Glasgow restaurant Atlantic Bar and Brasserie will be one of the first restaurants in the UK to launch a Low FODMAP menu this month for customers who are affected by from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
The city centre eatery, owned by DRG, has teamed up with Glasgow-based dietitian Lesley Reid to create a menu that follows an evidence-based diet created by Monash University in Australia and Kings College London.
Research has shown following a Low FODMAP diet can reduce people’s IBS symptoms by 75%. It can also help other conditions such as Crohns and Colitis.
The new menu will be launched Thursday, 17 November and must be pre-ordered 24 hours in advance but a smaller menu will be available for walk-in bookings.
Mario Gizzi, Director at The DRG, said, “When Lesley proposed the challenge to design and create a Low FODMAP menu, it was an exciting opportunity to give customers that find it hard to eat out an enjoyable and pleasurable experience.
“Everyone knows someone that suffers from IBS and the project has been an interesting process to create a menu that tastes really good for customers that suffer IBS on a daily basis.”
FODMAP’s are naturally occurring carbohydrates which are not absorbed in the small intestine and cause fermentation with the bacteria in the large bowel causing the IBS symptoms of pain wind and bloating. These symptoms are often described as IBS and affect up to 15% of the population.
Lesley Reid said, “A large proportion of my clients suffer Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The symptoms of IBS can really affect people’s lives in that they may have to take more time off work, can become socially isolated, affect relationships and generally make them feel miserable.
“The Low FODMAP diet has been a very successful treatment for my IBS clients but the main complaint with it was that it was so difficult to eat out. They could get gluten or dairy free but they couldn’t guarantee that it would be onion or garlic free.”
Atlantic Bar and Brasserie’s new menu has already received a positive response from some Reid’s clients, included one diner who was able to eat mussels for “the first time in years” and enjoyed having a rare “worry free meal”.
IBS sufferer Robin, from Glasgow, added, “The food was very well presented and tasty. I was able to relax for the first time in years and had confidence in the food. It was nice to eat out and not feel as if I was causing a fuss.
“I really like the fact I did not have to worry about the ingredients, that everything had already been checked for me.”
The special menu can be viewed from 17 November at www.atlanticbrasserie.co.uk