Ketchup

Why ketchup is rated moderate

Ketchup is moderate FODMAP overall, and fructans drive it, from the onion powder or garlic powder that most recipes carry. It is low at about 20mL, moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions. Ketchup is a concentrated tomato base with the sweetness and the seasoning packed in tightly, so the climb from low to high happens quickly, the difference between a light and a heavy squeeze. 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 level moves with the pour. About 20mL is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are 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 fructans come from onion or garlic powder, and the sweetness from added sugar or corn syrup. Recipes differ in how heavily they lean on the seasoning, so the ingredient list tells you which bottle you are dealing with.
• 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 onion powder and garlic powder, which are the words that shape this one. Serve it in a small pool of about 20mL on the side of the plate rather than squeezing it over the food, so the amount stays visible. 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 moderate FODMAP overall. It is low at about 20mL, moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions, so the amount you use decides where you land.

how much ketchup can i have on a low fodmap diet

Keep to about 20mL, which is low. Larger portions are already moderate and much larger portions are high, so this is a portion to respect rather than to pour freely.

what makes ketchup moderate fodmap

Ketchup carries fructans from the onion or garlic powder in most recipes, packed into a sweetened, concentrated tomato base, and that is why it sits at moderate.

can i have ketchup during the elimination phase

Ketchup is moderate overall, so it is not a condiment to use freely in the strict phase, and only about 20mL reads low. A homemade version from tomato paste, herbs and a little sugar gives you the same role with fewer unknowns.