The low FODMAP diet can already be a challenge by itself, let alone when you also don’t want to eat meat and fish (or no animal products at all). The low FODMAP diet is a limiting diet and therefore you have to pay attention that you get enough of all the essential nutrients. If you eat vegetarian or vegan this is even more important. I often get the question what good low FODMAP vegetarian protein sources are and in this blog I will share these and vegan protein sources with you.

Vegetarians and vegan can often use legumes and sometimes meat replacements as a source of protein, but most legumes and meat replacers are not low FODMAP. So what are low FODMAP sources of protein that are also vegetarian and vegan? In the first table I have collected low FODMAP vegetarian protein sources (not suitable for vegans) and in the second table you can find plant-based protein sources that are suitable for both a vegetarian and vegan low FODMAP diet. As you can see there are still quite a lot of plant-based sources to choose from!

Low FODMAP vegetarian protein sources

Product	Protein per 100 gram
Eggs (1 egg = 7,5 gram protein)	12,5 gram
Cheese, yellow	25 gram
Lactose-free yoghurt	4,3 gram
Lactose-free milk	3,5 gram
Lactose-free quark	8,5 gram
Quorn vegetarian minced meat	14,5 gram
Quorn vegetarian pieces	13,8 gram
Quorn fillets	12,5 gram

FODMAP vegan protein sources

Product	Protein per 100 gram
Tofu*	13 gram
Tempeh	12 gram
Sourdough spelt bread (2 slices = 7 gram protein)	9 gram
Quinoa	12 gram
Brown rice	9 gram
Polenta	7,7 gram
Millet	11,2 gram
Oats (low FODMAP up to 60 gram)	14 gram
Canned chickpeas (low FODMAP up to 42 gram)	6,5 gram
Canned pinto beans (low FODMAP up to 45 gram)	4.6 gram
Canned adzuki beans (low FODMAP up to 38 gram)	5 gram
Canned black beans (low FODMAP up to 40 gram)	7 gram
Canned butter beans (low FODMAP up to 40 gram)	5 gram
Peanut butter	26 gram
Peanuts	26 gram
Macadamia nuts	8,5 gram
Almonds (up to 12 gram is low FODMAP)	26 gram
Brazil nuts (up to 40 gram is low FODMAP)	14 gram
Pecans (up to 20 gram is low FODMAP)	10 gram
Hazelnuts (up to 15 gram is low FODMAP)	14 gram
Chia seeds (up to 24 gram is low FODMAP)	21 gram
Flaxseed (up to 15 gram is low FODMAP)	19 gram
Hemp seeds (up to 50 gram is low FODMAP)	33 gram
Pumpkin seeds (up to about 80 gram is low FODMAP)	25 gram
Sunflower seeds (up to about 50 gram is low FODMAP)	27 gram

*Note: silken tofu is not low FODMAP. Only firm tofu is low FODMAP. 

Vegetables with a high amount of proteins

Next to the low FODMAP vegetarian protein sources above, there are also several kinds of low FODMAP vegetables that contain a relatively high amount of protein.

Product	Protein per 100 gram
Kale	4,3 gram
Spinach (low FODMAP up to 100 gram)	2,5 gram
Broccoli (low FODMAP up to 150 gram)	3,3 gram
Green beans (low FODMAP up to 75 gram)	2,5 gram
Celeriac (low FODMAP up to 250 gram)	2 gram

How much protein do you need per day?

The Dutch nutrition center says that an adult normally needs about 0,8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. For a vegetarian or vegan this amount should be about 20%-30% higher because proteins in plant-based foods are sometimes harder to digest. Next to that they advise to get your proteins from a diverse array of sources to make sure that you will get all the essential amino acids. For a female that weighs 65 kilos (140 lbs), this would mean eating about 62 grams of protein per day. For a man that weighs 85 kilos (185 lbs) this would mean eating about 81 grams of protein per day.

I always recommend following the low FODMAP diet with the guidance of a dietician. If you eat vegetarian or vegan this is even more important because you have a more limited choice of foods to eat. You can use this list to choose your low FODMAP vegetarian protein sources (or vegan), but it is smart to have a dietician check what you eat, so he or she can make sure that you get all your essential nutrients and that you won’t get any deficients.