Rice, regardless of whether it’s white, brown or basmati, has a green FODMAP rating. This means that rice is well-tolerated by IBS and FODMAP sufferers. It is, therefore, surprising that rice milk has a red FODMAPS rating if 1/4 cup or more is consumed.
This FODMAPS can be found in small amounts of rice milk, oligosaccharides, and fructans. However, this FODMAPS are not found in any rice.
Although it is not clear why rice is low in FODMAP, and rice milk is high in FODMAP, current theories suggest that rice milk may result from high FODMAP processing.
Many long-chain carbohydrates are found in rice and are then broken down during the making of rice milk. The breakdown of long-chain carbohydrates in the rice into rice milk leads to the creation of additional oligosaccharides, which can increase the rice milk’s total FODMAP level by a large amount compared to rice.
This topic still needs more research to understand why rice milk has a higher FODMAPS level than rice. If you are following or planning to follow a low FODMAP diet, you should avoid rice milk and instead consume almond milk or hemp milk. Both of these are green FODMAP foods.