Turkey Heart

Low FODMAP

Typical portion

Any typical portion Low

Turkey heart is Low FODMAP, a lean organ meat that is essentially pure protein and fat with nothing fermentable to trip you up.

Turkey heart is muscle protein and fat with negligible carbohydrate, so it carries no FODMAPs and stays comfortable at any typical portion.

Cook it simply with olive oil, salt, and herbs, saving garlic-infused oil for flavor without the fructans.

Why turkey heart is rated low

Turkey heart is low FODMAP, and the reason is simple: it is muscle meat, made of protein and fat with negligible carbohydrate, so there is nothing in it for your gut to ferment. The rating is estimated from what turkey heart is made of rather than measured at a weighed serving, which is why the ladder reads "Any typical portion" instead of naming a figure. Low is not unlimited, though. Hearts are almost never eaten plain, and the marinade, stock, gravy or stuffing they go into is where the FODMAPs turn up.

What changes your risk

Marinades and rubs Bottled marinades, poultry seasoning blends and dry rubs often list onion powder or garlic powder, and those are high FODMAP even as a coating on the hearts. Read the label, or season with salt, pepper, paprika and dried herbs.
Braising liquid Hearts are often simmered until tender, and ordinary stock usually starts with onion, garlic and celery. Cooking does not destroy FODMAPs. Separately, the FODMAPs in onion and garlic are water-soluble and leach into the liquid, so fishing the onion out afterwards still leaves them in the broth.
Giblet gravy and stuffing Turkey hearts often get chopped into giblet gravy thickened with wheat flour, or into bread stuffing with onion and celery. The heart stays low. The dish around it does not.
The whole plate Because the heart brings no FODMAPs of its own, the sides decide the meal's total. Low turkey heart served with wheat bread rolls, a garlic sauce and sauteed mushrooms is still a high FODMAP meal.
Bigger helpings of a sauced dish The rating covers Any typical portion of the meat. A larger plate of hearts in a creamy or onion-based sauce means more of that sauce, and the sauce is what pushes the load up.

What else works

Other plain meats sit in the same place: chicken hearts, turkey thigh or breast, beef, lamb, eggs and fish are all low when cooked without onion or garlic. The lookalikes that are not low are the prepared forms: giblet gravy made on an onion stock with wheat flour, bread stuffing, pâté and terrines built on shallot and cream, and sausages or processed meats that use onion, garlic or a wheat rusk filler. For flavour, garlic-infused oil, chives, the green tops of spring onions and fresh thyme or rosemary do the work that onion and garlic usually would.

How to keep it low

Buy turkey hearts fresh from a butcher or frozen in tubs, and thaw them in the fridge. Before cooking, trim off the fat cap and the tough vessels at the top, slice each heart open and rinse out any clots. They suit two very different methods: a fast, hot sear or a turn on skewers over the grill, cooked all the way through with no pink left in the middle, or a long, slow braise until tender. For the braise, make a homemade stock from turkey bones, carrot, leek leaves and herbs and freeze it in batches, so you are never reaching for a stock cube that lists onion and garlic.

Common questions

is turkey heart low fodmap

Yes. Turkey heart is low FODMAP at Any typical portion, a rating estimated from what it is made of, protein and fat with negligible carbohydrate. Marinades, stock and gravy are what change the picture.

can you eat turkey hearts on the elimination phase

Plain turkey heart fits the elimination phase as long as it is cooked without onion, garlic, or a stock or seasoning blend that contains them. Garlic-infused oil and chives bring that flavour back.

is giblet gravy low fodmap

Usually not. Giblet gravy is typically made on an onion-based stock and thickened with wheat flour, so the gravy carries FODMAPs even though the heart in it does not. A homemade low FODMAP stock and a gluten free thickener avoid those sources.

how much turkey heart can i eat on low fodmap

The rating covers Any typical portion of plain turkey heart. Low does not mean unlimited, and in practice what tips the meal is the sauce, stock or sides served alongside it.

Learn more

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

Turkey Heart 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.