Ketchup

Why ketchup is rated moderate

Ketchup is rated moderate FODMAP, and two subgroups drive it: Excess Fructose from the sugar or corn syrup that makes it sweet, and Fructans from the onion powder or garlic powder that most recipes carry. The rating is estimated from that composition rather than from a weighed serving, so the rungs are described in words: Small serving LOW, Moderate serving MODERATE, Large serving HIGH. Ketchup is a concentrated tomato base with the sweetness and the seasoning packed in tightly, so the climb from the first rung to the last happens over what feels like an ordinary squeeze on a plate. That is why moderate, and not low, is the honest answer for a condiment nobody measures.

What changes your risk

• How much lands on the plate The whole rating moves with the pour. A Small serving reads low, a Moderate serving reads moderate, and a Large serving reads high, and ketchup is exactly the condiment people top up halfway through a meal without counting the refill.
• What sweetens it and what seasons it The Excess Fructose comes from the added sugar or corn syrup, and the Fructans from onion or garlic powder. Recipes differ in how heavily they lean on each, so the ingredient list tells you which bottle you are dealing with.
• Stacking on the fructose side A low serving of something else fructose heavy in the same meal adds to the same total. Honey in a glaze, a sweetened barbecue sauce, apple juice with lunch or a mango salsa all pull in the same direction as the ketchup.
• Stacking on the fructan side The onion and garlic powder in ketchup add to any other fructan source in the meal, and ketchup usually shows up next to them: a wheat bun, onion rings, a garlic marinade, a stock based gravy. One sitting, several sources.
• Cooking with it Heat does not destroy FODMAPs, so baking ketchup into a glaze or stirring it into a sauce keeps everything it brought. Reducing it down removes water and concentrates it further, and once it is cooked in you can no longer see how much went in.

Swaps

For the tomato hit without the concentrated sweetening and seasoning, thin plain tomato paste or passata with a little water, then season it yourself with salt, pepper, dried oregano, a splash of vinegar and a small amount of table sugar or maple syrup to get the sweet and sour balance. That gives you the same role on a burger or with chips while you control the sugar and leave out the onion and garlic powder. Garlic infused oil stirred in adds the savoury depth. What will not solve it is swapping to a bottled barbecue sauce, a sweet chilli sauce or a relish, since those usually bring the same sweeteners and the same aromatics.

How to lower the load

Read the label before you read the front of the bottle, looking for high fructose corn syrup, onion powder and garlic powder, which are the three words that shape this one. Serve it in a small pool on the side of the plate rather than squeezing it over the food, so the amount stays visible and sits at the Small serving end of the ladder. Dipping gives you less than pouring for the same satisfaction. Eating out, ask for it on the side and skip topping up, and if you make your own from tomato paste, keep it in a jar in the fridge and use it within a few days.

Common questions

is ketchup low fodmap

Ketchup is rated moderate FODMAP overall, estimated from its composition. A Small serving reads low, a Moderate serving reads moderate, and a Large serving reads high, so the amount you use decides where you land.

how much ketchup can i have on a low fodmap diet

Keep to a Small serving, which is the rung recorded as low. A Moderate serving reads moderate and a Large serving reads high, so this is a portion to respect rather than to pour freely.

why is ketchup high in fructose

The Excess Fructose comes from the sugar or corn syrup used to sweeten a concentrated tomato base. Ketchup also carries Fructans from the onion or garlic powder in most recipes, and the two together are why it sits at moderate.

can i have ketchup during the elimination phase

Ketchup is rated moderate overall, so it is not a condiment to use freely in the strict phase, and only the Small serving rung reads low. A homemade version from tomato paste, herbs and a little sugar gives you the same role with fewer unknowns.