Brussels Sprout

Why brussels sprout is rated high

Brussels sprouts are high FODMAP, and fructans are the reason. The published data tests 1 cup (164g) and puts it at high, and that is the only serving on record, so there is no smaller tested amount that comes in lower. Sprouts are worth flagging because of where they usually turn up: a holiday plate, a roasting tray shared with bacon and onion, a shaved salad. All of those make it easy to eat more than you intended, and all of them tend to arrive with other fructan sources already on the same fork.

What changes your risk

• One tested serving, and it is high 1 cup (164g) is what the published data measures, and it is high. No lower amount has been tested, so there is no portion this page can point you to as a way around it.
• Stacking fructans Sprouts rarely travel alone. Onion in the pan, garlic in the dressing, bread stuffing, gravy thickened with wheat flour: all fructans, all landing in the same meal as a food that is already high on its own.
• Boiling versus roasting Fructans dissolve in water, so boiling sprouts in plenty of water and pouring the water off carries some of them away. Roasting, sauteing, shredding raw and air frying leave everything in the sprout. Cooking never destroys fructans, and there is no separate tested serving for boiled sprouts, so the rating above holds.
• Shredded sprouts disappear into a dish Shaved into a salad or a slaw, sprouts stop looking like a portion of vegetable, so it is easy to eat well past 1 cup (164g) without noticing.
• Infused oil for the flavour The savoury, garlicky, bacon-fat character people love on sprouts comes mostly from what they are cooked in. Garlic-infused oil gives you that flavour without the fructans, as long as no solid garlic is left sitting in the oil.

Swaps

Bok choy roasts and sautes into something close to the sprout experience: dense stems that caramelise, leaves that crisp at the edges. Green beans do the job on a festive plate and take the same treatment with oil, salt and a hot oven. For the shaved-salad role, baby spinach or shredded carrot with a lemon and olive oil dressing gives you the crunch and the acidity. Do not substitute cauliflower or broccoli, which will not solve a fructan problem. Build the flavour with garlic-infused oil, chives, the green tops of spring onions or a pinch of asafoetida rather than onion or garlic.

How to lower the load

At a shared meal, sprouts are usually the dish someone spoons onto your plate for you, so it helps to say up front which vegetable you want instead, and to bring a tray of roasted green beans or bok choy if you are contributing a side. When you are cooking, keep your own vegetables off the sprout tray entirely, since the tray is generally shared with onion, bacon fat and a glaze. Roasted green beans cook faster than sprouts, so put them in later if you are sharing an oven. If you want the same charred, nutty finish, get the pan properly hot, use garlic-infused oil, and finish with lemon and parmesan.

Common questions

how many brussels sprouts can i eat on a low fodmap diet

There is no tested serving that comes in low. The published data tests 1 cup (164g) and finds it high, and no smaller amount has been measured.

are brussels sprouts high in fructans

Yes. Fructans are the subgroup that puts Brussels sprouts at high by 1 cup (164g).

does boiling brussels sprouts make them low fodmap

Boiling in plenty of water and pouring it away removes some water-soluble fructans, but cooking does not destroy FODMAPs and no boiled serving has been tested. The rating for 1 cup (164g) is what the data gives.

what can i serve instead of brussels sprouts at christmas

Roasted green beans or bok choy give you a dense, caramelised green side, and both take the same oil, salt and hot oven treatment.