Tips for Devising an Easy, Low Fodmap Meal Plan

As a Registered Dietitian, most people think that my job is creating meal plans. While I was not lucky enough to take any classes on meal planning (do those even exist?), I do know a thing or two about constructing a well-thought-out low FODMAP meal plan! The low FODMAP diet is an elimination diet meant for people with digestive issues, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is not meant to be a weight loss diet, but it’s there to help you identify which high FODMAP foods may be causing some of your trigger symptoms!

So, what exactly is meal planning? It’s pretty simple: write out what you want to eat for the week, make a grocery shopping list and then meal prep what you need to. Meal planning takes the stress out of the question “what’s for dinner?” because you already know what’s for dinner…it’s in your meal plan and prepped and ready to go! If you’re like me, having too many choices can feel overwhelming. That’s why I like to keep meal planning simple, easy, and repeatable!

Before you get started on your shopping and prepping, here are some of my best meal planning tips:

• Check your pantry.
• Look in your pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what items you already have. Then make a list of what you actually need. This may take a little time but will save you money!
• Don’t make everything from scratch.
• Frozen foods, canned beans, pre-chopped veggies. All of these things will save you time in the kitchen! 
• Buy packaged snacks.
• Keep yourself from going hungry while you’re on the go by keeping some low FODMAP packaged snacks with you. I recommend GoMacro bars to my clients, which are always a big hit! 
• Meal prep what you can.
• Things like salad dressings, sauces, or roasted veggies can be prepped days in advance. 
• Keep it simple.
• I personally like to choose one new recipe a week to try, but go with what you’re comfortable with. You may want to do the same or stick to some tried and true favorites. 
• Be flexible.
• Once you’re comfortable with your low FODMAP ingredients, feel free to experiment and change recipes. While baking does need to be exact to get an edible result, cooking can be open to interpretation!
• Consider leftovers.
•  If this low FODMAP meal plan is just for you, you’ll definitely have leftovers. If you’re cooking for a whole family, double the recipe so that you can have enough leftovers. 
• Try quick smoothies.
• Grab a freezer-friendly plastic baggie (or better yet, a Stasher bag) and prep individual ingredients for your smoothies. Stick in the freezer, then pull it out when you’re ready. Dump it in a blender, add your liquid of choice, and blend!
• Utilize your slow cooker.
• Is there anything better than a slow cooker? Set it in the morning, then when you come home from work you have dinner ready to go. 

Low FODMAP 5-Day Meal Plan: Here are some suggestions to get you started!

Breakfast:

• Blueberry Baked Oatmeal: Feel free to use your lactose-free milk of choice. I like unsweetened vanilla almond milk but coconut milk would work great too! (Or, if you’re more of a grab-and-go breakfast person, a great alternative would be Bob’s Red Mill Classic Oatmeal cup w/ a handful of blueberries and a drizzle of almond butter or chopped walnuts!)
• Low FODMAP Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie: Feel free to play around with this. If you’re using lactose-free cow’s milk, you don’t necessarily need the extra protein powder. If you’re looking for extra fiber, add in a tablespoon of chia seeds or a handful of greens. 

Lunch:

• Turkey, Cheddar Cheese, Sourdough bread, mustard w/ Cape Cod chips, and baby carrots:  Take note of this sourdough bread buying tip: if the ingredients include “yeast” this usually means it was added to speed up the fermentation process and has not been fully fermented. Sourdough bread needs to undergo 24 hours of fermentation to be low FODMAP. Ask the bakery at your grocery store if you’re not sure!
• Low FODMAP Rainbow Quinoa Salad: Make enough dressing to add to green salad during the week. 

Dinner:

• Low FODMAP Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Bowl: Follow this recipe, using either brown rice or leftover quinoa (check your freezer aisle, these can often be found there and microwaved in a few minutes). Add some fresh greens like spinach or butter lettuce. 
• Against the Grain 3 Cheese Frozen Pizza w/ green salad: You can use the leftover greens from the Salsa Chicken Bowl and the leftover dressing from the Rainbow Quinoa Salad. 
• Sheet Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes: Try this easy, one-pan recipe!

Snacks: 

• GoMacro bars
• Gluten-free pretzels and grapes

Dessert:

• Beckon Lactose-Free Vanilla Ice Cream topped with berries
• Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
  

I’ve listed a lot of specific brands and flavors which I know are low FODMAP. You can go to their individual websites to see which stores near you may stock them. Another great option would be the Spoonful app. Download it and use it to see if similar products are low FODMAP friendly.