If you have fructose intolerance, you should use foods that are as fructose-free as possible. Here you can find out which products you can eat without any problems and which ones you should avoid.
What is fructose intolerance?
Fructose intolerance is a special type of food intolerance in which those affected tolerate foods containing fructose to a limited extent or not at all. This is because the fructose cannot be properly digested. This leads to digestive problems such as bloating, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
With a normal fructose intolerance, however, you do not have to do without fructose completely. In small quantities, it usually does not cause any problems. Only in the rare form of hereditary fructose intolerance does fructose have to be strictly avoided.
Exactly how much fructose is tolerated varies from person to person. Therefore, you must test how your body reacts to certain foods and consult a doctor or nutritionist.
After the diagnosis, you usually try to consume as little fructose as possible to protect your digestive tract. After that, you can continuously increase fructose intake and write down how you feel after eating certain foods in a food diary. Over time, your digestive system becomes more and more accustomed to foods that contain fructose. Sometimes the intolerance even disappears again.
Fructose-free foods – you can eat them!
Foods that have a very low fructose content or that contain at least as much glucose as fructose are generally well tolerated. These products include, among others:
Grain products: rice, rye, wheat, oats, spelt
Pseudo-cereals: buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa
Legumes: lentils, beans, peas
eggs
pure dairy products: butter, cheese, yoghurt and quark (unsweetened)
meat and fish
Herbs: basil, parsley, oregano and so on
a few types of fruit: cranberries, rhubarb and avocado
lots of nuts and seeds: flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, chia seeds, peanuts
some low-fructose vegetables: chard, rocket, spinach, zucchini, chicory, lamb’s lettuce, fennel, cucumber, potatoes
soy milk (unsweetened)
vegetable oils
Apple Cider Vinegar
Other products contain a little more fructose, but you can usually tolerate them in moderation:
Vegetables such as artichokes, broccoli, mushrooms, chanterelles, carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, red cabbage, celery, pumpkin, eggplant
Fruits such as apricots, honeydew melon, papaya, plums, grapefruit, cherries, limes and lemons
hazelnuts
bamboo shoots
Ginger
coconut milk
Note: In the waiting phase, i.e. in the recovery phase after the diagnosis, you should also avoid these products. As you begin to increase your fructose intake, you can gradually incorporate the foods into your diet.
It also helps not to eat fruit pure, but to eat it in combination with low-fructose foods such as dairy products or cereals.
To make it easier for your intestines to process the fructose, you can also sweeten your food with a little glucose. The glucose makes it easier for your digestive system to absorb the fructose. How much glucose you have to consume varies depending on the food and your individual tolerance limit. However, you shouldn’t overdo it with this trick, since too much glucose can quickly have a negative effect on your health.
Fructose intolerance: You should avoid these foods
Products that are not tolerated by fructose intolerance include:
many types of fruit (such as apples, pears, berries, persimmons, mango, etc.)
dried fruit
Sweets
sugary drinks, such as fruit juices, soft drinks, beer and wine
Some vegetables can also be problematic, such as kale, green beans, or turnip greens.
Many baked goods, such as bread, rolls and crispbread, can also be relatively heavily sweetened. Therefore, you should look at the ingredients or nutritional information before consumption. This also applies to yoghurts or mixed milk drinks.
