Shrimp

Low FODMAP

Typical portion

Any typical portion Low

Shrimp is Low FODMAP, a clean, plain protein with no fermentable carbohydrate to cause trouble.

As essentially pure protein with negligible carbohydrate, plain shrimp carries no FODMAPs and stays comfortable at any typical portion.

Enjoy it grilled, sauteed, or steamed with olive oil and herbs, and reach for garlic-infused oil instead of fresh garlic if you want that savory depth.

Why shrimp is rated low

Shrimp is rated low, and the rating is estimated from what shrimp is made of rather than from a weighed portion in a study. It is essentially protein and water with almost no carbohydrate, and since FODMAPs are carbohydrates there is nothing there to ferment, which is why no subgroup is recorded for it. The ladder has one rung, Any typical portion: LOW, so a plate of plain grilled, steamed or sauteed shrimp is not what moves the needle. Shrimp is rarely served plain, though, and almost everything it usually swims in is built on garlic.

What changes your risk

The sauce, every time Scampi, shrimp in garlic butter, chilli garlic shrimp, most stir fry sauces and most marinades start with fresh garlic or onion. The shrimp stays where it is on the ladder, but the plate does not.
Frozen and pre-cooked bags Frozen shrimp is often treated with a soaking or glazing solution, and pre-cooked cocktail shrimp is frequently seasoned. The ingredient list on the back of the bag tells you whether you are buying shrimp or shrimp plus flavourings.
Breading and batter Coconut shrimp, tempura and crumbed shrimp add ordinary wheat flour and crumb, and the seasoning in a commercial coating is usually onion and garlic based. Heat does not change any of that, since frying leaves everything in the food.
Dips and sides stack up Cocktail sauce, sweet chilli sauce and many Asian dipping sauces bring their own sugars and seasonings, and a shrimp starter followed by a heavier main can push a single sitting higher than either course looked. Spreading servings across the day is easier than loading one meal.
Garlic-infused oil does the job garlic was doing The parts of garlic that cause trouble are water-soluble and do not dissolve into fat, so a strained infused oil gives shrimp the same savoury base note. Do not leave solid garlic pieces sitting in the bottle.

What else works

Shrimp sits alongside the other plain seafoods and proteins, so white fish, salmon, scallops, squid, chicken, eggs and firm tofu are in the same position for the same reason and swap in cleanly. The lookalikes to keep an eye on are the prepared shrimp products rather than other seafood: crumbed and battered shrimp, shrimp in cream or garlic sauces, shrimp dumplings, and the seasoned surimi sticks sold as imitation seafood, which are a processed mixture rather than a plain fillet. Shrimp paste and dried shrimp used as a seasoning base in curries and sambals are also a different food from fresh shrimp, and they usually arrive in a paste that includes garlic and shallot.

How to keep it low

Buy raw shrimp where you can, frozen or fresh, and read the bag for added solutions or seasoning rather than assuming raw means nothing else is in there. Thaw frozen shrimp in the fridge or under cold running water so it stays firm, pat it dry, and cook it hot and fast, because a couple of minutes a side is usually enough and overcooked shrimp turns rubbery long before it turns flavourful. For flavour, lean on garlic-infused oil, chives, the green tops of spring onions, chilli, lemon, parsley and black pepper, which between them cover most of what a garlic butter was giving you. Ordering out, ask what the shrimp is cooked in, since grilled shrimp with oil and lemon is on most menus and is a far shorter conversation than trying to have a scampi modified.

Common questions

is shrimp low fodmap

Yes. Plain shrimp is rated low overall, estimated from its composition, and the ladder reads Any typical portion: LOW.

how much shrimp can i have on a low fodmap diet

The ladder gives a single rung, Any typical portion: LOW, so a normal serving of plain shrimp is not the part of the meal to ration. The sauce it is cooked in is usually the part that matters.

is garlic shrimp ok on a low fodmap diet

Shrimp cooked with fresh garlic takes on the garlic, so the dish is judged on the garlic rather than the shrimp. Cooking with a strained garlic-infused oil gives the same flavour without the water-soluble parts that cause the trouble.

what about breaded or frozen shrimp

Breaded and battered shrimp adds ordinary wheat coating and usually an onion and garlic seasoning blend, so it is a different proposition from plain shrimp. Frozen raw shrimp is fine in principle, but check the bag for added solutions or flavourings.

Learn more

Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.

Shrimp is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

References

Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by HPLC. Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.