In 2017 it seems like the chance of catering for someone with special dietary requirements is almost a given. It is great how accommodating today’s society is becoming with dietary requirements. Twenty years ago you certainly wouldn’t see any products labelled as ‘Low FODMAP’ or ‘FODMAP friendly’, nor would most people have even heard the term. The good news is that it is now a lot easier to cater for someone requiring low FODMAPs. So if you have a low FODMAP person in your life that you want to cook something delicious for, you totally can!
How to swap when you shop
FODMAPs can be tricky, as some of them appear in just about everything. When you come across a high FODMAP food when reading a recipe you want to make, here are some great ingredients you can swap them for:
| Swap this | For this |
| Onion and garlic | Cobram Estate onion infused or garlic infused extra virgin olive oil, green part of spring onions. |
| Stock (most contain onion/garlic) | Massels 7 stock cubes |
| Milk-based dairy products | Lactose free products – available for cream (Liddells and Paul’s Zymil), custard (Liddells), ice-cream (Peter’s), cream cheese + sour cream (Liddells), yoghurt (Liddells, Paul’s Zymil and Black Swan), and milk (Liddells, Pauls Zymill, Coles brand). Most cheese is low FODMAP (see cheese article), and so is almond milk. |
| Bread | Traditional sour dough (see sourdough article), Helga’s lower carb bread, and most gluten-free varieties (white is usually safer than multigrain). You can also purchase gluten-free pizza bases, bread rolls, and wraps. |
| Pasta and noodles | Gluten-free or quinoa pasta, rice noodles, and Slendier low carb Spaghetti/noodles (just check for soy flour, and avoid it) |
| Apple, pear, blackberries, watermelon, peach/nectarine, mango, pomengranate and dried fruit | Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, banana, orange, rockmelon, kiwi fruit, pineapple, rhubarb and passionfruit. |
| Asparagus, beetroot, cauliflower, cabbage, corn, mushrooms, snow peas, celery, butternut pumpkin and sweet potato. | Green beans, broccoli, capsicum, broccoli, Jap/kent pumpkin, carrot, zuchinni, eggplant, baby spinach/lettuce, white potato, cucumber and tomato. |
| Sauces (such as bottled bolognaised, gravy, and curry/stir-fry sauces) | Tomato passata, low FODMAP sauces (Fodmapped brand– available from coles), mayonnaise, mint sauce, soy sauce, fresh herbs, chilli, and lemon/lime juice. |
| Honey and sweet-chilli | Maple syrup, golden syrup, most chilli sauce (combine with a bit of maple syrup to sweeten). |
| Almonds, cashews, pistachios, and hazelnuts | Walnuts, macadamias, brazil nuts, peanuts, pecans and pine nuts. |
What you might like to cook for your low FODMAP person will depend on the meal occasion. Here are a few tasty options for a few different meals.
Now for some ideas of what this might look like
Breakfast:
- Eggs (poached, scrambled, fried or boiled) on toast w/smoked salmon or bacon, roast tomato, baby spinach, and a drizzle of garlic-infused olive oil.
- Gluten-free pancakes (packet-mix available from supermarket) topped with strawberries, sliced banana and maple syrup.
- Gluten-free crossiant (‘Genius’ brand, from coles freezer aisle) with strawberry jam and sliced strawberries, or ham and cheese.
- Toast topped with peanut butter, sliced banana, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Mains:
- Roast meat of choice w/roast potatoes tossed with garlic infused olive oil and rosemary, steam veggies, and gravy made using massels 7 stock-cubes.
- Steak w/ hand-cut roast potato wedges and salad.
- Spaghetti bolognaise using ‘Fodmapped’ red wine and tomato pasta sauce + gluten-free pasta.
- Sweet chilli and basil stirfry (‘Fodmapped’ sauce) with tofu or chicken, veggies and rice noodles or brown rice.
- Salad of baby spinach, roast chicken, roast pumpkin, fetta, crumbled roast walnuts, capsicum, quinoa, + a drizzle of red wine vinegar and olive oil.
Nibbles:
- Cheese plate w/plain gluten-free rick crackers and grapes
- Bruschetta – toasted gluten free bread topped with tomato, basil, garlic infused olive oil and fetta.
- Home-made dip – such as our roast pumpkin and walnut dip or cobless spinach dip !
- Prawns, oysters or scallops w/fresh lemon
Dessert:
- Lactose-free vanilla ice-cream w/fresh strawberries and a drizzle of dark chocolate
- Gluten-free blueberry and rhubarb crumble w/lactose-free custard
- Dark chocolate mousse cake with fresh raspberries
- Cheese-cake made using lactose-free cream cheese and a gluten-free biscuit base.
Ask if they know their trigger foods
There is a chance your low FODMAP person may already know which specific FODMAPs trigger their symptoms. If this is the case, you may only need to avoid a couple of ingredients when cooking for them. If they are completely low FODMAP, have a look at the website to see the FODMAP food list.