Eggplant

Why eggplant is rated low

Eggplant is low at about 1 cup (75g), diced, and at that serve no FODMAP group reaches a meaningful level, so it is one of the easier vegetables to build a meal around. The sorbitol load climbs with bigger helpings, to moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions, which leaves room for a side but not a tray eaten as the whole meal. In practice the eggplant is rarely the problem on the plate. What comes with it usually is.

What changes your risk

• Serving size About 1 cup (75g), diced, is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high as sorbitol builds. Eggplant shrinks a lot as it cooks, so measure it diced and raw.
• Hidden onion and garlic This is the real lever for eggplant. Baba ganoush, moussaka, ratatouille, caponata, curry bases and jarred marinated eggplant are nearly all built on onion, garlic or both. Garlic infused oil carries the same savoury depth without the FODMAPs garlic brings, provided no solid garlic pieces are left sitting in the oil.
• Stacking in one meal A low serving is per serving, not per meal. A cup of roasted eggplant next to a generous helping of other vegetables, a sauce and a side all draw on the same meal's total FODMAP load, and the total is what matters.
• Roasting and salting change nothing Eggplant is famous for being salted and drained before cooking, and for soaking up oil. Neither step removes FODMAPs, and roasting, grilling and frying do not break them down either. Salting improves the texture, not the level.
• The sauce it sits in Eggplant is a sponge, so a tomato and onion sauce, a stock based braise or a shop bought pasta sauce puts more of the sauce inside the eggplant than beside it. Choose or build the sauce first and the eggplant takes care of itself.

What else works

Eggplant is low at about 1 cup (75g), diced, so the point is what shares the plate. Zucchini, green beans, carrots, bok choy and baby spinach all sit low at a normal serve and roast or grill happily alongside it, and polenta, rice, quinoa, potato or gluten free pasta carry the meal underneath. For the savoury, slow cooked flavour that usually comes from onion and garlic in eggplant dishes, use garlic infused oil, chives, the green tops of spring onions, leek leaves or a pinch of asafoetida. The lookalikes to be careful with are prepared eggplant products rather than other vegetables: jarred marinated eggplant, shop bought baba ganoush and ready made ratatouille are usually packed with garlic and onion, so they do not inherit the fresh vegetable's level. Mushroom is a common partner in eggplant dishes and is not a low FODMAP substitute.

How to keep it low

Pick eggplants that feel heavy for their size with tight, glossy skin, because older ones turn spongy and bitter and tempt you into masking them with a heavy sauce. Dice before you cook rather than after, so the cup is portioned while it is still raw and the serve is settled before the pan gets involved. Salt the cubes for twenty minutes and pat them dry if you want less oil absorption, then roast or grill with garlic infused oil, salt and herbs. Batch roasting is fine, but portion it into single serves as it cools so the tray does not become one sitting. Eating out, the most straightforward eggplant dishes are grilled slices or a simple roast side, while anything described as caponata, parmigiana, baba ganoush or curry should be checked for onion and garlic first.

Common questions

how much eggplant is low fodmap

About 1 cup (75g), diced, is low. Eggplant reaches moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions.

is eggplant ok on the elimination phase

Yes, at about 1 cup (75g), diced. Tolerance still varies between people, and reintroduction work is best done with a dietitian.

does salting or peeling eggplant lower the fodmaps

No. Salting draws out water and improves the texture, and peeling only removes the skin. Neither one lowers FODMAP content, and roasting or frying does not break FODMAPs down either.

why does baba ganoush upset me when roasted eggplant is fine

Baba ganoush is almost always made with garlic, and many shop bought versions add onion too. The FODMAPs come from those ingredients rather than from the eggplant.