Are mushrooms low FODMAP? Yes and no. There are a handful of mushrooms you can have on a low FODMAP diet but unfortunately, most mushrooms are off limits or have tiny serving sizes. This means you can still enjoy a bowl of mushroom pasta!
Aside from answering the question, “Are mushrooms low FODMAP?” here are some other topics we’ll cover in this post:
Find out which mushrooms are OK for IBS and which you should (technically avoid).
Are Mushrooms Low FODMAP?
While mushrooms have plenty of health benefits, most of them are filled with mannitol, sorbitol and or fructans. Most mushrooms are high in FODMAPs even in small serving sizes. All of these are FODMAPs that trigger IBS symptoms in some people.
But luckily for all of us on a low FODMAP diet, not all mushrooms are completely off the table. Oyster mushrooms, canned champignon mushrooms, black fungi (wood ear mushroom) and shimeji are some of the low FODMAP varieties with generous serving sizes.
You can check the Monash App to see which varieties are low or high FODMAP. Don’t have the app? No problem, I made a little graph to show you which mushrooms Monash has listed on the app:
Head on to the next section for a more detailed explanation of that graph.
Low FODMAP Mushrooms For IBS
Are mushrooms low FODMAP? Maybe not all mushrooms are low FODMAP but there are a few that have been tested and considered low FODMAP.
All the information below is from Monash University’s FODMAP App. Note: The mushrooms listed below have a green light indication. Here’s a list of the best mushrooms for IBS:
Oyster Mushrooms
Great news for mushroom lovers on a low FODMAP diet: oyster mushrooms FODMAP and king oyster mushroom FODMAP are low! Fresh oyster mushrooms are the only variety that tested low FODMAP at a full serving.
Even better news? Double the serving is low FODMAP too. Try not to go over 1kg or 2.2 lbs though. After that, oyster mushrooms contain moderate amounts of mannitol and sorbitol.
Haven’t tried oyster mushrooms before? They’re great meat replacements and are perfect for soaking up flavor. Oyster mushrooms are slightly nutty and make the perfect vegan chicken wings.
Black Fungi
Black fungi mushrooms or wood ear mushrooms are low FODMAP at 1 cup. These mushrooms are very common in Asian cooking. You’ll find them in stir-fries or the perfect addition to dumpling fillings.
They come dried and need to be soaked in water before being used. Wood ear mushrooms taste a little earthy and have a crunchy but jelly-like texture, similar to cartilage or soft bone. That may not sound very appealing but I absolutely love adding this mushroom in my dumplings for some added texture.
Shimeji Mushrooms
Shimeji mushrooms are low FODMAP at 1 cup serving. They’re a popular variety of mushrooms in Asia. Often used in soups or stir-fries. Personally, I love them sauteed with butter. and thyme
Canned Champignon Mushrooms
You may think canned mushrooms sound weird but they’re very popular in Asia. My mom used them in pasta all the time and you can barely tell the difference. These canned fungi have a low FODMAP serving of 75 grams or ½ cup, which amounts to about 6 mushrooms.
To round up, oyster, black fungi, canned champignon and shimeji mushrooms are low FODMAP and have rather generous serving sizes. The next section of this post will cover mushrooms that have a moderate to high FODMAP serving.
Moderate To High FODMAP Mushrooms
The mushrooms on this list have a red light indication in the Monash FODMAP App. That isn’t to say that you should not eat them at all but they should be avoided in large quantities or during the elimination phase.
- Red Pine (Wild Mushroom)
- Slippery Jack (Wild Mushroom)
- Black Chanterelle (dried)
- Fresh Shiitake
- Dried Shiitake
- Button Mushrooms
- Portobello Mushroom
- Enoki Mushrooms
- Dried Porcini
A lot of common mushroom varieties are off limits or have small serving sizes. You’ll also notice that although fresh button mushrooms are high FODMAP but canned champignon have a pretty good serving size.
Like some foods in the FODMAP diet, processing can change levels of FODMAPs. Here are some example of that:
Why Some Soy Products Are Low FODMAP
Garlic & How To Eat It On A Low FODMAP Diet
Fresh Mushrooms VS Canned
We’ve figured out the answer to the question, “are mushrooms low FODMAP” really depends on the type of mushroom and serving size but one thing is for sure: canning makes a difference.
FODMAPs are water soluble which means that they can dissolve or seep into water. Garlic oil is low FODMAP because oil and water don’t mix. Canning makes some high FODMAP ingredients tolerable because the FODMAPs leave the ingredient and leach into the liquid it’s placed in.
So the mannitol and sorbitol in canned mushrooms are released into the brine, leaving the mushrooms with less FODMAPs. Always wash canned mushrooms (or any canned ingredients) thoroughly under water to get rid of the liquid (containing FODMAPs)!
A Tip For Eating Low FODMAP
The low FODMAP diet is constantly evolving as we learn about our bodies. It’s called the low FODMAP diet not the NO FODMAP diet. This diet serves as a guideline but the serving sizes are not set in stone for 2 reasons:
- Everyone has different tolerances. What may work for one person with IBS, may not for another.
- Monash constantly retests foods.
Serving sizes play a huge part in the low FODMAP diet. There are foods on the app marker ‘red’, meaning they are high in FODMAPs at certain amounts but some of those foods have low FODMAP servings.
Also, the low FODMAP diet is a diet that works differently for everyone. There are some people that won’t have a problem with mushrooms or garlic and may even be surprised to see that these foods are high FODMAP.
It’s important to know what works for you and learn how your body reacts to certain foods. There are a few foods on the low FODMAP food list that I personally can’t tolerate and others like mushroom seasoning (a common vegan replacement for oyster sauce) that have not been tested and I have zero issues eating it.
Low FODMAP Vegan Thai Fish Cakes
This is not me recommending a sudden intake of high FODMAP foods but instead, go through the elimination phase and keep notes during the reintroduction phase.
That’s the end of this article! Now when someone asks you, “are mushrooms low FODMAP?” you’ll know that the answer is, “depends on the mushroom and serving size.” Looking for more information about FODMAPs and cooking?
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