Avoid Eating Low-Fat Ice Cream If You Have This Medical Condition – Health Digest

Reduced-fat, no added sugar ice cream such as Kemp’s is made from milk fat, nonfat milk, and whey protein concentrate to provide 4 grams of saturated fat in a ⅔ cup (88 grams) serving. Although you won’t see added sugar in this ice cream, you’ll find it sweetened by sorbitol, which is a sugar alcohol.

According to a 2017 systematic review in Advances in Nutrition, some people, including those with IBS, have problems digesting sugar alcohols. The problem can be worse if you have different types of sugar alcohols (such as mannitol, sorbitol, or maltitol) in your foods. People can experience gas, stomach issues, and laxative effects when consuming foods with sugar alcohols.

Sugar alcohols found in sugar-free foods make you poop because they draw water into your large intestine, according to a 2017 article in the International Journal of Advanced Academic Research. Sorbitol is naturally found in dried fruits, such as prunes, which are commonly known to relieve constipation. Because maltitol has been found to have laxative effects, the European Union and other countries label maltitol products with a warning about its laxative potential.

People with digestive issues such as IBS are often told to temporarily eliminate foods high in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, or FODMAPs, to see which foods irritate your gut the most. Sugar alcohols used in reduced-fat, no-sugar-added ice cream are considered high-FODMAP foods.