It’s better for your local economy, the environment, your wallet and – for the aspiring chef in me – seasonal produce simply tastes better than anything that’s grown in a greenhouse, harvested before its time to ripen while it’d be shipped for hundreds and thousands of miles to be sold in our supermarkets.

Don’t get me wrong, I have known to enjoy a pineapple in December. But I really stopped and thought when our neighbourhood farm shop – a destination for local produce to support our farmers – offered bananas and oranges. I’m pretty certain that exotic fruit did not grow on trees or in the earth of Hertfordshire (UK).

Although a low FODMAP diet is already very restrictive, I vowed to eat and cook as seasonally as possible. So here’s what’s in season this month (FODMAP and portion size information provided by Monash University):

Low FODMAP

You can have generous amounts of the following produce.

Medium FODMAP

Stick to the portion sizes per sitting to avoid flare-ups. If you know that you’re okay with – say, fructose – you can experiment with larger portions of, for instance, broccoli. 

High FODMAP

The following produce are high in FODMAPs and should be avoided initially and dealt with cautiously in the reintroduction phase. 

*nightshade vegetable cause problems for some people with IBS
**tinned mushrooms are moderate FODMAP if you’re really craving a shroom