Low Sucrose Foods List

A low sucrose foods list can be useful as a resource for folks with congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (CSID) or acquired sucrose intolerance who have been prescribed a sucrose intolerance diet.

This entails eliminating foods high in sucrose, while simultaneously emphasizing and leaning on foods lower in sucrose.

A low sucrose diet is exclusively beneficial and relevant for people who have a sucrase-isomaltaste deficiency, which means your body can’t break down sucrose in the gut.

Refer to the list of low sucrose foods below as a guide for which foods to lean on if you have a sucrose intolerance.

Disclaimer:  This is not medical nutrition advice! This is meant to be an online resource exclusively for people with a sucrase-isomaltase enzyme deficiency and have been prescribed a low sucrose diet.  This information should complement, not replace, the fundamental practice of keeping a food-symptom journal and working with a CSID dietitian.

Affiliate disclosure:  This article contains several affiliate links*. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

What is sucrose?

Sucrose is the chemical name for table sugar (or beet sugar, or cane sugar).  It is naturally found in most types of plant foods in varying amounts, but not in animal foods.  Sucrose is also often found in processed foods sweetened with a variation of sucrose-derived sugar.

Low sucrose fruits

• Avocado
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Boysenberries
• Cherries
• Cranberries (fresh)
• Figs (raw)
• Gooseberries
• Grapes
• Kiwifruit
• Lemons
• Limes
• Loganberries
• Olives
• Papaya
• Pears
• Pomegranates
• Prunes
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Low sucrose veggies

• Alfalfa sprouts
• Artichokes
• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Bamboo shoots
• Bell peppers (red, yellow, green)
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chard
• Chicory
• Chives
• Collard greens
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Endive
• Green beans
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Mung bean sprouts
• Mushrooms
• Mustard greens
• Radishes
• Rutabaga
• Spaghetti squash
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Turnips
• Watercress
• Yellow squash (“summer squash”)
• Zucchini

Low sucrose grains, flours, and starches

Technically there’s no sucrose naturally occurring in starch, since starch (a complex carbohydrate) is made up of long chains of glucose molecules conjoined together.

However, starches first break down into a disaccharide (2-unit sugar) molecule called “maltose” in the small intestine. And many people with a sucrose intolerance also lack the enzyme which breaks down maltose.  (This leads to a starch intolerance.)

For this reason, some people with a very severe sucrase-isomaltase enzyme deficiency may need to eliminate all starches.  But your degree of starch tolerance will exist on a spectrum!

• In my private nutrition practice, some of my clients with a sucrase-isomaltase deficiency can eat and tolerate some or many foods containing starch – but not sucrose.

The following list of grains and starches generally take longer to break down (and in smaller amounts) since they’re higher in fiber.

Use this list as a guide if you’re following a CSID elimination and reintroduction diet, alongside keeping a food-symptom journal /CSID elimination diet workbook* and working with a CSID-informed gut health dietitian to make sure you’re receiving customized guidance.

• Amaranth*
• Barley pearls
• Buckwheat soba noodles*
• Brown rice
• Coconut flour (for baking)
• Millet
• Quinoa
• Rolled oats / unsweetened oatmeal
• Spaghetti squash
• Wild rice
• Whole rye bread*

You may also want to consider testing your tolerance to resistant starches, which I’ve noticed are better tolerated compared to nutritive starches among 1-1 clients in my private nutrition practice.

Fats/oils

The following sources of dietary fat are the lowest in sucrose:

• Avocado
• Butter / ghee
• Chia seeds
• Flaxseed (ground)
• Olives
• Oils (all kinds) – since they contain 0 grams sugar per serving
  • Avocado oil
  • Canola oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Corn oil
  • Flax oil
  • Olive oil
  • Peanut oil
  • Sesame oil
  • Soybean oil
  • Sunflower seed oil

Beans/legumes, nuts, and seeds

Most beans and legumes, nuts and seeds should be reduced/eliminated in the early phases of your sucrose intolerance diet since they contain small to moderate amounts of starch.

If you have an acquired sucrase-isomaltase deficiency, which is often caused by small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) left unchecked for too long, you may even find that even if you can eat starches without reacting, you feel better when sticking to low FODMAP beans and low FODMAP nuts.

In many cases, I’ve found that most of my clients are able to add some of these foods back in limited quantities, once they’ve uncovered their unique oral tolerance threshold to sucrose and starch.

Proteins

Each of the following food sources of protein is inherently low in sucrose, or even sucrose-free. (Plant-based proteins tend to be higher in sucrose, unfortunately, so going vegan is not the best idea for people with a confirmed sucrose intolerance.)

Also make sure to avoid proteins marinated in sauces, breadcrumbs, or seasonings which could contain hidden sources of sucrose.

• Beef
• Bison
• Chicken
• Dairy proteins
  • Cheeses
  • Cottage cheese
  • Cows’ milk
  • Goat milk
  • Plain yogurt
• Eggs
• Fish/seafood
  • Cod
  • Halibut
  • Salmon
  • Seabass
  • Swordfish
  • Tilapia
  • Trout
  • Tuna
• Lamb
• Pork
• Shellfish
  • Clams
  • Crab
  • Lobster
  • Mussels
  • Scallops
• Tofu (FIRM)
• Turkey
• Venison

Low sucrose drinks

While there may be more low sucrose drinks, use this basic list as a starter-guide (and I’m not necessarily endorsing everything on this list as “healthy”!):

• Water (regular or carbonated)
• Milk (cow’s, goat)
• Cream
• Coffee
• Black tea
• Green tea
• Oolong tea
• Herbal tea
• 100% tomato juice
• Green juice made with cucumber, spinach, ginger + lemon
• Homemade lemonade/limeade sweetened with fructose/honey
• Diet soda
• Soda made with high fructose corn syrup

Low sucrose sweeteners

Below is a list of low sucrose sweeteners which can be tolerated by people with a sucrose intolerance, from a symptom-management standpoint (but it doesn’t mean I’m endorsing these as “health foods”).  This list is not exhaustive, but feel free to use it as a resource!

• Agave nectar
• Aspartame
• Honey
• Fructose
• Glucose
• High fructose corn syrup
• Monk fruit extract
• Splenda (“sucralose”)
• Stevia leaf extract

Low sucrose spices/seasonings

The research is limited and sparse on which types of spices and seasonings are guaranteed “low sucrose”. There are likely lots of herbs and spices low in sucrose, but I don’t feel comfortable including those which are still considered “unknown” from the standpoint of their sucrose content.

Anecdotally, the following are well tolerated in my clinic by people with a suspected or confirmed sucrose intolerance:

• Salt
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Parsley
• Ginger

You may also feel better sticking to low FODMAP herbs and spices which are generally better tolerated among folks with an acquired sucrase-isomaltase deficiency.

Conclusions

Eating mostly low sucrose foods and avoiding foods high in sucrose can help to reduce and prevent unwanted gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms among folks with a sucrose intolerance.

(A sucrose intolerance diet is meant exclusively for people who have a genetic or acquired sucrase-isomaltase enzyme deficiency and can’t break down sucrose in the gut.)

This type of diet is very restrictive and should be executed only under clinical supervision from a doctor and registered dietitian who specializes in sucrose intolerance.

While the above low sucrose foods list is not exhaustive, I hope it can serve as a helpful resource for you on your gut-healing journey.

Next steps

Make sure to check out the resources below if you’d like to learn more!

Recommended resources

• Sucrose Intolerance Food List – What to Eat & What to Avoid (FREE Downloadable PDF)
• Sucrose Intolerance Diet Plan:  7-Day Meal Plan + 21 CSID-Friendly Recipes (PDF)
• What is a Sucrose Intolerance and How Do You Know If You Have It?
• Understanding Congenital Sucrase-Isomaltase Deficiency (CSID)
• Food Allergy vs Intolerance vs Sensitivity
• A Comprehensive List of Foods High in Sucrose
• IBS and Sugar – A Holistic Perspective
• Spilling the Tea on Splenda (Sucralose) and IBS®
• Starchway: How to Get Started, Best Practices & Possible Side Effects
• Sweet Relief – When and How to Take Sucraid® (Sacrosidase)