15 Easy and Delicious Low FODMAP Lunch Ideas to Keep Your Gut Happy!

Are you struggling to come up with low FODMAP lunch ideas that won’t leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable? Look no further! As gut health dietitians, we know how important it is to keep your gut happy and healthy, especially during the middle of the day when we need energy and focus. In this post, we’re sharing 6 delicious low FODMAP lunch ideas (with recipes!) that are easy to prepare and will leave you feeling satisfied and nourished. Scroll to the bottom for a list of bonus ideas for easy low FODMAP lunches!

Low FODMAP Lunch Ideas:

1. Coconut rice with lime and chicken
2. Strawberry spinach salad
3. Egg salad sandwich
4. Snack plate
5. Sushi rolls
6. Fresh rolls
7. Chicken caesar salad with homemade dressing
8. Tomato and basil quinoa salad
9. Tuna and avocado lettuce wraps
10. Zucchini noodles with meat sauce
11. Turkey and swiss cheese lettuce wraps
12. Low FODMAP cobb salad
13. Stuffed bell peppers
14. Veggie and hummus wrap
15. Chicken and veggie stir fry

Low FODMAP Lunch: Coconut Rice with Lime and Chicken

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 1 lime
• 1 chicken breast
• ¾ cup rice (any variety)
• 150 ml coconut milk (any variety)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain rice in cold water. Place in a saucepan with water, coconut milk, and salt. Place the pot over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and cook covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
2. Heat a pan over medium heat and add oil to pan. Cut chicken breast into strips. Once pan is warm, sear the chicken breast until cooked thoroughly and it reaches an internal temperature of 74 °C.
3. Slice lime into wedges. Place two wedges aside and juice the rest on top of the chicken. Plate the chicken and rice and garnish with lime wedges!

Low FODMAP Lunch: Strawberry Spinach Salad with Pecans and Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 4 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
  4 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup pecans
• Dressing: lemon vinaigrette or maple dijon vinaigrette (see below for ingredients)

Directions:

1. Wash spinach and strawberries in a strainer. Slice the strawberries into triangular-shape slices.
2. Place spinach on a plate and add other salad toppings and serve.

Lemon vinaigrette: in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp olive oil, 1.5 tbsp lemon juice, and salt.

Maple Dijon vinaigrette: in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard, and salt.

Low FODMAP Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwich with Celery and Lettuce

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 4 eggs (hard-boiled)
• 4 slices of gluten-free low fodmap bread
• 1 medium or large stock of celery
• 4 leaves of lettuce (approximately 1/3 cup in volume)
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• ½ tsp yellow mustard

Directions:

1. Place the eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring to a gentle boil. Turn off heat, cover, and cook for eight minutes. Replace pot water with cold water by running cold water over the eggs until the pot water is cold.
2. Wash celery and lettuce. Cut celery crosswise into half centimeter thickness pieces. On a separate cutting board, dice the boiled eggs into one cm wide cubes.
3. Mix celery, eggs, mayonnaise, and mustard in a bowl. Add this egg salad spread to your bread along with the lettuce. There you have it, low fod-map egg salad sandwich!

Low FODMAP Lunch: Snack Plate with Cherry Tomatoes, Cheese, Basil with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients (for 1 serving):

• 1 heirloom tomato
• 4-8 pieces of basil
• 4-6 pieces of brie or bocconcini cheese
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low heat. Let simmer for about 15 minutes until volume is reduced to around 2 tbsp.
2. Wash basil and tomato. Cut tomato into thick circular slices. If using brie cheese, cut off rind and slice into thick pieces. Once all these ingredients are prepared, place them on a plate alternating from cheese, tomato, basil. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and voilà!

Low FODMAP Lunch: Sushi Rolls with Carrot, Cucumber and Crab

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 2 sheets nori seaweed
• 1/2 cup sushi rice (glutinous white rice)
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 large carrot
• ¼ English cucumber
• 200g imitation crab meat
• Note: it may be helpful to have sushi molds or have bamboo sushi rolling mats, but not required

Directions:

1. Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold water. Transfer rice to a pot and add the water. Bring this to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Let rice cool.
2. Wash both the carrot and the cucumber. Slice them both into long spears. On a separate cutting board, slice the imitation crabmeat into similar spear shapes too.
3. Mix vinegar and sugar together. Add this mixture to the cooled rice.
4. Rolling the sushi: place the seaweed with the shiny side down. Scoop a handful (around 1/2 cup of rice) onto the seaweed and spread it out on the seaweed, but leave a half inch border open at one end. Now add your vegetables and crab to the centre of the rice. Now tightly roll the sushi towards the border with no rice. Yes, this does get easier with practice!

Low FODMAP Lunch: Fresh Rolls

Ingredients (for 2 servings of 3 rolls each):

• 6 rice paper wraps
• ½ cup dry vermicelli noodles
• ¼ English cucumber
• 1 large carrot
• 12 shrimp
• 1 tsp butter
• ¼ cup peanuts (chopped)

Directions:

1. Fill a bowl with room temperature water. Add the vermicelli to the water and soak for 3 minutes.
2. Place butter on a pan and heat to medium heat. Once warm, add the shrimp to the pan and heat for 2 minutes until cooked thoroughly.
3. Wash both the carrot and the cucumber. Slice them both into long spears. It is also an option to use a peeler to make small carrot baton pieces.
4. Find a large plate that can hold about a cm deep of water. Fill this plate with water. Place a rice paper into the water until it softens.
5. On a cutting board, place the soft rice paper and add a few spears of each vegetables, 2 shrimp pieces, and a small handful of vermicelli into a log shape. Fold the rice paper in at the top and bottom of the log, then roll the other sides to form a roll.

Bonus Ideas for Easy Low FODMAP Lunches

1. Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing: This classic lunch favorite is easy to make low FODMAP by swapping out high FODMAP ingredients with low FODMAP options. For the dressing, combine 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Toss with chopped romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, and gluten-free croutons.
2. Tomato and Basil Quinoa Salad: Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to package instructions and let it cool. Add in 1 diced tomato, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and enjoy!
3. Tuna and Avocado Lettuce Wraps: Mix 1 can of tuna with 1/4 cup of diced celery and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Spoon the mixture onto large lettuce leaves, add sliced avocado, and roll them up.
4. Low FODMAP Sushi Rolls: Make your own sushi rolls at home with low FODMAP ingredients. Use sushi rice, seaweed sheets, cucumber, carrot, and cooked shrimp or crab. Dip in gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
5. Zucchini Noodles with Meat Sauce: Use a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles and cook them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. In a separate pan, cook ground beef with garlic-infused oil and canned tomatoes. Serve the meat sauce over the zucchini noodles.
6. Turkey and Swiss Cheese: Lettuce Wraps Wrap sliced turkey and Swiss cheese in lettuce leaves and serve with a side of low FODMAP fruit, such as strawberries or grapes.
7. Low FODMAP Cobb Salad: Top a bed of mixed greens with chopped grilled chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, and avocado. Drizzle with a low FODMAP dressing, such as a lemon and olive oil vinaigrette.
8. Stuffed Bell Peppers: Cut the tops off of bell peppers and remove the seeds. In a separate pan, cook ground beef with garlic-infused oil, rice, and diced tomatoes. Stuff the mixture into the bell peppers and bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes.
9. Veggie and Hummus Wrap: Spread low FODMAP hummus onto a gluten-free wrap and add in your favorite vegetables, such as bell peppers, carrots, and cucumbers. Roll it up and enjoy!
10. Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry: Cook sliced chicken in a pan with garlic-infused oil. Add in your favorite low FODMAP vegetables, such as bok choy, bell peppers, and zucchini. Serve over a bed of rice or quinoa.

Eating low FODMAP doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor or satisfaction when it comes to lunchtime. These delicious low FODMAP lunch ideas are easy to prepare, nutritious, and will leave you feeling satisfied and energized throughout the day.

Here at Gut Healthy Dietitian, we want you to live comfortably as much as possible despite any digestive health issues. You deserve more than eating the same unsatisfying and redundant lunches day-after-day. We hope these ideas spice up your low FODMAP lunches! Contact us or book an appointment if you are struggling with the low FODMAP diet or IBS symptoms.