Celery

Why celery is rated low

Celery is low FODMAP at about 1 stalk (50g), moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions. That is enough chopped celery for a soup base, a salad or a stick for crunch, but not much more. The FODMAP in celery is mannitol, a polyol, and it builds as the amount grows. A celery-heavy dish or a glass of celery juice goes well past the low serving.

What changes your risk

• Serving size About 1 stalk (50g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. That suits a soup base or a salad, but celery that is the main vegetable in a dish goes past it quickly.
• Juicing Celery juice presses many stalks into a single glass and leaves the fibre behind, so a glass of juice holds far more celery than 1 stalk (50g).
• Stacking with mannitol Celery stacks with mushrooms and with mints or gum sweetened with mannitol. A soup that combines celery and mushrooms adds the polyol twice.
• Soup bases and stocks Celery is almost always cooked with onion and garlic in a soup base or stock, so the dish can be high even when the celery is within the serving.
• Cooking method Cooking does not break down mannitol, so braised or simmered celery counts the same as raw.

What else works

Celery is low at about 1 stalk (50g), so it can stay in the soup pot and the lunch box in small amounts. For more crunch without more mannitol, cucumber and carrot sticks work alongside it on a snack plate, and carrot or zucchini can take over as the bulk vegetable in a soup. The lookalikes that are not low are celery juice, mushrooms, which carry mannitol too, and store-bought stock or soup mix where the celery arrives with onion and garlic.

How to keep it low

Chop about 1 stalk (50g) once so you can see how much it covers, then use that as the ceiling for a soup base or salad. For a low FODMAP soup base, sweat the celery and carrot in garlic-infused oil and add the green parts of leek or spring onion instead of onion. Keep celery in the fridge wrapped in a damp cloth or in water so it stays crisp for snacking. When buying stock or ready-made soup, check the label for onion and garlic, which are the more likely problem.

Common questions

how much celery is low fodmap

About 1 stalk (50g) of celery is low FODMAP. It is moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions.

is celery high in mannitol

Celery carries mannitol, and at about 1 stalk (50g) it sits in the low range. It builds above that and adds up with mushrooms or mannitol-sweetened mints in the same meal.

is celery juice low fodmap

Celery juice concentrates many stalks into one glass, so it holds far more celery than the low serving of 1 stalk (50g).

can you use celery in soup on low fodmap

Yes, up to about 1 stalk (50g) per serving. Build the base with garlic-infused oil and leek leaves rather than onion and garlic.