Tomato Salsa

Why tomato salsa is rated low

Tomato salsa is rated low at about 1 tablespoon (20g), and the tomatoes are not what limits it. Almost every salsa worth the name starts with chopped onion and garlic. Those bring Fructans, and fructans are what build as the scoop grows. The ladder puts about 1 tablespoon (20g) at LOW, larger portions at MODERATE and much larger portions at HIGH, so a small spoonful fits and a heavy scoop does not. Dipping lightly works with this one. Making it yourself, without the bulb, is how you get to have more.

What changes your risk

• Serving size The climb starts early. About 1 tablespoon (20g) reads LOW, larger portions are MODERATE and much larger portions are HIGH, so keep to a spoonful rather than a scoop.
• Stacking with other fructan sources Salsa rarely turns up alone. Wheat tortillas or wheat crackers, onion in the filling and garlic in the beans all carry fructans too, and a meal built around a shared bowl of dip adds them all up across one sitting.
• The onion and garlic are chopped in, not on the side You cannot pick them out and you cannot cook them out. Heat does not break fructans down, so a cooked or jarred salsa carries the same load as a fresh one made the same way.
• Garlic-infused oil changes the whole recipe Fructans do not dissolve into oil, so infusing oil with garlic and then discarding the solid pieces gives you the flavour without the fructans. This is what makes a more generous homemade salsa possible.
• Green tops instead of bulbs The green tops of spring onions and chopped chives carry the onion note without the bulb that causes the trouble. Leek leaves work the same way when you want something a little sweeter.

What else works

A homemade fresh salsa is the answer when you want more than a spoonful, and it is not a compromise: chopped tomato, diced cucumber for crunch, fresh chilli for heat, lime juice, plenty of coriander, a good pour of garlic-infused oil and the green tops of spring onions for the savoury lift. A pinch of asafoetida stands in for the deeper onion note if you want it. What will not work is swapping to a jarred salsa verde, a pico de gallo from the deli counter or most guacamole from a tub, since all of those usually start with the same chopped onion and garlic. If you want a dip that needs no rebuilding at all, a tomato and cucumber chop dressed with lime and infused oil fills the same spot on the table.

How to keep it low

Reading jars is mostly a losing game here, because onion and garlic sit near the top of almost every ingredient list, and restaurant salsa is made in large batches with both. Making a batch at home takes minutes and keeps in the fridge for a few days, and it tastes better cold than most jarred salsa does. Chop the tomatoes and drain off the watery juice before dressing them so the salsa does not go thin, and add the lime and infused oil just before serving. When you are out, a squeeze of lime and fresh chilli on the plate gets you most of the way to the same flavour without the bowl. If you bring your own to a gathering, bring enough to share so you are not eyeing the communal bowl.

Common questions

is tomato salsa low fodmap

Yes, at about 1 tablespoon (20g). Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, because the onion and garlic in the usual recipe carry Fructans.

how much salsa can i eat on a low fodmap diet

About 1 tablespoon (20g) is low. Larger portions are MODERATE and much larger portions are HIGH, so keep it to a spoonful rather than a scoop.

is salsa high in fructans

It carries them. Fructans are the only FODMAP group in it, and they come from the chopped onion and garlic rather than from the tomatoes.

can i make low fodmap salsa at home

You can, and it is the practical fix. Leave out the onion bulb and fresh garlic, and build the flavour from garlic-infused oil, the green tops of spring onions, chilli, lime and coriander instead.