Beetroot

Why beetroot is rated low

Beetroot is low FODMAP at about 1 small (75g), which is a comfortable salad or side portion. The FODMAPs in beetroot are fructans and GOS, and at that serve they stay in the low range. They build as the helping grows: larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so a heaped plate of roasted beetroot or a beet-heavy salad goes past the low serve.

What changes your risk

• Serving size About 1 small (75g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so a plate of whole roasted beets or a salad built mostly of beetroot moves out of the low range.
• Stacking with fructans and GOS Beetroot shares its subgroups with wheat bread, onion, garlic, legumes such as chickpeas and lentils, and cashews or pistachios. A beetroot and chickpea salad or beetroot hummus on wheat crackers stacks both subgroups in one meal.
• Juicing Beetroot juice concentrates a lot of beetroot into a single glass and leaves the fibre behind, so a glass of juice is not the same as 1 small (75g) beetroot on a plate.
• Pickling and canning liquid Fructans and GOS are water-soluble and can leach into canning liquid, so draining canned beetroot well makes sense. Pickled beetroot brine can also carry onion, garlic or honey, so check the label.
• Dried beet chips and powders Drying removes water and concentrates what is left, so beet chips and beetroot powder pack more beetroot into a smaller amount than the fresh serving.

What else works

Other root vegetables that fill the same earthy, sweet role on a roasting tray include carrots and potato, and both carry the colour and heft beetroot brings. For a salad, pair a portioned serving of beetroot with baby spinach, cucumber, walnuts and a hard cheese. The lookalikes that are not low are beetroot juice, beetroot hummus made with chickpeas and garlic, and pickled beetroot in a brine flavoured with onion or sweetened with honey.

How to keep it low

Roast or boil whole beets, then slice about 1 small (75g) per person before dressing the salad, since sliced beetroot shrinks and stacks easily in a bowl. Vacuum-packed cooked beetroot is handy, but read the ingredients for onion, garlic or sweeteners, and do the same with jarred pickled beetroot. If you use canned beetroot, drain it well and discard the liquid rather than adding it to a dressing. Pair it with carrot, potato or baby spinach to fill the plate instead of adding more beetroot.

Common questions

is beetroot low fodmap

Yes, at about 1 small (75g). Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so keep to that amount per meal.

does beetroot have fructans

Yes. Beetroot carries fructans and GOS, which is why the serving matters and why it stacks with wheat, onion, garlic and legumes.

is beetroot juice low fodmap

Juice concentrates a lot of beetroot into one glass and is not the same as eating the vegetable. The low serve is about 1 small (75g) of the beetroot itself.

is pickled beetroot low fodmap

Pickled beetroot can carry onion, garlic or honey in the brine, so check the label, drain it well and keep to about 1 small (75g).