Avocado

Why avocado is rated low

Avocado is low FODMAP at about 3 tablespoons (60g), which is more room than many people expect. The FODMAP in avocado is sorbitol, a polyol, and it builds steadily as the serving grows: at larger portions avocado turns moderate, and at much larger portions it is high. So avocado on toast works at the low serving, but finishing the rest of the fruit in the same sitting moves you up quickly.

What changes your risk

• Serving size About 3 tablespoons (60g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. The gaps are small, so a generous scoop can cross from low to high without looking like much more.
• Stacking with other sorbitol foods Sorbitol adds up across the meal. Avocado next to cherries, stone fruit such as peach, plum, apricot or nectarine, apple, pear, or a mint or gum sweetened with sorbitol pushes the total higher even when each is portioned.
• Guacamole and dips Guacamole usually mashes whole avocados with raw onion and garlic, so it carries a bigger avocado serving plus onion and garlic FODMAPs the avocado alone does not have.
• Smoothies and bowls Blending does not destroy sorbitol, and smoothie recipes often use more avocado than the low serving, alongside fruit such as mango or apple.
• Spreading it out Keeping the rest of the avocado for another meal, rather than eating it in one go, keeps each sitting at the low serve.

What else works

Avocado's close lookalikes are where people slip: guacamole is not a low FODMAP version of avocado, because of the onion and garlic and the larger amount of avocado per serving, and store-bought avocado dips often contain both too. If you want creaminess beyond the low serving, lactose-free yoghurt, a drizzle of olive oil or garlic-infused oil, or grated cheddar or parmesan adds richness without more sorbitol. For a similar fatty topping on toast or salad, try sliced hard-boiled egg, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or macadamias. For a green, fresh element, cucumber, baby spinach or kiwi fill the role.

How to keep it low

Cut the avocado, weigh about 3 tablespoons (60g) with a kitchen scale until you know what it looks like, and store the rest with the stone left in, the cut face brushed with lemon juice and wrapped tightly in the fridge. That leftover portion is tomorrow's toast or salad, not a second helping today. For a low FODMAP guacamole, mash the weighed avocado with lime, salt, chopped coriander, tomato and the green tops of spring onions, and use garlic-infused oil for the garlic note. When ordering, avocado toast or a burrito bowl often comes with more avocado than the low serving, so ask for a lighter portion or save some for later.

Common questions

how much avocado is low fodmap

About 3 tablespoons (60g) is low FODMAP. It turns moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions.

is avocado high in sorbitol

Avocado carries sorbitol, a polyol, and it builds with the serving. That is why about 3 tablespoons (60g) is low but a much larger portion is high.

is guacamole low fodmap

Usually not. Most guacamole contains onion and garlic and more avocado than the low serving. A homemade version with about 3 tablespoons (60g) of avocado, lime, tomato, coriander and garlic-infused oil keeps it low.

can you eat avocado on the elimination phase

Yes, at about 3 tablespoons (60g) per sitting. Keep an eye on other sorbitol foods such as stone fruit or cherries in the same meal.