SIBO diet food list template

A SIBO diet food list sorts foods by their fermentable carbohydrate (FODMAP) content, so patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth know what to eat. Safe staples include plain proteins, rice, oats, carrots, zucchini, spinach, berries and most fats. The main foods to avoid are onions, garlic, wheat, legumes, apples, pears and lactose-rich dairy.

A few foods, such as avocado and broccoli, are low-FODMAP only in small portions. This guide lists safe and trigger foods by group, with a quick-reference chart and a grocery list you can share with patients.

Key takeaways

A SIBO diet limits fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs) to ease symptoms. Its restriction phase usually lasts 2 to 6 weeks and is borrowed from IBS guidance, with few SIBO-specific trials.

Safe foods include plain proteins (chicken, fish, eggs), low-FODMAP vegetables (carrots, spinach, zucchini), rice, oats in moderation and low-fructose fruits like blueberries.

High-FODMAP triggers include onions, garlic, wheat, legumes, high-fructose fruits (apples, pears, mangoes) and lactose-rich dairy, which feed bacterial fermentation.

Some foods are low-FODMAP only in small portions, including avocado (about 1/8 fruit) and broccoli heads.

No trial shows that gas type calls for a different diet, though some clinicians cut carbohydrate further in methane-dominant SIBO (IMO).

What is the SIBO diet?

The SIBO diet is a temporary eating plan that cuts fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs). These are the sugars and fibers that bacteria in the small intestine break down into gas. It does not treat SIBO itself. Antibiotics or herbal antimicrobials, directed by a clinician, do that job.

Limiting the bacteria’s food source may ease bloating, gas, belly pain, diarrhea or constipation while antimicrobial treatment is under way. The diet supports that treatment. It is also temporary, and foods come back in during reintroduction once symptoms settle.

Hydrogen vs methane SIBO: Does your type change the diet?

Not according to current evidence. Hydrogen-dominant and methane-dominant SIBO (intestinal methanogen overgrowth, or IMO) both start from the same low-FODMAP framework. Some clinicians then restrict carbohydrate further in methane-dominant cases.

The two types come from different organisms. Hydrogen comes from bacteria, while methane comes from archaea called methanogens. No trial shows that gas type calls for a different diet, so any extra carbohydrate cut is a clinician’s judgment call.

Where a clinician does cut carbohydrate further, our low carb food list gives net carb counts to plan meals around. Patients vary a lot, so let your practitioner decide the plan.

Safe foods for SIBO: What you can eat

Safe foods for SIBO are low in fermentable carbohydrates and usually well tolerated in both hydrogen- and methane-dominant SIBO. The lists below are sorted by group for meal planning. For serving cutoffs across a wider range of foods, see our FODMAP food list.

Proteins

Unprocessed proteins are safe on a SIBO diet because they hold almost no fermentable carbohydrate.

• Chicken (skinless or with skin)
• Turkey
• Fish (salmon, cod, halibut, mackerel)
• Shellfish (shrimp, crab, mussels)
• Eggs (whole, cooked any way)
• Beef (lean cuts)
• Lamb
• Pork

Vegetables

Safe vegetables are low in fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). Portion size matters, and each patient’s limit varies during the restriction phase.

• Carrots (cooked preferred)
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Spinach
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Green beans
• Bell peppers (red, yellow)
• Tomatoes (fresh, small amounts)
• Parsnip
• Turnip

Grains and starches

Some starches ferment less because they hold fewer FODMAPs. Rice and oats are the main staples. Test other grains one at a time during reintroduction.

• White rice
• Brown rice
• Basmati rice
• Oats (in moderation, tested for individual tolerance)
• Rice cakes
• Cornmeal (polenta)

Fruits

Safe fruits have a balance of glucose and fructose. Portion control is key. Whole fruit beats juice, which concentrates the sugars.

• Blueberries (small handful per serving)
• Strawberries (2-3 medium berries)
• Cantaloupe (small slice)
• Honeydew melon (small portion)
• Grapes (red or green, 10-12 maximum)
• Kiwi fruit (1 medium)
• Coconut meat (fresh)

Fats and oils

Pure fats and oils contain no fermentable carbohydrate, so they are safe in normal amounts. Whole-food fats such as avocado, nuts and seeds carry some FODMAPs, so portions matter. The Monash University FODMAP Diet app lists tested low-FODMAP servings for foods like these.

• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Butter (ghee preferred for lactose-sensitive)
• Avocado oil
• Avocado (about 1/8 fruit, 30 g, per serving)
• Nuts (macadamia, pecans) in small amounts if tolerated
• Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower) in moderation

Foods to avoid: High-FODMAP and fermentable triggers

High-FODMAP foods feed bacterial fermentation and trigger symptoms. Knowing the FODMAP groups helps predict which foods cause bloating, gas and belly pain.

High-FODMAP vegetables to avoid

These vegetables are rich in fructans, GOS or polyols such as mannitol, all strongly fermentable by gut bacteria.

• Onions (all varieties: yellow, white, red)
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Asparagus
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli (heads; small portions only)
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Celery
• Fennel

High-FODMAP fruits to avoid

These fruits contain excess free fructose or polyols such as sorbitol, both fermentable by gut bacteria.

• Apples
• Pears
• Mango
• Watermelon
• Stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums)
• Dried fruits (dates, raisins, prunes, apricots)
• Canned fruit in syrup
• Fruit juices (concentrate fermentable sugars)

Grains and legumes to avoid

Wheat, rye, barley and legumes are major FODMAP sources. The fructans in these grains and the GOS in legumes drive bacterial fermentation.

• Wheat (bread, pasta, flour products)
• Rye
• Barley
• Lentils (red, green, brown)
• Chickpeas
• Beans (kidney, black, pinto, cannellini)
• Peas
• Whole grain pasta

Dairy and lactose to avoid

Lactose is a disaccharide that is poorly absorbed when lactase is low, so bacteria ferment it. Hard cheeses are usually tolerated because the aging process breaks down lactose.

• Milk (cow, goat, sheep)
• Yogurt (regular; lactose-free yogurt may be tolerated in small portions)
• Soft, fresh cheeses (ricotta, cottage, cream cheese)
• Cream (regular, sour)
• Buttermilk
• Ice cream
• Custard

SIBO diet food list: Quick-reference chart

This side-by-side table lets patients and practitioners spot safe versus trigger foods across the major food groups.

Grocery list for your next shopping trip

Use this shopping list to stock your kitchen with SIBO-safe staples. Print it or save it to your phone for quick reference in the store.

Proteins and seafood

• Chicken breast and thighs
• Ground turkey or beef (lean)
• Fresh fish fillets (salmon, cod, halibut)
• Canned tuna or sardines (in water or oil)
• Eggs (free-range preferred)
• Fresh or frozen shrimp

Vegetables and produce

• Carrots (fresh, organic if possible)
• Spinach (fresh or frozen)
• Kale
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Bell peppers (red, yellow)
• Green beans (fresh or frozen)
• Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• Strawberries
• Cantaloupe (when in season)

Grains and starches

• White rice (jasmine or basmati)
• Rice pasta (gluten-free alternative)
• Oats (certified gluten-free)
• Rice cakes
• Cornmeal (polenta)

Oils, fats, and condiments

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Butter (unsalted)
• Ghee (lactose-free butter)
• Sea salt
• Fresh lemon juice
• Vinegar (white, rice vinegar)
• Herbs (fresh or dried: basil, thyme, oregano, parsley)

Other dietary approaches: Elemental and specific carbohydrate diets

The low-FODMAP approach is the most widely used plan. It is borrowed from IBS guidance, and few trials test it in SIBO. Some practitioners suggest other or add-on diets for particular cases.

Elemental diet

The elemental diet replaces food with pre-digested formulas of amino acids, simple carbohydrates and fats. These are absorbed early in the small intestine, leaving little for bacteria to ferment. Some GI research supports it as another SIBO treatment. It needs close supervision by a GI or functional medicine clinician and is not suitable to try alone.

Specific carbohydrate diet (SCD)

The SCD restricts grains, legumes and refined sugars to allow only single sugars (monosaccharides) that need little digestion. Some SIBO patients report fewer symptoms on SCD, but the evidence is mostly anecdotal. Tolerance varies widely, so a clinician should assess it.

How long should you follow the SIBO diet?

The strict low-FODMAP phase usually lasts 2 to 6 weeks, run alongside antimicrobial treatment. That window is borrowed from IBS guidance, because few trials test it in SIBO. The protocol then moves through the three phases below.

Reintroduction usually covers 2 to 3 higher-FODMAP foods per week, each tested on its own to find the patient’s limit. Some patients tolerate all FODMAPs after bacterial clearance. Others stay sensitive and do better on long-term low-FODMAP eating.

Record each reintroduced food, the portion and the symptom response. That record shows which foods trigger symptoms and explains each diet change. The exact length depends on your clinician’s view of how well the bacteria are cleared and symptoms have eased.

How Pabau keeps SIBO diet follow-up in one patient record

Without a shared system, dietary follow-up often runs on paper food diaries and emailed handouts. Symptom notes then sit in inboxes and folders, apart from the patient’s chart.

In Pabau, the practice management platform we build, you can send a diet questionnaire as a digital intake form before each visit. Answers land in the patient record, next to treatment notes and reintroduction results.

During the consultation, Pabau Scribe, our AI medical scribe, drafts the note so you spend less time typing. Practices that also run nutrition or weight programs use the same forms and records through Pabau’s weight loss clinic software.

Ready to streamline patient dietary planning?

Pabau, our practice management software, lets practitioners send dietary questionnaires as digital forms and keep results in each patient record.

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Conclusion

Keep the restriction short and the reintroduction careful. The 2 to 6 week window is widely used, but it is borrowed from IBS guidance, and few trials test it in SIBO. Treat the food list as a symptom tool that runs alongside antimicrobial treatment.

Portions deserve as much attention as the lists. Avocado, broccoli and several fruits move from safe to trigger once the serving grows, so write the serving next to the food on every handout.

Record what each patient eats, how they react and which foods return, and each diet change has a reason on file. Book a demo to see how Pabau keeps dietary questionnaires, notes and follow-ups in one patient record.

Continue your research

Need serving cutoffs for more foods? FODMAP food list sorts low and high FODMAP foods with the serving that keeps each one safe.

Managing a methane-dominant case? Low carb food list gives net carb counts for planning a lower-carbohydrate phase.

Patient needs gentler meals? Gastrointestinal soft diet food list covers easy-to-digest foods for sensitive digestion.

Want a simple stomach-friendly handout? Bland diet food list template sets out low-irritant foods to hand patients.

Frequently asked questions