Protein & Fiber Low FODMAP Snack Bars
If you are looking for a grab-and-go snack option, these Protein & Fiber Low FODMAP Snack Bars fit the bill. They feature FODMAP Foods meal replacement powder, which is Monash University lab tested and certified low FODMAP. Combined with fiber-rich whole grain oats, these Low FODMAP Snack Bars are super easy to make. Wet and dry ingredients are combined, pressed into a pan and chilled. That’s it!
Low FODMAP serving Size Info: Makes 12 bars; 1 bar per serving; 12 servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (256 g) no-stir style chunky peanut butter, such as Skippy
- ½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup (75 ml) maple syrup
- 2 cups (198 g) rolled oats; use gluten-free if following a gluten-free diet
- 1 cup (120 g) FODMAP Foods Vanilla Gut Friendly Protein Meal Replacement Shake powder
- ¼ cup (56 g) miniature semisweet chocolate chips; use vegan if following a vegan diet
- ¼ cup (42 g) raisins
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preparation:
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Coat the inside of an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with nonstick spray. (If you use a pan with square sides, you will get neater looking bars in the end).
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Place peanut butter, almond milk, and maple syrup in a medium size saucepan. Heat over low-medium heat, whisking occasionally, just until the mixture feels warm, which will only be a few minutes. Whisk the ingredients together so that they are blended well.
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Remove from heat and fold in the oats, meal replacement powder, chocolate chips, raisins, and cinnamon. The warmth of the mixture will melt the chocolate chips, which is what you want. As they firm up, they will help the bars hold together.
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Spread the mixture into the pan, using a silicone spatula to create an even surface. Chill the bars in the pan until firm enough to cut, about 30 minutes. You can also just leave at room temperature for a few hours. The timing is not as important as the firmness in texture. Cut into a 3 by 4 grid to yield 12 bars. Bars are ready to serve. You can store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to a month. They defrost quickly.
Notes:
FODMAP Information
All recipes are based upon Monash University & FODMAP Friendly science at time of initial publication.
• Chocolate: Monash University has lab tested dark, milk and white chocolate all have low FODMAP amounts: 85% dark at 20 g; dark at 30 g; milk at 20 g; white at 25 g. FODMAP Friendly has also lab tested dark chocolate, milk and white chocolate. Their lab tests place low FODMAP servings for dark chocolate at 30 g, with a max low FODMAP serving size of 101 g. Milk chocolate is 30 g with a 38 g max serve; white chocolate is also 30 g with a max low FODMAP serve of 38 g.
• Maple Syrup: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested maple syrup. Monash says that maple syrup is Green light and low FODMAP in servings of 2 Australian tablespoons (50 g). FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at 2 tablespoons (53 g). These amounts are recommended due to Australian healthy eating guidelines; no upper limit is posted by either Monash or FODMAP Friendly. Due to its chemical makeup, maple syrup contains more glucose than fructose and therefore can be considered free of FODMAPs. The FODMAP Friendly app does show you that no FODMAPs were detected in lab testing.
• Oats: Both Monash and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested oats. FODMAP Friendly gave rolled oats a “Pass” at ½ cup or 43 g servings; in an update to the app, they report Quick Oats (which are just rolled oats chopped up a bit) as low FODMAP at 47 g, or ½ cup uncooked. Their max low FODMAP serving is 59.53 g. Monash has several app entries and some are country specific. Here we present their “basic” app entries which are not country specific (use your app to look up the other entries). For their main entry called “rolled oats” they say a Green Light low FODMAP serving is ½ cup, which they peg at 52 g. For “quick oats” they state that a low FODMAP serving is only ¼ cup at 23 g, becoming moderate Yellow Light at ½ cup or 47 g.
• Peanut Butter: Monash and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested peanut butter. We do not have further information as to what kind of peanut butter was tested (unsweetened natural, made with hydrogenated oil and sugar, or no-stir style with palm oil and sugar). Monash shows two entries. We do not know what the images correspond to in terms of type of peanut butter. They state that both are low FODMAP at 2 Australian tablespoons, although one is said to be 50 g and the other 32 g. FODMAP Friendly’s app image shows what looks to be some sort of creamy style (not natural). They give it a “Pass” at 2 tablespoons (50 g), but also state a Max Serve at 6.86 ounces or 192.05 g. It is also important to note that Monash has said peanuts themselves have only trace amounts of FODMAPs and they say that peanut butter only becomes Moderate for fructose at 140 g. If you malabsorb fructose, it might be an issue; for others it might be tolerated very well.
• Raisins: Monash and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested raisins. While raw grapes contain no FODMAPs, the natural sugars concentrate upon drying and the resulting raisins do contain FODMAPs. Monash says a low FODMAP Green Light serving is 1 Australian tablespoon (13 g). FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at 3 tablespoons (30 g).
• Spices: Many fresh and dried spice have been lab tested by both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly and are easily looked up in the apps, which we strongly suggest that you have. The additional good news is that if you are interested in a spice that has not been lab tested, you can look at the nutritional panel and assess its FODMAP load for yourself. If the “Sugars” and/or “Carbs” are 1 g or less per serving, then the item would be a good bet to try.
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. Foods will be retested from time to time; in the case of raw ingredients, such as fruits and vegetables, results may vary. All lab tested results are valid and represent a snapshot in time. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.