medlar
Fruit
Is medlar high in polyols?
Is medlar 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.
Related checkers
Compare medlar 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 medlar contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where medlar fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about medlar
Medlar is the one fruit in this database that you are supposed to eat half rotten, and that is the fact that changes how you read its grades. Picked hard off the tree it is inedible: woody, sour and so tannic it strips your mouth. It only becomes food after bletting, several weeks of controlled softening after the first frosts, during which the flesh collapses to a brown, spoonable, spiced apple sauce. That is deliberate over ripening, and over ripening is precisely when biogenic amines accumulate in any fruit. Medlar already grades B for histamine before you factor that in, so a well bletted medlar deserves more caution on the amine side than the row alone suggests. On the gut side it is a moderate rather than a mild fruit: C for total FODMAPs, C for excess fructose and C for polyols, which fits its place among the Rosaceae pome fruits alongside apple, pear and quince, a group defined by sorbitol. Salicylates also grade C, the only real chemical mark on the page. Everything else is clean: A for gluten, lactose, dairy protein, nickel, free glutamates, sulfites, nitrites and nightshades.
Watch for
- Bletting is controlled decay, not ripening on a windowsill, and the histamine question follows from that.Medlar grades B for histamine as a baseline, but you are eating it at the point of collapse, which is when amines build up. If histamine is your trigger, eat medlar at the earliest edible stage rather than the softest, and treat any sharp or alcoholic note as a signal it has gone past bletted into fermented
- C for total FODMAPs, C for excess fructose and C for polyols.That is a portion rule rather than a ban: sorbitol runs through the whole apple and pear family, and two or three medlars in a sitting is a very different load from one
- Salicylates grade C, moderate.On its own that rarely matters, but medlar comes into season alongside a lot of other autumn fruit, and salicylate reactions are a stacking problem rather than a single food problem
- Do not confuse medlar with loquat.Loquat is sold as Japanese medlar in several languages and it grades E for total FODMAPs and E for polyols, a full two steps worse. Swapping one for the other on the strength of the shared name will mislead you badly
- The stones are large, hard and not eaten.As with other Rosaceae pips they are not something to crush, chew or put through a blender, and with medlar there is no reason to try since the flesh spoons off them easily
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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 medlar high in Polyols?
Polyols: moderate signal - portion size matters.
Can I still eat medlar if I'm sensitive to Polyols?
Try smaller portions and space it out.
What else should I check?
Check Keto, FODMAPs, and Fructose next for a fuller picture.