Bubble Tea

Why bubble tea is rated high

Bubble tea is rated high FODMAP overall, and the two things driving it are the milk and the sweet fruity syrups that go into most recipes. The milk brings Lactose and the syrups bring Excess Fructose, so one drink carries two separate subgroups at once. This rating is estimated from what bubble tea is made of rather than from a measured serving. On the ladder, a Small serving reads moderate, which is the lowest point it reaches, and by a Moderate serving it is already high, staying high at a Large serving. There is no low rung, so a smaller drink is not a way to make the usual recipe low.

What changes your risk

• Serving size A Small serving sits at moderate, while a Moderate serving and a Large serving are both high, so the size you order moves it straight from one level to the other.
• The milk you choose Ordinary milk is where the Lactose comes from. Ordering it with lactose-free milk takes that subgroup largely out of the picture, because the lactose in lactose-free milk is already split.
• Fruit syrups and flavours The Excess Fructose comes from the sweet fruity syrups. Mango and similar fruit flavours stack more of the same subgroup into the drink, while plain tea sweetened with table sugar avoids it.
• Stacking in the same sitting A bubble tea alongside ice cream, a creamy dessert or a mango snack piles more Lactose or Excess Fructose on top of a drink that is already moderate at its smallest rung.

Swaps

The closest swap that keeps the whole experience is a milk tea made with lactose-free milk over black or green tea, sweetened with table sugar, maple syrup or rice malt syrup instead of a fruit syrup. Lactose-free milk is ordinary dairy with the lactase enzyme added, so it is not dairy-free and is not suitable for a milk allergy. For a fruity version, fresh strawberries, pineapple or orange blended or muddled into iced tea fill the role without the fruit syrups. Avoid swapping in mango, peach or lychee style flavours, ordinary milk or cream, or honey as a sweetener, since they carry the same subgroups the drink already has.

How to lower the load

When ordering, ask what milk the shop uses, since many default to ordinary milk or a creamer, and request lactose-free milk if they stock it. Choose a plain tea flavour rather than a fruit syrup, and keep it to a Small serving if you are having the standard recipe, keeping in mind that even a Small serving is moderate. At home, brew strong black tea, chill it, sweeten it with table sugar or maple syrup, and add lactose-free milk and cooked tapioca pearls so you control every ingredient.

Common questions

is bubble tea low fodmap

No. Bubble tea is rated high FODMAP overall, estimated from what it is made of. A Small serving reads moderate, and a Moderate serving and a Large serving are both high.

is bubble tea high in lactose

Yes, when it is made with ordinary milk, which is where its Lactose comes from. Made with lactose-free milk, that part of the load is largely removed.

can i drink bubble tea on the elimination phase

The usual recipe is not a good fit, since even a Small serving is moderate. A homemade milk tea with lactose-free milk and table sugar instead of fruit syrup is the version that fits the diet better.

what is a good low fodmap swap for bubble tea

Black or green milk tea made with lactose-free milk and sweetened with table sugar or maple syrup, with tapioca pearls added, keeps the drink while dropping the fruit syrups.