Packing Low FODMAP Lunches: Strategies for Success

As a parent, you know that packing your child's lunch or even snacks comes with challenges. Adding a FODMAP sensitivity to the list can take the difficulty meter up a few notches. This guide is written to offer you solutions to turn this arduous undertaking into a more straightforward process. You will learn about FODMAPs, discover kid-friendly options, understand how to navigate school meals and communicate effectively with teachers and school administrators.

Understanding FODMAPs: The Science Behind a Gut-Friendly Diet

More than likely, if your child is following a Low FODMAP diet, you have been to a specialist due to abdominal discomfort, distension, and/or dysfunction. Understanding how eating high FODMAP foods can create sensitivity in the gut is a powerful tool. It helps with knowing the importance of following a diet that reduces or eliminates these items. Removing certain foods containing fermentable sugars can give your child the comfort they have missed out on, and you the control you've been seeking. 

Foods high in FODMAPs pull water into the GI tract, which speeds up digestion and is a delicacy for bacteria in the microbiome. While the bacteria feast on this sugar, fermentation occurs, and there is an increase in gas and bloating, causing discomfort, diarrhea, or constipation (IBS symptoms). 

Navigating the Low FODMAP Diet

Beginning with the elimination phase, you work on removing high FODMAP foods from your child’s diet. This phase lasts for two weeks to no longer than six weeks. After this period,  IBS symptoms are known to resolve, and the GI tract settles so you can reintroduce High FODMAPs to determine which foods your child has the most significant sensitivity to. Knowing what foods contain higher FODMAPs can help you not overload your child with all high FODMAP foods at one meal. This is key when packing lunches or choosing meals off the school menu.

Low FODMAP Lunch Box Inspiration: Tips for a FODMAP-Friendly School Day

Looking at FODMAP-friendly foods and incorporating some higher FODMAP foods can help you create well-balanced meals. Consider whether your child can tolerate gluten and dairy-containing products. The reintroduction phase should have determined the amount, if any, of these items your child can tolerate at one meal. 

The following table will allow you to mix and match foods to create kid-approved easy meals. Remember that fruits canned in juice have a higher fructan content and are considered high FODMAP. Avoid seasoning meat or vegetables in onion or garlic, as these are also high in FODMAP. 

Lunchtime Mix and Match: A Practical Guide

Practical Tips for Packing Low FODMAP Lunches

This table is an excellent guideline for your kids to choose foods they like that you know are nutritious. The biggest thing to remember is to keep things simple, change them up, and keep their food safe with ice packs or chillable containers. Look at bento boxes or containers with dividers to help with portions and keep things balanced; choose one thing from each list. You can also pack leftovers from last night’s dinner. A thermos that keeps food warm is always handy since your child won’t be able to heat anything. 

Prepping lunches and snacks the night before has been a huge game-changer for me and my daughter. She loves helping me pack her lunch, and I know she will eat it because she picked the food herself. One of her favorite snacks is these protein energy bites that she helps me make. They are FODMAP-friendly and do not require any cooking. The recipe can be found here. For these, I replace the chia seeds with no more than ¼ cups of shredded coconut. 

Communication is Key: Working with Schools and Caregivers

Ensure you communicate with your child’s teacher/s, Administration, and school nurse about dietary restrictions and needs. This open dialogue is crucial. If you want to order off the school’s lunch menu, request copies of the menus a week in advance to pick and choose foods with your child. Have your child’s pediatrician also fill out a letter of medical necessity. This collaborative approach ensures everyone is on the same page and your child's needs are met. 

If your child is seeing a pediatric specialist, such as a GI doctor, work with their ancillary team (social worker and education specialist) to help communicate to your child’s school so there are no constraints or push-back on meeting your child’s needs. If you have friends who watch your child or who you engage in social outings with, make sure you let them know about food sensitivities as well. This gives you a support system and allows friends to understand how to adjust meals or foods supplied at parties and get-togethers. 

Remember that packing a lunch shouldn’t be like planning a 5-course gourmet meal. The more involved your child is, the more they will be inclined to eat what you pack. This may take a few tries, but eventually, you will find foods your child will eat and be happy about. To make it fun, you can add a special note, add a treat, cut foods into fun shapes, or skewer fruit or vegetables. 

You can make returning to school a delicious and gut-friendly experience for them and yourself. And remember, it's okay to keep it simple. If you have any other tips or ideas, please add them to the comments section of this article!

1. _{Bellini, M., Tonarelli, S., Nagy, A. G., Pancetti, A., Costa, F., Ricchiuti, A., de Bortoli, N., Mosca, M., Marchi, S., & Rossi, A. (2020). Low FODMAP Diet: Evidence, Doubts, and Hopes. Nutrients, 12(1), 148.}