Dietitian-Approved Low-FODMAP Meal Plan Ideas

The Low-FODMAP Diet Is Trending — Here Are 5 Meal Plans to Get You Started

If you've ever struggled with frequent bloating, been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), or experienced other unpleasant GI symptoms, your healthcare provider may have recommended a low-FODMAP diet. This temporary eating plan can curb a lot of digestive distress — from room-clearing gas to stomach pain — by limiting specific types of carbs known as FODMAPs that are known to be fermented by bacteria in the gut.

“The low-FODMAP diet has been around for 20 years and it has hundreds of research studies to prove its effectiveness for managing symptoms for up to 80% of people with IBS,” says Beth Rosen, a registered dietitian with Oshi Health.

According to Avery Zenker, a registered dietitian at MyCrohnsandColitisTeam, the low-FODMAP diet has three distinct phases: The restriction phase, which usually lasts 4-6 weeks, reintroduction phase, which lasts 3-6 weeks, and the personalization phase that’s used once “trigger foods” have been identified.

Theresa Link, a registered dietitian at Virta Health, advises cutting out one FODMAP group at a time so you can figure out which ones are most problematic for you.

While a low-FODMAP diet can provide relief for a lot of people, it’s also pretty restrictive — hence why practitioners never recommend staying on it long term. Unlike other elimination diets, which may involve cutting out just one type of food or (say, dairy, eggs, nuts, or soy) a wide variety of foods are off limits on the low-FODMAP diet. That includes healthy options like some fruits, beans and legumes, whole grains, and even vegetables.

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All that said, it is possible to follow a low-FODMAP diet without being totally miserable. Below, doctors and dietitians share some meal plan ideas to help you get started.

Sample Low-FODMAP Meal Plan

Day 1

“Those who don’t want to reduce dairy in their diet — like vegetarians — can opt for lactose-free versions of dairy products, since lactose is the fermentable carbohydrate found in dairy,” says Rosen. Here’s what a day of low-FODMAP eating might look like, per Rosen’s recommendations.

• Breakfast: Chia pudding with lactose-free milk, maple syrup, strawberries, blueberries, and walnuts
• Lunch: Blackened chicken and quinoa bowl with chopped tomatoes, peppers, avocado, and lactose-free sour cream
• Dinner: Herbed salmon with sweet potatoes and green beans

Day 2

Meena Malhotra, MD, a double board-certified internal medicine and obesity medicine physician and the founder of Heal n Cure Medical Wellness Center, recommends this well-rounded meal plan — which still packs plenty of protein, plant foods, and healthy fats. Rice-based noodles and snacks are generally a great low-FODMAP alternative for wheat-based products.

• Breakfast: Lactose free yogurt with kiwi slices
• Lunch: Rice noodles with shrimp, bok choy , ginger and sesame
• Snack: Rice cakes with peanut butter
• Dinner: Turkey meatballs with polenta and zucchini

Day 3

Here’s one of Zenker’s favorite low-FODMAP meal plans.

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with spinach on sourdough toast
• Lunch: Stir fry with bok choy, firm tofu, soy sauce and white rice
• Snack: Popcorn with nutritional yeast, salt, and olive oil
• Dinner: Salmon fillet, baked potato, and roasted carrots

Day 4

“In general, meats, eggs, hard cheeses, and fats like butter, olive oil, and coconut oil are all well tolerated and can serve as a mainstay for meals and snacks,” says Link.

This meal plan recommended by Link proves you can still maintain a balanced diet while eating low FODMAP.M. 

• Breakfast: ½ cup rolled oats cooked with almond milk and topped with ½ cup raspberries
• Lunch: Tuna salad roll-ups in a lettuce wrap or gluten free toast
• Snack: Macadamia nuts with ½ cup blueberries
• Dinner: Baked salmon with sauteed green beans or spinach salad with cucumbers and vinaigrette

Day 5

Here’s another one of Malhotra’s go-to low-FODMAP meal plans.

• Breakfast: Smoothie with spinach, pineapple, chia seeds and lactose free milk
• Lunch: Salad with mixed greens, canned tuna , tomatoes, olives and a vinaigrette
• Snack: Pumpkin seeds
• Dinner: Beef stir fry with carrots, green beans, and ginger

Is There Anyone Who Shouldn’t Try a Low-FODMAP Diet?

According to Link, Rosen, and Zenker, you shouldn’t go on a low-FODMAP diet if you:

• Have a history of disordered eating
• Have known nutritional deficiencies or are malnourished
• Are already following another restrictive diet
• Are dealing with unintentional weight loss

Working with a registered dietitian is strongly recommended while navigating a low-FODMAP diet. Not only can they personalize the diet to your lifestyle, symptoms, and goals, says Link, but they can also ensure that your nutritional needs are met while you’re adhering to the diet.

“A dietitian can help guide through each phase of the diet, and they can provide tasty and healthy meal ideas and grocery lists based on personal dietary preferences and needs,” adds Zenker.

It’s also important to keep your doctor in the loop — particularly because GI symptoms like gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea can be signs of a more serious underlying condition.

Do FODMAP Digestive Enzymes Work?

In recent years, several products have emerged promising to help the body break down FODMAPs before they ferment in the gut — thus allowing you to eat those high-FODMAP foods without fearing you’ll be suffering later on.

Rosen notes that there are no enzymes available yet that can break down polyols or sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and mannitol. However, some supplements contain enzymes that may aid the body in breaking down oligosaccharides (found in garlic, onion) disaccharides (found in milk, yogurt, soft cheese), and monosaccharides (found in some fruits and honey). For example, lactase is known to be effective for breaking down the lactose in dairy, and alpha-galactosidase can break down oligosaccharides.

“Digestive enzymes can be helpful, but they’re not a cure-all,” says Zenker.

Two products that may come in handy include FODMATE and FODZYME.

Both products contain alpha-galactosidase to help digest the fermentable carbs in beans and legumes, and lactase to help digest the milk sugar in dairy. However, FODZYME also contains the proprietary enzyme fructan hydrolase to aid in digesting the fermentable carbs in wheat, garlic, and onion. FODMATE features a different proprietary enzyme blend: endo- and exo-inulase to help digest the inulin and fructans in foods like bananas and artichokes; glucose isomerase to help convert the fructose in fruits, honey, and agave into simpler and more easily digestible sugars; and pectinase to break down the pectin in certain fruits and veggies, like citrus and apples.

Whereas FODZYME is a flavorless powder that you sprinkle directly onto meals, FODMATE comes in a capsule form that you take right before eating or with your first few bites.

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