When it’s time to prepare meals for the family, it can become difficult if everyone has different taste preferences, intolerances, or other restrictions. It can be especially hard when a child requires a low FODMAP eating regimen. However, there are many delicious foods that are FODMAP friendly that can be made into easy FODMAP recipes that even kids will love. The key is to keep it simple, flavorful, and FODMAP friendly for the tummy.
Low FODMAP kid-friendly foods
Before you decide on a recipe, here is a list of some kid-friendly low FODMAP foods, divided by food groups.
Starches
- Gluten-free bread like sourdough bread (2 slices or about 2 ounces)
- Brown rice pasta (1 cup cooked)
- Brown rice (no upper limit) or white rice (1 cup cooked)
- Quinoa (1 cup cooked)
- Gluten-free corn flakes cereal (1 cup)
- Vermicelli rice noodles (1 cup cooked)
- Gluten-free oatmeal (1/2 cup uncooked)
Fruits and Vegetables
- Carrots (no FODMAPs detected)
- Sweet potato (1/2 cup)
- Unpeeled white potatoes (no FODMAPs detected)
- Spaghetti squash (1/2 cup)
- Canned tomato (about 4 ounces or a little more than ½ cup)
- Yam (1 cup, diced)
- Soybeans (bean only) (1/2 cup)
- 1 medium unripe banana
- Clementines, navel oranges, or mandarin oranges
- Grapes
- Lemons or limes
- 1 cup chopped pineapple
- Strawberries
Protein
- Animal meats like chicken, turkey, beef, or pork
- Fish or seafood
- Eggs
- Plain tofu (2/3 cup)
- Lactose-free milk
- Cheeses like cheddar or mozzarella (2 ounces)
This is not a full list of low FODMAP foods, but just a short list of ones that could be used to make simple kid-friendly low FODMAP recipes. For a more comprehensive list of low FODMAP foods, visit Casa de Sante’s website.
Low FODMAP kid-friendly recipes
Using the above list of low FODMAP foods for inspiration, here are a few kid-friendly recipe ideas. Along with these ideas, you can also visit the Casa de Sante website for more low FODMAP kid-friendly recipe ideas.
- Chicken nuggets and sweet potato wedges: This take on a kids meal favorite is low FODMAP friendly and delicious. Just slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts into tender slices or buy already sliced. Then coat each tender with a bit of gluten-free flour, then dip into a beaten egg wash, and finally, coat in crushed gluten-free corn flakes mixed with a low FODMAP seasoning for extra flavor. Place tenders on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-20 minutes until juices run clear.
For the sweet potato wedges, peel one sweet potato. Slice sweet potato into thin wedges. Coat wedges in a bit of olive oil and salt. Bake wedges on a non-stick cookie sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until softened and a little crisp on the outside.
- Grilled cheese and fruit salad: This classic comfort food meal is easily converted into a low FODMAP meal recipe with just a few swaps. Spread some softened butter on one side of two slices of gluten-free bread. Heat a non-stick pan to medium-high heat. Place a slice or two of cheddar, Colby-style, or Swiss cheese in between the bread slices. Once assembled, place in pan on one side and heat for a few minutes until the bread facing the pan is a bit golden-brown. Then flip sandwich and cook for another minute or two until cheese melts. Pair this delicious sandwich with some sliced berries and grapes or for a traditional pairing, try low FODMAP tomato soup.
- Veggie spaghetti (Spaghetti squash) with tomato meat sauce: Kids love spaghetti but may not like their veggies as much. So, to please both child and parent, try veggie spaghetti. Use this recipe from Casa de Sante to cook the spaghetti squash. Then top “noodles” with either canned tomatoes and low FODMAP Italian herb seasoning, or low FODMAP tomato sauce with or without some pan-browned ground beef or turkey for some protein. Top this dish with some shredded mozzarella for extra flavor and kid appeal.
Take home message
Cooking for kids on a low FODMAP eating plan doesn’t have to be difficult. There are plenty of ways you can combine low FODMAP foods to make recipes that kids will love and that will keep them safe from digestive distress. Visit the Casa de Sante website for more tips on how to make low FODMAP living easy and delicious.
-written by Staci Gulbin, MS, MEd, RD of LighttrackNutrition.com
