Low FODMAP Diet for Vegetarians: Food List, the 3 Phases and Protein Swaps
The low FODMAP diet is a three-phase diet, ideally done with a dietitian, that helps people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) find out which foods trigger their bloating, gas, pain, diarrhea or constipation. For 2-6 weeks you swap high-FODMAP foods for low-FODMAP ones, then you bring them back one group at a time and build a diet that fits you. Below you’ll find a vegetarian food list with serving sizes, the best low FODMAP protein sources, and who this diet isn’t for.
I put together my low FODMAP meal plan for my mom, who has this kind of digestive trouble. What I learned is that the hard part isn’t the list of foods to avoid, it’s finding flavor without onion and garlic and protein without beans. Garlic-infused oil, the green tops of spring onions and firm tofu became our favorites, and the food stayed tasty, not “diet food”.
The short version
- Who it’s for: people with IBS diagnosed by a doctor, usually after general diet advice hasn’t helped.
- How: 3 phases (restriction for 2-6 weeks, reintroduction, personalization), ideally with a dietitian.
- Low doesn’t mean zero: serving size matters, and many foods are fine in smaller portions.
- It helps some people: in trials, roughly half to two-thirds of participants.
- See your doctor first: coeliac disease and other conditions need to be ruled out.
Table of Contents
- What Are FODMAPs?
- Who the Low FODMAP Diet Is For (and Who It Isn’t)
- The 3 Phases of the Low FODMAP Diet
- Low FODMAP Food List (with Serving Sizes)
- How to Eat Low FODMAP as a Vegetarian
- Low FODMAP and Coeliac Disease
- What the Research Actually Says
- My Free Low FODMAP Meal Plan
- Low FODMAP Recipes on the Blog
- The Studies and Sources Behind This Guide
- FAQ
What Are FODMAPs?
FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine: they draw in water and are fermented by gut bacteria, producing gas. The name stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols. There are five groups:
| Group | Where you find it |
|---|---|
| Fructans | wheat, rye, barley, onion, garlic |
| GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides) | legumes: beans, chickpeas, lentils |
| Lactose | milk, yogurt, soft cheeses |
| Excess fructose | honey, apples, pears, mango, agave syrup |
| Polyols (sorbitol, mannitol) | mushrooms, cauliflower, plums, sweeteners like xylitol or sorbitol |
Interestingly, people with IBS don’t produce more gas than anyone else: their gut is simply more sensitive to stretching. That’s why the same foods can go unnoticed by one person and cause pain in another. The approach was developed by Peter Gibson and Sue Shepherd’s team at Monash University in Australia, which also lab-tests foods for their FODMAP content.
Who the Low FODMAP Diet Is For (and Who It Isn’t)
The low FODMAP diet is for people with irritable bowel syndrome diagnosed by a doctor. UK guidelines recommend it as a second step, after general diet advice (regular meals, less coffee, alcohol and fatty food), and together with a dietitian.
Before you start, see your doctor or a gastroenterologist. IBS-like symptoms also show up in other conditions, such as coeliac disease, which is tested with a blood test while you’re still eating gluten. Some signs need a doctor’s visit without delay: blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, anemia, new symptoms after 50, or a family history of bowel cancer, coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease.
Don’t start it on your own if:
- you have, or have had, an eating disorder, you’re underweight or at risk of malnutrition;
- you’re pregnant (the diet shouldn’t be started during pregnancy);
- it’s for a child, in which case a pediatrician and a dietitian decide;
- you already follow other restrictive diets (gluten-free or vegan, for example), because then you need a dietitian even more.
And one more thing: this diet doesn’t treat autoimmune diseases, migraines or fibromyalgia, and it doesn’t “heal your gut”. There are no studies showing that.
The 3 Phases of the Low FODMAP Diet
The diet has three phases, and the first one is temporary: 2-6 weeks, not a lifetime.
| Phase | How long | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Restriction | 2-6 weeks | Swap high-FODMAP foods for low-FODMAP alternatives in the right portions (for example, wheat bread for spelt sourdough). If you don’t feel better after 2-6 weeks, stop and talk to your doctor about other options. |
| 2. Reintroduction | a few weeks | Stay on the phase 1 diet and test one FODMAP group at a time, with one food, 3 days in a row, writing down your symptoms. |
| 3. Personalization | long term | Bring back the foods you tolerate and limit only the ones that bother you, as much as you need to feel well. |
The two mistakes I see most often: thinking phase 1 means zero FODMAPs (it doesn’t, it means small portions) and staying on the strict phase for months. The strict phase is short on purpose: in studies it lowered beneficial gut bacteria (bifidobacteria), which returned to baseline after a year of personalized eating.
Low FODMAP Food List (with Serving Sizes)
Low FODMAP doesn’t mean a food is “allowed” or “banned” in any amount: the serving size matters. This list is built for a vegetarian kitchen, based on Monash testing. Servings are per meal; the Monash FODMAP app has all of them, kept up to date.
| Low FODMAP (normal serving) | Small serving only | Avoid in phase 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetables | carrot, potato, eggplant, spinach, kale, lettuce, cucumber, green beans, tomatoes, broccoli florets, red cabbage (½ cup) | red bell pepper (¼ pepper), sweet potato (75 g), celery, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, fresh beetroot, sweet corn (½ cob), avocado (30 g) | onion, garlic, leek (white part), mushrooms, cauliflower, asparagus, peas, sauerkraut (1 cup) |
| Fruit | firm banana, kiwi, orange, mandarins, pineapple, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries | ripe banana (⅓), raisins (1 tbsp) | apples, pears, mango, cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, watermelon, dates |
| Grains | rice, quinoa, oats (½ cup), buckwheat, polenta, spelt sourdough bread | wheat bread (1 slice), wheat pasta (½ cup cooked) | regular servings of wheat, rye and barley bread and cereals |
| Protein | firm tofu (160 g), tempeh, eggs, aged cheeses (cheddar, feta) | canned chickpeas (42 g), canned lentils (½ cup), cooked green lentils, mung beans | dried beans, baked beans, silken tofu, soy milk made from whole soybeans |
| Dairy | lactose-free milk and yogurt, aged cheeses | ricotta, cream cheese | milk, regular yogurt, sour cream |
| Nuts and seeds | walnuts (10 halves), peanuts, macadamias, Brazil nuts, chia, flax, tahini, pumpkin seeds | almonds (10), hazelnuts (10), sunflower seeds | cashews, pistachios |
| Sweets and drinks | sugar, maple syrup, rice syrup, dark chocolate, almond milk, soy milk made from soy protein | oat milk (up to ~100 ml), rice milk (200 ml) | honey, agave syrup, sweeteners with sorbitol, xylitol or maltitol |
Serving sizes: Monash University (published tests and the Monash FODMAP app) and the NHS Gloucestershire diet sheet (2023). Servings change when Monash retests a food, so check them in the app. For a longer list, see this FODMAP food list.
How to Eat Low FODMAP as a Vegetarian
For vegetarians the biggest challenge is protein, because beans and chickpeas are high in FODMAPs. The good news is that canned legumes, drained and rinsed, are much lower in FODMAPs: the GOS leach into the canning liquid, which you throw away. So a small portion of canned chickpeas or lentils can stay on the menu. If you love my lentil recipes or chickpea recipes, make them with canned, rinsed legumes and keep to the small serving. My guide to plant-based protein has more ideas.
| Protein | Low FODMAP serving per meal |
|---|---|
| Firm tofu, drained | 160 g (⅔ cup cubes) |
| Tempeh | a normal serving |
| Eggs | no limit |
| Canned chickpeas, rinsed | 42 g (¼ cup) |
| Canned lentils, rinsed | ½ cup |
| Cooked quinoa | 155 g (1 cup) |
| Oats | 52 g (½ cup) |
| Peanuts | 28 g (32 nuts) |
| Walnuts | 30 g (10 halves) |
| Chia seeds | 24 g (2 tbsp) |
| Cheddar / feta | 40 g / 125 g |
A few tricks that helped us at home:
- Flavor without onion and garlic: garlic-infused oil (fructans don’t dissolve in oil), the green tops of spring onions and leeks, chives, asafoetida (hing), herbs and spices. Brown whole garlic cloves in oil for 1-2 minutes, then take them out. Keep homemade garlic oil in the fridge and use it up quickly. It’s also how I’d adapt stews and chilis for phase 1.
- Calcium: if you drink plant milk, choose one fortified with calcium (at least 120 mg per 100 ml). Almond milk is low FODMAP, which makes my homemade nut milks handy (skip the cashew one).
- Fiber: oats, quinoa, chia, kiwi, potatoes with the skin and rice dishes help you keep enough fiber in phase 1. Zucchini works too in moderate portions, so a few of my zucchini recipes fit.
- Snacks: a handful of walnuts or peanuts, a firm banana, rice cakes with peanut butter. Many of my vegan snacks use dates or cashews, so check the ingredients first.
- Medication: don’t stop or change any medication without your doctor. If you suspect one contains sorbitol or mannitol (syrups especially), ask your pharmacist about an alternative.
Low FODMAP and Coeliac Disease
If you have coeliac disease and already eat gluten-free, but the bloating and pain haven’t gone away, a low FODMAP diet may help. In a 2022 randomized trial, people with coeliac disease and ongoing symptoms who switched to a gluten-free, low FODMAP diet had fewer symptoms than those who stayed on a gluten-free diet alone. It’s worth discussing with your doctor.
What the Research Actually Says
The low FODMAP diet has more research behind it than any other IBS diet, but guidelines rate the quality of that evidence as low.
| The claim | What the research shows |
|---|---|
| “It works for everyone” | In trials, roughly half to two-thirds of participants got adequate relief, versus 23-39% on comparison diets (Staudacher 2012, Staudacher 2017). UK guidelines warn these figures may be overestimated (BSG 2021). |
| “It’s the best diet for IBS” | It has the most studies; in a 2025 analysis of 28 trials it ranked 4th for overall symptoms, but it was the only diet that beat a usual diet for bloating (Cuffe 2025). |
| “If it helps, I don’t need a doctor” | No: feeling better doesn’t rule out other conditions (coeliac, inflammatory bowel disease) and isn’t a diagnosis. |
| “It heals the gut” | There’s no evidence for it; in people with inflammatory bowel disease, inflammation markers didn’t change (Cox 2020). |
| “It helps autoimmune disease, migraines, fibromyalgia” | There are no clinical trials for autoimmune diseases; for migraines and fibromyalgia, only uncontrolled studies. |
| “It’s a weight-loss diet” | No. Some people lose weight because of the restriction, but that isn’t the goal. |
My Free Low FODMAP Meal Plan
If you’d like to see what a low FODMAP week looks like on the plate, I made a vegetarian meal plan, the same one I put together for my mom. I’ll email it to you as a printable PDF:
You’ll find more about it on the low FODMAP meal plan page.
Low FODMAP Recipes on the Blog
All of these are free of onion, garlic, wheat and dried legumes. Keep an eye on portions for the ingredients noted.
- Traditional Romanian polenta, the easiest low FODMAP side.
- Oven-roasted cabbage with turmeric.
- Broccoli rice, using only the florets.
- Vegan tofu bacon, made with firm smoked tofu.
- Vegan sushi, with a little avocado (about 30 g per person).
- Keto omelette with cheese and spinach.
- Crispy rice waffles.
- Vegan nacho cheese sauce, made from potatoes and carrots.
- Chocolate mousse, made with dark chocolate and eggs.
The Studies and Sources Behind This Guide
- Monash University FODMAP program: food testing and the three phases.
- Halmos et al., 2014: the first controlled feeding trial (Gastroenterology).
- Staudacher et al., 2012 and Staudacher et al., 2017: effectiveness and the effect on bifidobacteria.
- O’Keeffe et al., 2018: long-term results after reintroduction.
- Major et al., 2017: why a sensitive gut reacts to FODMAPs.
- Black et al., 2022 and Cuffe et al., 2025: how the IBS diets compare.
- Cox et al., 2020: the diet in inflammatory bowel disease.
- The 2022 trial in people with coeliac disease.
- British Society of Gastroenterology guideline (BSG, 2021), American College of Gastroenterology guideline (ACG, 2021), AGA clinical practice update (2022) and NICE guideline CG61.
FAQ
It’s a diet low in certain fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs), used to find out which foods trigger IBS symptoms. It has three phases: restriction for 2-6 weeks, reintroduction and personalization.
Among others: rice, quinoa, oats, potatoes, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, firm bananas, kiwi, oranges, strawberries, firm tofu, eggs, aged cheeses, walnuts and peanuts. Serving size matters, so some foods, like avocado or canned chickpeas, are fine only in small amounts.
The strict phase lasts 2-6 weeks. Then you reintroduce foods one group at a time and move to a personalized long-term diet where you only limit what bothers you. The strict diet isn’t meant for life.
Guidelines recommend doing it with a dietitian, after a doctor has diagnosed IBS. The diet is restrictive, and without guidance it’s easy to stay in the strict phase too long or miss nutrients such as calcium.
Firm tofu, tempeh, eggs, aged cheeses, quinoa, nuts and seeds, plus small portions of canned chickpeas and lentils, rinsed well. Flavor comes from garlic-infused oil, the green tops of spring onions and herbs.
Garlic and onion are high in fructans, one of the FODMAPs that most often cause symptoms. You can still use garlic-infused oil, because fructans don’t dissolve in oil.
No. It can reduce bloating and pain in some people with IBS, but it doesn’t cure it. The goal is to find out which foods trigger your symptoms and limit them only as much as you need to.
No. Don’t stop or change any medication without your doctor. If you suspect a medicine contains sorbitol or mannitol, ask your pharmacist about an alternative.
