Wholegrain Bread
Serving sizes
Wholegrain Bread changes rating with portion size. These are the amounts tested in the literature behind our ratings.
- About 30g
- Larger portions
- Much larger portions
Wholegrain bread is High FODMAP at a usual serving, though about 30g is low.
- At about 30g, wholegrain bread is low.
- Fructans from the wheat and Excess Fructose build as the slices add up, reaching moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions.
Keep to a thin slice of about 30g, or reach for a certified gluten-free bread when you want more.
Why wholegrain bread is rated high
Wholegrain bread carries fructans and excess fructose, both coming from the wheat and the grains baked into it. It is low only at about 30g, roughly one thin slice, so the everyday two-slice sandwich is already past it. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, and because a dense wholegrain slice is heavy, that climb happens over very little bread.
What changes your risk
- How much bread This is the lever that matters most, and the margin is thin. About 30g is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so a second slice is what moves the rating.
- Stacking on the fructan side Wholegrain bread shares its fructans with wheat pasta, couscous, wheat crackers and wheat breakfast cereal. A wholegrain sandwich at lunch and a pasta dinner add their fructans together even though each is counted separately.
- Stacking with excess fructose The excess fructose in this loaf lands in the same pile as honey, apples, pears and mango eaten at the same meal. A wholegrain sandwich with honey or a side of apple is a bigger load than either one suggests on its own.
- A sourdough label a wholegrain loaf sold as sourdough is still a wholegrain wheat loaf, and the label alone tells you nothing about how it behaves. Judge it by the same serve.
- Added fibre in the loaf Some wholegrain and high-fibre breads have inulin or chicory root fibre added to the dough. That is extra fructan on top of what the grain already brings, and it is only visible in the ingredients list.
Swaps
For the hearty, seeded, chewy role that wholegrain bread plays, a wholegrain gluten free loaf is the swap that genuinely fills it, and pumpkin seeds or walnuts on top bring back the texture people miss. Oats make the same sort of breakfast, and potato, rice, quinoa and polenta cover the starch when bread is not essential. What does not work as a swap is any other ordinary wheat, rye or barley bread, including multigrain, seeded wheat and light rye, because those carry the same fructans, and a loaf with inulin or chicory root fibre in it is going the wrong way. Legume-flour breads are not the answer either, since legumes bring a load of their own.
How to lower the load
Weight matters more than slice count here, because wholegrain loaves are cut very differently: a dense bakery tin loaf and a soft supermarket sandwich loaf both give you a slice, but only one of them is near 30g. Check the pack for the slice weight if it lists one, and treat a thickly cut artisan loaf as more bread than a slice suggests. Read the ingredients before buying, since inulin and chicory root fibre turn up in exactly this kind of loaf. Freezing the bread and pulling out only the slice you intend to eat keeps the portion deliberate, and an open sandwich, or a sandwich built with one slice of wholegrain and one of gluten free bread, keeps the wholegrain side of the meal at the low amount.
Common questions
how many slices of wholegrain bread can i have on low fodmap
About 30g, roughly one thin slice, is low. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so a two-slice sandwich is past the low amount.
why is wholegrain bread moderate and not low
It is low at about 30g, which is a single thin slice. A normal sandwich uses more than that, and the fructans and excess fructose from the wheat and grains build into the moderate range at larger portions.
is wholegrain bread high in gos
No. Its groups are fructans and excess fructose, both from the wheat and grains in the loaf. Those are what make larger portions moderate and much larger portions high.
is wholegrain bread better than white bread on a low fodmap diet
Neither is the relaxed choice. Wholegrain bread is low only at about 30g, so it works best as a single slice, and a gluten free loaf is the easier everyday option.
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Where this rating comes from
Wholegrain Bread 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.