Low-FODMAP / IBS travel recommendations for Greece and Istanbul?

February 15, 2020 8:47 AM

I booked a trip to Greece and Istanbul before I was diagnosed with IBS. From my reading about the national cuisines, it seems that it will be difficult to avoid my trigger foods. I'd like to hear from anyone with this condition who has had first-hand experience of travel in Greece and Turkey (perhaps the entire Middle East?). Thanks.
posted by feelinggood to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

I have IBS and was recently in Istanbul. There are tons of dining options in Istanbul. It's a modern megacity where you can buy any food you like. I'm not sure what would be triggering about Istanbul food in particular -- is it the greasiness of lamb and kebabs?
posted by shaademaan at 9:03 AM on February 15, 2020 [2 favorites]

It's garlic. Mediterranean food is full of garlic.

I have found garlic and other alliums are less likely to be used in preparing seafood in that region, though it's not foolproof. You'll probably want to avoid lamb, because garlic is de rigeur in how lamb is prepared.
posted by capricorn at 11:15 AM on February 15, 2020 [2 favorites]

I recommend figuring out which FODMAPS are the worse triggers for you. Some might not be that bad, some are fine in moderation, and others are always going to be evil incarnate. But because it’s such an extensive list of foods, it’s best to know thyself and what works and doesn’t work. Or else you’ll practically never eat out or travel again.
posted by Neekee at 1:22 PM on February 15, 2020 [3 favorites]

Definitely do some refinement before you go. I can't deal with raw onion, but small amounts of cooked onion in things can be ok - as long as it's not every meal. But garlic is nope, not even cooked in garlic oil which another FODMAP friend can do. On the other hand, I can still do wheat and dairy, which she can't, so I'm not complaining. Anyway, the point being that there is a lot of variation in what things affect you and how much, so you need to work that out first. But if onion and garlic are big triggers for you, I'm afraid that will be difficult.
posted by Athanassiel at 4:51 PM on February 15, 2020