Broccoli on a FODMAP Diet
Not only do you need to know the portions you can consume, but there are also a lot of broccoli varieties available in most supermarkets these days. That’s why knowing what parts you can and cannot eat and which varieties are low FODMAP are all vital pieces of information.
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Recommended Broccoli Portion
First, let’s start with the basics and your traditional broccoli head. You need to look at it in two parts: The head and the stalk. Each of these will need to be treated differently when you’re trying to avoid high FODMAP foods.
The head, you’ll be pleased to know, is low FODMAP. A portion of 80g will be perfectly fine and will remain low FODMAP.
The stalk, however, is another story. It’s become quite common to grate the stalk into coleslaw or to saute it in stirfries. But this will have to be no more. Just a small portion can become high FODMAP and that’s why we would recommend removing it
How to Use Broccoli
Unfortunately, there are people who assume you can only boil or steam broccoli and serve it alongside a piece of meat. But how wrong they can be! Below are a few ideas for using broccoli when following a low FODMAP diet:
Broccoli Pasta – Just grab some blanched broccoli, mix with some creme fraiche and stir through pasta for a super easy, nutritious midweek meal. You could even bake it in the oven with mozzarella if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous.
Broccoli Stirfry – Don’t stick to peppers, spring onion tops and bok choi in your stir fry… Try tossing in some broccoli instead! We’d recommend blanching it for a couple of minutes beforehand as it might not cook through when stir-frying.
Broccoli Salad – OK, broccoli on its own might not be that exciting but mix it into your next salad to give it another flavour profile. Try mixing green beans, broccoli and quinoa for a healthy lunch salad.
Broccoli Tabouleh – You know the middle Eastern dish normally made with parsley. Try it with broccoli instead! Just blanch some broccoli then blitz it up into crumbs before mixing with herbs, tomatoes and quinoa.
Is Broccolini Low FODMAP?
Broccolini are just baby broccoli, right, with longer stems. So presumably, you can just follow the same rules as above by consuming the head and avoiding the stalk. Wrong, unfortunately! Instead, it’s actually the opposite.
The stalks are skinny and are actually low FODMAP during this stage of their growth. The heads, however, as packed full of fructose which is something you want to avoid. A very small serving should be low FODMAP but you do need to be careful.
Is Purple Sprouting Broccoli Low FODMAP?
Much like broccolini, although it is clearly related to broccoli you cannot simply follow the same FODMAP rules. Unfortunately, no thorough research has been conducted on purple sprouting broccoli which does mean you need to proceed with caution when consuming it.
When following a low FODMAP diet, there is always flexibility. If you’re keen to find out if you can tolerate purple sprouting broccoli then slowly introduce it to your diet to see if it can be tolerated or not.
Is Tenderstem Broccoli Low FODMAP?
Tenderstem is actually the same as broccolini so the same rules apply. That means you can eat plenty of the stalks but not too much of the high-fructose tenderstem broccoli heads.
Is Romanesco Broccoli Low FODMAP?
Although broccoli in name, romanesco is actually related to the cauliflower. As you may know, cauliflower is not something you can consume when following a low FODMAP diet. It’s for this reason that we would recommend not consuming romanesco broccoli either. As always, we would advise erring on the side of caution when there is no definitive proof. Fortunately, you can eat all the other varieties of broccoli above.
Quick Summary
You should now have a good idea about broccoli and its low FODMAP properties. When looking at your standard broccoli, it’s all about the head and avoiding the stalk. When looking at baby varieties then the reverse is true.
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