Is corn low FODMAP?
Yes, and no. Canned corn has quite a high low FODMAP serving. Fresh corn on the cob, however, is low FODMAP in a smaller amount.
In this blog, I will explain which kinds of corn you can eat when you follow the low FODMAP diet. And whether other foods that are made of corn are low FODMAP or not.
Fresh and canned corn
Below you can see an overview of the most common kinds of corn that have been tested:
- Fresh sweet corn or corn on the cob: low FODMAP in a serving of 38 grams. Contains a moderate amount of sorbitol at 63 grams.
- Canned corn kernels: low FODMAP in a serving of 75 grams. Contains a moderate amount of fructans at 250 grams. So this means that you can probably eat up to 200 grams per serving safely.
- Canned baby corn: only trace amounts of FODMAPs were found, can be eaten freely.
- Creamed canned corn: low FODMAP in a serving of 60 grams. Contains a moderate amount of fructans at 330 grams. So this means you can probably eat up to 280 grams per serving safely.
If you are already past the reintroduction phase and know that you can tolerate sorbitol, fresh corn probably won’t be an issue for you.
Note: sometimes there is a big difference between the low FODMAP serving size mentioned in the Monash app and the amount at which the food becomes high in a certain FODMAP. Such as you see with canned corn kernels above.
I suppose that you can eat more than the suggested serving size of 75 grams in this case, but to be safe I always try to stay well below the serving size where the food becomes high in FODMAPs.
That’s why I mention a serving size 40 to 50 grams below the serving size where the food is high in FODMAPs.
Other corn products
What about products that are made with corn? Are they safe to eat on the low FODMAP diet? I made an overview below:
- Corn flour (masa harina/masa lista): low FODMAP in a serving of 100 grams.
- Polenta (corn meal): low FODMAP in a serving of 255 grams.
- Corn starch: low FODMAP in a serving of 100 grams.
- Corn tortillas, with added gum or fiber: low FODMAP in a serving of 2 tortillas.
- Corn tortillas, no added gum or fiber: low FODMAP in a serving of 3 tortillas.
- Taco shells: low FODMAP in a serving of up to 500 grams.
- Corn chips: low FODMAP in a serving of 50 grams. Is high in oligos-fructans at a serving of 250 grams. So you should be able to eat a larger serving than 50 grams, as long as you stay well below 250 grams.
- Popcorn: low FODMAP in a serving of 120 grams.
- Corn flakes, gluten-free: low FODMAP in a serving of 50 grams.
- Corn flakes, not gluten-free: low FODMAP in a serving of 15 grams.
- Corn thins: low FODMAP in a serving of 12 grams.
- Cornbread: low FODMAP in a serving of 35 grams (1 slice). Contains high amounts of oligos-fructans at 200 grams.
- Corn syrup: is low FODMAP and can be used. But be aware of high fructose corn syrup. This product is not low FODMAP and should be avoided.
As you can see, the FODMAP contents of corn products differ quite a bit. But luckily, there are quite a lot of corn products that you can enjoy on the low FODMAP diet!
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
- Are tomatoes low FODMAP?
- 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 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?
3 Comments
I learned what I wanted to, and a few things that I hadn’t considered but maybe should have. for example it supprised me to learn that canned corn is safer than even fresh corn. I just have one complaint, no frozen corn data. I’ve always read that frozen is better than canned.
A few comments,
I think that any human with or without IBS who eats 500 g of “taco shells” at once deserves a stomach ache. That’s over one pound!
Corn chips and “taco shells” are sometimes made of the same ingredients: corn (or nixtamalized corn), salt and oil. And sometimes corn chips have other ingredients. Not saying they are healthy but the ones that are labeled gluten free are more likely to be less troublesome,
I assume that canned hominy (or posole) is OK since it is made from the same kind of corn as polenta but it is nixtamalized.
I also assume that the corn bread problem is due to the fact that it contains a good amount of wheat and not from the corn itself.
Haha that is true, I am just mentioning the maximum serving because that is what the Monash app gives us in terms of information. Doesn’t mean that is the serving you should eat of course 😉