Plum
Fruits · Stone Fruits
Plum is a one-group fruit. Sorbitol is the only FODMAP it carries, at 0.12 g in half a plum, which is rated green, and 0.26 g in one whole plum, which is rated red. No excess fructose, no fructans, no GOS, no lactose. Everything on this page follows from one polyol and the size of the fruit in your hand.
Last updated 3 September 2026Serving sizes for plum
Half a plum, about 35 g, is rated green. One whole plum, 75 g, is rated red.
Tested serving sizes
| Serving | Amount | Main FODMAP | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 plum | 35 g | Sorbitol 0.12 g | |
| 1 medium plum | 75 g | Sorbitol 0.26 g |
Breakdown for 0.5 plums
Is plum low FODMAP?
Doubling the portion doubles the sorbitol, and the line falls between the two serves. Half a plum holds 0.12 g, under the 0.2 g point where a polyol starts to count against a portion. A whole plum holds 0.26 g, past it. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol the small intestine absorbs slowly and incompletely, so whatever is left over carries water onward and ferments further down. With nothing else registering in the fruit, a plum gives you an unusually clean reading of how you handle that one group.
Plum and IBS: what to know
Half a plum is a shareable portion rather than an awkward one, since plums are small and cutting one in two is no trouble. What people miss is that sorbitol arrives from several directions in the same day. Cherries and avocado bring it, and so does sugar-free gum, where sorbitol is the sweetener rather than something in a fruit. If you have been chewing mints all afternoon, the plum is not starting from zero. Prunes are the same fruit dried and hold their own entry, so do not read these figures across.
Gut-friendly ways to eat plum
Half a plum still cooks: halve it, roast it cut side down and spoon it over yoghurt, or slice it through a salad where it is doing a job rather than being the meal. Where you want a whole piece of fruit to eat in one go, one medium orange is green at 130 g, and 15 grapes, 75 g, cover the same sweet and juicy slot. In a tart or a tray of baking, plum spread across six portions is a different portion from the one in your hand.
Frequently asked questions
How many plums can I eat with IBS?
Half a plum is the green serve and one whole plum is rated red, which is a short ladder with no rung in between. Nothing has been tested between those two points, so three quarters of a plum is a guess rather than a known middle ground. If plums are in season and you want them, halve one and give the other half away.
Why does one whole plum cause bloating when half of one does not?
Because the sorbitol roughly doubles with the portion and crosses the point where it starts to count. Unabsorbed sorbitol draws water into the bowel and then ferments, which is why polyol reactions often turn up as cramping or urgency rather than as wind alone. The fruit has not changed between the two serves; only the dose has.
Are prunes the same as plums for FODMAPs?
They are the same fruit dried, but not the same entry. Prunes are listed separately with their own tested serves, and drying concentrates what is in the fruit, so the figures on this page do not transfer to them. Look prunes up directly rather than scaling a plum serve up or down in your head.
Can I use plums to test my sorbitol tolerance?
They are a reasonable candidate, because sorbitol is the only group registering in this fruit, so a reaction has just one explanation available. Foods carrying two groups at once cannot give you that. Start from the green half, increase slowly on separate days, and if you are working through a structured reintroduction, run the plan past your dietitian first.
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