Is amaranth high in polyols?

Polyols status

Safe

Find out whether amaranth is high or low in polyols, see its exact rating, and check its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility all in one place.

Related checkers

Compare amaranth across criteria

HistamineSafe Histamine LiberatorsSafe FODMAPsAvoid FructansModerate GOSModerate FructoseSafe

Sensitivity notes

Why polyols food checker matters

Polyols (sugar alcohols) are found naturally in some fruits and vegetables, and are used as artificial sweeteners. They're poorly absorbed and can cause digestive symptoms, especially in IBS sufferers.

Avoid sugar-free products with sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol
Stone fruits are naturally high in polyols
Cooking doesn't reduce polyol content

Triggers

HistamineSafe

Histamine LiberatorsSafe

FODMAPsModerate

FructansModerate

GOSModerate

FructoseSafe

PolyolsSafe

GlutenSafe

LactoseSafe

Dairy ProteinsSafe

NightshadesSafe

SalicylatesSafe

Oxalates

NickelSafe

SulfitesSafe

NitritesSafe

GlutamatesSafe

TyramineSafe

CaffeineSafe

LectinAvoid

Low FermentationSafe

Diets

GlutenFit

InflammationAvoid

VeganFit

VegetarianFit

Paleo AIPAvoid

MediterraneanFit

DASH DietFit

EoE CompatibleFit

FODMAPsAvoid

Low FermentationFit

Priority ingredient notes

Serving size, prep, and portion notes for amaranth

Amaranth is two foods sharing one name. The plant is grown for its leaves across the Caribbean, West Africa, India and Southeast Asia, where it is cooked down as callaloo, chaulai, efo tete or bayam, and it is also grown for a tiny seed used as a pseudocereal. This entry covers amaranth as the plant and the leafy vegetable; the seed is tracked separately as amaranth grain and carries its own, different grades. As eaten here, amaranth is graded D for total FODMAPs, which is the high band, while it stays clean at A on histamine, histamine liberation, salicylates, nickel, gluten, lactose, free glutamates, sulfites and nightshade chemistry. That combination makes it unusually easy to place in an elimination diet as long as the portion is controlled.

Watch for

Graded D for total FODMAPs, the high band, even though every individual FODMAP subgroup (fructans, GOS, excess fructose, polyols) is graded A. When the total is flagged but no subgroup is, portion size is doing the work: a side of greens behaves very differently from a bowl of callaloo / Amaranth greens are almost never cooked plain. Callaloo, chaulai and efo tete are built on onion, garlic and sometimes coconut milk, and for most people with IBS the aromatics in the pot are a bigger FODMAP load than the leaves. Log the dish, not just the vegetable, or you will blame the wrong ingredient / Oxalate is unrated for amaranth in our data. Do not read that as cleared. The separately graded amaranth grain entry sits at D for oxalate, so if you are on an oxalate-restricted diet treat the greens as untested rather than safe / Clean at A on histamine and histamine liberation, so amaranth greens are one of the more usable leafy vegetables if you are managing histamine intolerance and have already cut spinach and tomato

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