bear
Meat
Is bear high in polyols?
Is bear 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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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 bear contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where bear fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about bear
Bear is the meat where the thermometer matters more than the trigger chart. On food chemistry it is quiet: fresh bear grades A on histamine, histamine liberation, tyramine, salicylate, oxalate, every FODMAP group, gluten, lactose, nickel, sulfites and nitrites, and its only middling grade is inflammation, which reflects how much fat a bear carries compared with deer or elk. The reason bear needs its own page is parasitic. Bear meat is behind most human trichinellosis in North America, and the strain it typically carries survives freezing, so the safety habit people transfer from pork does not work here.
Watch for
- Trichinella is the real hazard and it is not a food-chemistry trigger.Bear accounts for the majority of US trichinellosis cases, and recent outbreaks have come from bear jerky, kebabs and roasts served pink in the middle
- Freezing does not make bear safe.Trichinella nativa, the species usually found in bear, is freeze-resistant, and in one outbreak live larvae were recovered from black bear meat that had been frozen for more than fifteen weeks
- Cook it to an internal 165F (74C) checked with a probe, which is hotter than most people cook beef or even pork.Colour is useless as a guide in dark game meat, and dehydrator jerky rarely gets anywhere near that temperature
- Graded moderate rather than clean on inflammation, because bear is a genuinely fatty animal and much of that fat is rendered and kept as bear grease.It is also mammalian meat, so alpha-gal syndrome includes it
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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.
Want personalized tracking?
Download Triggerbites to log meals, track symptoms, and discover your unique triggers.
Get the AppFAQ
Is bear high in Polyols?
Polyols: low signal for most people.
Can I still eat bear if I'm sensitive to Polyols?
Usually fine in normal portions.
What else should I check?
Check Alpha-gal, Vegan, and Vegetarian next for a fuller picture.