Are tomatoes low FODMAP?
Yes, several kinds of tomatoes have a low FODMAP serving. However, tomatoes are limited low FODMAP, so you can’t eat too much of them at once.
In this blog, I’ll explain what kinds of tomatoes have been tested and how much you can eat of them.
Tomatoes were retested in 2022
Before 2022, the classification for tomatoes was that you could eat them freely on the low FODMAP diet without any limit on serving size.
In 2022 tomatoes were retested by Monash University and the safe serving size for tomatoes became considerably more limited.
The reason why Monash University retests foods is because the way foods are grown, fertilized, and stored can impact the FODMAP contents in the foods.
A difficult thing with foods being retested is that you will sometimes find information on the internet or in information distributed to you by for example dieticians that is outdated.
If you find some FODMAP information that says that tomatoes can be eaten freely with no limit, please know that this is outdated information.
For up-to-date information, I would always advise using the Monash University FODMAP app as your guide. That is also where I base all the information on my website on.
How much tomato can you eat on the FODMAP diet?
Monash University has tested several types of tomatoes. Below you can see an overview of these with their low FODMAP serving sizes:
- Common tomato, raw: a serving of 65 grams or 1/2 medium tomato is low FODMAP. At a serving of 75 grams or more, your meal contains a moderate amount of fructose.
- Roma or plum tomato, raw: a serving of 48 grams or 2/3 small tomato is low FOMAP. At a serving of 64 grams or more, your meal contains a moderate amount of fructose.
- Truss tomato / tomato on the vine, raw: a serving of 69 grams or 1/2 medium tomato is low FODMAP. At a serving of 75 grams or more, your meal contains a moderate amount of fructose.
- Cherry tomato, raw: a serving of 45 grams or 3 medium cherry tomatoes is low FODMAP. At a serving of 60 grams or 4 cherry tomatoes, your meal contains a moderate amount of fructose.
As you can see, you can eat about half a tomato as a safe low FODMAP serving. While this is not a lot, you can still enjoy some tomatoes in your salad or a sauce.
Or have a few cherry tomatoes as a snack next to some other foods.
What about canned tomatoes?
Canned tomatoes and tomato paste have also been tested by Monash University. The amounts you can eat of those products are as follows:
- Canned tomato, whole round, with juice: 100 grams or 1/2 cup is a safe serving. At 132 grams or 2/3 cup, your serving contains a moderate amount of fructose.
- Canned tomato, roma/plum, with juice: 100 grams of 1/2 cup is a safe serving. At 182 grams or 1 cup, your serving contains a moderate amount of fructose.
- Pasta sauce, tomato basil, Fody: the low FODMAP basil pasta sauce from the brand Fody has been tested and a serving size of 125 grams or 1/2 cup per meal is low FODMAP.
- Tomato paste / concentrate: a serving of 2 tablespoons or 28 grams is low FODMAP. At 81 grams or 1/3 cup, your serving contains a moderate amount of fructans.
- Passata: tomato passata is low FODMAP in a serving of 72 grams or 1/4 cup. At 97 grams or 1/3 cups, your serving contains a moderate amount of fructans.
As you can see, you can also eat quite a nice serving of canned tomatoes. Which is handy if you want to make a pasta sauce.
Monash University has also tested the low FODMAP pasta sauces by Fody, which are tomato-based. These are low FODMAP in a serving of 125 grams or 1/2 cup per meal.
Next to the basil pasta sauce, FODY also has a spicy marinara pasta sauce (arrabbiata), a marinara pasta sauce, and a vegan bolognese pasta sauce.
Tomato paste or concentrate, which is also easy to use in a sauce or to spread on a pizza is low FODMAP in a serving of 2 tablespoons.
Interestingly the app states that this food contains fructans instead of fructose. But I haven’t been able to find why tomato paste doesn’t get high in the FODMAP group fructose in a larger serving.
Other tomato products
Monash University has tested a few other tomato products that I will shortly mention:
- 100% tomato juice: tomato juice is low FODMAP in a serving of 96 grams or 1/2 glass per meal. At servings of 129 grams or 2/3 glass per meal, it contains a moderate amount of fructose.
- Sundried tomatoes: sundried tomatoes are very limited low FODMAP. A serving of 8 grams or 2 pieces is low FODMAP. At a serving of 16 grams or 4 pieces, it contains a moderate amount of fructose.
Fructose and tomatoes
The FODMAP group that tomatoes contain is the group fructose. If you have already reintroduced fructose and you know that you tolerate it well, then you can probably safely increase your serving of tomatoes.
Are you still in the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet? Then stick to the safe serving size for tomatoes listed above.
Avoid combining tomatoes in a meal with other foods that are limited low FODMAP and contain fructose. Because that can cause you to stack FODMAPs in your meal.
Did you always eat larger servings of tomatoes before they were retested without any symptoms? Then you don’t have to change the way you use them in your meal.
Tolerance levels differ per person and it is always important to check how you react to a food. The Monash University FODMAP app is a handy guideline, but your personal tolerance level is the most important guide for you.
I hope this makes it a bit more clear how much tomato you can enjoy on the low FODMAP diet and how you can safely incorporate it into your meals.
Other blogs about the FODMAPs in foods
Would you like to read more about whether certain foods are low FODMAP and in what quantities? Check out the articles below:
Fruits and vegetables
- Is coconut low FODMAP?
- Are bananas low FODMAP?
- Are mushrooms low FODMAP?
- Is broccoli low FODMAP?
- Is kale low FODMAP?
- Is spinach low FODMAP?
- Is corn low FODMAP?
- Is avocado low FODMAP?
- Is sweet potato low FODMAP?
Dairy and grains
- Is rice low FODMAP?
- Is quinoa low FODMAP?
- Are oats low FODMAP?
- Which milk is low FODMAP?
- What cheeses are low FODMAP?
- Is butter low FODMAP?