It can be difficult to eat healthy snacks when you’re constantly on the go. If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, consuming well-balanced snacks is even more important, especially if you react negatively to highly processed, greasy, and sugary snacks, like many IBS patients do. Many IBS patients follow a low-FODMAP diet (or fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols), which identifies and advises avoiding a list of carbohydrates that tend to cause stomach pain and bloating, such as beans and legumes, diary with lactose, artificial sweeteners, and more.

The following showcases a collection of low-FODMAP snacks that soothe IBS symptoms:

1. Baked veggie chips
While many patients with IBS struggle with raw vegetables, which often cause gas and stomach upset, cooking most vegetables by steaming or baking may help. Also, stick to baking non-gas-inducing veggies like sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and kale versus veggies like broccoli and cauliflower if they tend to irritate IBS symptoms. Bake your veggies on a flat baking pan and sprinkle with a bit of olive oil and spices of your choice.

2. Fruit smoothies
Like raw vegetables, many fruits tend to cause stomach upset and intense bloating in IBS patients. However, many find that removing the skins of fruits before blending really helps alleviate any digestive issues. So try first peeling fruits like apples, mango, pineapple, and banana. Sprinkle in an assortment of berries and blend away before sipping.

3. DIY granola bars
Many IBS sufferers benefit from adding more natural fiber into their diets in the way of whole grain goodness. The trick here is to add more fibre intake very gradually along with lots of water to let the digestive system gradually get used to it. Try making some DIY granola bars with whole grains, nuts, and seeds that suit your stomach. You can try pumpkin and chia seeds, dark chocolate chips, oats, and some sun dried fruits (minus the nitrates) if those work for you.

4. Bean free dips
Many IBS patients can’t handle legumes, such as chickpeas (and garlic) so they believe a bean dip, like hummus, is out of the question when it comes to snacking. However, there are many bean-free dips you can add to your arsenal of f snack foods, without the nasty bloat that comes with them. Whip up a zucchini-based dip made with tahini (like hummus), chopped zucchini, lemon juice, turmeric (a natural anti-inflammatory), cumin, and coriander. You can even add some calcium with lactose free yogurt to make it really creamy.