Carrot Juice

Why carrot juice is rated low

Carrot juice is rated low FODMAP overall, and that rating is estimated from what it is made of rather than a measured serving. Carrots themselves are one of the easier vegetables on the diet, and a Small serving of the juice stays low. Juicing changes the picture as the amount grows, though: pressing takes the sugars from many carrots, leaves the fibre behind and puts it all into one drink, so the load builds faster than it would from eating whole carrots. By a Large serving it climbs to moderate. Low here means low at the Small serving, not unlimited.

What changes your risk

• Serving size A Small serving is low and a Large serving is moderate, so how much you pour is the main thing that moves it.
• Juiced versus whole Juice concentrates what several carrots carry into one drink without the fibre, so it reaches its limit sooner than the same carrots eaten whole.
• Blends and mixed juices Many bottled carrot juices are blended with apple, mango or celery juice, which are not low FODMAP and can change the rating of the whole bottle.
• The rest of the meal A low rating is per serving, not per meal. Carrot juice alongside other juices, fruit or a sauce built on onion and garlic adds to the total FODMAP load of that sitting.

What else works

Plain carrot juice is one of the better juice choices, and whole carrots, raw or cooked, give you the same flavour with the fibre still in. If you want a cold drink with more volume, water or sparkling water with cucumber, or iced tea, sit alongside a Small serving of carrot juice without adding much. The lookalikes that are not low are the blended bottles: carrot with apple, carrot with mango, and green juices built on celery all bring in ingredients that are not low FODMAP, even though the label leads with carrot.

How to keep it low

Read the ingredients list before buying, and choose bottles where carrot is the only ingredient, skipping anything with apple juice, pear juice or fruit concentrate added. Pour a Small serving into a drinking vessel rather than sipping from a large bottle, since it is easy to drift toward a Large serving without noticing. Topping it up with ice or water makes it feel longer to drink, though the amount of juice is still what counts. If juicing at home, use carrots alone, or pair them with cucumber or a little fresh ginger.

Common questions

is carrot juice low fodmap

Yes, it is rated low FODMAP overall, estimated from what it is made of. A Small serving is low, while a Large serving climbs to moderate.

is carrot juice higher in fodmaps than whole carrots

Juicing concentrates the sugars of several carrots into one drink and leaves the fibre behind, so the juice reaches moderate sooner than whole carrots would. That is why a Large serving of the juice reads moderate.

can i drink carrot juice on the elimination phase

A Small serving of plain carrot juice is low. Check the label for added apple, mango or other fruit juices, which change the rating.

is carrot and apple juice low fodmap

Not reliably. Apple is not low FODMAP, so a blend with apple juice should not be treated like plain carrot juice.