Meal plans / Mac & Cheese Gut Gainz
Mac & Cheese Gut Gainz
The real thing, made gut-safe
Homemade mac and cheese made with lactose-free milk and aged cheddar, plus crispy bacon — and broccoli-cheddar chicken burgers for dinner.
2,900 calories and 105 g protein a day, 25 minutes of prep, easy.
Low-FODMAP-aware, not a guarantee — IBS triggers vary and serving size matters. These are general meal ideas, not medical advice; check with a doctor or dietitian before big diet changes, especially if you're losing weight. How the FODMAP approach works.
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Breakfast
630 cal, 21 g protein per person
- ½ cup rolled oats cooked in 1 cup lactose-free milk + 2 tbsp peanut butter + 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 firm, just-yellow banana (riper bananas are higher-FODMAP)
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Morning Snack
280 cal, 3 g protein per person
- 2 rice cakes with 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cup seedless grapes
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Lunch (mac & cheese)
1,050 cal, 38 g protein per person
- Bacon mac: 1½ cups cooked GF elbows + sauce (2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp GF flour, 1 cup lactose-free milk, 2 oz aged cheddar) + 3 slices bacon
- ⅓ cup cooked zucchini (65 g)
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Afternoon Snack
170 cal, 4 g protein per person
- 10 walnut halves
- ½ cup blueberries
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Dinner
750 cal, 38 g protein per person
- Broccoli cheddar chicken burgers (1 burger per serving) — 1 serving (recipe makes 5)
- 1 medium potato, roasted wedges in 1 tbsp oil
- 1 gluten-free bun
Based on Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Burgers (skip the garlic powder) by A Saucy Kitchen, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 20 reviews.
Tips from experience
- Aged cheddar is naturally very low in lactose — that's why this works
- The chicken burgers hide broccoli and cheddar inside — leave out the optional garlic powder to keep them low-FODMAP
- Make the mac sauce while the pasta boils: butter + flour, whisk in milk, then cheese off the heat
- Watch-outs: boxed mac & cheese powder usually contains onion and whey with lactose
Protein is set for a ~60 kg (130 lb) teen trying to gain weight. A typical range is about 1.2–1.6 g per kg of body weight (0.5–0.7 g per lb). If this is more than you need, eat a smaller meat portion and add extra rice, potato or bread.
Questions
Is the Mac & Cheese Gut Gainz meal plan low-FODMAP?
It's built around ingredients that Monash University lists as low-FODMAP at the portions given — no onion or garlic (garlic-infused oil instead), lactose-free dairy, gluten-free pasta and firm bananas. Serving size matters, and IBS triggers vary, so treat it as a starting point and track how you feel.
How many calories and how much protein is in it?
About 2,900 calories and 105 g of protein for one person, across 5 meals and snacks. That's sized for a teen of about 60 kg (130 lb) who is trying to gain weight.
Can I make it for more than one person?
Yes. Use the "Cooking for" slider above the meals to scale every ingredient amount for 1 to 8 people. Calories and protein stay per person.
Where do the recipes come from?
The main dishes are based on well-reviewed low-FODMAP recipes: Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Burgers (skip the garlic powder) from A Saucy Kitchen (4.9 stars, 20 reviews). Each one is linked under its meal.
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