Fructose intolerance: what can I eat?

fructose-intolerance-what-can-i-eat

Diagnosing fructose intolerance: What am I allowed to eat, you are certainly asking yourself now. What foods are taboo and what you can eat, you can find out here.

Fruit sugar (fructose) occurs in fruits, but also in vegetables. Fructose is also – in addition to glucose (glucose) – also a component of the double sucrose (also known as table sugar or just sugar). Anyone who is affected by a fructose intolerance, probably wondering what he can eat.  

Fructan incompatibility – what happens in the body?

So that fructose can be absorbed by the body, it needs a van. Egg proteins in the small intestine transport, among other things, the fructose into the blood. However, if this transport is disturbed, a part of the small intestine is not taken up and thus migrates undigested into the large intestine, which leads to complaints of the affected person (see also the following section on the symptoms). Colloquially, this form is often referred to as fructose intolerance, this is actually a fructose malabsorption .

But there is a hereditary form, the hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI). It is the body due to a lack of a specific liver enzyme not possible to break down fructose. This disease often manifests itself in infancy and, if left untreated, can lead to severe liver and kidney damage. Hereditary fructose intolerance is innate and rather rare. Whoever is affected by this must give up fructose all his life.

A specialist, the gastroenterologist, can perform a breath test and diagnose an intolerance. 

Fructose intolerance: symptoms

The intolerance is associated with some symptoms, the following symptoms may occur:

  • bloating
  • diarrhea
  • stomach pain
  • Get up
  • bloating
  • nausea

Fructose intolerance: what can I eat?

Every person tolerates a certain amount of fructose. In case of intolerance, it is important to find out what amount of fructose causes no problems and to adjust the diet accordingly. There is no universal list of permitted and prohibited foods. Everyone affected should  try out what is tolerated and what is not!

Cheap foods that are considered well tolerated :

fruit

  • banana
  • peaches
  • pineapple
  • tangerines
  • strawberries
  • raspberries
  • papaya
  • Red currants
  • lemon

vegetables

  • avocado
  • carrots
  • tomatoes
  • rhubarb
  • spinach
  • chard
  • pumpkin
  • zucchini
  • fennel
  • celery

Food with no or hardly any fructose

  • Cereal products such. As noodles
  • Pure animal products without additives such as meat, fish, eggs and milk
  • Potatoes, pasta and rice
  • coffee
  • tea
  • Nuts and seeds
  • green herbs

miscellaneous

  • glucose
  • Lactose (milk sugar)
  • vinegar

Rather unfavorable foods  with fructose intolerance :

  • Apple
  • pear
  • bilberry
  • plum
  • grapes
  • dried fruit
  • Invert sugar, honey
  • Beer and wine
  • Yogurt with fruits 
  • Fruit juices and wellness drinks
  • Compote and jam 
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Whole grains and cabbage or vegetable because of the high fiber content

Fructose intolerance: what can I eat?

Sugar substitutes are often sugar alcohols, some of which are derived from fruits and vegetables and can be problematic, such as: B.  xylitol (E 967, also birch sugar) It is partially contained in sugar-free foods such as chewing gum. Some tolerate it, others have problems with it. Sorbitol(E420, 432-436), however, blocks the intake of fructose and should be avoided. It is mainly in pome and stone fruit, but also in some vegetables, diabetic products, sometimes in light drinks. 

Beware of finished products , these may also contain sugar substitutes!