bison
Meat
Is bison high in polyols?
Find out whether bison is high or low in polyols, see its exact rating, and check its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility all 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
Triggers
Diets
Serving size, prep, and portion notes for bison
Bison is plain unprocessed red meat, which is why it grades clean on almost everything a trigger journal tracks: no lactose, no gluten, no salicylates, no oxalates, and low on histamine, tyramine, sulfites, nitrites and nightshades. Most of what North Americans buy as a buffalo burger or buffalo steak is actually bison (Bison bison), a different animal from the water buffalo eaten across Asia and Europe. Two things genuinely matter here, and neither is the species. The first is freshness: bison holds its clean histamine grade while it is fresh, and ground bison builds histamine the way any mince does once it has sat. The second is alpha-gal, the tick-triggered allergy to mammalian meat, which covers bison exactly as it covers beef. Bison is also much leaner than beef, and that changes how you have to cook it far more than it changes what it does to you.
Watch for
Fresh bison grades low in histamine, but ground bison, slowly thawed bison and yesterday reheated behave like any minced red meat. Time and temperature after slaughter drive histamine, not the animal / Alpha-gal syndrome includes bison. It is mammalian meat, so a tick-sensitised alpha-gal allergy reacts to it with the same delayed three to six hour window that catches people in the middle of the night / Clean on every FODMAP group. In practice the fermentable load on your plate comes from the onion and garlic in the rub, the marinade and the bun, not from the meat / Grass fed, pasture raised and leaner than beef are nutrition claims, not trigger claims. None of the trigger grades on bison move with how the animal was raised / Graded pro-inflammatory as a red meat, which is a dietary pattern note rather than a food chemistry trigger. It is neither vegetarian nor vegan
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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 bison high in Polyols?
Polyols: low signal for most people.
Can I still eat bison if I'm sensitive to Polyols?
Usually fine in normal portions.
What else should I check?
Check Inflammation, Vegan, and Vegetarian next for a fuller picture.