Dried Pear
Tested serving
- 6 pieces (30g)
Dried pear is High FODMAP at 6 pieces (30g), from its concentrated Sorbitol and Excess Fructose.
- Dried pear is high at 6 pieces (30g).
- Drying removes the water and concentrates Sorbitol and Excess Fructose, and compact pieces are easy to nibble by the handful.
If you want something sweet and chewy, a piece of fresh low-FODMAP fruit can scratch the same itch.
Why dried pear is rated high
Dried pear is high FODMAP at 6 pieces (30g), and sorbitol and excess fructose are what put it there. Pear is one of the strongest carriers of both in the fruit aisle to begin with, and drying it takes away the water while leaving them in place, so the dried pieces are a concentrated version of a fruit that was already a problem. There is no low serve of dried pear and no amount that comes in under the line.
What changes your risk
- Concentration, not transformation Drying does not change what pear is, it just removes the water. The sorbitol and fructose that were diluted through a juicy fruit end up packed into leathery slices.
- No low rung 6 pieces (30g) is high, and there is no low amount of dried pear to fall back on.
- Sorbitol adds up across the day Fresh pear, apple, apricot, plum, peach and anything sweetened with sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol or isomalt all draw on the same sorbitol. Several separate low servings in one afternoon can still land you in a high total.
- Pear juice concentrate counts Concentrated pear shows up as a sweetener in bars, baby snacks and drinks marketed as having no added sugar. Juicing and concentrating move the sugars in the same direction as drying does.
- Poaching and baking will not help Heat does not break sorbitol down. Simmering dried pear for a compote leaves it in the dish, and any that moves into the syrup is served with the fruit anyway.
Swaps
For the chewy, sweet, slightly floral thing dried pear does, there is no low FODMAP dried-fruit stand-in worth naming, and it is more honest to say so than to point you at dried apple or dried apricot, which carry the same sorbitol. On a cheese board, strawberries or orange segments with cheddar or parmesan give you the same sweet and salty contrast. In porridge or granola, a firm just-yellow banana, strawberries, blueberries or raspberries bring the sweetness back. For a lunchbox snack, mandarin segments, kiwi, pineapple or a mix of pecans, walnuts and pumpkin seeds fill the slot. Fresh pear and apple are not gentler versions of this food and should not be treated as the fallback.
How to lower the load
Dried pear is often sold blended rather than alone, so the packaging rarely announces it. Look through mixed dried fruit tubs, fruit medley packs, cheese board selections, muesli and granola clusters, and children's fruit bites, and watch labels for pear juice concentrate in bars, cereals and drinks where it is doing the sweetening. If you are assembling a snack box for work or travel, packing it yourself from nuts, seeds and whole fresh fruit avoids the mixed-fruit packs entirely, since once pear pieces are in the blend there is no practical way to portion around them.
Common questions
is dried pear low fodmap in small amounts
No. 6 pieces (30g) is high in sorbitol and excess fructose, and there is no low serve of dried pear.
is dried pear high in sorbitol
Yes, sorbitol is one of the groups behind the rating, along with excess fructose, and drying concentrates both so that 6 pieces (30g) lands in the high range.
can i have dried pear on the elimination phase
It is high FODMAP at 6 pieces (30g), so it is normally kept out during elimination. Reintroduction is something to plan with a dietitian, and individual tolerance differs.
what is a good low fodmap swap for dried pear on a cheese board
Strawberries or orange segments with cheddar or parmesan give the same sweet and salty pairing. Dried apple and dried apricot are not swaps, since both carry sorbitol as well.
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Where this rating comes from
Dried Pear is rated from published lab measurements of its FODMAP content, using the low, moderate and high cutoffs of Varney et al. (2017).
Feedback sent through the FODMAP Foods app has led to changes in this list.
Sources
- Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
- Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
- Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
- Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns between healthy individuals and patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
- FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.
Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.