Apricot

Why apricot is rated moderate

Fresh apricot is moderate FODMAP overall, low at about 65g and climbing from there, and the groups behind it are sorbitol and fructans. Sorbitol is a polyol, and apricot holds enough of it, alongside its fructans, that the level rises quickly with the portion: larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. That makes apricot a fruit to ration carefully rather than one to eat freely, and the low serve is a modest one.

What changes your risk

• Serving size sets the level About 65g is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. A whole large apricot or a second fruit is where the portion starts to move past the low serve, so weigh it once to see what the low amount looks like.
• Dried apricots concentrate it Drying strips the water out and leaves the sorbitol and fructans behind in much less food, so dried apricot is a far denser source than the fresh fruit. This is the form most likely to turn up without being noticed, in muesli, trail mix, cereal bars, fruit and nut blends and tagines.
• Cooking and jam do not remove it Heat does not break sorbitol or fructans down, so poached apricots, apricot tart filling and apricot glaze hold what the fruit held. Jam goes further by concentrating a lot of fruit into a spoonful.
• Canning liquid Sorbitol dissolves in water, so some of it leaches out of the fruit and into the canning syrup or juice. That is a real mechanism, but canned or drained apricot is not rated here, and syrup served with the fruit brings it back.
• Stacking with other sorbitol foods Plum, peach, nectarine, apple and pear all carry sorbitol, as do sugar-free gum, mints and anything sweetened with sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol or isomalt. Sorbitol from several places in one afternoon adds up the same way it would from one large serving.

Swaps

For the soft, sweet, slightly tart stone fruit role beyond the low apricot serve, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, cantaloupe and orange or mandarin segments are all low FODMAP at their own serves and work fresh, in a fruit salad or on yoghurt. In baking, a strawberry or blueberry filling fills an apricot tart or crumble without the sorbitol, and for the sticky glaze on a roast or a pastry, orange marmalade or a strawberry jam reduced with a little water does the same job. Sweeten with maple syrup, table sugar or rice malt syrup rather than honey or agave. What does not work is swapping apricot for peach, plum, nectarine, cherry or pear, since every one of those carries the same sorbitol you are trying to limit, and dried apricot is the concentrated version of the problem rather than a smaller one.

How to lower the load

The apricot that causes the most trouble is usually the dried one, so read the fruit list on muesli, granola, bars, trail mix and fruit and nut chocolate, where it is often present in pieces small enough to miss. In cooking, apricot shows up as a glaze on ham and chicken, in tagines and pilafs, and in pastry fillings and danishes, so those are worth asking about when ordering. At home, if you bake with stone fruit in season, plan a strawberry or blueberry version of the same recipe, or keep the apricot in each portion to about 65g, since a tart or crumble usually holds far more than that per slice. Apricot is also common in stewed fruit compotes served with yoghurt at breakfast buffets, where it sits alongside prunes and other sorbitol fruits.

Common questions

is apricot high fodmap

Apricot is moderate overall. About 65g is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, with sorbitol and fructans driving the climb.

how many apricots can i eat on low fodmap

About 65g of fresh apricot is low. Beyond that it moves to moderate at larger portions and to high at much larger portions, so weigh the fruit once to see what the low amount looks like.

are dried apricots low fodmap

Drying removes water and concentrates the sorbitol and fructans into much less food, so dried apricot is a denser source than fresh. Dried apricot is not covered by the fresh serve of about 65g.

what can i use instead of apricot in baking

Strawberries or blueberries work as a low FODMAP filling for a tart or crumble, and orange marmalade replaces an apricot glaze. Peach, plum, nectarine and cherry are not swaps, because they carry the same sorbitol.