish to the day and week!

Conclusion

The low FODMAP diet isn’t a popular trend, but it is highly beneficial to people with IBS. Doctors would recommend this diet along with a list of food to eat and avoid. But sometimes, a list alone isn’t enough to figure out what dishes to eat so here you are. Looking for meal plans and recipes is just the initial step to doing your low FODMAP diet.

That said, you may not have too much time to prepare food despite the research you’ve made. Hence, low FODMAP meal deliveries are a big help to sustain your new healthy lifestyle. Make sure to look for those services whose menus were created by doctors and dieticians for credibility. Otherwise, you might end up ruining your diet and your day if it irritates your bowels.