Borlotti Bean (canned)
Serving sizes
Borlotti Bean (canned) changes rating with portion size. These are the amounts tested in the literature behind our ratings.
- About 1 tablespoon (25g)
- Larger portions
- Much larger portions
Borlotti beans (canned) are High FODMAP at a usual serving, though about 1 tablespoon (25g) is low.
- About 1 tablespoon (25g) sits low.
- GOS and Fructans build quickly, so larger portions climb to moderate and much larger portions land high.
- Draining and rinsing washes some GOS into the liquid, but generous portions in soups and stews still add up.
For protein with a similar heartiness, try a portion of firm tofu instead.
Why borlotti bean (canned) is rated high
Canned borlotti beans are rated high, with GOS and fructans responsible. The low serve is tiny: about 1 tablespoon (25g) is low, a larger portion is moderate, and a much larger portion, such as a normal ladle into a stew, is high. Canning helps in the sense that GOS and fructans are water-soluble and leach out into the liquid in the tin, which is why canned legumes generally run lower than the same bean boiled from dried, but for borlotti that head start only buys a spoonful: drained, rinsed and portioned, anything past about 1 tablespoon (25g) climbs quickly.
What changes your risk
- The low serve is a spoonful About 1 tablespoon (25g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. That is a garnish, not a helping, so plan the dish around it rather than portioning a bowlful down.
- Draining and rinsing is still the right habit GOS dissolves in water, so the liquid in the tin holds some that has come out of the beans. Tip the tin into a sieve, let the cloudy liquid drain, and rinse under cold running water until it runs clear. This is why canned borlotti run lower than borlotti boiled from dried, and it is still worth doing, but it does not bring a normal helping down to low.
- Cooking changes nothing Stewing, mashing, roasting or simmering the beans for hours does not destroy GOS or fructans. Heat is not a lever here. The only mechanism that removes any of it is water that gets poured away, and in a stew that liquid stays in the dish.
- They stack with the rest of the bean family Chickpeas, kidney beans, baked beans, soy beans, cashews and pistachios carry the same groups, so a mixed bean dish is not a way to spread the load. It is the same load from more sources.
- They hide in composed dishes Minestrone, pasta e fagioli, bean soups, antipasto salads and mixed bean tins all put borlotti in without announcing it. Reading the tin and asking about the soup is more useful than portioning at the table.
Swaps
For the creamy, substantial role borlotti play in a stew or a minestrone, firm tofu holds its shape and brings the protein, potato and polenta give the starchy body, and carrots, green beans and zucchini fill out the pot without touching the same groups. Quinoa works where beans were bulking a salad, and walnuts or pumpkin seeds restore the texture a bean salad loses. Eggs, plain meat, poultry and fish cover the protein directly. Swapping to chickpeas, kidney beans or baked beans is no help at all, since GOS is exactly what makes borlotti high in the first place. Build the flavour base on garlic-infused oil with herbs, since a soffritto of onion and garlic adds more fructans on top of everything else.
How to lower the load
Check tins carefully, because mixed bean and four bean blends very often include borlotti alongside kidney and cannellini, and a bean minestrone in a jar or a carton usually does too. Eating out, minestrone and pasta e fagioli are built on beans by definition, so ask what is in the pot rather than trying to eat around them. At home, keep the borlotti to a spoonful of about 1 tablespoon (25g) scattered over the dish, and let the vegetables, the tofu or the potato carry it instead. If borlotti matter enough to want back on the plate in larger amounts, that is reintroduction work to do with a dietitian rather than something to experiment with mid elimination.
Common questions
are canned borlotti beans low fodmap
Only as a spoonful. About 1 tablespoon (25g) is low, but larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, with GOS and fructans driving it.
how much borlotti beans can i eat on low fodmap
About 1 tablespoon (25g) is the low serve. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions, such as a normal helping, are high.
does rinsing borlotti beans make them low fodmap
Rinsing removes some GOS, because it is water-soluble and leaches into the canning liquid, and it is why canned beans run lower than the same bean boiled from dried. It does not make a normal helping low: past about 1 tablespoon (25g) the level still climbs.
what can i use instead of borlotti beans in minestrone
Potato and carrot give the soup body, green beans and zucchini keep the vegetable bulk, and quinoa or a gluten free small pasta carries the starch. Firm tofu adds protein. Other beans such as kidney or chickpeas are not a swap, since they carry the same GOS.
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Where this rating comes from
Borlotti Bean (canned) is rated from published lab measurements of its FODMAP content, using the low, moderate and high cutoffs of Varney et al. (2017).
Feedback sent through the FODMAP Foods app has led to changes in this list.
Sources
- Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
- Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
- Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
- Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns between healthy individuals and patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
- FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.
Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.