Drinking Coffee on a FODMAP Diet
Technically coffee is the perfect drink for anyone following a low FODMAP diet. It’s almost no FODMAP so should be okay right?
Unfortunately, it all becomes a little more complicated than that. Coffee on its own might be low FODMAP but as soon as you start to add sugars, sweeteners, milk and creams it becomes much more difficult because many of those things do include FODMAPs.
Even if you choose to drink your coffee black and unsweetened it can still cause a problem because coffee might be low in FODMAP but it is still a gut irritant and can still cause you problems!
When in an elimination phase of a diet it is worth cutting it out completely. Once you start to introduce foods back in you could try and drink a little and see how it affects you.
Recommended Coffee Portion
There is no real recommended portion-sized when it comes to coffee. This is because everybody reacts so differently to it. The best option to try is to have a coffee when you are in a stage of reintroducing foods and drinks.
See the effect it has and then either eliminate it again or try and include a little more until you find your own personal balance.
FODMAP Tip: Unfortunately, It’s a Case of Trial-and-Error When It Comes to Coffee and IBS
How to Use Coffee
Luckily you don’t always need to use a lot in order to get that full coffee flavour. Here are a few ideas for ways to use coffee on a low FODMAP diet.
Make an Almond Milk Latte
Add some natural sweetness to your coffee and reduce the amount of coffee you need by trying an almond milk latte. This contains fewer FODMAPs than other forms of milk and adds a delicious flavour.
It won’t taste quite like your usual coffee but it will be a delicious treat!
Bake With Coffee
When you are ready for a low FODMAP sweet treat add a little coffee for flavour. You don’t need very much to have a big impact and you can still use your favourite low FODMAP cookie and cake recipes!
Low FODMAP Coffee Recipes
If you’re looking for delicious recipes containing coffee that are low FODMAP then give these a go:
Other Hot Drink Products
Coffee isn’t the only hot drink you could be enjoying on a low FODMAP diet. Below are a few more hot drinks to consider:
Is Tea Low FODMAP?
If you want a delicious hot drink but can’t handle the caffeine levels in coffee then you could try some other hot drinks such as teas. Many teas are considered to be low FODMAP and they are not quite as much of an irritant as coffee is.
You can try, black tea, white tea, green tea, peppermint tea, red bush tea and even honeybush tea! You should be careful when choosing too many fruit or herbal teas as many of these do contain FODMAPs.
If you love a chai or dandelion tea then these should be drunk with care but as long as you make the tea fairly weak you should be fine.
Is Hot Chocolate Low FODMAP?
Provided that the hot chocolate is made using lactose-free milk then it will be low FODMAP. Be careful with some cheaper, lower-quality hot chocolate powders as many will be bulked out with milk powders.
Is Decaf Coffee Low FODMAP?
Like normal coffee, decaf coffee is also low FODMAP. Some IBS sufferers find that decaff coffee has less of an impact on their gut but this isn’t the case for everyone. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a case of seeing if it impacts you or not.
Quick Summary
If you can’t imagine living without your morning cup of aromatic coffee then you may well be in luck! Coffee is technically low FODMAP. The problems start to occur with all of the other properties of coffee.
It contains caffeine and other gut irritants and once you start to include milk and sugars then suddenly you may find you have a very high FODMAP drink.
Whether or not you can tolerate coffee will be down to your bodies personal tolerances and unfortunately, the only way to test this is with a little careful trial and error.
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