The best places in Manchester for FODMAP dieters

When you struggle with IBS or other digestive ailments, it’s difficult to pin down what exactly will be your ‘trigger-food’, especially if you’ve never eaten that specific product before. Unfortunately, we have to deal with the ‘try it and see’ method, which isn’t very favourable.

So that’s why the FODMAP diet came into place – you can see more about what it’s all about in this post here. In short, this diet created by dietician, Kate Escarla, points out what your body digests the best (mostly soluble fibre foods and natural produce).

Of course, you’re less likely to successfully digest a Twinkie than you are an apple, but FODMAPs goes beyond that and points out the digestive differences between each food in each category – i.e. hard cheeses such as parmesan will do you better in the long run than creamy cheeses like mascarpone.

Finding items on a restaurant menu which are holistically low FODMAP can be quite difficult as restaurant shove all sorts into their dishes. So I trekked out across the streets of Manchester to see where I could find the best places in Manchester for FODMAP dieters. Take a look below to see how Manchester fared:

The Bean and Brush, Sale

For homemade, hearty salads

This is an independent family-owned café which specialises in homemade, hearty comfort foods. They offer a great range of fresh eats, including pizzas and jacket potatoes, but it’s their salads where FODMAPPERS will be permanently grateful.

Try their Fishcake Superfood Salad, which comes packed full of smoked fish, avocado, quinoa and radishes. The lemon dressing they drizzle over the salad is also great for FODMAPPERS as it balances out the ph-level acids in the stomach.

The Coriander Restaurant, Chorlton

For flavourful, show-stopping curries

Everybody loves a curry, but if you have IBS or other digestive ailments, it’s typically quite difficult to digest them. If not for the spice, for the high-fat content in the cream and oil used in production. The Coriander Restaurant offers lower saturated fat curries as they aim to reduce their oil usage. They also don’t use chemical-riddled GMO ingredients, which are notoriously difficult to digest.

Try their Chicken With Lentils & Lemons, which also includes chickpeas, garlic and cumin, for a healthier curry which suits your Low FODMAP diet down to the ground.

Lime Bar, Salford Quays

For fresh grilled fish dishes

An independent, idyllic food bar in Salford Quays, the Lime Bar is great for fresh, natural produce, made on the spot just the way you like it. Their grilled fish is probably some of the best in Manchester and they have a great choice of fish to choose from, including cod, sea bass, salmon and prawns.

If you’re looking for a clean-tasting light fish dish, their Smoked Haddock Risotto is perfect. Served with a soft poached hen’s egg, you’ll be plenty full after this Low FODMAP dish.

Ply, Northern Quarter                     

For sourdough pizzas done right

The sourdough specialists, Ply is a new, eclectic restaurant in the trendy Northern Quarter. Sourdough is great for those following a low FODMAP diet as it’s a hearty, wholesome alternative to white breads (see this post for more on why sourdough is easier to digest).

Try their Napoletana pizza which comes without Mozzarella cheese and is topped with anchovies, chillis and capers. Alternatively, you can ask one of the servers to make your pizza without Mozzarella if you want a different pizza without the high FODMAP creamy cheese.

Greens, Didsbury

For foodie gluten-free eaters

Owned by TV chef Simon Rimmer, Greens in Didsbury offers a small but eclectic menu which caters for vegan, vegetarians and gluten-free throughout.

For one of the best low FODMAP dishes I’ve tried in a nice restaurant, I’d recommend trying their Cajun spiced sweet potato dish which comes with celery, okra gumbo and cornbread. Gluten-free and completely plentiful, this is something a low FODMAPPER must try before they die!