Smoked Salmon (lox)

Why smoked salmon (lox) is rated low

Smoked salmon and lox are low FODMAP at "Any typical portion". Whether it is cold-smoked or simply salt-cured, it is salmon, salt and sometimes a little table sugar or smoke, and none of that is fermentable: the fish is protein and fat with negligible carbohydrate. The rating is estimated from what it is made of rather than from a measured serving. The reason lox has a reputation for trouble is the company it keeps. The classic bagel, cream cheese and red onion stack sits on top of it, and every one of those is a problem the salmon is not.

What changes your risk

• The bagel An ordinary bagel is made from wheat, which is high FODMAP at a normal serving. The lox on top does not change that.
• The schmear Cream cheese is a soft fresh cheese and is not low at ordinary servings, so a thick layer under the salmon changes the plate even though the salmon is low.
• Red onion Sliced red onion is the traditional lox topping, and onion of any colour is high FODMAP. Leaving it off removes the biggest single problem on the plate.
• Flavoured and processed versions Honey-roast salmon flakes, smoked salmon mousse and smoked salmon cream cheese spread are different foods from plain slices. Read their ingredient lists for honey, onion, garlic and soft cheese.
• Serving size The rating covers "Any typical portion" of plain smoked salmon. It is a statement about the fish, not about the bagel platter it arrives on.

What else works

Plain smoked trout, plain fresh salmon, other plain fish and eggs sit in the same low place. For the bagel and lox experience, swap the wheat bagel for a gluten free bagel, rice cakes or traditional sourdough spelt toast, use chives or the green tops of spring onions in place of red onion, and add cucumber, lemon and black pepper. The lookalikes that are not low are the spreads and prepared versions: smoked salmon cream cheese, salmon mousse, honey-glazed hot-smoked salmon, and any lox platter served on ordinary bagels with red onion.

How to keep it low

Choose packs whose ingredients read as salmon and salt, with smoke or table sugar the only extras. Keep it sealed and cold, and use it within the time the pack gives once opened. It goes straight from the pack onto rice cakes, over scrambled eggs, through a potato salad with chives, or onto a gluten free bagel with cucumber and lemon. At a brunch spot, ask for the lox plate with the onion left off and the bread swapped for a gluten free option if one is available, and keep the cream cheese on the side.

Common questions

is lox low fodmap

Yes. Lox and smoked salmon are rated low FODMAP at "Any typical portion", estimated from what they are made of: salmon protein and fat with salt and negligible carbohydrate.

can i have bagel and lox on a low fodmap diet

The lox is fine, but an ordinary wheat bagel, cream cheese and red onion are not low. A gluten free bagel or traditional sourdough spelt toast with lox, cucumber, chives and lemon keeps the idea without those three.

is smoked salmon cream cheese low fodmap

No. The salmon is low, but cream cheese is a soft fresh cheese that is not low at ordinary servings, and flavoured spreads may add onion. The spread has to be judged on its ingredients, not the salmon.

is hot smoked salmon low fodmap too

Plain hot-smoked salmon is also low, because smoking adds no FODMAPs. Many hot-smoked fillets are sold with honey glazes or garlic crusts, though, so check the label.