Overview
About Queen Anne Cherry
Queen Anne cherries are the pale gold, sun blushed sweet cherry also sold as Royal Ann or Napoleon, and they are not low FODMAP.
Their trigger story is sugar chemistry rather than skin reactions: they are high in polyols (sorbitol) and high in excess fructose, which is the classic reason a bowl of sweet cherries produces cramping, gas and loose stools within a few hours. Salicylates sit only at a moderate level here, so if you tolerate other stone fruit the salicylate load is unlikely to be what gets you. They are graded low in histamine, low in oxalate and low in nickel, which makes this a fairly targeted problem: one gut mechanism, not a general reactivity.
Sensitivities
How Queen Anne Cherry scores
Watch for
What trips people up
- High in polyols. Sorbitol passes through the small intestine largely unabsorbed and pulls water into the bowel, which is the well known laxative effect of eating sweet cherries by the handful
- High in excess fructose. The fruit carries more fructose than glucose, so absorption stalls in people with fructose malabsorption and the leftover sugar ferments
- Poor fit for low fermentation SIBO protocols, since sorbitol plus surplus fructose is exactly the substrate an overgrown small bowel feeds on
- Moderate salicylate content, worth logging if you already react to aspirin or to strongly salicylate rich foods, but not the headline here
- The maraschino cherry in a jar is usually this cultivar brined, bleached, sweetened and dyed. That processed version is a different food with its own additive profile, so log it separately from the fresh fruit
Diet fit
Where it fits
Swap ideas
More alternatives
FAQ
Common questions about Queen Anne Cherry
Are Queen Anne cherries low FODMAP?
No. Queen Anne cherries are graded high FODMAP, and two separate sugars drive it: polyols (sorbitol) and excess fructose. A small portion of a few cherries is where most sensitive eaters stay comfortable, and that threshold is much lower than people expect from a fruit that eats like a snack.
Why do sweet cherries cause gas and diarrhoea?
Sorbitol is the reason. It is a sugar alcohol the small intestine absorbs slowly and incompletely, so it draws water into the gut and then ferments in the colon. Queen Anne cherries also carry more fructose than glucose, which adds a second unabsorbed sugar to the same load. Together they explain why cherries have a laxative reputation that other sweet fruit does not.
Are Queen Anne cherries high in salicylates?
They sit at a moderate level rather than a high one, so they are less of a salicylate concern than many other cherries and berries. If you are on a strict salicylate elimination they still count toward your daily total, but for most people the polyol and fructose load will show up in the diary first.
Are Queen Anne cherries the same as Rainier cherries?
No, they are two different cultivars that happen to look alike. Queen Anne, also sold as Royal Ann or Napoleon, is the older European variety, while Rainier was bred in 1952 at Washington State University from a Bing and Van cross. Both are pale yellow cherries with a red sun blush, and from a trigger standpoint they behave the same way: sweet cherries as a group are sorbitol rich and high FODMAP.
References
Read the background
Ratings reflect the Triggerbites ingredient database and may vary with portion size and preparation.