Vegetables are good for most people, and the low FODMAP diet doesn't change that. It changes which ones you eat while you work out your triggers. The list below is sorted by level, with the FODMAP in each higher-FODMAP vegetable, so you can see why something is on the limit list.
The levels below describe a typical serving. FODMAP content depends on how much you eat, so a food that is low in a modest serving can move into a higher category in a large one.1 Check any vegetable in our FODMAP checker for its details.
Low FODMAP Vegetables
These are generally fine in typical servings and make a good base for meals:
- Roots and tubers: carrot, potato, parsnip, beetroot, radish, turnip, sweet potato, celeriac
- Leafy greens: baby spinach, spinach, kale, bok choy, arugula, watercress, collard greens
- Cabbage family: cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, which are best in modest servings
- Salad and summer vegetables: cucumber, eggplant, green beans, green bell pepper, corn, snow peas, bean sprouts
- Squash: spaghetti squash, kabocha squash
- Onion-like flavor: green leek, leek leaves, spring onion greens, chives
Some of these, such as cauliflower, broccoli, spinach and snow peas, move up a level when the serving gets large. In our data the usual reason is fructans. If a vegetable you eat often gives you trouble, a smaller portion is the first thing to try.
Moderate FODMAP Vegetables
These are worth keeping to small portions, especially when other FODMAP sources are in the same meal:
- Zucchini: contains fructans
- Tomato: contains fructose
- Butternut squash: fructose and fructans
- Okra: fructans
- Lettuce: fructose; the level can differ between lettuce types, so check the type you buy
High FODMAP Vegetables to Limit
Each of these has a FODMAP that explains why it's on the list:
- Fructans: onion, garlic, shallot, leek (white part), spring onion (white part), artichoke, Jerusalem artichoke
- Excess fructose: asparagus, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, broccolini
- Mannitol: mushrooms, porcini, enoki, celery stalk. Measurements of polyols in foods show mannitol concentrated in these vegetables.2
- Other: pumpkin
FODMAPs are carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and then fermented by gut bacteria.3
Swaps for the Usual Suspects
- Onion: leek leaves, spring onion greens or chives, plus a little garlic-infused oil for depth
- Garlic: garlic-infused oil, which carries the flavor without the fructans
- Mushrooms: eggplant or green beans for texture
- Red or yellow peppers: green bell pepper
- Celery: cucumber, or fennel
Does Cooking or Canning Change Anything?
Sometimes. In a study of plant-based foods, processing lowered the FODMAP content of several foods.4 That depends on the food and the method, so don't assume a canned or cooked version has a different rating. Check the specific food.
Putting It Together
Vegetables don't need to be a problem on the low FODMAP diet. A plate with a protein, a low FODMAP carbohydrate and two or three vegetables from the first list covers most meals. For ideas, see our 7-day low FODMAP meal plan, and for fruit, see low FODMAP fruits. If you want to test which higher-FODMAP vegetables you tolerate, the reintroduction phase is the right place to do it.
