Watermelon

Why watermelon is rated high

Watermelon is high FODMAP at an ordinary serve, and it gets there by more than one route at once. It carries Excess Fructose, meaning more fructose than glucose, which makes the sugar harder for the small intestine to absorb, and it also carries Fructans and Mannitol. Any one of those groups on its own can push a fruit up the scale, and here they stack inside the same slice. About 1 tablespoon (20g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so the low serve is a mouthful rather than a wedge, and an ordinary helping of watermelon sits in the high range.

What changes your risk

• Serving size About 1 tablespoon (20g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. The low serve is a taste, so there is no realistic wedge of watermelon that stays low, and guessing at a small piece is not a strategy.
• Juicing Watermelon juice and agua fresca press the sugars of several wedges into one glass and leave the fibre behind, so a drink runs higher than the same fruit eaten in pieces.
• Drying Dried watermelon has had the water taken out and everything else left behind, so the fructose, fructans and mannitol are concentrated into a much smaller piece.
• Stacking with the same subgroups Fruit platters and summer salads often put watermelon next to other Excess Fructose foods such as mango, apple and honey, while bread, pasta and onion in the same meal add more fructans. Several sources of the same subgroup in one sitting add up faster than any single item suggests.
• Chilling, blending and freezing change nothing Frozen watermelon cubes, ice pops and smoothies sit at the same level as the fruit they were made from. Cold does not break FODMAPs down, and neither does a blender.

Swaps

When the craving is for something cold, sweet and juicy, cantaloupe is the closest like for like on a fruit plate, and strawberries, pineapple, oranges and mandarins all fill the fresh fruit role without the same problem. Kiwi works well in a fruit salad where you want softness and a bit of tartness. For the crunch and water content in a summer salad or a chilled drink, cucumber does the job, and it pairs with mint the way watermelon does. Do not reach for mango, apple, pear or honey as the replacement, since those bring Excess Fructose of their own and simply move the load rather than lowering it.

How to lower the load

Watermelon is hard to portion around because the fruit arrives in wedges and the low serve is only about 1 tablespoon (20g), so the practical work is in what you build instead. At a barbecue or a buffet, the fruit tray is usually watermelon, melon and grapes together: take the cantaloupe and leave the watermelon, rather than trying to take a token piece. If you are making the platter yourself, build it on strawberries, pineapple and cantaloupe so there is something to reach for. When ordering a fruit salad or a summer drink, ask what fruit is in it, because watermelon is a common filler in fruit cups, salsas and agua frescas where it is not named on the menu. Keeping a container of cut cantaloupe in the fridge is the simplest way to have the cold sweet thing ready when you want it.

Common questions

is watermelon low fodmap

Not at an ordinary serve. About 1 tablespoon (20g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, driven by Excess Fructose, Fructans and Mannitol.

how much watermelon 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 a normal slice is well past the low serve.

is watermelon high in fructose

Yes. It carries Excess Fructose, which means it holds more fructose than glucose, and it also carries Fructans and Mannitol, so the load climbs quickly past about 1 tablespoon (20g).

what fruit can i eat instead of watermelon

Cantaloupe is the closest swap on a fruit plate, and strawberries, pineapple, oranges and kiwi all fill the fresh fruit role. Cucumber covers the cold, crunchy, watery part of a summer salad.