Low FODMAP Veggie Noodle Pot To Go

Hi again Fodmappers

Today I've got an easy hot lunch idea for you. And because I often forget the vegans amongst us - this one is vegan friendly.

You may remember a few weeks ago I shared a recipe for a Veggie Noodle Soup. Well it occurred to me that it would be easy to make something similar as a noodle pot to take with you to work or college. All you need is access to a kettle or a microwave and a few minutes of preparation the night before.

Vegetarian Noodle Pot

Suggested Ingredients

1 small to medium carrot
1 small courgette
Small piece of sweet pepper
Some spring onion greens
1/2 block of rice noodles
A few small cubes of firm tofu
A pinch of ground ginger
1 tsp of garlic infused oil
A dash of soy sauce
A pinch of sugar
A little salt and pepper

Method

Shred or grate the carrot and courgette.
Finely chop the spring onion greens and red pepper.
Pop all the ingredients into a microwavable plastic soup pot and snap on the lid.

When you're ready for lunch, simply pour on boiling water and allow to stand for a few minutes or add water and pop into a microwave. You'll have a quick, easy and nutritious lunch in no time. Low fodmap to go!

Have a great week - and stay fabulous! x

7 Low FODMAP Breakfast Ideas

Hi again Fabulous Fodmappers - How are you? (I don't call you 'fabulous' enough, but I hope you know you are?)

I apologise for being a little late with this weeks post, I'm just getting over a sinus infection. Looking on the bright side I managed to avoid antibiotics which I'm happy about as I don't want to mess with my gut flora if I can avoid it. I think it just needed a little time and rest.

But I'm happy to say I'm feeling better now and back to my usual excited self. I can never quite express how much going low-FODMAP has changed my life for the better, but I know there are some of you who still find the whole thing daunting. (I did at first too). I also understand that if you're still quite poorly with your IBS, you probably don't want to spend hours searching the net for info. So I thought this week I'd just share some different low-FODMAP breakfast suggestions to inspire you.

As always, the suggestions here are vegetarian (because I am). If you wish to include meat in your low-FODMAP diet you can do as meat does not contain FODMAPs. Just be sure to avoid anything too fatty as that may trigger symptoms too.

7 Low-FODMAP Breakfast Ideas 

1. Porridge made with lactose-free milk and sweetened with banana, raspberries, blueberries or strawberries. (Any of these fruit are suitable but remember to keep to one portion with each meal to keep fructose levels low). I also like to add a little coconut oil and a sprinkle of cinnamon to mine. More info on bananas here.

2. Omelettes make a great protein packed breakfast and you can add tomatoes, spinach, courgette, spring onion greens, cheese and herbs to make it the way you like it.

3. Scrambled tofu on gluten free bread makes a nice breakfast which is not only low-FODMAP it is also suitable for vegans. But note, not all gluten free breads are low-FODMAP. Check the ingredients list to be sure the bread does not contain soya or apple.

4. Fancy something sweet in the morning? How about buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup? (For more on buckwheat click here). Again be sure to use a lactose free milk.

5. Make your own muesli. Shop bought muesli tends to contain wheat, dried fruit or whey powder which you want to avoid. So make your own from ingredients such as quinoa flakes, rice flakes, oats, nuts, seeds and dried banana chips. Yum!

6. Or what about cheese and tomatoes on gluten-free toast?

7. And finally, Rice Krispies! Ok that might not sound like the healthiest breakfast option but they are low-FODMAP (of course the lactose-free milk rule will apply) and I like to show you that low-FODMAP doesn't have to be complicated. I think it's also good to know there are easy options for children with IBS.

So there you have it, a different breakfast idea for every day of the week. And I didn't even include muffins. You might also like to check out the Chachouka recipe here. (Doesn't that make 9 suggestions in total?)

If you have any more ideas - please post them in the comments below. In the meantime, be nice and share this post on facebook, pinterest and google + using the icons below. Chances are that some of your friends also have IBS and don't like to talk about. A click from you could help them on the road to recovery. Many thanks - and stay fabulous!

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.

 

Protein in the Vegetarian Low-FODMAP diet

 

The question is - are you getting enough?

Hi again fodmappers. 

A couple of times lately I've been asked how I manage to get enough protein on a vegetarian low-fodmap diet. It's a good question because, as you probably know, many of the usual vegetarian protein sources (legumes and some nuts) are off limits. Though I felt intuitively that I do get enough, it never hurts to do a bit of research and check. So that's been my project this last week.

I soon realised that, before looking at whether I was getting enough, I had to find out how much protein I should be having. That seems obvious I know, but when you constantly see ads for protein shakes, bars and protein based weight-loss programmes, the suggestion seems to be that none of us are getting enough, let alone anyone on a restricted diet!

The first figures I came across were that a sedentary man needs 56g a day and a woman needs 46g. Those figures weren't working for me for a simple reason, and that is that our need for protein must differ according to our body size, age and health, as well as our activity levels. After a while I tracked down a suggested intake of 0.66g of protein per kg of body weight for both men and women. (1) For me that works out at 31.43g of protein per day - much less than the average guidelines.

My next task, of course, was to find out how much protein there is in the food I eat. (A summary of just one day is at the end of today's blog). It's surprising what contains what!

I've recently converted to using cups as a way of measuring dry and liquid ingredients, but if you don't have these handy little measuring devices you might like to know that 1 cup is the same as 250ml. Simply find something in your kitchen that holds 250ml and you're away.

Dairy and Milk Alternatives

• 1 large egg = 6g
• 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese = 28g
• 1 cubic inch of cheddar cheese = 4.2g
• 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese = 21g
• 1 cubic inch of feta = 2.4g
• 1 cup of lactose free milk = 9g
• 1 cup of almond milk = 1.25g
• 1 cup of oat milk = 2.5g
• 1 cup of oat milk = 0.25g

Nuts and Seeds

• 1 cup of walnuts = 18g
• 1 cup of brazil nuts = 19g
• 1 cup of hazelnuts = 20g
• 1 cup of sunflower seeds = 29g
• 1 cup of sesame seeds = 26g
• 1 cup of dried pumpkin seeds = 39g
• 1 tbsp of peanut butter = 4g
• 1 tbsp of almond butter = 3.35g
• 1 tbsp of tahini/sesame seed paste = 3g

Grains

• 1 cup of cooked buckwheat = 6g
• 1 cup of cooked quinoa = 8g
• 1 cup of cooked brown rice = 5g
• 1 cup of cooked white rice = 4.2g
• 1 cup dry oatmeal/porridge oats = 6g

Fruit and Vegetables

• 1 medium banana = 1.3g
• 1 medium kiwi fruit = 0.8g
• 1 cup of spinach = 0.9g
• 1 large potato (baked with skin) = 7g
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper = 1g
• 1 small courgette = 1.4g
• 1 cup of shredded lettuce = 0.5g
• 1 medium tomato = 1.1g
• 1 cup of cubed butternut squash = 1.4g

Bread and Crackers

• 1 slice of Genius triple seeded bread = 2.1g
• 1 slice of Genius brown bread = 1.2g
• 1 slice of Genius spicy fruit bread = 1.2g
• 1 Kallo Organic unsalted rice cake =  0.6g
• 1 Nairns oat cake = 0.8g

Pasta

• 100g Orgran buckwheat spirals = 11.2g
• 100g Orgran corn and vegetable spirals = 6.9g

Other

• 100g of Tofu = 8g
• 100g of canned chick peas = 4.3g

I could include much more ....

So, back to the question of whether I am getting enough protein. The only way this was going to be accurate was if I added it up as I went along. So one day last week I met a friend for a cuppa (Hi Jacqui) and kept notes.

My breakfast that day was 1 banana (1.3g) and a bowl of porridge made with half a cup of oats and 1 cup of lactose free milk (12g). Mid-morning I had a gluten free coconut and raspberry slice (4g). And lunch was a kiwi fuit (0.8g), a peanut butter sandwich on Genius fruit bread (6.4g) and a small savoury muffin (6g). The recipe for the muffin (and it's really easy) can be found here.

If you've been counting you'll know that comes to 30.05g of protein (remember I need to aim for 31.43g) and at that point I have to confess I stopped counting.

But this has been an interesting issue to explore. I had never realised what a difference there is in the protein content of the low-fodmap milks, for example, and how something as simple as a bowl of porridge can give a real protein boost to the start of your day. It's an exercise that's definitely worth doing.

And it's been reassuring. The low-FODMAP diet is complicated enough, especially for vegetarians and vegans, without worrying about protein too.

So a big thank you to those of you who have asked, you know who you are. It's been an eye-opener putting this list together, and an education. If there are any other topics you'd like me to explore, please let me know.

1. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI/DRI_Tables/recommended_intakes_individuals.pdf

Fodmap Friendly Halloween

Just a couple of weeks to go until Halloween and these little peppers were so cute I had to give them a try. I'd seen several recipes for these online but most were either meat filled or full of non-fodmap friendly ingredients. I decided to go for a Feta and Walnut filling, partly as those were ingredients I had in, and partly because walnuts look like brains. Yes I'm completely in the Halloween spirit already! 

As always, this is a vegetarian recipe but it could be very easily adapted for vegans, just skip the cheese! In fact feel free to tweak this recipe however you like (I did) but just remember to stick to low-fodmap ingredients.

So here's what I used

2 large yellow bell peppers.
Half a cup of quinoa grains.
A small handful of walnuts.
Approx 100g of feta cheese
8 to 10 pitted black olives
1 tomato.
Oregano
Basil
Black Pepper
Salt.

Cook the quinoa in a cup of water until all moisture is absorbed. (Approx 15 to 20 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 180/350 degrees.

Meanwhile prepare the peppers. Cut around the top and remove the seeds and, using a sharp knife, carefully cut a little 'pumpkin' face into the peppers.

Chop the walnuts, feta, black olives and tomato into small pieces, keeping just two walnuts whole for decoration.

When the quinoa is cooked simply stir in the rest of the ingredients and season with the herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Fill your peppers.

Finally place one half of a walnut inside the top of each pepper (as a spooky brain) before replacing the top.

Place in the oven on a baking tray for approx 1 hr or until the pepper is soft.

Alternatively you could try a cheddar and spinach combo or, if you'd like to see the filling oozing out of your pumpkins eyes, maybe a fodmap-friendly version of a ratatouille?

Have fun and let me know how you get on.

Buckwheat - The Wheat You Can Eat

 

Don't panic Fodmappers! If you haven't already discovered Buckwheat I have a surprise in store for you. Buckwheat isn't wheat - which means you can eat it as part of a low-FODMAP diet.

Buckwheat is something which is called a 'pseudocereal' (1) because, though it isn't a grass (which wheat is) it can be used in much the same way as grains which are. Buckwheat flour can be made into bread, pastry or pancakes (though when making pancakes remember to use a lactose-free milk) or bought as pasta or noodles. The grains can be toasted and then cooked in twice the volume of water (one cup of grains to two cups or water) to make a nice and nutty change from rice. Alternatively they can be sprouted in just a few days and added to salads, breads or breakfast cereals.

Sprouting Buckwheat couldn't be easier. Of all the grains I've sprouted over the years, this is definitely one of the quickest to grow. I use the Bio-Snacky jar but you could also use an ordinary large jar and a piece of muslin. Simply put a couple of tablespoons of grains into the jar, rinse well, soak for about 30 mins and then strain. Rinse and strain twice daily until the grains develop little tails - which in warm weather might be as quickly as 2 days.

Alternatively you could just use a sieve, like this guy does here. Take it away chef!

If you're still not convinced you might be interested to know that Buckwheat is incredibly good for you! (2) It is high in zinc, copper, potassium and manganese and also high in protein. Protein can be a bit of a challenge for vegetarian and vegan fodmappers as many of the usual sources (such as lentils, chick peas, soya and tvp) are high-fodmap and therefore to be avoided. Buckwheat can replace some of the lost protein. It is also a good source of soluble fibre.

As you can see from the sneaky peek into my kitchen above, I've rather taken to Buckwheat. You might even notice that the label on the taller jar reads 'Buckwheat - Yum'. To be honest, unless it's toasted it doesn't have a strong taste at all, which means it will pretty much go with anything you fancy. Right now I fancy cake. I found this recipe on 'A Clean Bake'. Mmmm - Buckwheat cup-cakes. Got to try that.

'Til next time Fodmappers. 

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudocereal

2. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5681/2

Spicy Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry

Hi again Fodmappers. I had to share this veggie curry recipe with you as not only is it low-FODMAP (despite the chickpeas) but it is easy and tasty. Yes, low-FODMAP food doesn't have to be boring and I'll let you into a little secret, as long as you use tinned chickpeas you should find that it won't upset your tummy either. We tend to make a big batch of this and freeze some for a quick meal another day. The quantities given below should serve 4.

You will need:

Garlic infused oil
Ground turmeric
Ground cumin seeds
Ground ginger
4 medium sized carrots
A butternut squash
A red pepper (bell pepper)
2 courgettes (zucchini)
Approx a handful of green beans
Tinned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Brown rice
Salt and pepper

Wash, seed and chop all the vegetables into small chunks.

Heat the oil in a wok or large pan over a medium heat and add the carrots and spices. We use about a heaped teaspoon of each of the spices but adjust to your taste. When the carrots begin to soften, add the butternut squash and cook a little longer. Next add the red peppers and place a lid on the wok. In a separate pan put the rice on to cook. Keep adding the vegetables to the pan in the order listed allowing a little time between each for the previous ingredient to begin to cook. You might want to add a little water to the wok to prevent the ingredients from sticking in the bottom. Stir frequently and adjust spices to taste. Finally add the drained chickpeas and seasoning. Ensure all ingredients are heated thoroughly before serving.

Enjoy. :)

Low-FODMAP Veggie Summer Salad

This salad has become a firm favourite in our house this summer. I don't think it needs a recipe as such as I'm sure you can see most of the ingredients (sweet peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, olives, salad leaves and feta) and it's fun to adapt it to your own tastes. The one thing you can't see from this pic is the Quinoa base.

Quinoa is still a bit of a recent discover for me. It's low-FODMAP (of course) and gluten free so it can be eaten by people with IBS and also those with Coeliac disease. It is a complete protein and high in magnesium and iron and contains both soluble and insoluble fibre for good digestion. It also contains calcium so is a great addition to a vegan diet. I'm vegetarian, rather than vegan, so I get to enjoy a bit of both the feta and the quinoa.

The salad is dressed with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea-salt - but a squeeze of lemon juice could work well instead.

Enjoy. 

A Cure for IBS?

A cure for IBS? Wouldn't that be nice? No more pain or bloating. No more planning your day around visits to the loo. No more uncomfortable nights' sleep. No more days missed off work or college. No more feeling lousy. Is it possible? I'm beginning to think so.

A few months ago I realised I'd had trouble with IBS for the best part of 20 years and quite frankly, I'd had enough! I decided it was time to get to get to grips with it once and for all. So I started another food diary and kept note of everything that passed my lips.

I'm guessing if you're reading this, you'll know what I mean when I say that it seemed like everything I ate made me ill? I instinctively felt it was food that was making me feel so awful but I was eating a healthy vegetarian diet so where was I going wrong? Determined to find a solution I scoured the net - and then I discovered FODMAPs. I also discovered that a large part of what I was eating was making it worse.

But the good news is that after just a couple of months on the low-FODMAP diet I can honestly say I feel better than I have in years. And, even though it IS a very restricted diet, I'm probably eating even healthier than before.

It's early days for me still, and I have to be honest, a low-FODMAP diet isn't really a cure but  sometimes it really does feel that way. I'm sure there will still be difficult days but I feel I am finally beginning to understand what and why certain foods cause me trouble. I know that there is more to beating IBS than FODMAPs but managing what I eat around a low-FODMAP diet has been a big step in the right direction. And now I am determined to discover what else could help.

So, if you have IBS or other digestive problems, and especially if you're a vegetarian or vegan, then this blog is for you. (A low-FODMAP diet is a bit harder for us veggies but it IS do-able.) I shall be adding lots of info on FODMAPs as well as other tips for digestive health, plus yummy veggie recipes so you can look forward to enjoying food again. I hope you'll join me.