If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a gastrointestinal condition marked by cramping, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, your doctor may have recommended following what’s called a low-FODMAP diet to reduce your symptoms. (1) While many people find this diet brings quick relief, it can be difficult to follow — at least at first. That’s why it helps to have a solid understanding of how it works before adding it to your IBS diet plan.

FODMAP is an acronym that stands for “fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.” According to Monash University, which developed the research behind the low-FODMAP diet, these are “short-chain carbohydrates that aren’t absorbed properly in the gut, and can trigger symptoms in people with IBS.” (2,3)

More specifically, “the term FODMAP refers to a group of small carbohydrates (sugars and fibers) that are commonly malabsorbed in the gut. These poorly digested sugars can pull water into the small intestine and become food for the gut microbes that live in our colon, resulting in gas,” says Kate Scarlata, RDN, author of The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step, who is based in Boston. “The gas and water can be trapped in the intestine or stretch the intestine, contributing to troubling gut symptoms,” she says.

Monash University is a great go-to resource for a list of high-FODMAP (foods to mostly avoid or limit) and low-FODMAP foods (foods to eat). (4) You can also download the Monash University FODMAP app for a complete list and an invaluable resource when following the diet. (5) Below is a sampling from each food category.

High-FODMAP Foods (to Limit or Avoid)

• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Cauliflower
• Garlic
• Apples
• Blackberries
• Cherries
• Mango
• Nectarines
• Pears
• Watermelon
• Cow’s milk
• Soy milk
• Yogurt
• Beans
• Lentils
• Wheat
• Pasta
• Rye
• Barley
• Honey
• Cashews
• Pistachios

Low-FODMAP Foods (to Eat)

• Eggplant
• Green beans
• Bok choy
• Bell pepper
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Grapes
• Kiwi
• Orange
• Banana
• Pineapple
• Strawberries
• Almond milk
• Brie cheese
• Feta cheese
• Hard cheeses
• Eggs
• Firm tofu
• Plain cooked meats (not marinated)
• Fish and seafood
• Popcorn
• Oats and oatmeal
• Sourdough bread and sourdough spelt bread
• Dark chocolate
• Peanuts and peanut butter (go for natural, without added sugars)
• Olives

Bacon, maple syrup, table sugar, potato chips, and mayonnaise are also allowed, though these foods aren’t the healthiest choices.

Moderate-FODMAP Foods (to Limit)

On a FODMAP diet, you can eat the following, depending on the portion size:

• Avocado (1/8 of a single fruit is low-FODMAP)
• Sweet potato (½ cup is low-FODMAP)
• Broccoli (a ¾ cup serving of florets is low-FODMAP)
• Cabbage (¾ cup serving is low-FODMAP)
• Canned pumpkin (1/3 cup serving is low-FODMAP)

It can be tough to get started with a low-FODMAP diet, but here are ideas for the meals, snacks, and desserts you’ll eat: (5)

Day 1

Breakfast Oatmeal with blueberries and walnuts

Lunch Salad with grilled chicken, strawberries, and feta

Snack Small berry smoothie

Dinner Homemade pork fried rice

Dessert Lactose-free frozen yogurt

Day 2

Breakfast Omelet with spinach and feta

Lunch Gluten-free margherita pizza

Snack Crunchy chickpeas (¼ cup)

Dinner Salmon-avocado sushi

Dessert Raspberry sorbet

Day 3

Breakfast Rice cake with peanut butter and mashed raspberries

Lunch Bean-free veggie soup with gluten-free crackers

Snack Walnuts

Dinner Fish tacos on corn tortillas

Dessert Sliced pineapple

Day 4

Breakfast Overnight oats with bananas and macadamia nuts

Lunch Beef vegetable soup

Snack Carrot sticks and peanut butter

Dinner Gluten-free spaghetti Bolognese

Dessert Gluten-free blueberry crumble bar

Day 5

Breakfast Scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and red bell peppers

Lunch Chili (made with canned lentils instead of beans)

Snack Orange and sunflower seeds

Dinner Beef stew

Dessert A square of 80 percent cacao dark chocolate

Day 6

Breakfast Shakshuka (poached eggs in a tomato sauce)

Lunch Tuna salad over greens

Snack Gluten-free crackers and cheddar cheese

Dinner Pork tenderloin with zucchini

Dessert Sliced strawberries

Day 7

Breakfast Two hard-boiled eggs with cantaloupe

Lunch Quinoa salad with chicken, zucchini, and radishes

Snack Popcorn

Dinner Eggplant Parmesan made with gluten-free breading

Dessert Chocolate sorbet

Once you’ve removed the offending foods from your diet, you may be surprised at the near-immediate change. “As a clinician who has implemented this diet in many people with IBS, the most rewarding experience is that most people will feel better in just a few days,” says Scarlata.

Neha Shah, MPH, RD, a digestive health nutrition expert at Stanford Health Care in San Francisco, tells her patients with IBS that it can take up to two to six weeks to feel better. “What we’re looking for is less abdominal pain, and less gas and bloating,” she says. It’s possible you can still have symptoms after a low-FODMAP diet. In that case, an evaluation by a registered dietitian can pinpoint potential snags, like hidden FODMAPs or excess consumption of low- or moderate-FODMAP foods, which can also potentially trigger symptoms.

There are no inherent risks of following a low-FODMAP diet. Still, “The low-FODMAP diet is science-based for those with IBS. It’s not recommended for everyone in the general public. Most FODMAP containing foods are healthy, and there is no need to remove them from your diet if they do not exacerbate GI distress,” says Scarlata. Doing so could needlessly increase the risk for nutrient deficiencies. What’s more, going low-FODMAP is not necessary for everyone with IBS, she says.

If you have disordered eating habits, have an eating disorder, or are underweight, a low-FODMAP diet can be too restrictive for you, triggering further restriction, says Scarlata. “In this case, other IBS treatments, such as enteric peppermint oil, probiotics, or gut-directed hypnosis could be alternatives to diet-based treatments,” she says.

Scarlata also points out that in some cases (like if you have existing dietary restrictions, have IBD and are pregnant, or have a hard time complying with the diet), your healthcare provider may recommend a “FODMAP-gentle” diet, which a review published in March 2019 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology described. (6) This diet involves restricting only foods very high in FODMAPs, like onions, wheat, milk, apples, and legumes. “This is simply a more liberal and flexible application of the low-FODMAP diet,” says Scarlata.

The low-FODMAP diet is a three-phase diet. Because the foods removed are not easily identified and it begins as an elimination diet, you’d be prudent to lean on a registered dietitian for guidance, says Shah. Below is the protocol that she uses for patients at the clinic:

Phase 1: Elimination

Pick a start date and remove all high-FODMAP foods from the diet. This is where it’s critical to have a registered dietitian working with you, as they can provide guidance on appropriate food substitutions. “To be successful, it’s important to understand how to eliminate FODMAPs in different life scenarios — at work, traveling, at home — and learn how to find substitutions in each environment,” says Shah.

Extra credit for planning ahead and getting low-FODMAP foods in your kitchen and removing high-FODMAP foods. This lasts for two to four weeks.

Phase 2: Reintroduction

The main goal with phase 2 is to identify your food triggers, says Shah. While there’s no clear-cut method on how to reintroduce foods, she says that often the recommended step is to reintroduce each FODMAP at a time with a select list of foods. So, reintroducing lactose may involve drinking 1 cup of cow’s milk, and watching how your body reacts. Reintroducing fructose may be ½ cup of watermelon.

During this time, you’ll continue to follow a low-FODMAP diet so that you can identify what triggers symptoms. Keep a food journal handy, either by using an app on your smartphone or an old-school paper notebook, to track your symptoms. This phase lasts six to eight weeks.

Phase 3: Personalization

“We continue to expand the low-FODMAP diet by eating FODMAPs that are tolerated well and eliminating those that are bothersome,” says Shah. She notes that it’s unlikely any one food needs to be completely avoided. Generally bothersome foods may not be eaten daily or may only be eaten in a small amount, as tolerance often depends on the dose.

One important thing to keep in mind throughout is that you don’t have to be perfect. “The goal isn’t to have a FODMAP-free diet, but rather to reduce FODMAPs in the diet to modify GI symptoms,” says Scarlata. “Added stress with diet changes can impact gut symptoms on its own, and that’s not the goal here,” she says.

1. Oat and Banana Pancakes

It can feel like a learning curve to make your favorites FODMAP friendly, but this pancake recipe, featuring oats, oat bran, rice flour, and unripe bananas will help you learn the necessary substitutions.

Get the recipe from Monash University.

2. Low-FODMAP Roasted Chicken With Maple and Rosemary

This juicy roasted chicken features a low-FODMAP marinade made from lemon juice, oil, maple syrup, and herbs.

Get the recipe from Rachel Pauls Food.

3. Low FODMAP Turkey Chili With Sweet Potato and Lentils

This chili gets its heartiness from sweet potatoes, ground turkey, lentils, and leeks, and its warm-you-up flavor from a low-FODMAP taco seasoning and cinnamon, making it perfect for a chilly day.

Get the recipe from Fun Without FODMAPs.

4. Parsnip Chowder With Crispy Sage (Low FODMAP)

5. Low-FODMAP Pork Loin Roast With Herb Rice Stuffing

When you need a recipe for a dinner party (or just want leftovers for later in the week), this pork loin roast is a winner. Serve it up with the pumpkin seed–studded risotto, and you have a restaurant-worthy dish.

Get the recipe from A Little Bit Yummy.

Monash University The Low FODMAP Diet

The site and accompanying app are well laid out and extremely informative in guiding you through the diet and helping to identify low-, moderate-, and high-FODMAP foods. Everyone on this diet needs to have this resource in their back pocket.

A Little Bit Yummy

Not only will you find low-FODMAP recipes, but also e-courses, entire meal plans, and added support (for example: how to “FOD-ify” your existing favorite recipes) to find success on the plan.

She Can’t Eat What?

Blogger Emma Hatcher aims to make low-FODMAP recipes resoundingly simple and easy. And given some of her winners, including Blueberry and Lemon Buttermilk Pancakes, Root Veg and Butternut Squash Soup, and Broccoli, Peanut, and Soba Noodle Salad, you’ll be convinced, too.

The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step

This book, by Kate Scarlata, RDN, and Dede Wilson, is packed with delicious recipes (more than 130) to help you successfully execute the diet throughout its three phases.

The Low-FODMAP Diet for Beginners

A No 1. bestseller in its category, this guide by Mollie Tunitsky teaches you how to shop appropriately, find the recipe depending on your dietary needs, like vegetarian, pescatarian, and more.

The Flexible FODMAP Diet Cookbook

By Karen Frazier, this resource packs in a variety of meal plans, plus a bevy of recipes for every meal, snack, side, and dessert.

Q: Do you lose weight on the FODMAP diet?

A: No. The low-FODMAP diet is not a weight loss diet. It’s a diet that helps those with IBS limit or avoid GI discomfort that can accompany eating. “The low-FODMAP diet should not lead to weight loss. The goal of this therapeutic diet is to help with IBS symptom management, end of story,” says Scarlata.

Q: What foods have fructans?

A: Wheat, onion, and garlic are foods that contain fructans, or inulin, according to Stanford Health Care. (7)

Q: Why is a FODMAP diet low?

A: The “low” in a low-FODMAP diet refers to the specific foods that contain low amounts of certain carbohydrates in foods that may be difficult to digest, and can trigger GI symptoms in IBS patients. (7) FODMAP is an acronym that stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. (3)

Q: What is FODMAPs intolerance?

A: This may refer to someone who has IBS who finds that eating high-FODMAP foods or larger amounts of moderate-FODMAP foods sets off GI symptoms like gas, bloating, and diarrhea or constipation.

Q: What kind of bread can I eat on a Fodmap diet?

A: Low-FODMAP breads include millet bread, corn bread, sourdough bread, sourdough spelt bread, and gluten-free white bread. (5)

A Final Word: Should You Try a FODMAP Diet?

If you’ve been diagnosed with IBS and your healthcare provider recommends a low-FODMAP diet, there is a good chance that this elimination diet can help improve if not resolve GI symptoms to increase your comfort and quality of life.

People with active eating disorders, however, should avoid a low-FODMAP diet.

In some cases, a “FODMAP-gentle” diet may be helpful. This plan restricts only very-high-FODMAP foods. (6)

Following a low-FODMAP diet involves avoiding foods that are high in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, which includes legumes; gluten-containing grains; high-lactose dairy; some fruits, like apples and stone fruit; vegetables such as cauliflower and mushrooms; and certain sweeteners, like honey.

After following the three-step elimination diet protocol, you may see a notable reduction in GI symptoms in two to six weeks, though some people report feeling better within days.