Apple

Why apple is rated high

Apple is rated high, and it is high for two reasons at once. It carries excess fructose, meaning it holds more fructose than glucose, and the leftover fructose has no glucose to travel with. It also carries sorbitol. The low serve is only a sliver: about 20g is low, a larger portion is moderate, and a much larger portion, such as a whole apple, is high. One fruit brings both groups to the same meal.

What changes your risk

• The low serve is a sliver About 20g, roughly a thin slice or two, is low. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so an apple eaten whole is well past the low serve.
• Juice and cider run higher Juicing squeezes several apples into one glass and leaves the fibre behind, so apple juice concentrates the fructose and sorbitol rather than diluting them. Apple juice concentrate is also a quiet sweetener in cereal bars, dried fruit mixes, sauces and drinks labelled as having no added sugar, so the label is worth reading even when apple is not the point of the product.
• Dried apple Drying removes the water and concentrates everything left behind, so dried apple rings and apple pieces in muesli carry the fructose and sorbitol of far more fresh fruit in far less food.
• Cooking does not break it down Heat does not destroy FODMAPs, so stewed, baked and roasted apple hold the same fructose and sorbitol the raw fruit held. Both are water soluble, so some can pass into poaching liquid, but the syrup in a can or a compote carries it straight back onto the plate.
• Stacking the same subgroups Sorbitol also comes from apricot, plum, peach, nectarine and pear, and from sugar-free gum and mints. Excess fructose also comes from honey, high fructose corn syrup, mango and watermelon. Apple is already carrying both, so it is an easy fruit to double up on without noticing.

Swaps

For the fresh crunch and the lunchbox role, carrot sticks, cucumber and green beans do the job, and for sweetness, strawberries, oranges, mandarins, kiwi, pineapple, blueberries and cantaloupe are all low FODMAP at a normal serve. In baking, change the fruit rather than the recipe: a strawberry and blueberry crumble or a raspberry tart fills the same place as an apple crumble, and sweeten with maple syrup, table sugar or rice malt syrup rather than honey or agave, both of which bring excess fructose back. What will not work is a swap that shares apple's groups: pear, watermelon and mango are not gentler, and apricot, peach, plum, nectarine and cherry simply trade the fructose problem for the same sorbitol one. There is no low FODMAP fruit that cooks down into something identical to apple sauce, so for pork or roast dinners a citrus or pineapple based sauce is the more honest move than a lookalike.

How to lower the load

Apple hides in more than the fruit bowl. Scan labels for apple juice concentrate in bars, granola, dried fruit blends, chutneys, barbecue sauces and drinks, and check the ingredient list on cider and on anything sold as pure fruit. Eating out, the usual ambushes are coleslaw and shaved salads, waldorf-style sides, cheese boards, overnight oats and porridge toppings, so it is worth asking for those without apple. At home, if other people in the house eat apples, keep them out of shared containers of cut fruit and trail mix, since apple pieces are hard to pick around once they are in the mix.

Common questions

is apple low fodmap

Only as a sliver. About 20g is low, but larger portions are moderate and much larger portions, such as a whole apple, are high.

is apple high in sorbitol

It carries sorbitol and excess fructose together, and both of them build quickly past about 20g.

is apple juice ok on a low fodmap diet

Juicing packs the sugars of several apples into one glass and leaves the fibre behind, so apple juice runs higher than the fruit rather than lower. Apple juice concentrate used as a sweetener in other products counts too.

what fruit can i eat instead of apple

Strawberries, oranges, mandarins, kiwi, pineapple, blueberries and cantaloupe are low FODMAP and fill the same snack role. Pear, mango and watermelon are not substitutes, and apricot, peach and plum share apple's sorbitol.