Low FODMAP Pomegranate Orange Salsa

Fresh winter fruits are the stars of this colorful Low FODMAP Pomegranate Orange Salsa. Serve with whole-grain corn tortilla chips or on top of grilled fish, chicken, or shrimp.

This Low FODMAP Pomegranate Orange Salsa is a variation of a dish that I’ve been making and bringing to parties for years. I love that it’s brightly colored, fresh, filled with fruits and veggies (a dietitian’s dream), and tastes amazing. I think it’s the perfect addition to any holiday menu.

My original version included diced red onion, which tastes great but is often no bueno for many of us FODMAPing folks. However, if you’ve gone through the reintroduction and know you can tolerate a bit of fructans, feel free to sub diced red onion in for the chopped green onion tops.

POMEGRANATES

At first glance, you might be like … “Emily’s lost her marbles. When I look at the Monash app, pomegranates are red. They’re not low FODMAP.”

Oh, but they are. Or more accurately, they can be. Many foods that appear (red) high FODMAP become (green) low FODMAP in smaller servings.

At this time, pomegranates are considered low FODMAP in 45-gram servings, which is roughly a ¼ cup of seeds (technically called arils). So, if you stick to the suggested serving size you should be in the clear, FODMAP-wise.

CORN CHIPS

Plain corn (or tortilla) chips have been tested by Monash University and are low FODMAP in 50-gram servings. With most US brands, this is just shy of two servings of chips. In general, a serving is somewhere between 7-14 chips (28 grams). However, the actual number of chips per serving depends on the brand, shape, and size. So, I recommend checking your labels for serving size and any sneaky FODMAPs in the ingredients list.

We tend to eat with our eyes first, so I think blue corn chips are a fun, colorful accompaniment to salsas and dips. Like white and yellow corn, blue corn is considered a whole grain. This particular variety of corn gets its naturally-occurring blue hue from the antioxidant anthocyanin.  

Although it’s a variety of corn, blue corn hasn’t officially been tested for FODMAP content. So, if you’re in the elimination phase and want to be “safe”, I invite you to stick to yellow corn chips.

PARTY LOGISTICS

This Low FODMAP Pomegranate Orange Salsa is best when enjoyed fresh. So, I wouldn’t recommend making it too far in advance of serving, because it does tend to get a bit soupy the longer it sits.

As I mentioned earlier, I like to bring this salsa to parties. So, I will often prep the ingredients ahead of time placing the prepped fruit in one container, the veggies/herbs in a second, and the lime juice, zest, maple syrup, and salt in a third. When I get to wherever I’m going, I will quickly mix everything together and serve.

This salsa’s also pretty delicious served over grilled or baked white fish, chicken, or shrimp (like pictured above).

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