IBS and Indian Food: A Practical Low-FODMAP Starting Point

If you eat Indian or South Asian food and have IBS, a low-FODMAP diet can initially look impossible. Onion and garlic appear everywhere, legumes are common, wheat-based breads may be staples, and recipes often contain many ingredients at once.

The important point is that a low-FODMAP diet is not supposed to become a permanent “never eat Indian food again” diet.

Monash University describes the FODMAP approach as a three-step process: a short period of restriction, structured reintroduction, then personalisation so the long-term diet is as varied as possible.

First: make sure IBS is the right starting point

Bloating, abdominal pain and altered bowel habits can occur for many reasons. New, severe or unexplained digestive symptoms should be medically assessed rather than self-diagnosed as IBS and treated with increasingly restrictive diets.

Once IBS or another appropriate diagnosis has been established, a dietitian can decide whether a full low-FODMAP process, a gentler targeted approach, fibre changes or another strategy makes sense.

Indian food is not “high FODMAP” as one category

FODMAP content depends on ingredients and serving sizes, not the nationality of the cuisine.

Some common ingredients can become relevant during a low-FODMAP phase, including:

• onion and garlic
• some wheat-based foods
• certain legumes and serving sizes
• some dairy products
• certain fruits and vegetables

At the same time, many familiar ingredients and meal components can still fit, depending on portion and individual tolerance.

What about onion and garlic?

These are major flavour foundations in many Indian dishes and are often a practical challenge in the first phase of a low-FODMAP diet.

Rather than making every meal bland, a dietitian can help identify suitable flavour strategies during the short restriction phase and then guide reintroduction later. The goal is to learn your tolerance, not to avoid onion and garlic forever without testing them.

Can I still eat dal and legumes?

Legumes vary considerably by type, processing and serving size. Some portions may be more suitable than others during a low-FODMAP phase.

Because dal is also an important source of fibre, protein and micronutrients—especially in vegetarian diets—removing every legume without a plan can make nutritional adequacy harder.

This is one reason personalised guidance is useful for South Asian vegetarian patients.

Rice or roti?

Plain rice is often easier to incorporate into a low-FODMAP eating pattern than wheat-based roti during the restriction phase, but the right approach depends on your usual diet and what symptoms you are investigating.

Importantly, Step 1 is temporary. If wheat fructans are being assessed, they should later be challenged during the reintroduction phase rather than automatically excluded long term.

Spices do not need to disappear

A low-FODMAP approach is not a “plain food” diet. Many herbs and spices can still provide flavour. The issue is identifying the specific ingredients and serving sizes relevant to FODMAPs rather than stripping all seasoning from the diet.

The three stages matter

Step 1 — Restriction

A short period of lower-FODMAP eating, usually around 2–6 weeks, is used to assess whether symptoms respond.

Step 2 — Reintroduction

FODMAP groups are challenged systematically to identify tolerance. Monash’s current guidance emphasises testing individual FODMAP groups rather than staying indefinitely on Step 1.

Step 3 — Personalisation

Foods that are tolerated are brought back so the long-term diet is broader and easier to live with. Monash notes that unnecessary over-restriction can reduce food variety and nutritional adequacy.

A culturally relevant IBS plan

Shilpi can work with your actual household meals and adapt the FODMAP process around vegetarian eating, Indian cooking and family meals where appropriate. Consultations are available in English, Hindi and Punjabi.

Learn more about IBS and digestive-health dietitian support, South Asian nutrition care, or read Low FODMAP 101.

Appointments are available in Arundel on the Gold Coast and by telehealth across Australia.

Further reading

• Monash FODMAP — Reintroduction update
• Monash FODMAP — Step 3 personalisation

This article is general information, not a diagnosis or personalised FODMAP prescription. Seek medical review for new, severe, unexplained or concerning gastrointestinal symptoms.

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