Weekly meal prep is something we advocate for, setting aside a couple of hours on a Sunday to prep lunches, dinners and snacks for the working week.
You don’t need to go all out and prep all meals and snacks. Even preparing your lunches for the week can save a great deal of time and money.
Why meal prep?
There are a few excellent reasons to meal prep. Some key reasons are:
- Saves time during the week
- Prevents spending unnecessary cash buying lunches
- Helps to stay low FODMAP. Since portion sizes are key to a low FODMAP diet, meal prep can help ensure your meals are low FODMAP (which can be hard to do when buying lunches).
- Can assist with weight management (due to portion control).
Where to start?
Typically a well-balanced meal contains a source of protein, carbohydrates, fat (mostly unsaturated) and plenty of veg (can’t forget that colour!).
So a good way to plan what meals you will prepare is by selecting an option from each group. You can then whip it up into a stir-fry for example, or simply portion it into containers and heat it up before serving. Now, let's look at how to build those meals.
Step 1: Choose a protein source
- Chicken breast: 80g (cooked): Roast/bake, BBQ, pan-fry, poach.
- Lean beef, pork or lamb (mince or steak): 65g (cooked): BBQ, stir-fry, roast.
- Fresh fish: 100g (cooked): Bake, BBQ, grill
- Tinned fish (in spring water): 95g can
- Eggs: 2 eggs: Hard Boil
- Tofu (firm): 170g: Bake, pan-fry
Step 2: Choose a carbohydrate source
- Rice (e.g. basmati, brown): ½ – ¾ cup (cooked)
- Quinoa: ½ – ¾ cup (cooked)
- Potato: 1 medium potato
- Gluten-free bread/wrap (check it's low FODMAP): 1 wrap or 2 slices
- Pumpkin (Kent or Jap – NOT butternut): 1 cup (cooked)
- Gluten-free pasta: ½ – ¾ cup (cooked)
Step 3: Choose a source of fat
- Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tbsp
- Walnuts, pecans, macadamias, peanuts/peanut butter or pine-nuts: 20-30g
- Seeds – sunflower, pumpkin, pepitas or linseed: 1 tbsp
- Hard cheese (e.g cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan): 1 slice (~20g)
Step 4: Choose your veggies
- Carrot: 1 medium (75g)
- Broccoli: ¾ cup (75g)
- Baby spinach: 1 ½ cup (75g)
- Cucumber: ½ cup (75g)
- Red capsicum: ¼ whole (75g)
- Green capsicum: ½ cup (50g)
- Green beans: 15 beans (75g)
- Zucchini: ⅓ cup (65g)
- Tomato: 1 small (120g)
- Eggplant: 1 cup (75g)
- Red/purple cabbage: 1 cup (75g)
- Oyster mushrooms: 1 cup (75g)
- Yellow squash: 2 squash (75g)
- Tinned beetroot: ½ cup (60g)
*Note: our daily vegetable target is 5-6 serves per day. One serve is equal to 75g. Aim for a variety of colours – it is a good idea to put different varieties of veg in your prepared meals on different days.
Step 5: Add flavour
You can certainly still enjoy flavoursome meals on a low FODMAP diet, despite the whole no onion or garlic dilemma. Some great ways to add flavour to your meals are:
- Garlic/onion/lemon/chilli Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil (great to include as your source of healthy fat to the meal).
- Herbs, chilli and spices (note some may find spices/chilli irritate their gut)
- Green section of spring onion and leek
- Lemon/lime juice
- Balsamic/red wine vinegar (limit to 1 tbsp) is great combined with olive oil as a dressing.
Need help with the low FODMAP diet? Our FREE dietitian developed program will guide you through it, step-by-step. Includes a low FODMAP food guide. Sign up now.
If you are experiencing gut symptoms and have not been recommended a low FODMAP diet by a health professional, get started with the manage your gut symptoms program.
Reviewed by the healthylife Advisory Board March 2022
HealthylifePharmacy
HealthylifePharmacy
