Low FODMAP Korean Food: How to Eat Korean BBQ and Bibimbap with IBS

Low FODMAP Korean Food: How to Eat Korean BBQ and Bibimbap with IBS

By Dr. Onikepe Adegbola, MD PhD — Johns Hopkins-trained physician-scientist and founder of Casa de Sante

The FODMAP Challenges

• Garlic: Present in virtually every Korean dish. Used fresh, as paste, in marinades, in sauces, in soups. This is THE challenge.
• Kimchi: Fermented cabbage with garlic, ginger, and gochugaru. The garlic makes it high FODMAP. The fermentation makes it high histamine. Beautiful food, but problematic for many IBS patients.
• Doenjang (fermented soybean paste): Used in stews. Moderate FODMAP in small amounts — similar to miso.
• Gochujang (chili paste): Contains fermented soybeans + rice + garlic + sugar. The garlic makes it FODMAP-risky.
• Japchae noodles: Sweet potato glass noodles — these are safe (no wheat).

Korean BBQ Strategy

Korean BBQ is ideal for IBS because you control the process:

Safe Protein Options

• ✅ Samgyeopsal (unmarinated pork belly): Sliced pork belly, grilled plain. You control the dipping sauce. Salt + pepper + sesame oil is safe.
• ✅ Plain beef (chadolbaegi): Thinly sliced brisket, unmarinated. Grill and dip in salt + pepper + sesame oil.
• ⚠️ Bulgogi: Thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and sesame oil. The garlic is the issue. Ask if garlic-free preparation is possible (unlikely at most restaurants).
• ⚠️ Galbi (short ribs): Similar marinade to bulgogi — soy, sugar, garlic. Same issue.
• ✅ Seafood: Grilled shrimp, squid, or scallops with salt are safe.

Safe Accompaniments

• ✅ Steamed rice: Always safe.
• ✅ Lettuce wraps: Wrap grilled meat in lettuce leaves. Skip the ssamjang sauce (contains garlic and doenjang) — use salt + sesame oil instead.
• ✅ Sesame oil + salt dipping sauce: Make your own at the table. Zero FODMAP.
• ✅ Pickled radish (danmuji): The yellow pickled radish served at BBQ restaurants. Safe.
• ⚠️ Banchan (side dishes): Hit or miss. Spinach (safe), bean sprouts (safe in small amounts), cucumber (safe). Avoid kimchi, marinated dishes with garlic, and anything in a gochujang-based sauce.

Other Korean Dishes

• ✅ Bibimbap (modified): Rice + egg + vegetables (spinach, carrot, zucchini, bean sprouts, cucumber) + protein. Ask for no gochujang on the side — use soy sauce and sesame oil instead. Skip the garlic-marinated meat; request plain grilled.
• ⚠️ Sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew): Silken tofu is high FODMAP. The broth contains garlic. Avoid.
• ⚠️ Tteokbokki (rice cakes): Rice cakes themselves are safe. The sauce is gochujang-based (garlic). Avoid at restaurants.
• ✅ Japchae (modified): Sweet potato noodles + vegetables + soy sauce + sesame oil. Request no garlic. The noodles, vegetables, and soy sauce base are all safe.