Clover Honey is High FODMAP!

We recently put clover honey to the test to find out about its FODMAP levels! Read on to find out why this sweet number FAILS, and see it in the App! Why is clover honey high FODMAP? We all like a sweet treat occasionally, but if you are on a low FODMAP diet, you probably…

We recently put clover honey to the test to find out about its FODMAP levels!

Read on to find out why this sweet number FAILS, and see it in the App!

Why is clover honey high FODMAP?

We all like a sweet treat occasionally, but if you are on a low FODMAP diet, you probably know that honey isn’t an option. Honey is high FODMAP because it contains excess fructose.

Fructose is a ‘Monosaccharide’, meaning ‘single sugar’ and the “M” of the FODMAP acronym. Fructose may be found on its own or, as in the case of honey, in combination with glucose. It’s important to know that fructose is only malabsorbed when there is more of it present than there is of glucose. This is because glucose can aid the absorption of fructose:

Glucose > Fructose = all fructose and glucose absorbed easily
Glucose = Fructose = all fructose and glucose absorbed easily
Glucose < Fructose = excess fructose is malabsorbed in the small bowel possibly resulting in symptoms of IBS

But what about other types of honey?

Interestingly, there are different kinds of honey available including Yellow Box honey, Manuka honey, Orange Blossom and more. These honeys all have varying amounts of fructose and glucose, but most being around 30% glucose to 40% fructose. This is a problem if you are on the low FODMAP diet. If the the excess 10% of fructose is not fully absorbed in the small bowel it will continue to the colon where it is fermented, resulting in unfriendly symptoms of IBS.

There has been some talk about Clover Honey with evidence indicating that it is lower in fructose than some other varieties. This has led people to speculate that it may be low enough in fructose to be considered low FODMAP.

Why we tested clover honey

Here at FODMAP Friendly we thought it was time to put rumours to rest and actually test clover honey and find out for sure if it is actually low FODMAP. To do this we collected samples of Clover Honey from both New Zealand and from the USA. Unfortunately, we can now accurately tell you that Clover Honey is definitely high FODMAP at 10g serve.