25 Nutritious Low FODMAP Recipes

If you’re looking for delicious + nutritious low FODMAP recipes, you’ve come to the right place. As a gut health dietitian, I know how challenging it can be to find good low FODMAP recipes on the internet. So I started creating my own, here on the blog and in my gut health cookbook, Good For Your Gut, which contains 30 plant-based, low FODMAP recipes that are super yummy.

This post has you covered with main dish recipes for low FODMAP lunches and low FODMAP dinners that are also 100% plant-based. I’ve got separate posts if you’re looking for low FODMAP breakfasts, low FODMAP desserts and low FODMAP snacks too!

In addition to giving you the recipes you need to stay low FODMAP, I also wanted to share some dietitian-approved advice on low FODMAP eating, so there is a lot to digest in this post (every pun intended)! Use this handy table of contents to jump ahead to what you need.

What does FODMAP stand for?

FODMAP is an acronym for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, and Monosaccharides and Polyols.

The FODMAPs are carbohydrates that are not fully digested by some of us; if we have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), these FODMAPs move into the colon where they are fermented by bacteria causing gas, intestinal discomfort and bloating. Some FODMAPs, like lactose, can also draw water to them, loosening up your bowel movements. Many plant foods have high FODMAPs, such as apples, mangoes, pears, asparagus, artichoke, garlic, wheat, barley, rye, honey, agave syrup, yogurt, and cashews. You might have noticed that these are really healthy foods…so don’t avoid them if you don’t have to! In fact, if you don’t have IBS, eating more FODMAP-rich plant foods may help you build a healthier microbiome, as a will a focus on eating high fibre foods.

What is a Low FODMAP diet?

A low FODMAP diet involves eliminating high FODMAP foods from your daily meals for 4 – 12 weeks to allow your system to calm down, after which, you slowly reintroduce them back into your diet. When you reintroduce, it allows you to identity which FODMAPs are triggering the IBS symptoms and which are not…and how much you tolerate. 

Although this is a great initial strategy for those with IBS, and helps to relieve intestinal discomfort, it’s definitely not a long-term solution. Remember that low FODMAP diets should always be temporary because what makes them effective is also what makes them potentially harmful long term: it starves the good microbes in our gut and can place our gut health at risk.There are so many different reasons why a person may feel intestinal discomfort, and it may not be because of IBS.

If you experience any intestinal discomfort after eating certain foods and symptoms persist, go talk to your doctor. If you know that you have IBS and want more information on a low FODMAP diet, pick up a copy of Good For Your Gut Cookbook, which has a large section on IBS and low FODMAP.

Tips for going Low FODMAP when you’re vegan

Learning the ins and outs of which foods are low FODMAP and which aren’t can take some time..but you might be surprised to know there are plenty of low FODMAP vegan foods for you to enjoy! I have a great FREE downloadable low FODMAP food list for you to get you started. I also highly recommend you purchase the Monash University FODMAP app as it is constantly updated so you’ll always have the latest information at your fingertips when new foods are tested.

There are plenty of fruits, vegetables and FODMAP-free grains to choose from. So more often, you’ll be swapping foods as opposed to omitting foods. The biggest challenge is probably protein because some of our favourite gut-healthy plant-based proteins (AKA beans) are high FODMAP. As most vegans know, in addition to protein, getting our iron in is also important.

And as long as it’s tolerated, I highly recommend consuming a low FODMAP portion of rinsed, canned lentils and chickpeas daily (1/4 cup is low FODMAP) as well as at least one portion of tofu or the aforementioned tempeh—both low FODMAP!—to keep your protein up. Protein powders can be helpful if you like smoothies in the morning.

Finding a Low FODMAP bread for your Low FODMAP recipes

The other challenge is finding a low FODMAP bread. While low FODMAP eating doesn’t necessarily have to be gluten free, in reality, gluten free white breads are usually the choices, like Udi’s classic white bread. Not the most nutrient-dense, but hey…low FODMAP isn’t for life! 100% spelt sourdough also appears to be low FODMAP in a few countries such as US, Australia and Netherlands. Again, this is why the app is so helpful! You may also come across some low FODMAP certified breads, such as some regional sourdoughs or the Cob’s Bread LowFOD bread. This post is NOT sponsored at all…but honestly, this bread is a life saver because it’s much more delicious and nutritious than a lot of what’s on offer and Cob’s is pretty common in the US, Canada and Australia.

25+ Nutritious Low FODMAP Recipes

Finding exciting meals is such a HUGE part of living a healthy life. You might be surprised that as a dietitian, I think eating foods you love is just as important as getting your nutrients in, but it’s true! So it can be kinda disappointing when specialized diet recipes look like they were created by someone who doesn’t like to eat. These recipes are anything but: delicious, nutritious and fully low FODMAP and plant-based so you can keep getting those plants in even while you’re low FODMAP!