FODMAP Diet: What to order at Mexican Restaurants IBS Health Coaching and FODMAP Diet Recipes | Calm Belly Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What can someone with IBS eat at a Mexican restaurant? ›

Make yourself a burrito bowl with white or brown rice, carnitas, cheese, lettuce and sour cream. Or ask for tortilla chips and add cheese, and lettuce to those. You can also make a salad bowl with fresh lettuce , cheese, and carnitas on top.

Opt for corn tortillas rather than flour for fajitas, quesadillas and tacos. Most shredded cheeses will also be OK. You'll have to skip the avocado, sour cream and refried beans, though.

* Many meat-based recipes such as tacos, sloppy joes, chili, etc. can be easily adapted to IBS guidelines by substituting TVP (textured vegetable protein, a soy food available in health food stores) for the ground beef. Simply eliminate the cooking oil and season the TVP as you would the meat.

FODMAPs are a problem for some people because they draw more fluid into the intestine and create more gas. They create more gas because they are more easily fermented in the gut. The combination of additional fluid and increased gas can slow digestion, resulting in gas, bloating, pain, or diarrhea.

Order the grilled chicken, lean steak, or grilled fish on a baked corn tortilla. Those have 70% more fiber and less than half the fat of their white flour counterparts. Skip the chorizo, fried fish, and carnitas (fried pork or beef), which are higher in unhealthy saturated fat.

Are fajitas low FODMAP? Although delicious, classic fajita recipes usually feature high FODMAP ingredients like onion and garlic and are therefore not recommended when following the low FODMAP diet for IBS.

Aids Healthy Digestion

A lot of Mexican dishes contain corn and beans. They are both rich in soluble fiber that keeps you feeling full and helps food to move through your digestive tract more quickly for healthy elimination. Apart from that, it also helps lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels.

Good news – starch is not a FODMAP! Corn tortillas, corn pasta, polenta/cornmeal, maize flour and other foods made from corn starch/corn flour are fine to eat during the elimination phase of the diet as long as other high FODMAP ingredients have not been added.

Corn tortilla chips, however, are fair game while following the low FODMAP diet. Look for chips with simple ingredient lists such as corn, salt, and oil. As long as no high FODMAP flavorings are added, such as garlic or onion powder, they'll be low FODMAP compliant.

Okay to eat: Foods made from grains like arrowroot, buckwheat, cornmeal, millet, and oats. You can also eat potato flour, quinoa, rice, sorghum, tapioca, and teff. Cereals, pasta, breads, corn tortillas and baked goods made from these grains are also okay.

Should you avoid salad with IBS? ›

If you have IBS, we recommend you avoid cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage or salads containing these vegetables, such as coleslaw. We also suggest you limit your intake of artichoke, onions, leeks, garlic, and asparagus.

Avoid sausage, bacon, pepperoni, salami, and marbled cuts of meat. Examples of lean meats you should add to your diet if you have IBS include white-meat chicken, white-meat turkey, and cuts of beef like sirloin and top round. Your doctor or nutritionist may also recommend eating pork, veal, duck, and fish.

Try these three recipes that provide fiber and flavor. Suggested dippers: low-fat or reduced-fat tortilla chips, soft flour tortillas, pita bread cut into triangles, or vegetables such as celery, carrot, or jicama slices.

This low-FODMAP One-Skillet Mexican Rice meal is IBS-friendly too. Simple, one-skillet recipes are always welcome in my kitchen, especially one that tastes this delicious. The best part is, you can feel good about it being a healthy choice because it is packed with vegetables, protein and complex carbohydrates.

Bank on beans. Mexican cuisine features a vast array of beans, including black beans, pinto beans, black eyed beans, lentils, and chickpeas. Beans are packed with protein, fiber, and can be prepared in so many ways, including baked, boiled and pureed. Include them as a side dish or meat alternative.