baking soda
Additives & Leavening
Is baking soda high in polyols?
Is baking soda high or low in polyols? See its exact rating, how much counts as a portion, and its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility in one place.
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Compare baking soda across criteria
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
- Avocado portion size matters - small amounts may be fine
- Cauliflower and mushrooms are common triggers
Sensitivities
What baking soda contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where baking soda fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about baking soda
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, a single inorganic salt, and it grades clean right across the food chemistry triggers: A for gluten, lactose, dairy protein, histamine and histamine liberation, sulfite, nitrite, nickel, glutamate and nightshade. If a muffin set you off, the culprit is almost certainly the flour, the dairy or the fruit, not the leavening. The two things genuinely worth knowing are that it is about a quarter sodium by weight, so a level teaspoon carries roughly 1,200 mg of sodium, and that swallowing it by the spoonful as a heartburn remedy is a documented safety problem rather than a folk cure. It also does nothing on its own: baking soda needs an acid in the batter to release its carbon dioxide, which is the practical difference between it and baking powder.
Watch for
- Sodium load: sodium bicarbonate is roughly 27 percent sodium by weight, so a teaspoon carries about 1,200 mg.Spread across a whole tray of scones that is trivial, but taken neat it is a serious salt dose
- Antacid misuse is the real hazard.Repeated spoonfuls for heartburn have caused metabolic alkalosis and high blood sodium, and there are case reports of gastric rupture when a large dose hit a full stomach and generated gas faster than it could be belched out. This is a dosing risk, not a sensitivity
- It needs an acid to work.Without buttermilk, yogurt, lemon, molasses or cocoa in the mix it does not fully react, and the leftover alkali leaves a soapy, metallic bitterness people sometimes misread as a reaction to the food
- Salicylate, oxalate and overall FODMAP are listed as unrated here.It is an inorganic mineral salt with no plant chemistry, so there is nothing in it for those particular triggers to come from, but the grade sheet does not state a value
- Free of the top allergens by its nature: one ingredient, no wheat, no milk, no soy, no additives to check
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Polyols Guide
Everything you need to know about polyols sensitivity and smart food choices.
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.
Sensitivity varies widely. What triggers one person may be fine for another. Track your reactions to find your personal threshold.
These foods are generally well-tolerated for Polyols sensitivity:
View all safe options
These foods have moderate levels and may be tolerated in small amounts:
These foods are high in polyols and may trigger symptoms:
View full list
If you're sensitive to Polyols, consider these strategies:
- 1Avoid sugar-free products with sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol
- 2Stone fruits are naturally high in polyols
- 3Cooking doesn't reduce polyol content
- 4Avocado portion size matters - small amounts may be fine
- 5Cauliflower and mushrooms are common triggers
Pro tip: Keep a food diary to track your reactions. The Triggerbites app makes this easy with automatic pattern detection.
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Get the AppFAQ
Is baking soda high in Polyols?
Polyols: low signal for most people.
Can I still eat baking soda if I'm sensitive to Polyols?
Usually fine in normal portions.
What else should I check?
Check Inflammation, AIP, and Paleo next for a fuller picture.