Looking for low FODMAP snacks for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and/or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)? You’re in the right place!
When you’re dealing with gut symptoms such as constipation and/or diarrhea, gas, bloating, and abdominal pain, finding a tasty and practical snack to nibble on without worrying about an “aftermath” might feel like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Not to mention, scouring nutrition labels is stressful, overwhelming, and exhausting!
Hopefully this list of low FODMAP snacks for IBS will save you lots of time, energy, and frustration.
(Updated March 30, 2024)
Disclaimer: This article was written for general education purposes, not to replace 1-1 nutrition advice from a FODMAP-trained gut health dietitian nutritionist.
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links*. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!
Table of Contents
What are FODMAPs?
FODMAP is an acronym which stands for “fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols”.
FODMAPs are a collection of short-chain carbohydrates which are not easily digested, poorly absorbed, and fermentable in the intestines.
As a result, if you have IBS/SIBO and consume foods high in FODMAPs, you may end up with gas, bloating, diarrhea, and/or abdominal pain within a few hours afterwards.
Enter: the low FODMAP diet for IBS/SIBO.
The low FODMAP diet, explained (quick review)
A low FODMAP elimination diet is often recommended by doctors and registered dietitians for folks with IBS/SIBO to help reduce unwanted gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms.
On this diet, you’re eating only low FODMAP foods, and avoiding high FODMAP foods for ~6 weeks.
Once your symptoms are under control, the next recommended step (alongside other interventions, as needed) is to start reintroducing and testing FODMAPs, one category at a time.
While this diet can help with symptom management, it’s also very restrictive and relatively difficult to navigate on your own. (Call me biased, but I don’t recommend trying this diet without 1-1 supervision from a FODMAP-trained registered dietitian!)
But generally, a nutritionally sound version of a low FODMAP diet should include a balanced breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a few nutrient-dense low FODMAP snacks daily, for optimal energy and blood sugar balance. (Oh, and some low FODMAP dessert, as tolerated, in moderation.) 😉
Recommended reading:
- 15 Tasty & Healthy Low FODMAP Breakfast Recipes (Round-Up)
- 15 Simple & Delicious Dietitian-Approved Low FODMAP Lunch Ideas
- 19 Simple and Healthy Low FODMAP Dinner Ideas & Recipes (Round-Up)
- 51 Drool-Worthy Low FODMAP Desserts for IBS (Functional Nutritionist Picks)
Now, let’s zoom in on snacking…
Smart snacking tips
If you don’t want to be “hangry” (aka hungry + angry/irritable), make sure to check out the following smart snacking tips!
Eat a meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours
Eating a balanced meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours can help you stay nourished and energized throughout the day.
This translates to 3 meals and ~1 to 2 snacks per day, in between meals, as needed for healthy blood sugar.
So, for example, if you usually lunch around 12 noon but you don’t eat dinner till 6 or 7pm, you may benefit from a mid-afternoon snack around 3-4pm.
Trust me – this simple practice (or lack thereof) can make or break your mood, focus, productivity, cortisol levels, sleep, and even your digestion!
But at the same time, don’t get too carried away with snacking between meals…
Snacking and IBS/SIBO: Don’t snack too frequently
Snacking too frequently (i.e. grazing throughout the day, or eating something every couple hours) can potentially become detrimental for your gut health.
How it works: your Migrating Motor Complex / “MMC” (a branch of your nervous system involved in gut motility) requires at least a few hours to go through a full “cycle” in order to effectively sweeping debris (like microbes) down and out of your intestines, helping to keep things “clean”. (1)
But your MMC cycle gets interrupted and must re-start from the beginning every time we have something to eat. (2)
TLDR: Snacking too frequently means your Migrating Motor Complex (MMC) can never complete a full cycle. This is shown to be a risk factor which can contribute to developing SIBO. (1, 2)
Pair a carb with a fat/protein
Carbs provide you with the fuel you need for energy, to power through each day. Carbs are also the sole fuel source for your brain to function.
We can get carbs in our diet from fruit, grains/starches, and some veggies (like carrots).
But eating a carb alone (i.e. just a piece of fruit, or just crackers) won’t sustain you for very long. You’ll likely find yourself feeling hungry again in about 30-60 minutes.
Enter: fats and proteins!
Food high in fats and/or proteins (like cheese, nuts, seeds, hummus, pesto, salad dressings, and peanut butter) help to buffer the rate at which carbs get broken down and converted to blood sugar in your body.
Think of carbs as the paper or leaves which help ignite the initial spark when you’re building a fire.
Paper and leaves will help to get the fire started – but they can’t sustain the flames on their own, without a little help from sticks and logs, which represent the fats and proteins from a nutrition standpoint in this case.
TLDR: Foods high in fats and proteins will prolong the sustenance of the energy you get from carbs in fruit, grains/starches, and some veggies.
The best way to get the most out snacks is to pair a carbohydrate of your choice (from the fruit, veggie, or starch list) with a food high in fat and/or protein.
Limit the added sugar
If you’ve checked out a full list of low FODMAP sugars and sweeteners, you may notice that cane sugar, beet sugar, and corn syrup on on the “allowed” list of low FODMAP sugars.
You may also notice that lots of low FODMAP-friendly snack bars on the market (like BelliWelli and Nature Valley bars) contain these types of added sugar.
However, being low FODMAP-friendly isn’t necessarily the same as “gut-healthy.”
For example, if you look deeper and read between the lines, consuming large amounts of added refined sugar isn’t healthy for gut microbiome on a more functional level. (3, 4, 5, 6)
- Recommended reading: IBS and Sugar – A Holistic Perspective
So, for your convenience, as a holistic registered dietitian and nutritionist, I’ve made sure the follow low FODMAP snacks are all low in added sugar!
This way, you can support your gut microbiome (the ecosystem of microbes living in your gut, which impact your digestion, immune system, heart health, hormones, and mental health) more holistically.
Low FODMAP snack food elements
Below are the individual components of a low FODMAP snack, organized by food group (fruit, veggies, grains/starches, fats, and proteins).
Remember, the name of the game is to pair a low FODMAP fruit, veggie, or grain/starch with a high fat/protein-rich food.
Monash-approved fruits
Fruits provide us with energy and vitality, in the form of simple sugars (carbohydrates), vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
When snacking on fruit, consider adding a low FODMAP fat/protein of your choice for optimal sustenance and more sustained energy, so you’ll feel fuller longer.
- Banana (1 medium)
- Blueberries (1 cup)
- Cantaloupe (3/4 cup)
- Dates, pitted (5 small or 1 Medjool date)
- Grapefruit (1/4 fresh)
- Grapes (6 medium)
- Green plantain (1 medium, fresh or cooked)
- Guava, ripe – not firm (2 medium)
- Kiwifruit (2 small)
- Mandarin, imperial, peeled (1 medium)
- Naval orange (1 medium)
- Papaya (1 cup fresh)
- Passionfruit (2 medium, fresh, peeled)
- Pineapple (1 cup fresh)
- Raspberries (1/3 cup fresh)
- Strawberries (5 medium fresh)
Other low FODMAP fruits
- Clementines (2 small)
Monash-approved veggies for snacking
This list includes the veggies that are best for snacking. It’s not a full comprehensive list of low FODMAP veggies!
- Carrots (1 medium)
- Cucumbers (1/2 cup fresh)
- Green bell peppers (1/2 cup fresh)
- Lettuce
- Red bell peppers (1/3 cup fresh)
- Orange bell peppers (1/4 cup fresh)
- Low FODMAP salsa (1/4 cup)
- Tomatoes
Low FODMAP grains/starches
Grains and starches, like fruit and carrots, provide carbohydrates for energy.
Choose a serving of any of the following grains/starches to pair with a low FODMAP fat/protein of your choice!
- Low FODMAP bread
- Low FODMAP cereal
- Low FODMAP chips
- Low FODMAP crackers
- Low FODMAP granola
- Low FODMAP pretzels
- Popcorn (3 cups, freshly popped)
- Potatoes (regular or sweet) – 1/2 cup cooked
- Rice cakes
Low FODMAP fats
- 3 tablespoons ripe-enough avocado
- Butter, up to 1 tablespoon
- Coconut oil
- Ghee
- Dried coconut flakes (up to 1/2 cup)
- Low FODMAP cheese of choice
- Low FODMAP hummus
- Low FODMAP nuts or nut butter of choice
- Low FODMAP salad dressing of choice
- Low FODMAP seeds or seed butter of choice
- Oil of choice
- Olives, pitted (up too 15 small or 1/2 cup)
- Peanuts (up to 32)
- Peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (2 tablespoons)
Recommended reading:
- Is Avocado Low FODMAP? (How to Navigate the FODMAPs in Avocado)
- Butter is Low FODMAP – But Is It IBS-Friendly? (What Else to Consider)
- Is Ghee Low FODMAP? (What Else to Know About Ghee and IBS)
- Is Peanut Butter Low FODMAP? (Expert Guidance on Peanut Butter and IBS)
Low FODMAP proteins
Note that cheese, hummus, and peanut butter are listed as both fats and proteins… because they contain both!
- Deli turkey (for roll-ups or pinwheels)
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Hemp seeds
- Low FODMAP cheese
- Low FODMAP hummus
- Low FODMAP (lactose-free) milk
- Low FODMAP protein powders (see below)
- Low FODMAP salad dressing
- Low FODMAP yogurt (from dairy, but not non-dairy yogurt)
- Peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (2 tablespoons)
Low FODMAP protein powders
- Rice protein powder
- Collagen peptides
- Hemp protein powder
- Pea protein powder
- Pumpkin seed protein powder
Suggested food combinations for low FODMAP snacks
- Caprese salad: 1 tomato, sliced, topped with 1 ounce sliced mozzarella, fresh basil, salt, and pepper, and drizzle of olive oil & balsamic vinegar
- Fresh low FODMAP fruit of choice + 1 to 2 tablespoons low FODMAP nuts
- Piece of low FODMAP bread toasted and topped with 3 tablespoons avocado, dash of salt/pepper, and spoonful of hemp seeds
- Smoothie: ½ banana + 1/3 cup raspberries/blueberries (fresh or frozen) + 1 tablespoon low FODMAP nut/seed butter + 1 cup low FODMPA milk/milk substitute + 1 scoop low FODMAP protein powder
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup low FODMAP yogurt of choice with low FODMAP granola, sliced strawberries, and cinnamon
- Banana with 1 to 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- Kiwi, orange, cantaloupe, clementines, or blueberries with 1 oz. low FODMAP cheese
- Rice cakes topped with natural peanut butter and blueberries/banana slices
- 1/2 cup sliced cucumbers or carrots with low FODMAP dressing
- Fresh carrot, sliced and dipped in 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 3 cups freshly popped popcorn with 1 tablespoon melted butter, ghee, or coconut oil and a pinch of salt
- Baked or microwaved sweet potato with shredded cheddar cheese on top
- Gluten-free pretzels with natural peanut butter
- Crackers with low-FODMAP pesto, hummus or some hard cheese
- Fresh veggies and/or low FODMAP crackers with low-FODMAP dip of choice (hummus, baba ghanoush, pesto)
- Trail mix: 1/3 cup low FODMAP granola + 1 tablespoon unsweetened dried cranberries + 2 tablespoons low FODMAP nuts/seeds + 2 tablespoons chopped low FODMAP chocolate
- Low FODMAP snack bar or potato chips of choice (see below)
Store-bought low FODMAP snacks to buy/try
Granola/protein bars
Fody Foods brand
These bars are made with real food ingredients, and sweetened mostly with brown rice syrup (a low glycemic, natural type of low FODMAP sweetener – thus, generally among the best sweeteners for IBS IMO):
- Almond coconut bars*
- Blueberry almond bars*
- Peanut butter chocolate quinoa bars*
- Dark chocolate nuts and sea salt bars*
GoMacro brand
The following GoMacro bars are certified low FODMAP, and sweetened only with small amounts of maple sugar, coconut sugar, and/or brown rice syrup:
- Balanced Goodness granola + coconut*
- Everlasting Joy coconut + almond butter + chocolate chips*
- Prolonged Power banana + almond butter*
- Protein Decadence dark chocolate + almonds*
- Protein Pleasure peanut butter chocolate chip*
- Protein Purity sunflower butter + chocolate*
- Protein Replenishment peanut butter*
- Sweet Awakening mocha chocolate chip*
Chips
- Barnana plantain chips (up to 16)*
- Potato chips (plain) – any
- 100% corn tortilla chips – any
- Fody Foods barbeque chips
- Fody Foods Himalayan Salt chips
(April 2024: Stay tuned for a low FODMAP chips round-up coming soon!)
Low FODMAP snack recipes
Dips
A low FODMAP variation of hummus, baba ghanoush, guac, or pesto would make a wonderful addition to low FODMAP chips, toast or crackers!
Other snack recipes
Recap
The low FODMAP diet is not a cure for IBS/SIBO but it can help you to reduce and manage symptoms alongside other medical and nutritional interventions.
This list of low FODMAP snacks (which is not exhaustive!) can be used as a resource (alongside working with a FODMAP-trained dietitian) to help you to start implementing more variety in your diet as you navigate your way through a gut-healing journey.
As a reminder, when it comes to snacking, you’ll get the most bang for your buck when pairing a carbohydrate (such as a fruit, grain or starch) with a fat-protein combination (such as nuts, nut butter, lactose-free dairy, or a dressing/dip.)
Lastly, make sure you’re addressing all aspects of gut health (i.e. your fundamentals of chewing, mindful eating, sleep, hydration, balancing your gut microbiome, repairing your gut lining, managing stress/nervous system regulation, and overall nutritional status) for best results.
Learn more: next steps
Choosing mostly low FODMAP foods can generally serve as a helpful “backbone” (nutritionally speaking) for those in the early stages of IBS who are looking to find some relief!
However, a low FODMAP diet is not meant to be followed long-term (which usually means more than a few months) since it’s very restrictive and it doesn’t address the full picture of IBS/SIBO.
If you’d like to learn more and go deeper in learning how to address your gut issues at the root-cause level, I invite you to download my free gut health nutrition guide (below) which will reveal how to avoid 5 common dietary pitfalls people make during their gut healing journey (and what you can do instead!).
