Low FODMAP snacks and ideas please!

[MeredithMae]

11 year old DS has to do this diet for 8 weeks before reintroducing things one by one. Worried about how we're/he is going to cope as he generally has quite a limited diet anyway, and everything he loves is now going to be cut out.

I have been googling but lots of websites are American. Breakfast will be Rice Krispies, Frosties or Coco Pops so that's fine. But he usually has a sandwich for lunch- couldn't find any suitable bread in Asda today. Or pasta. (Have got some gluten free to try)

Please can I have tips for snacks and any ideas please? I'd be very grateful.

Thank you!!

Why is he being advised to do the FODMAP diet?

The German brand Schar, which is stocked in Sainsbury's and Waitrose, is gluten free and I think some of their stuff is labelled 'low FODMAP'
They do all sorts of bread, crackers, biscuits etc.
If you do an image search there are pics of their packaging/brand.
There are loads of lists online of which foods are low, but they don't always agree, which is really annoying!

Rice cakes topped with tuna and cucumber.
For lunch would he have a salad made of quinoa with peppers, tomatoes, chicken (may be a bit much to ask if he has a limited diet!)
Berries, grapes and melons should all be ok.
Hard boiled egg.
Would he snack on sunflower seeds (or nuts if allowed in school?)

Tortilla chips should be ok and I think some of the corn wraps

You should really be doing this under the guidance of a FODMAP trained nutritionist as the exclusion stage is quite challenging without support. They can help with meal and snack suggestions and substitutions. I assume you have some meal plans (or the book) and know what the various categories and recommended daily amounts are? For example you don't have to go fully gluten free on the FODMAP -unless also coeliac. Spelt is an acceptable pasta & bread alternative (in small amounts). For cereal try Nature's Path - the Mesa Sunrise cornflakes are nice.

You will need to learn to read ingredients on packets with a fine tooth comb. Onion & garlic powder seem to be in everything and are a major trigger for me..... Tortilla chips and Corn wraps often have wheat in them (Aldi's specially selected tortilla chips don't and are clearly labelled gluten free).

I'd start by sitting down with him to write a list of all the foods and meals he likes, then finding the ingredients to cook these from scratch using allowed foods. Now isn't really the time to get too experimental! Buy a few different versions of some items if necessary, so he finds the ones he likes. Sometimes one tastes fine and others are horrible. Home made gluten free bread is always nicer than the bought versions. If you have a breadmaker that makes it much easier.

Prepare and meal plan with his involvement - what you don't want is for him to get hungry and not be able to wait, so he gets fed up and eats something high FODMAP.

Good luck....

There is an app my DH had when he did it and he walked around the supermarket scanning the bar codes with it to see what he could get. Not sure what it was though. Also there is a uk website of fodmap foods which has pasta sauces and things but not sure about snacks
It’s pretty hardcore diet to stick to, but it did make a huge difference to my DHs long term management of IBS.

@BIWI

Why is he being advised to do the FODMAP diet?

His paediatrician suspects IBS.

Have phoned the GP today for a referral to a dietician (need the referral for my healthcare) but can't have a call back as it's not an emergency for two weeks!

Thank you for the ideas so far. Got the app that you can scan foods with and spent a miserable time yesterday walking around scanning things and constantly getting no, no, no.

Quinoa, eggs, sunflower seeds, all out. Limited indeed! But rice cakes are a yes.

Flapjacks (could easily omit the sultanas) or use this recipe if he doesn’t like banana!
Small packets of popcorn
Peanut butter is low as long as you stick within the recommended portion size two tablespoons and it’s made from 100% nuts.
Coconut yogurts are low but check ingredients list for the usual culprits including any added high fodmap fruit or sweeteners. It’s probably best to get the plain stuff and add maple syrup.

www.monashfodmap.com/ibs-central/i-have-ibs/get-the-app/
This app has a food guide that is really useful.
In the exclusion stage he can eat rice and oats.
Allowed vegetables are capsicum, zucchini, eggplant, green beans, potato, cauliflower, tomato, broccoli heads, bok choy.
No chickpeas or beans. Peanuts, walnuts, almonds okay.
Lactose free milk and yoghurt tastes very sweet - he may like it?
Gluten free bread has a lot of salt.
You can buy gluten free pasta but I found it not very enjoyable to eat.
Fruit - blueberries, strawberries and oranges.

Gluten free bread isn't nice, toasting it makes it just edible. I wouldn't bother with sandwiches and aim for rice or Gluten free pasta salads. Italian Gluten free pasta is better than all other types, Barilla I think its called.
I second the Monash site and app, it will walk you through the stages and help find safe foods.
Gluten and lactose are the easy bits, it's the sweeteners, fruit and veg which is hardest to get your mind round. If you can afford it a private dietian maybe able to help sooner.

Oh and abandon your concept of healthy eating for the duration. Gluten free chicken nuggets with gluten free chips and a safe veg may keep you both sane through it.

FODMAP worked very well for me as I already had a fairly limited diet due to an IBD but I've now eliminated or minimised some food groups but do a short FODMAP from time to time to reset.
The Monash site was my bible.
In terms of bread Tesco did a Polish sliced bread. No idea what the brand was other than it was round. It was my saviour. Toasted it and generally ate it with tuna.
I don't eat rice but love rice noodles. I think the brand is ITSU that do handy pot noodle style pots. Potatoes in various forms were also a big part of my diet.
Cutting out onions /garlic and cruciferous veg is what I struggled with.

Thank you everyone! @turkey I googled GF chicken nuggets and discovered that M S have a great selection of Free From foods.

Hoping for more ideas please!

Sourdough bread is fine, but not sure about the exclusion period. Rice. He could have chicken and rice with a low fodmap sauce or dressing. That‘S filling and nutritious.

We were about to embark on this with dd2, and then decided to trial her on the diet that had ended up working perfectly for DH and luckily we were right, so never had to do the full exclusion period.

Good luck! We went from constant stomach pains to perfectly happy in a matter of DAYS. We’re even reintroducing very small amounts of garlic now a year later & there hasn’t been a problem.

Fingers crossed it’s an easy one like onions/garlic!

Eating simple foods is the easiest thing. Snack on blueberries, cucumber sticks and oat cakes. The more processed the more likely to have Fodmaps in

I eat like my grandfather most of the time now. Potatoes, meat and plain veg. Boring but it really helps.

@turkeyboots

Eating simple foods is the easiest thing. Snack on blueberries, cucumber sticks and oat cakes. The more processed the more likely to have Fodmaps in

I eat like my grandfather most of the time now. Potatoes, meat and plain veg. Boring but it really helps.

Agree, simple is good. Being a vegetarian with IBS must be a nightmare.

I wonder if you could wait to start the full exclusion diet until you can get a dietician appointment?

Maybe just start by cutting out the worst known offenders (onions and allium family, garlic, cruciform veg, maybe cow's milk) and see how that goes for a few weeks. If there's anything else you think he might be sensitive too cut that out or down too. Most kids won't complain you won't let them eat cabbage or cauliflower!

That's not quite so difficult to manage and might alleviate some of the worst symptoms and be a more gentle intro to going more full on. I kept a food diary for a few weeks before doing it and had already been wheat free for a while so I eased into it rather than 'cold turkey'.

Thanks everyone. Day 2 and he's grumpy- spent all last night on the toilet and this morning - hoping like @astoundedgoat he has a quick recovery!

We're off to make flapjacks now.

Brownies

Bless him, best of luck IBS is a bastard.

Everything always in small quantities, and logged (I use my phone).

Strawberries, raspberries, not-ripe bananas, those baby boxes (13/14g) of raisins, red grapes, oranges, clementines.

Olives, beetroot, pickles of all sorts (not onions).

Gluten-free pasta shapes from Asda and Tesco are fine, with a little fresh or tinned tomato and peppers / courgettes / grated carrot. (Add any meat or fish or tofu.)

Rice or rice noodles and soy sauce, with peppers / courgettes / grated carrot. (Add any meat or fish or tofu.)

These ^^ are good for snack pots.

Bread - I'm trying Warburtons gluten free / 'Free From' white bread tomorrow. Sick of Schar brand.

'Free From' jelly sweets like Jealous are fine, in small quantities.

(Btw don't Coco Pops have rather a lot of sugar in them for low FODMAP in the exclusion phase?)

@TrevorFountain they came up ok when scanned on the app, plus sugar is low fodmap anyway? Thanks for all the ideas! Rice noodles is a good one to try.

That's good, glad you can give your son some cereals. Have you tried any lactose-free or plant-based milks yet?

I have two types of rice noodles in the house - white and brown, depending on whether I feel I need to up my fibre or not. (My IBS is linked to a very slow gut transit linked to thyroid linked to autoimmune disease ... all very tedious.)

Low FODMAPing definitely helps. And Movicol.

That sounds tough for you. He's always been lactose free, he's having a shape test next week to see if he has fast or slow transit issues.