Do you experience digestive stress almost every single day?
Does it make you feel not only physically tired, but emotionally exhausted too?
If you know or suspect a chronic food intolerance could be causing you to feel this way – and are determined to discover exactly what those problem foods are – this sample meal plan is for you.
The 7-Day Low FODMAP Diet Plan For IBS is a Dietitian-made plan that helps you temporarily eliminate FODMAPs from your diet, which are a proven trigger of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
It’s designed to give you some ideas and take the stress and guesswork out of your meal-planning.
Remember that a low FODMAP diet should be strictly followed for at least 28 days (4 weeks) in order to be effective. To learn why, please read this first.
After that period it may be time to progress to the reintroduction or rechallenge phase. And remember there are strategies other than a low FODMAP diet to help with your digestive issues.
Many recipes in this plan are from FODMAP bloggers and dietitians that I strongly encourage you to follow!
Want to save all the recipes and ingredients for this meal plan?
The 7-Day Low FODMAP Diet Plan For IBS
Absolutely Must-Read Notes Before You Start:
- Ask your personal doctor or dietitian first: While I am a qualified Dietitian, I’m not familiar with your personal medical history, your current medications or additional factors that need to be considered when altering your diet or fitness regime.
- This meal plan is high restrictive and temporary: A low FODMAP diet is highly restrictive and not for those without a medical reason. It’s also a temporary eating pattern that is split into the Elimination Phase (1st) and the Reintroduction Phase (2nd) – read more about it here. This plan focuses on the Elimination Phase.
- Not appropriate for certain medical conditions: That includes people with diet-related medical conditions (eg. type 1 or type 2 diabetes using medication) and those at risk of eating disorders or emotionally fragile. Also it goes without saying that this is not for children- any elimination diet for a child must be under direct supervision of a dietitian.
- Download this low FODMAP food list: Portion size is fundamental as most low FODMAP foods still contain small amounts. For example, a serving of pineapple is low FODMAP, but if you eat half a pineapple in one go then your FODMAP intake will be high. Download this list as a low FODMAP food guide.
- Choose water as your drink: The meal plan does not include drinks, but keep a bottle of water with you at all times and drink up. Black coffee, black tea, peppermint tea, and green tea are very low FODMAP and okay to have (no milk).
- Prepare all foods yourself at home where possible: To avoid accidentally consuming high FODMAP foods usually means planning meals ahead of time, which is why I recommend you grab the shopping list for each week’s recipes at the bottom of this post.
- Keep a food diary: Record each meal you had and if you experienced any undesirable symptoms after each meal or later that day. This is known as a food diary and is crucial for helping you recognise triggers and later on for the reintroduction phase. Here is a simple example from Healthy Food Guide NZ that you could mimic, or just write yours on some paper at home.
- The recipes sourced often make 2-4 servings: Consider this when writing your shopping list. You will have leftovers. Feed the family or save the leftovers to have in place of a meal on another day.
- I also strongly recommend you invest $11 to purchase the Monash University FODMAPs app, available on iPhone and Android devices. They have a huge bank of foods that have been tested for their FODMAP levels, as well as almost 100 original recipe ideas. Small price to pay for a lifetime of change.
Please email me if you have any other questions – hello AT dietvsdisease.org (had to write it like that to avoid Spam-bots).
Day #1 Monday
Breakfast: Low FODMAP Blueberry Smoothie. Make a big batch so it’s ready to go from the fridge each morning.
Lunch: Fresh Spring (Rice-Paper) Rolls. Select a maximum of 3 veggies (from this list) and add a protein if you like. Leave out avocado and scallions.
Dinner: Maple Garlic Glazed Salmon + low FODMAP veggies (see the link just above) + 1 cup cooked brown rice (for the fiber).
Snack 1: A big handful of macadamias, Brazil nuts or walnuts (40g maximum). Important for fiber and nutrients.
Snack 2: Certified low FODMAP Dark Chocolate, Nuts and Sea Salt Snack Bar.
Day #2 Tuesday
Breakfast: 1/2 cup rolled oats + water or lactose-free milk, topped with ½ banana. More than 1/2 cup is high FODMAP (oligosaccharides).
Lunch: Pumpkin & Carrot Risotto. This is best prepared ahead of time in batches.
Dinner: Brown Rice Noodle & Veggie Stir Fry with Shrimp
Snack: 1 cup total of carrot and cucumber sticks + 3-4 tbsp cottage cheese. Keep these in the fridge as a snack or bring them to work.
Want to save all the recipes and ingredients for this meal plan?
Day #3 Wednesday
Breakfast: Overnight Banana Chocolate Oats
Lunch: Easy One-Pan Ratatouille
Dinner: Quinoa Crusted Chicken Parmesan + 1 cup cooked brown rice (for fiber) and low FODMAP veggies (from this list). Swap marinara sauce for plain tinned tomatoes.
Snack 1: 200g (7oz) Lactose-free yoghurt
Snack 2: Certified Low FODMAP Almond Coconut Snack Bar.
Day #4 Thursday
Breakfast: Sourdough toast (white wheat or 100% spelt) + peanut butter (2 pieces). Learn more about breads are okay here.
Lunch: Quinoa Salad with Nuts. This recipe has many alternatives depending on what vegetables and nuts you have leftover. Leave out the fruit, corn/peas, asparagus and cauliflower that is suggested in the recipe.
Dinner: Low FODMAP Spaghetti Bolognese. You can also use certified low FODMAP bolognese sauce.
Snack: 1 cup of carrot and cucumber sticks + 3-4 tbsp cottage cheese
Day #5 Friday
Breakfast: Choose your favourite.
Lunch: Low-FODMAP Tomato and Leek Frittata
Dinner: Sesame Tofu with Broccoli and Walnuts + brown rice (for extra fiber). Brown rice provides extra fibre (you will need it), but limit broccoli to 2/3 cup per serve.
Snack 1: A big handful of macadamias, Brazil nuts or walnuts (40g maximum)
Snack 2: 1 small packet (50 grams) corn chips + certified low FODMAP salsa.
Day #6 Saturday
Breakfast: Low FODMAP Blueberry Pancakes.
Lunch: Choose your favourite or leftovers.
Dinner: Choose your favourite / leftovers / eating out
Snack: 200g (7oz) Lactose-free yoghurt
Day #7 Sunday
Breakfast: Sunday Breakfast: Poached Eggs on Toast. Use sourdough toast (white wheat or 100% spelt).
Lunch: Choose your favourite / leftovers / eating out
Dinner: Korean Bibimbap Nourishing Bowl
Snack: Banana Nut Quinoa Muffins. One muffin, too many and it becomes high FODMAP.
Bonus Snack Ideas
Additional healthy treats and snack ideas… because life happens:
Snacks
- Rice crackers + small serve brie/Camembert/goat’s cheese/feta
- Banana slices (half banana) + spoonful of peanut butter
- Hard-boiled egg
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Desserts and Treats
- Easy Chocolate Chip-Oat Scones
- Creamy Coconut Milk Quinoa Pudding
- Cheesy Baked Quinoa and Zucchini Cups
- Fudgy One-Bowl Brownies
Want all the recipes and shopping list to print?
To make it easy for you, I’ve compiled all the recipes and ingredients for this meal plan into a document . You can then save it to your phone or print it out:
Thanks Joe have been following you for a while now. At Last someone has turned on the light for me. My whole body feels like it’s groaning and saying for goodness sake please help me. I am however having trouble about where to start. I have changed my attitude towards exercise. And now are really enjoying it. My problem is I’m a terrible night eater. I will eat anything that’s no nailed down.
What do you suggest as a good snack at night time
Hi Heather,
Do you mean where to start for food intolerance, or just for health in general?
That’s great to hear about exercise, so that shouldn’t take up so much willpower now (willpower is finite). Now you can focus on your nighttime habits.
I’d say fruit is a better option than junk food, and it works as a good swap because it’s still sweet. But at least has some fibre and much lower calorie per gram.
Or popcorn, but only natural microwave popcorn (you can buy that variety) or better yet popcorn that you have to pop yourself on the stove. (FODMAP friendly too).
85%+ dark chocolate is another good one, because you can’t eat loads of it.
Then there is the more important things to think about to make it a healthy habit. Not having any junk food in the house is the best method, because then you can’t even consider it.
Or brush your teeth shortly after dinner, because then you’ve made that commitment already to no longer eat afterwards.
Hello Joe
I am so sorry for some reason I did not see this email. Thank you for your advice.
i dont eat any sea food and the only meat i eat is chicken the restricted dairy and veg are mainly what i eat along with bread so where do i go from here to start feeling better and also getting the proper nutrition please
Hi Heather, I know it’s been a while since your post but I wanted to backup the ‘dark chocolate’ suggestion. I’m a major chocaholic but switching to dark chocolate with raspberry I eat a couple of squares and leave it alone. I didn’t think that would ever happen. I’d banned it from the house until an inevitable weak moment. It really works!
Hi thank you, I think I might have to start this, the bloating is unbearable.. I’ve been tested and do not have celiacs, I eat healthy and lots of salads, but I might have to replace apples with banana, I need a change..
Bananas bloat me up and make me nauseous—so don’t go overboard on anything-moderation is the key—Bananas are high in potassium, I have high potassium. Hyperkalemia is the term for that.
I’ve seen some negative comments about LOW FODMAP diets, and it could be the amount of bananas- other than that, this is one of the best looking diets.
I feel like I’m starving all the time so it’s terribly depressing what can I do?
Hi Kay you can introduce more snacks in between meals or increase your portion sizes if you are still hungry. Just make sure they are low FODMAP snacks
So excited that I found your site! I have been aware of FODMAP “eat this not that” lists for a while but it’s helpful to see how you can build your meals for a whole week vs. good food/bad food mentality.
Thank you
Sarah
Hi. I downloaded the 14 day FODMAP shopping list today, and purchased everything on it so that I could follow your meal plan. However, when I got home, I started looking at the recipes in the links that appear in the 14 day plan, they had a number of items in them that do not appear on your shopping list! This is very frustrating, and likely means that I will end up doing repeated trips to the shops, which is what I was hoping to avoid!
Hi Mandy,
Sorry about that, did you email? I feel like I responded in email?
Could you let me know what items it was, so I can fix the issue.
Thanks and sorry again.
Joe
Hi, have you already fixed this? Can I use the shopping list on the pdf for all the recipes?
HI, I don’t see the link to the shopping list…am I blind??? lol
Bobbi
Thank you so much, my journey is just beginning and this will help tremendously!
Bobbi, you have to click on ‘send me the shopping list’ I think..
Bobbi it might be an error on the device you are using to read the article. If you email me i can send it to you hello@dietvsdisease.org
Hi. I have several food allergies including all Treenuts and shrimp. What would be good replacements?
Hey Joe,
Just wanted to say how easy and user friendly I found your article and attachments to be. I have now followed FODMAP for months now by researching anything I could get my hands on. Wish I would have found yours earlier. Now I’m at the point of adding things in slowly to see what bothers me. The info on gluten free products enlightened me. Grocery list is just FABULOUS!
I’m not really sure where I fall in. My body definitely responds to wheat (gluten I think), dairy, sugars of all kinds (since birth), and now corn. I feel like I’m on a runaway train with no brakes. I get everything from headaches to body aches to stomachaches (sometimes right after or even while eating) to diarrhea. I have ataxia and various forms of Tremor. The only thing I know for sure is that I have two mutated genes MTHFR C677T and A1298C (compound heterozygous) that prevents me from methylating folic acid. Seems to be the cause of inflammation. Any thoughts? Is this diet for me? Or do I need something else?
Hi Heather, have you read Dr. Amy Myers – The autoimmune solution? I think this might be the best thing for you
In the notes you said ” I recommend you grab the shopping list for each week’s recipes at the bottom of this post.”, but I can’t find a link. Can you please send me the link. Looking forward to giving it a try
Click on the ‘send me shopping list..’ Green rectangle.
Hi,
I broke my diet accidentally. Does that mean that tomorrow is day one?
Sims
“broke” as in you have lots of symptoms again?
You just need to go a few weeks with no symptoms before you are ready to reintroduce FODMAPs.
You mentioned that this diet is not good for type 2 diabetics. So… what does a diabetic with intestinal issues do? Also, if I do this diet, I think a descending list of the allowed foods and ascending of the not allowed would be helpful to me in making choices. In other words, if I eat fruit, say, which is the worst and best?
I can’t tolerate quinoa. What would be an acceptable swap?
Hey there I found your page very useful thank you however I hate egg to the point i wretch at just the smell and hate the texture and taste of vegetables so I really am not sure what to do with regards to following a healthy diet or the diet shown above? I have had chronic ibs for 16 years and only vegetables I have ever eaten or will eat is peppers chopped up tiny in meals. :/Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thank you.
I start seeing my dietician next week to help her me on track with the fodmap plan. I have already started sampling some of the recipes, and using the good lists as I am shopping
The elimination part is going to be easy I already have a good idea of what causes my flare up, my biggest goal is getting rid of this bloating I have. Thanks again for all the ideas keep them coming, because I am determined to get this under control and have my life back.
Sorry some things are spelled incorrect, got to love auto correct
Hi
Have a spastic stomach
Really cramps up. It comes at different times of the day. Trying to follow the elimination phase and think it’s ok but boom, it comes back
Oatmeal blueberries strawberries almond milk, salmon chicken are in the diet.
drink peppermint tea, water and cucumber/celery juice.
Still get the cramps. More often now then 4 weeks ago.
Any remedy for the cramps?
Also taking antispasmodic medicine
Any help out there for the cramps?
Doug
Hi, I was diagnosed with IBS when I was six, I’m now 30. To be honest I’ve started to do something about it only since 2016 but I find the info online confusing. I’ve tried eating healthier like more fruit but I found most fruit gives me cramps? I’ve tried to eat porridge again gives me more cramps? The only things I know for definite I can eat is fish, vegetables, salad and chicken but how can I make food tasty if I don’t even know what food I should/shouldn’t eat!
I’ve had loose stool for 10 years. I’ve had all kinds of testing and no one can figure out why. My gastroenterologist hasn’t mentioned a low FODMAP diet, but I came across it while researching on my own. I do have a history of long term antibiotics to treat Lyme disease, but the loose stool issue didn’t start until at least 5 years after I finished treatment…probably closer to 8-10 years.
To complicate matters, I’m vegan. It looks like it could be quite a challenge to do this diet. Any suggestions?
Hello Joe,
I just to eat whatever I want to but now almost everything makes my stomach bloated it, cramps sometimes constipation or diarrhea. Is very uncomfortable sometimes I feel like I’m pregnant all over again. I do excercise almost everyday is a daily routine for me but the food doesn’t help. I was searching on Pinterest and came across FODMAP, very informative but I just don’t know where to start. I would gladly appreciate your help. Thanks.
Hi Diana, why don’t you join the diet vs disease support group on FB and put your questions there. The support from other sufferers and Joe Leech in that group is tremendous.
I’ve just downloaded the 7 day diet plan and I’m slightly confused that one of the first suggested meals include garlic oil and everywhere I’ve read about FODMAP suggests to avoid this entirely?
Hi Julie, why don’t you join the diet vs disease support group on FB and put your questions there. The support from other sufferers and Joe Leech in that group is tremendous.
Thanks so much for this site! I’ve been trying to lose weight while having to stick to a strict low FODMAP diet and it has been very difficult with the limitations on fruits and veggies. Tried a salad two days ago and my stomach is just now settling down. And I was careful with what I chose! I’ve been resigned to just getting gastric sleeve surgery and being done with it, but your plans look perfect. I’ll give it another go. Thanks again!
Hi I have recently just been told by my Doctor to follow this diet for a while as I have pretty severe IBS. I am getting bloods done to confirm it is nothing else, but in the mean time I am trying to up my exercise and follow this diet. The only problem is that I am vegan and while it i guess, is resrtictive in what I eat, I am now a little more restricted because a lot of the fruits and veg that i would eat are high. If you have any tips or advice, I would be eternally grateful.
Hi Joe, my doctor suggested that I try a low FODMAP diet. I was looking at this one week plan for the first week and I was wondering if I could have porridge instead of the smoothie in the first week? Porridge is actually been one of the most easy things to eat since having consistent stomach / bowel problems.
I was also wondering if things like gluten-free pita bread would be suitable for the first week question mark I look forward to hearing from you! ☺️
Hi Maria,
Porridge is high FODMAP. Sounds like you might not react to it but if you’re wanting to do it correctly, grains and cereals are high FODMAP.
If the gluten free pita is white and you only have one single serving, while it still contains FODMAP’s, it’s low FODMAP enough for it not to be an issue.
Hope that’s helped.
Joe.
Hi Joe,
I have been diagnosed with IBS. Im thinking of completing this 7 day plan, but there are foods I know my body cannot tolerate & im vegetarian.
What do you suggest in place of;
1. Banana
2. Broccoli
3. Eggs
4.Beef
5. Chicken?
Regards Linda
Hi Linda, You can use this list to workout what are good swaps/alternatives https://www.dietvsdisease.org/low-fodmaps-food-list/
I am diabetic type 2..I can’t have gluten foods. My ibs is out of control eating wrong foods. I want to know if I can follow your diet
fabulous diet! I have found this so helpful after years of suffering with bloating and abdominal cramps. I found Drs completely useless and was finally referred to this diet by a Chiropractor!
Glad it’s been helpful Lynsey
This diet is giving me trouble. Not everyone is trying to lose weight. I’m 23, have a fast metabolism, am active, and need around 3000 calories a day. 1 snack, are you kidding me?
Sigh. I need to consume 3000 cals/ day as well. I hate that this world assumes everyone is trying to lose weight. I need to gain weight!!!! 6 MEALS/day is my requirement.
Let me know if you’ve found any solutions
This diet in combination with probiotics… love it!
I’ve tried Florastor, but what really worked out for me is Vitasolis Probiotics.
For anyone who’s interested: https://offer.vitasolis.com/vitasolis-probiotic
Emma
Hi
Is it possible to print out the colour page that you have the foods that are allowed to be eaten on the FODMAP by category? I do not seem to be able too. I have seen a dietician and she recommended this to me. I am constantly bloated and have severe pains. I have been seen by a gastro there is no blockage or anything so am completely frustrated at this point. Help
Hi
I’ve suffered for 20 years with IBS its now getting worse my dr told me to try foodmap this week so im doing my research but i have found that one of my trigger foods is tomatoes which you can eat in fodmap so if i did the foodmap and i ate tomatoes id still be in pain so how do i no that any of the other food which you can have wont affect me?
I saw coconut in one of your snack alternatives. Coconut is NOT easily digestible and I think it should be removed from this plan. Looking forward to trying the diet for fibro though!