The Low-Fodmap Christmas Party Guide - Part 2

 

Not long now and the presents will be getting exchanged, the food will be on the table and the drinks will start to flow. So Fodmappers, do you know what and how much you can drink this Christmas? And whether you can even drink alcohol on a low-FODMAP diet.

Let's start with the good news.

Alcohol

According to Monash University (who we have to thank for developing the low-FODMAP approach to IBS) the following alcoholic drinks should be OK to include in your celebrations at the suggested levels. And no it doesn't mean you can have a glass of each. ;)

Beer - 1 Can

Whiskey - 1 x 30ml serving

Red wine - 1 x 150ml glass

Sparkling wine - 1 x 150ml glass

White wine - 1 x 150ml glass

Beware to avoid Rum and low-GI wine as both are high in fructose and may trigger symptoms of IBS.

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

If you prefer a glass of something non-alcoholic you should be aware that both apple juice and orange juice are also high-FODMAP so should be avoided. Also make sure to read the labels of any non-alcoholic fruit punch that may take your fancy. Some of these also contain apple juice.

Cranberry juice, however, should pose no problems and inspired a little mulled beverage all of my own. (See image at the top of the page). So here's my recipe for an easy, winter warmer to enjoy this Christmas.

Mulled Cranberry Punch

Ingredients

A carton of Cranberry juice drink (look for one which does not contain artificial sweeteners as they may be high FODMAP. I used Ocean Spray Classic.)

A mulled wine sachet.

Cinnamon sticks. (Optional).

Method

Pour the cranberry drink into a pan, add the mulled wine sachet, and heat gently for a few minutes.

Pour into glasses and add a cinnamon stick for decoration. 

And there you have it, Christmas in a glass. 

Serve to your guests with a selection of nuts or 'safe' cheeses and no-one will suspect a thing.

One final note. Remember that FODMAPs are cumulative so try to stick to small portions where you can. Personally I think that this might be the hardest thing to do at Christmas when there is so much good food and drink about but it's better to eat several small meals than one large one so that you keep the FODMAP levels low.

With that in mind, it just leaves me to wish you a very happy and healthy Christmas. May Santa bring you everything you wish for. See you in the New Year.

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The Low-FODMAP Christmas Party Guide - Part 1

 

Hi Fodmappers - ready for those Christmas parties? If you're like me, I'm guessing that your thoughts are going to be as much about what you can safely eat and drink as what you might wear? After all there are more embarrassing things that can happen to someone with IBS then turning up in the same outfit as your colleague! So here's my Fodmapper's guide to surviving the party season.

Part 1 - What Can I Eat?

The Set Menu

Do you dread that moment when the menu gets passed around the office with the set meal options? It's hard enough finding a tasty vegetarian option let alone one which is FODMAP friendly. Assuming you're already committed to a sit down meal, how can you make sure it's 'safe'? If it's a traditional Christmas meal there are several things to watch for.

First Course - There is often the choice of a vegetable soup for the first course but this may not be the best option for you. Even something innocent sounding like a carrot and coriander or parsnip soup may contain onions which are high-FODMAP. So my first tip is to opt for the melon.

Main Course - Goats Cheese tartlet sounds great, doesn't it? It's so very tempting for a Veggie Christmas meal but so wrong for us Fodmappers. Onions have a way of sneaking into these too but there's also the pastry to consider, and to avoid. You'll also want to avoid anything with mushrooms. If a nut roast is on the menu it could very easily contain wheat, onions and mushroom! But don't fear. My tip for the main course? Phone the restaurant beforehand and explain that you have special dietary needs - this is nothing unusual these days. Some restaurants pride themselves on being able to cater for special diets, as long as you give them enough notice. If they can't accommodate you, you could always offer to provide your own. That way you can eat in the confidence that it tastes great as well as the fact that it's not going to upset your tummy.

As for the vegetables - potatoes, parsnips, carrots and green beans are low-FODMAP, so enjoy. You should find you can tolerate a small portion of broccoli but remember to avoid the peas. As for Brussels sprouts, Monash University advises that a serving of two is tolerated by most people with IBS, though I'd choose whether to have those or the broccoli (rather than both) just to be extra careful. Also you'll be wise to avoid the stuffing and gravy - both are likely to contain wheat and onions.

Dessert - Christmas desserts are a challenge as wheat and dried fruit are high-FODMAP, and best avoided. But if you like something sweet you could take along some home-made low-FODMAP Ginger, Orange and Walnut Mince Pies to surprise your colleagues (having spoken to the restaurant first) or go for the savoury option and finish with the cheese selection. Cheese boards often come with grapes which are safe to eat, just remember to give the wheat crackers a miss.

The Buffet

The other scenario at this time of year is the festive buffet. This is a whole lot easier as far as a low-FODMAP diet is concerned, partly because a buffet tends to be a much more informal meal anyway and partly because you'll be in control of what goes on to your plate. If you're not sure yet what foods are safe to eat, take time to familiarise yourself with the 'Foods to Avoid' and 'Foods to Enjoy' lists. There are plenty of buffet classics such as plain crisps, plain corn tortillas, carrot and celery sticks, cheese and pineapple on sticks, olives, peanuts, grapes, cheddar or feta cheese and salad leaves which are low-FODMAP, so you won't go hungry.

You could even offer to help prepare the buffet, that way you can make sure there are plenty of low-FODMAP options available. Or take something with you, everyone loves someone who brings food to a party.

One final tip, especially if you know you are easily tempted by festive goodies, is simply to eat something before you go out. That way when the food is put in front of you it'll be easier to stick to those safe options.

In Part 2 I'll take you through some low-FODMAP drinks options complete with a tasty recipe of my own for a winter warmer which I think you'll enjoy.

'Til then - stay fabulous! :)
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Low-FODMAP Mince-Pies

Well it wouldn't be Christmas without them, would it?

Hi again Fodmappers. This will be my first Christmas since going low-fodmap and I realised I'm going to have to get organised if I want to enjoy some festive treats. So for the last few weeks I've been thinking about the things that really make Christmas for me, and mince-pies have got to be top of my list.

But mince-pies are normally a bit of a fodmappers nightmare. First there's the wheat in the pastry, but even if you go wheat free there's still the apple and dried fruit in the mincemeat. If you're buying ready made there may very well be other ingredients to watch for too - did someone say fructose-glucose syrup? It was only when I decided to try and create some low-fodmap mincemeat of my own that I discovered there's even fructose-glucose syrup in tubs of candied peel!

Eventually I struck on an idea, after all there are other Christmas flavours to be had. So here's my own twist on a Christmas favourite. These are vegetarian, wheat-free, gluten-free, apple-free and don't even contain the dried fruit that is normally found in mince pies - but are still very tasty. If you're vegan you could try replacing the butter with coconut oil. I haven't tried that but I imagine it would be yummy.

The directions below are for 12 mince pies. I hope you enjoy them.

Ginger, Orange and Walnut Mince-Pies

Pastry Ingredients

200g Gluten Free Plain White Flour
100g Butter
75g Cold Water

Mincemeat ingredients

6 x 1" Pieces of Bottled Stem Ginger
Zest of 1 Orange
Juice of 1 Orange
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/2 Tsp of Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Cup of Chopped Walnuts

First prepare the pastry.

Put the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Work together until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
Add the water and stir through quickly until it begins to form a dough. Shape the dough into a ball and pop into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

While the pastry is resting, prepare the mincemeat.

Chop the ginger into fine pieces and put into a pan with the orange zest, lemon zest, orange juice and cinnamon. Cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to take on a mincemeat like texture. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Stir the chopped walnuts into the mixture.

Roll out the pastry and cut out circles using a pastry cutter. Be careful handling the pastry as gluten free pastry has less stretch than ordinary pastry. Place into a greased mince-pie tin. Put a dessertspoon of the ginger mince-pie filling into each pie and top with a star cut from the remaining pastry.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C/350F for 20 minutes being careful not to overcook. Eat warm or allow to cool and sprinkle with icing sugar for the perfect festive finish.