Which alcoholic drinks are low FODMAP?

17 November 2023 / Door Karlijn / Laat een bericht achter

I realized that I hadn’t written anything yet about which alcoholic drinks are low FODMAP.

Now that the holidays are approaching with Christmas parties and New Year’s drinks, it is quite useful to know whether you can drink alcohol and which drinks you can and cannot drink!

To the question “Is alcohol low FODMAP?” the answer is: Yes, there are low FODMAP alcoholic drinks. But not all kinds are. So you have to be careful what you choose.

The impact of alcohol on IBS symptoms

Monash University mentions it in the app and also in this article: alcohol is an irritant to the gut and limited intake is advised.

More research is needed into the impact of alcohol on IBS complaints, but observational studies show that about ⅓ of people with IBS develop complaints from drinking alcohol.

In addition, alcohol is in any case irritating to the intestines. People without IBS also suffer from this.

If you drink a lot of alcohol, this affects intestinal motility and can cause diarrhea, among other things.

Does alcohol have an impact on my IBS complaints?

It is good to investigate for yourself whether drinking alcohol worsens your IBS complaints.

You can do this by keeping a food diary, together with your dietician, in which you record everything you have eaten and drunk.

Based on this, you can determine which food and drinks influence your complaints.

Because alcohol affects intestinal motility, it is especially likely to worsen the symptoms in people who have diarrhea-dominant IBS.

Monash University also indicates that alcohol is often consumed with a meal and in social settings. So it is also good to look at what you eat and whether stress plays a role in your symptoms.

The conclusion

The conclusion is that there is low FODMAP alcohol and that you can definitely have some alcoholic drinks on the low FODMAP diet. But alcohol can worsen your IBS symptoms.

Therefore, it is best to drink alcohol in moderation. In addition, it is of course important for your overall health not to drink too much alcohol.

But you can enjoy one or two low FODMAP drinks at a party or event.

And which drinks are low FODMAP? I’m going to tell you!

What alcohol is low FODMAP?

In the Monash app, you will find an overview of low FODMAP alcohol. Different types of drinks have been tested. Spirits, but also beer and wine.

Liquor

The following types of liquors and spirits are low FODMAP:

Brandy/Cognac: 1 shot glass or 30 ml
Gin: 1 shot glass or 30 ml
Tequila gold or silver: 1 shot glass or 30 ml
Whisky/Bourbon/Scotch: 1 shot glass or 30 ml
Vodka: 1 shot glass or 30 ml

Rum has also been tested by Monash University, but is not low FODMAP. The app states that 10 ml contains an average amount of fructose and 30 ml contains a high amount of fructose.

You can use the above types of spirits to make cocktails or you can mix them with a low FODMAP type of soft drink. For example, coca-cola (zero).

You have to be careful with cocktails. Fruit juices that are not low FODMAP are often added to them.

These often contain a lot of fructose and can therefore cause complaints.

Low FODMAP cocktails

You can of course also make cocktails yourself and ensure that your cocktail is low FODMAP. For example, you can make the following cocktails low FODMAP:

Pornstar martini: made with vodka, lime juice, passion fruit juice, and egg white. Make sure you use fresh passion fruit juice.
Cosmopolitan: made with vodka, cranberry juice, and lime juice. Omit the orange liqueur.
Moscow mule: made with vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice. Make sure the gingerbeer you use is low FODMAP.
Gin tonic: made with gin, tonic, and possibly some fresh fruit. Check carefully whether the tonic you are using does not contain FODMAPs.
Whiskey sour: made with bourbon, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and egg white. Make sure the sugar syrup is low FODMAP.

Low FODMAP Beer and wine

Fortunately, beer and wine are also low FODMAP. The following is stated in the Monash app:

Beer: 1 can or 375 ml
Red wine: 1 glass or 150 ml. Please note: if consumed more than 1 glass, red wine contains a high amount of fructose
Dry white wine: 1 glass or 150 ml
Sweet white wine: 1 glass or 150 ml
Sparkling wine (e.g. champagne or prosecco): 1 glass or 150 ml

For all alcoholic drinks, the Monash app says that 1 glass of the above amounts is low FODMAP. But it doesn’t give any limit on when these drinks become high in FODMAPs.

Only for red wine it says that red wine is no longer low FODMAP if more than 1 glass is consumed.

My expectation is therefore that you can also drink 2 glasses of white wine or beer.

But as mentioned earlier, if you have IBS complaints, it is smart to limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Because alcohol can be a trigger.

And it is best to test for yourself how you react to, for example, 2 glasses of wine.

It does not matter which beer or white wine you choose. You can try different types of beer.

And for wines too, no distinction is made between, for example, the different types of grapes that are available.

What you have to take into account is that dessert wine is not low FODMAP. This already contains a high amount of fructose in one glass.

But otherwise dry white wine, sweet white wine or sparkling wine is possible.

I hope that with this blog I have given you some more information about what alcohol is low FODMAP and what alcoholic drinks you can better avoid on the FODMAP diet.

Do you have a tip for a nice low FODMAP alcoholic drink? Let us know below!

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

Dairy and grains

Other foods and drinks

Gearchiveerd onder:

Ingredients,

IBS & FODMAP,