Guava

Why guava is rated moderate

Guava is MODERATE on a low FODMAP diet, and it carries two FODMAPs at once: excess fructose and sorbitol. That combination is why the climb is steeper than for most tropical fruit. The rating is estimated from what guava is made of rather than from a weighed serving, and the ladder is qualitative. A "Small serving" reads LOW, a "Moderate serving" is MODERATE, and a "Large serving" reaches HIGH. The overall answer is moderate, and the important part is that guava has a third rung: unlike fruits that only ever nudge upward, this one goes all the way to high if the portion keeps growing. Two subgroups also mean two different ways for guava to combine badly with the rest of the meal.

What changes your risk

• A three step climb A "Small serving" is LOW, a "Moderate serving" is MODERATE and a "Large serving" is HIGH. Guava is one of the fruits where the second helping genuinely changes the answer.
• Two subgroups, two stacking risks Guava can stack on the fructose side with mango, watermelon, apple, pear or honey, and on the sorbitol side with avocado, blackberries, stone fruit such as peach, plum and apricot, or sugar free gum and mints sweetened with sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol or maltitol. Both routes add up within a few hours.
• Dried guava Drying removes water and concentrates everything left behind, so dried guava reaches a "Large serving" of fructose and sorbitol from a far smaller pile than the fresh fruit does.
• Juice, nectar and paste Juicing puts the sugars of several fruits into one glass and leaves the fibre behind, and guava nectars and pastes are concentrated by design, usually with sweetener added on top.
• Cooking leaves it where it is Stewing, baking or simmering guava does not break down fructose or sorbitol. Heat changes the texture, not the load.

Swaps

For the fragrant tropical role guava plays, pineapple and kiwi are the closest honest swaps, and oranges, mandarins, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cantaloupe all fill out a fruit bowl without carrying either of guava's two subgroups at ordinary servings. Because guava carries both excess fructose and sorbitol, two whole categories of fruit are off the table as substitutes: apple, pear, mango and watermelon on the fructose side, and blackberries, avocado and stone fruit on the sorbitol side. Honey and agave are not a way to rebuild the sweetness either. Maple syrup or plain table sugar do that job without adding fructose from a second source.

How to lower the load

Buy guava firm and slice it rather than eating it out of hand, because a whole fruit disappears in a few bites and the portion decides the rating. Keep guava to one fruit item in a sitting and let a reliably low fruit make up the rest of the plate. Read what the tin or bottle actually is: guava nectar, guava juice and guava paste are concentrated forms and behave nothing like a slice of the fresh fruit. In desserts and pastries built on guava paste, the portion is set by the recipe, so treat those as an occasional item rather than a fruit serving. Spreading fruit across the day rather than piling it into one bowl is what keeps the total manageable.

Common questions

how much guava is low fodmap

A "Small serving" of guava is LOW. A "Moderate serving" is MODERATE and a "Large serving" is HIGH, and the fruit is rated MODERATE overall.

is guava high in sorbitol

Guava carries both sorbitol and excess fructose. Together they take it from LOW at a "Small serving" up to HIGH at a "Large serving".

can i eat guava during the elimination phase

Guava is MODERATE overall, so it is not a fruit to eat freely during elimination, and a "Large serving" is HIGH. A dietitian is the right person to fit any fruit into your own plan.

what about guava juice or dried guava

Both run higher than the fresh fruit. Juicing concentrates the sugars of several fruits into one glass without the fibre, and drying removes water so the same small pile carries much more.