Monk Fruit

Why monk fruit is rated low

Monk fruit comes in low, with one rung on the ladder: Any typical portion. That verdict is inferred from what the ingredient is made of, a concentrated extract of the fruit's intensely sweet compounds used in very small amounts, rather than from a weighed serving in a study. No FODMAP subgroup is recorded for it, so there is nothing in pure monk fruit extract to ferment. The catch is not the amount you use, it is what is in the packet: most sweeteners sold under the monk fruit name are mostly something else, and the rating covers the extract rather than the blend.

What changes your risk

• Serving size The rating holds at Any typical portion, which for a sweetener this concentrated is a very small amount. Nothing larger has been tested, and low never means limitless.
• What it is blended with Retail monk fruit sweeteners are usually bulked out with a sugar alcohol so they measure like sugar. Sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol and isomalt are not low FODMAP, and an erythritol based blend is a different product from the pure extract, so the ingredient list decides what you are actually eating.
• Hidden fibres in the packet Some sweetener blends and sweetened products add inulin or chicory root fibre for bulk or gut marketing claims. Those are not low FODMAP, and they can sit in a product whose front label says only monk fruit.
• The food it sweetens Monk fruit adds nothing to a meal's FODMAP load, so the protein powder, the baked good or the drink around it is what counts. Several low servings of those in one sitting still add up, and sweet things are easy to keep eating.
• Heat and baking Monk fruit extract does not gain or lose FODMAPs in the oven. Baking changes how it behaves as a sweetener, not its rating.

What else works

For everyday sweetening, plain table sugar, maple syrup and rice malt syrup all do the job and sit low at their own servings, and pure monk fruit extract works where you want sweetness without bulk. Stevia in its pure form is another intense sweetener used the same way. The ones to leave alone are honey, agave syrup and high fructose corn syrup, along with anything sweetened with sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol or isomalt, which is most sugar free gum, mints and diet confectionery. A blend is not the same as the extract, so a tub labelled monk fruit that lists a sugar alcohol first is not covered by this rating.

How to keep it low

Turn the packet over and read the ingredient list rather than the front of the pack, because the front says monk fruit even when the extract is the last thing on the list. Look for pure monk fruit extract, sometimes listed as luo han guo or mogroside, with nothing else in it. Buy the smallest container you can, since pure extract is many times sweeter than sugar and a tiny amount sweetens a whole batch. Start recipes by sweetening at the end and tasting, because there is no easy way to pull it back out once a bake is too sweet. In cafes and on menus, a drink sweetened with monk fruit syrup may still be a blend, so ask what the syrup is made from.

Common questions

is monk fruit low fodmap

Yes. Pure monk fruit extract is rated low at Any typical portion, and no FODMAP subgroup is recorded for it. The rating is estimated from its composition rather than from a measured serving.

is monk fruit sweetener the same as monk fruit extract

Often not. Most tubs and packets sold as monk fruit sweetener are mostly a bulking sugar alcohol with a small amount of extract, and that blend is a different product from the pure extract this rating covers.

can i use monk fruit on the elimination phase

Pure monk fruit extract is fine at Any typical portion during elimination. Check the label for sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol and maltitol, and for inulin or chicory root fibre, none of which are low FODMAP.

what sweetener can i use instead of honey

Maple syrup, rice malt syrup and ordinary table sugar all fill honey's role and sit low at their own servings. Pure monk fruit extract works when you want sweetness without the liquid or the bulk.