Pomegranate

Why pomegranate is rated low

Pomegranate is low at about ¼ cup (40g) of seeds, and the groups that build as the portion grows are fructans and mannitol. At larger portions the level is moderate, and at much larger portions it is high. That is a short climb, which makes pomegranate a fruit that behaves very differently as a scattering over a dish than as a bowl of seeds eaten on its own.

What changes your risk

• The rungs are close About ¼ cup (40g) is low, larger portions are moderate, and much larger portions are high. There is not much room between comfortable and not, so pomegranate rewards a decided portion rather than an open bowl.
• Stacking across the meal the fructans and mannitol in pomegranate add to the same groups from everything else in the meal. Seeds over a yoghurt that already has another fruit in it, then fruit again at the next course, adds up even when each serving is inside its own low amount.
• Juice concentrates it pomegranate juice presses the contents of several fruits into one glass and leaves the fibre behind, so juice runs higher than the seeds. Juice is not rated here, which means the glass has no amount to aim at.
• Molasses and concentrate pomegranate molasses is juice cooked down until most of the water is gone, and taking water out concentrates everything left behind. A spoonful stirred through a dressing or a marinade is not the same thing as the seeds by weight.
• Seeds as garnish, not as the dish scattered over salad, roast vegetables or yoghurt, pomegranate naturally lands near the low rung. Eaten straight from a deseeded bowl in front of the television, it climbs past it without anyone noticing.

What else works

Pomegranate is low at its own serving, so it belongs alongside the other fruits that are low at theirs: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, oranges, mandarins, kiwi, pineapple and cantaloupe. If you want that same jewelled pop of colour and tartness on a salad or a grain bowl, a few raspberries do the job without a new set of numbers to track. What does not carry over from the fresh seeds is the processed form: pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses are concentrates that are not rated here, so treat them as their own question rather than as pomegranate by another name.

How to keep it low

Choose a fruit that feels heavy for its size with taut, slightly squared off skin, which usually means the seeds inside are full rather than dried out. Score the skin and open it under a bowl of water so the seeds sink and the pith floats, which is faster and far less messy than picking it apart dry. Deseed the whole thing at once, then portion the seeds into small containers rather than storing one big bowl, because about ¼ cup (40g) and a larger handful look much more alike loose than they do portioned. Sealed in the fridge the seeds keep for several days, and they freeze in portions if you deseed more than you will use.

Common questions

how much pomegranate is low fodmap

About ¼ cup (40g) of seeds is low. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so the low serving is a modest one.

is pomegranate juice low fodmap

Juicing concentrates several fruits into one glass and leaves the fibre behind, so juice runs higher than the seeds. Pomegranate juice is not rated here, so the seeds at about ¼ cup (40g) are the amount to work from.

can i eat pomegranate seeds on the elimination phase

Yes, at about ¼ cup (40g) of seeds, which is where pomegranate is low. Scattering the seeds over a dish rather than eating a bowl of them is the easiest way to stay at that rung.

what about pomegranate molasses

Pomegranate molasses is juice reduced down until most of the water is gone, which concentrates what is left. It is not rated here, so it is not covered by the figures for the fresh seeds.