I had such an overwhelming response to my blog post about the FODMAP diet so thank you! If you would like to read it, you can find it HERE – I cover the history of my food issues and why I started the diet. A lot of people asked for a post about what I had been eating so I ‘ve put together my favourite meals along with some boring standard ‘fall back’ meals. Don’t forget to let me know your FODMAP elimination diet recipes!
With all the meals and recipes listed below, please use your common sense and don’t just take my recommendation at face value – some of these recipes may have been tweaked by me to remove high FODMAP ingredients. Many recipes I found were listed as low FODMAP (probably for click bait) but had to be altered before I could eat them. Please also bear in mind that there are so many different FODMAP lists around with differing ideas on what is allowed, I tried to be as strict as possible when making my list so that I could start from absolute zero. It goes without saying that I am not a dietician and that you should consult a doctor before taking on a drastic diet change.
BREAKFAST
Overnight oats – I flipping love porridge so when I discovered overnight oats many moons ago I was so happy. It’s really simple: you just throw all your ingredients in a tub the night before, put it in the fridge, the next morning take it out and either heat it up in the microwave or eat it cold. I used gluten-free oats and almond milk as the base, with some maple syrup to sweeten. I really liked the following additions: blueberries, strawberries, banana, raspberries or blackberries, but you can add whatever you like. (warning: if you search ‘overnight oats’ on Pinterest you will fall into an internet hole of deliciousness and may never escape). I also add chia seeds to thicken up the portion and give me a much needed energy boost first thing on a morning.
Sourdough toast, almond butter and sliced banana – I could eat this combination every…single…day. For every meal. I love it. It’s filling, it’s quick, and it’s just sweet enough that I can convince myself that it’s a treat.
LUNCH
Salad Nicoise – I work from home and most days I completely forget to have lunch which is terrible, I KNOW. I just get caught up in work and then realise at about 4pm that I’m famished. So, in an attempt to avoid this, I try to make salads the night before so that whenever I open the fridge the salads are there, ready to go. I LOVE Salad Nicoise anyway, so this was a no-brainer for me. The ingredients I used: tuna, tomatoes (not cherry ones if you’re on FODMAP – they’re too acidic), olives, hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, green beans, boiled potatoes. The dressing was olive oil mixed with Dijon mustard.
Mozzarella, tomato and basil salad – Again this is one of my favourite lunches, one I’ll often order when we’re out in a restaurant. It’s simple, delicious, light (which is good in the summer heat) and can be rustled up in next to no time. Do you really need me to tell you the ingredients of this?
DINNER
Turkey, feta and spinach burgers – These were by far the best things I made while doing the FODMAP elimination diet. They were absolutely delicious and I really enjoyed eating the leftovers for days afterwards. I think the best ‘diet’ food is a meal that doesn’t make you feel as though you’re missing out, and these were so tasty and filling that I definitely didn’t feel deprived! I used this RECIPE.
Grilled chicken and veg – A very boring staple that I relied on when I had no energy and no inspiration. I’d throw the chicken in the George Foreman grill and quickly steam the vegetables and I was ready to go. If you need a recipe for this you have much bigger problems than the FODMAP diet.
Sticky stir-fried beef – I found this on Pinterest and it was one of the three FODMAP specific recipes that I made that my husband actually ate and enjoyed (you have no idea how difficult this is). I found the recipe on Pinterest and it was absolutely gorgeous, sweet and quite quick to prepare. Find the recipe I used HERE.
Maple and sesame chicken – Another of the FODMAP meals that Aaron ate and really enjoyed, which isn’t surprising because it’s quite similar to the previous meal. Recipe HERE – I only put the spring onions in my husband’s portion as they’re not allowed on FODMAP.
Chicken Chow Mein – Another favourite meal of mine before I realised gluten was my body’s mortal enemy. This was the third meal Aaron ate and enjoyed. It may seem odd to talk about his reaction to the meals, but it’s hard enough completely changing your diet but if you don’t have the support of the people around you then it’s so much more difficult. I don’t want to be sat having grilled chicken if my husband is tucking into garlic bread and pasta right next to me! Recipe HERE – similar to above with regards to spring onions.
SNACKS
Dark chocolate. Yep. There are lots of delicious sounding recipes for FODMAP desserts but quite honestly, when it comes to sweet things I take the path of least resistance. That used to be grab bags of Twirl Bites or some Rocky Road brownies. Easy, quick, accessible. If I spend hours making a FODMAP-friendly cake or pudding, I would just eat the entire thing in one sitting to make it worth it. So I stuck with a slab of dark chocolate (remember to check for hidden gluten in dark chocolate, those sneaky buggers put it in everything!)
Eat Real’s range of crisps are INCREDIBLE. I know a lot of people make fun of hummus/lentil/quinoa crisps (*eye roll*) but when you’re limited to very plain potato-based crisps you soon crave something different. And these are honestly delicious. All are vegan but only some are gluten-free so you have to keep an eye out. My favourite FODMAP-appropriate ones are the Sea Salt Hummus Chips and the Lentil Chips. I’m still not sure whether ‘onion powder’ is allowed on FODMAP, if anyone knows please tell me in the comments below as the tomato & basil flavours are so scrummy and I’ll be thrilled if I can eat them again!
I hope you enjoyed my FODMAP elimination diet recipes. If you’ve tried the FODMAP diet, what are your favourite meals? Do you have favourite blogs or websites on which you find recipes? Let me know in the comments below!
Lex