Red Lentil (boiled)

Why red lentil (boiled) is rated high

Red lentils are split and skinless, which is why they collapse into a puree instead of holding their shape, and that texture is exactly what makes their rating awkward. Boiled red lentils are rated high, with GOS and fructans behind it: about ¼ cup (50g) is low, a larger portion is moderate and a much larger portion is high. Once the lentils have melted into a dahl or a thick soup, nothing on the plate signals which rung the bowl is sitting on, and a typical bowl of dahl is well past the low serve. With red lentils the measuring has to happen before the pot turns everything into one smooth thing.

What changes your risk

• The portion vanishes into the puree About ¼ cup (50g) is low, larger portions are moderate, much larger portions are high, and a soup bowl hides the difference completely. Work out the servings before the lentils go soft, or measure the finished dish into equal portions and know how many the pot was built to make.
• The cooking method works against the water trick GOS and fructans are water-soluble, so boiling in plenty of water and tipping it away removes some of them. Red lentils are almost always simmered until the liquid is absorbed, so nothing gets poured off and it all stays in the bowl. Long cooking does not break them down, however soft the lentils get.
• The canned form runs lower Canned lentils drained and rinsed under cold running water are a separate food with a larger low serve than lentils boiled from dried. Rinse in a sieve until the cloudiness stops, and go by the form that is on the plate.
• Stacking GOS across the tray Dahl rarely arrives alone. Add a chickpea side, a bean salad, or cashews scattered over the top, and several GOS foods land in one meal, which takes the total well past what the lentil serving alone suggests.
• The curry paste and the stock Jarred curry pastes, stock cubes and soup bases usually carry onion and garlic, and those ride along regardless of how the lentils are portioned. Garlic-infused oil with ginger, cumin, turmeric, mustard seed and chives builds the same depth without them.

Swaps

Red lentils earn their place by thickening things, so the useful swaps are the ones that also thicken. Potato cooked soft and mashed into a soup gives body, polenta does the same job in a different register, and carrot or zucchini simmered down adds substance to a curry sauce. Quinoa or rice carries a curry instead of dissolving into it, and firm tofu brings the protein a dahl was providing. Reaching for chickpeas or split peas does not help, since they carry the same GOS. If the lentil flavour is what is wanted, canned lentils drained and rinsed are the lower running form of the same food.

How to lower the load

Decide the number of servings before you cook rather than after: measure the lentils into the pot, note how many portions of about ¼ cup (50g) that represents once cooked, and divide the finished dish by that number. Dish up with a measuring cup rather than a ladle, stretch each bowl with rice, potato or carrot, and freeze leftovers in single portions so tomorrow's bowl is already decided. Build the base on garlic-infused oil and whole spices instead of a jarred paste, since a paste puts onion and garlic in every spoonful. A restaurant dahl is an unweighed, usually much larger portion on an onion and garlic base, which is a very different proposition from a pot portioned at home.

Common questions

how much red lentils can i have on low fodmap

About ¼ cup (50g) is low. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so the portioned serve is the amount to work to, not a full bowl.

are red lentils high in gos

GOS and fructans are behind their rating. At about ¼ cup (50g) they stay low, larger portions are moderate, and much larger portions are high.

is red lentil pasta low fodmap

This page covers boiled red lentils only, not red lentil pasta, which is a different product made from a different amount of lentil. Go by the food actually being eaten rather than carrying this serving across.

does rinsing red lentils remove fodmaps

Rinsing dried lentils before cooking does very little on its own. GOS is water-soluble, so it leaches out when legumes sit in liquid, which is why canned lentils drained and rinsed run lower than lentils boiled from dried and simmered until the liquid is absorbed.