2026-09-07
High FODMAP foods: the list, with nuances
When you start the low FODMAP diet, the first thing you look for is a list of what you “can” and “cannot” eat. The list exists, but it has a catch: no food is high in FODMAPs in the abstract; it is high in a specific serving. A quarter cup of lentils may be tolerable while a full plate is not. That is why fixed lists fail, and why the Fodmind app classifies by the serving people actually eat.
The big FODMAP concentrators
Wheat cereals. Wheat bread, regular pasta and most baked goods carry fructans. It is not the gluten: it is the type of carbohydrate. Wheat-free breads and pastas do exist.
Onion and garlic. The two most famous fructan concentrators, and they are in half of all cooking: sofritos, broths, sauces, garlic bread. They also appear as powder, which concentrates them even further. The classic swap is the green part of spring onion or garlic-infused oil.
Cabbage family and mushrooms. Cauliflower and button mushrooms are red in a normal serving due to mannitol and fructans, though small portions fit.
Fruits with excess fructose or polyols. Apple, mango and watermelon are the three classics. Unripe banana, on the other hand, is green: ripeness changes the starch.
Legumes. Lentils, chickpeas and beans concentrate GOS. Long soaking and canning cut the load considerably, which is why canned lentils have a larger safe serving than home-cooked ones.
Honey and sweeteners. Honey is pure excess fructose. The sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol in sugar-free gum are polyols and among the worst.
How to use the list without obsessing
- Look at the safe serving, not only the color.
- Remember that FODMAPs stack up over the day.
- During elimination, be strict; during reintroduction, test one FODMAP at a time.
The complete guide explains the phases step by step, and in the food index you can check any food with its safe serving in grams.