If you’re looking for low FODMAP snacks that won’t trigger IBS symptoms, then check out this list of healthy, gut-friendly snacks. Since you’ve got a busy life, I’ve categorized them as either 1) quick & easy, 2) requiring bit of prep, or 3) store-bought.
Updated Feb 2024.
How to build healthy low FODMAP snacks in 3 steps
A healthy snack can be as simple as a piece of fruit, a couple boiled eggs, or a handful of nuts. To ratchet up the variety and nutrition, a powerhouse snack will include a few different foods, like yogurt with berries or banana with peanut butter. Noshing snacks like these has the benefit of keeping you feeling satiated for longer.
Step 1: Check the Monash app
Fire up your Monash University FODMAP app to search for your favourite low FODMAP foods.
Step 2: Pick a healthy carb
Low FODMAP fruits, vegetables, crackers, breads and grains create a solid base for any multi-item snack.
Step 3: Pick a protein / healthy fat to accompany the carb
Healthy protein and fat foods include: nuts and seeds, nut butters, cheese, lactose-free cottage cheese, lactose-free yogurt or lactose-free Greek yogurt, lactose-free Greek yogurt-based dip, firm tofu, edamame, hard-boiled eggs, and tuna.
Low FODMAP snacks
Without further ado, let’s explore the wonderful world of low FODMAP snacks organized into 3 mains categories: quick and easy, some prep involved, and store-bought.
*I am not affiliated with, nor do I endorse, any of the brands mentioned in this blog. I mention products to support learning and showcase what’s out there for people on the low FODMAP diet.
Quick and easy low FODMAP snacks
You should be able to pull these quick and easy snacks together in a couple minutes.
Nuts or trail mix.
Low FODMAP nuts are healthy foods everyone should eat on the daily in a modest portion (eg. 1/4 cup). Per the Monash FODMAP app, low FODMAP nuts include walnuts, peanuts, pecans, macadamias, pine, and 10 almonds.
For a delicious low FODMAP trail mix, combine 10 almonds, 20-30 grams walnuts, 1 Tbsp raisins, and 1 Tbsp chocolate chips (I love to use Hershey Special Dark chocolate chips). This provides 4 grams of fibre, 300 calories, and 6 grams of protein. Not too shabby.
Smoothies.
Smoothies hit 3 birds with one stone: carb (fruit) + protein (lactose-free milk or yogurt) + healthy fats (seeds) all in one. I recently added a post on kiwi smoothies to my recipe collection that I highly recommend you check out, especially if you’re using kiwi to improve constipation.
Veggies and dip.
Sauces, dips and dressings tend to contain garlic and onion, two fructans that a lot of people with IBS don’t tolerate well. So in search of garlic- and onion-free foods, I tested out FODMAP Everyday’s Low FODMAP ranch dip (using fresh herbs) and was delightfully impressed.
Cheese and crackers.
Cheese and crackers -one of the simplest snacks there is, but healthy and oh so satisfying. Add a wee dollop of low FODMAP salsa on top for some south of the border zip. Mary’s Organic makes tasty high fibre low FODMAP crackers that work great with cheese.
Lactose-free yogurt with low FODMAP fruit.
Level-up your fibre game by sprinkling ground flax and low FODMAP nuts on top.
Party mix.
Combine Crispix, gluten-free pretzels and peanuts to make a crunchy low FODMAP snack.
Brown rice cakes with almond butter.
There isn’t a ton more fibre in brown rice cakes compared to a regular white rice cakes, but the dietitian in me is always seeking whole grains, which are less processed. Lundberg is a brand known for their brown rice cakes, and they can often be found in gluten-free sections of the grocery store or simply ordered online.
Lactose-free cottage cheese with cucumber and tomato.
You can also use fruit in place of the veggies in your lactose-free cottage cheese.
Lactose-free cottage cheese with canned pineapple.
If you like a bit of sweet in your cottage cheese, canned pineapple is an easy low FODMAP fruit to add.
Firm banana with peanut butter.
As bananas ripen, their FODMAP content increases. The low FODMAP sweet spot for bananas is a firm fruit that’s lightly yellow with a bit of green and no brown spots.
Navel orange with 20 grams of 70-80% dark chocolate.
OK ok ok, dark chocolate is neither a healthy carb nor a healthy fat/protein, but it has some beneficial antioxidants, and it’s important to satisfy your sweet tooth once in a while. Plus, that navel orange packs a mean vitamin C punch and is a good source of soluble fibre, so you’re still nourishing your bod with this snack.
Simple nut butter toast.
A slice of sourdough or gluten-free toast with a smear of almond butter or peanut butter makes a quick and warm snack for a cold day.
Popcorn with peanuts.
My aunt, who loves to eat popcorn with peanut M&Ms at the movies, inspired this snack idea. Being a dietitian though, I had to ‘healthify’ it (or ruin it?) by replacing the M&Ms with plain ol’ peanuts.
Although peanut M&Ms are still peanuts, they’re more processed (ie. less antioxidants) and contain sugar so they’re not the best peanut option. Of course, if you’re at the movies, go for the M&Ms ;).
Tuna salad on crackers or toast.
Mix tuna, mayo, a splash or lemon juice and a few shavings of green onion in a bowl, then use crackers for dipping or apply the spread to sourdough or gluten-free toast.
Two kiwis.
Kiwis are packed with vitamin C and may help with constipation when eaten daily.
Ham and cheese roll-up.
Roll slices of cheese, ham and a few spinach leaves in a corn tortilla lightly smeared with mayo.
Pretzels or corn chips.
One half cup of regular pretzels is low FODMAP, so if you have a hankering for more, choose a gluten-free pretzel.
Low FODMAP snacks requiring a bit of prep
These items will take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour to prep and/or cook. Some of them can be prepared in advance and enjoyed for days.
Low FODMAP flax muffin with blueberries.
Made with low FODMAP ingredients, this blueberry flax muffin is high in fibre, protein, and healthy fats, and makes for a great quick snack.
Homemade low FODMAP granola with lactose-free yogurt.
Store-bought granola is often made with honey, which is high FODMAP. Low FODMAP granola recipes use maple syrup for sweetening, omit dried fruit, and lean into low FODMAP nuts, seeds and grains.
Boiled eggs and brown rice crackers.
Again, look for brown rice crackers as every gram of fibre counts. Slice the boiled eggs onto the cracker and away you go!
Roasted chickpeas.
Canned and rinsed chickpeas are low FODMAP up to 1/4 cup. Lots of different herbs and spices can used to make roasted chickpeas, just avoid high FODMAP ingredients like garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder and onion salt. Here’s a recipe for crispy roasted chickpeas.
Low FODMAP hummus with crackers.
Garlic renders store-bought hummus high FODMAP, but you can make your own with garlic-inflused oil. The FODMAP experts who developed this low FODMAP hummus recommend eating no more than 2 Tbsp at a time.
Chia pudding.
Chia pudding takes a minimum 2-3 hours to prepare because the chia seeds need time to soak in liquid. I’m including it in this list because it’s very easy to whip together at night for a morning snack, or earlier in the day for an afternoon snack.
Store-bought FODMAP snacks
There are two low FODMAP certificiation programs: Monash University Low FODMAP Certified and FODMAP Friendly Certified Products. These organizations lab-test products to determine whether they’re low FODMAP or not.
It’s important to know that some companies may submit products for certification for a couple years and then cancel their certification renewal (Eg. Enjoy Life did this a few years ago). It’s possible the products continue to be low FODMAP, but it’s also possible the recipe and ingredients changed enough that they’re no longer low FODMAP.
Look for certification symbols on product websites, and refer to the Monash FODMAP app or FODMAP Friendly apps to confirm if a product is still low FODMAP certified.
Fody Foods snack bars.
Fody Foods is a company that makes low FODMAP foods, and while their products are hard to find in grocery stores, they ship within Canada and the US. I’ve tried their chocolate peanut butter granola bar and blueberry almond granola bar and can attest that they’re both tasty.
GoMacro snack bars.
GoMacro has a collection of low FODMAP snack bars. They also have snack bars that are not low FODMAP, so if you come across GoMacro bars in a shop, check their website before buying. These snack bars are challenging to find in Canada but I was able to order a few flavours from Well.ca.
BelliWelli snack bars.
Again, these low FODMAP snack bars are difficult to find in Canada but BelliWelli does offer shipping to Canada (~$20). Note that the prices are in USD so these little guys are pricey for us Canucks.
Some of their snack bars are certified low FODMAP by Monash University so check the app before buying.
Rachel Paul’s Happy Bars.
These snack bars are only shipped within the US.
88 Acres snack bars.
88 Acres protein bars and 3 of their Seed Bars (Dark chocolate sea salt, Double chocolate mocha and Cinnamon and oats) are low FODMAP, and only available in the US.
FodBods snack bars.
FodBods protein bars are only available in Australia and New Zealand.
7 reasons to eat low FODMAP snacks
1. Reduce bloating, gas and abdominal pain
Whether you’re on the low FODMAP diet or not, low FODMAP snacks should be easy on the gut. Of course, if you don’t tolerate a particular food listed above (eg. popcorn is low FODMAP but some people find it irritates their gut), then continue to steer clear of it.
2. Long stretches between meals
If you expect to have long stretches between meals (eg. lunch at 12pm and supper at 7pm), then a healthy snack in between is definitely in order. It’ll fight off the mid-afternoon slump and keep your energy up. Having a snack may also help prevent you from overeating at the next meal and thus minimize bloating and gas.
3. Adequate nutrition
Your body needs fuel to function, your guts need nutrients and phytochemicals to heal, and your microbiota need fibre to thrive. It’s hard to get all the nutrients your body needs in just 3 meals per day, so a couple healthy snacks in between can really make a difference.
4. Hunger
A lot of people with irritable bowel syndrome find that eating smaller meals helps minimize symptoms, especially bloating. But with smaller meals comes hunger, so this is where a healthy snack proves helpful.
By keeping hunger at bay, you’re less likely to overeat at your next meal, which reduces your bloating and risk of FODMAP stacking.
5. Reduce risk of FODMAP stacking
FODMAP stacking occurs when you eat so many low FODMAP foods at one time that you wind up having a high FODMAP meal. FODMAP stacking is more common with large meals. One of the easiest strategies for to side-stepping this issue is having smaller meals followed by a healthy snack about 3 hours later.
6. Prevent weight loss
The low FODMAP diet can cause weight loss for several reasons:
- it restricts your food options during the elimination and reintroduction phases of the diet;
- people tend to over-avoid grain products rather than finding low FODMAP alternatives;
- many people with IBS are already restricting their diets so when they start the LFD, they have even fewer options;
- low FODMAP serving sizes are relatively small so meal size may shrink;
If you’re trying to maintain your weight, incorporating healthy snacks into your day is a must.
7. Fuel your workout
There’s nothing like exercising on an empty tank to mar an otherwise productive workout. If it’s been a few hours since you had a meal and you’re planning to lace up your runners soon, grab a healthy low FODMAP snack to fuel your efforts.
Do you have any favourite low FODMAP snacks? Let me know in the comments below. Happy snacking!
xoAndrea, RD
