Mixed Grain Cereal
Serving sizes
Mixed Grain Cereal changes rating with portion size. These are the amounts tested in the literature behind our ratings.
- About 25g
- Larger portions
- Much larger portions
Mixed grain cereal is Moderate FODMAP at a usual serving, though about 25g is low.
- A small bowl of 25g is low.
- Fructans from the grains build, so larger portions reach moderate and much larger portions reach high.
- Flavored or fruit-studded versions can add other ingredients on top of the grains.
Keep to a small bowl, or top up with plain oats for a bigger breakfast.
Why mixed grain cereal is rated moderate
Mixed grain cereal is moderate FODMAP at an ordinary bowl, and fructans are the whole story. A mixed grain blend puts several fructan-carrying grains into the same box, so the bowl gathers them from more than one source at once. About 25g is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. That low serve is a small bowl, and pouring a bigger one only adds more.
What changes your risk
- Serving size About 25g is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. A freely poured bowl usually lands past the low serve.
- A blend means several fructan sources at once the grains in a mixed cereal each bring fructans, and the mix adds them together in one bowl rather than spreading them out.
- The grain does not change in the box toasting, flaking and blending do nothing to the fructans in each grain, and no fermentation happens in a cereal box, so the blend carries what its grains carried.
- Toasting and puffing change nothing heat does not destroy fructans, so a toasted, flaked or puffed grain carries what the grain carried to begin with.
- Breakfast sets up the day's stacking cereal in the morning, a sandwich at lunch and pasta at night are three fructan servings in one day. Spreading grain servings out is easier to manage than lining them up.
Swaps
Plain rolled oats are the direct replacement for a grainy morning bowl, as porridge, as overnight oats, or toasted dry with seeds. Quinoa and buckwheat both work as hot breakfast grains, and polenta makes a soft savoury version. For a poured-from-the-box cereal, a plain rice-based or corn-based gluten free cereal fills the role, as long as the label has no inulin, no chicory root fibre and no dried fruit added back in. If toast is what you are really after, gluten free bread covers that. Ordinary wheat, rye and barley cereals, bran flakes and wheat biscuits are not swaps, because they carry the same subgroup.
How to lower the load
Read the ingredients list rather than the health claims on the front, because mixed grain boxes frequently add inulin or chicory root fibre for fibre content and dried fruit for sweetness, both of which sit on top of the grains. Measure cereal into the bowl instead of pouring, since a poured bowl runs well past about 25g. Lactose-free milk or lactose-free yoghurt works over any of the swaps above.
Common questions
is mixed grain cereal low fodmap
Only in a small bowl. About 25g is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, and fructans from the grain blend are what drive it.
how much mixed grain cereal is low fodmap
About 25g is low. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so weigh the bowl rather than pouring.
what breakfast cereal can i eat on a low fodmap diet
Plain rolled oats are the reliable option, as porridge or overnight oats. A plain rice-based or corn-based gluten free cereal also works if the label carries no inulin, chicory root fibre or dried fruit.
does sourdough bread count as a low fodmap grain option
Not automatically. Whether a sourdough loaf is low depends on the grain, how long it was fermented and how much you eat, so it is judged on its own rating. Plain rolled oats and gluten free bread are the more reliable grain options, and a loaf sold as sourdough flavoured has not had a slow fermentation at all.
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Where this rating comes from
Mixed Grain Cereal 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.