Water

Low FODMAP

Typical portion

Any typical portion Low

Water is Low FODMAP, a pure drink with no carbohydrate or fermentable sugars to cause any trouble.

Plain water contains no FODMAPs at all, so any typical portion sits comfortably low with nothing to ferment in your gut.

Drink it freely; just keep in mind that added flavorings or sweeteners can change the picture, so check what goes in.

Why water is rated low

Water is low FODMAP. Plain water, still or sparkling, has no carbohydrate in it, so there is nothing for a FODMAP rating to come from. The rating is estimated from what it is made of rather than from a measured serving, and it holds at Any typical portion. The only way water changes on this diet is when something else goes into it: a flavouring, a sweetener, juice, or the FODMAPs that leach out of food boiled in it.

What changes your risk

Flavoured and vitamin waters Many are sweetened with fruit juice concentrate, honey, agave syrup or high fructose corn syrup, which turns a carbohydrate-free drink into a sugary one. Read the label.
Sugar-free versions Diet flavoured waters and drink drops can be sweetened with xylitol, maltitol or isomalt, so a sugar-free label is not the same as plain water.
Cooking and soaking water Boiling vegetables or legumes and pouring the water away removes some water-soluble FODMAPs, which means that water now holds them. Bean soaking water, legume cooking water and the liquid from canned legumes are not plain water, so drain them rather than adding them back.
Fruit-infused water Water left to sit with sliced fruit can pick up some of the fruit's sugars along with its flavour. Use strawberries, orange or pineapple rather than apple, pear or watermelon.
The whole meal Water adds nothing to a meal's FODMAP total, so it cannot dilute or offset a high FODMAP food. The load still comes from what is on the plate.

What else works

Still water, sparkling water, soda water and plain mineral water are all simply water and share the low rating. The lookalikes that are NOT plain water are flavoured waters, vitamin waters, tonic water, drink mixes and flavour drops, which can carry juice concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, honey or sugar alcohol sweeteners. If you want flavour, add slices of orange, strawberries, cucumber or pineapple to plain water yourself.

How to keep it low

Keep a bottle of plain still or sparkling water within reach, and if plain water feels dull, flavour it yourself with orange, strawberries, cucumber or pineapple instead of buying flavoured versions. When buying sparkling or flavoured water, look for an ingredient list of water and carbon dioxide, or water and natural flavour, with no juice concentrate or sweetener listed. When you cook legumes from dried or boil vegetables, pour the cooking water away rather than saving it as stock.

Common questions

is water low fodmap

Yes. Plain water has no carbohydrate, so it is estimated low FODMAP from what it is made of, at Any typical portion.

is sparkling water low fodmap

Plain sparkling, soda and mineral water are just water with carbon dioxide, so they share the low rating. Flavoured or sweetened versions need their label checked.

is flavored water low fodmap

It depends on what is added. Versions with juice concentrate, honey, agave syrup, high fructose corn syrup or sweeteners such as xylitol are no longer plain water.

should i keep bean cooking water low fodmap

No. Boiling legumes moves some water-soluble FODMAPs into the water, so drain it rather than adding it back to the dish.

Learn more

Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.

Water is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

References

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 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. 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.