Is mannitol low FODMAP?
No, and here is why
Mannitol is a potent source of polyols, so Munchable treats it as high FODMAP even in modest amounts. Where it is a main ingredient the verdict is an avoid; further down the label it is still flagged rather than waved through.
On a real product, the reason Munchable shows reads: High FODMAP polyols as a main ingredient
What Munchable checks for IBS and low FODMAP
- Fructans: wheat, rye, barley, onion, garlic, inulin, chicory root, FOS
- GOS: legumes, chickpeas, lentils, soy flour
- Polyols: sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, isomalt, including their E-numbers
- Excess fructose: honey, high fructose corn syrup, agave, apple and pear concentrates
- Lactose, as the FODMAP view of dairy
- Where each one sits on the ingredients list, so a main ingredient outranks a trace
The full reasoning, and the evidence behind it, is in the IBS and low FODMAP guide.
Mannitol and the other patterns Munchable checks
Other ingredients Munchable flags for IBS and low FODMAP
The catch with reading labels yourself
Knowing that mannitol is a problem is the easy part. Finding it is the hard part: it hides behind wordings that do not look like it, it matters more near the top of the list than the bottom, and a product you have bought for years quietly reformulates. That is the job Munchable does in the aisle, in about a second, from the barcode.
Check it in the shop, not at home
Point your phone at the barcode and Munchable reads the ingredients list for you, before it goes in the basket.