Gentle on your gut

Each rule below steers round a common trigger for IBS or reflux. They are also handy when you cook your own food, or choose what to serve alongside the blocks.

No chilli, no heat

Warmth comes from ginger, cumin, cinnamon, allspice and sweet paprika rather than chilli, cayenne or hot paprika.

Go easy on tomato

Tomato, vinegar and citrus are common reflux triggers, so sauces are built on carrot, sweet potato, spinach, light coconut or milk instead.

Go easy on onion and garlic

Both are high in fructans, a common IBS trigger, so each batch uses just a couple of garlic cloves and spring onions or leek, never a big onion base.

Lean and lighter

Fatty meals can make reflux worse. The meat is lean, the coconut milk is light and the oil is kept to a spoonful or two.

Fibre in every block

Beans, lentils, chickpeas, oats, quinoa and plenty of veg give 0.7–3.0g of fibre per 70g block, much of it the gentle, soluble kind.

Gut-friendly portions

Tinned beans and lentils are rinsed and kept to one or two tins per batch, and sweet potato to under about 75g a meal, so each portion stays in the range most people with IBS tolerate.

Easy on dairy

Milk in the recipes is lactose-free. Hard cheese and a spoon of yoghurt at the table are fine for most people.

Watch the hidden extras

Stock cubes, gravy granules and spice blends can add a lot of onion and garlic on top of the recipe. If you’re sensitive, low-FODMAP stock keeps it in check.

Everyone’s gut is different

These recipes avoid the most common triggers, but they aren’t a medical diet. If you’re following a low-FODMAP plan or have frequent symptoms, talk to your GP or a registered dietitian, and add fibre gradually with plenty of water.

The rules in action

Times are prep plus cooking.

• Beef & Black Bean No-Chilli: all the cumin and sweet smoked paprika of a chilli, with no heat and no tomato. 1 hr, 20 blocks.
• Turkey Ragu Bianco: a tomato-free ragu simmered with lactose-free milk and herbs. 1 hr 15 min, 22 blocks.
• Mild Kidney Bean Masala: a masala with no tomato and no chilli. 50 min, 18 blocks.
• Chicken, Leek & Butter Bean Pie Filling: leek in place of onion, with rinsed butter beans. 50 min, 25 blocks.
• Turkey, Butternut & Sage Stew: lean turkey mince in a light stew. 55 min, 23 blocks.
• Mild Black Bean & Sweet Potato Stew: 3g of fibre a block, the most of any IBS recipe alongside the kidney bean masala. 45 min, 19 blocks.
• Tarragon Chicken & Courgette: a creamy sauce made with lactose-free milk. 50 min, 24 blocks.