#fructose-free

I agree. I was annoyed and didn't expect Frank to come back since it seems like everyone in the show has already forgotten about him.

@maroog:  

Abigail and Frank sure looked happy, arm and arm, awfully quickly, with no "where have you been, I've missed you..." storyline at all. No surprise. I am sort of bummed he's leaving. There better be time spent next week talking through why he needs to leave Abigail and Hope Valley. I also hope they don't leave it like, "I'll be back" because with that hanging over her, how can sure move on to Henry! :) 

He didn’t even need to be there.  Abigail performing the ceremony would have been pretty perfect since she’s always been there for them both.  A full-circle type moment.

As a sweet tooth myself, I have to admit that I do have trouble saying no to sugary treats. There’s nothing like a l bit of sweetness that I can enjoy in various parts of my day to give me that little kick of energy so I can power on or get out of a slump. https://flic.kr/p/2mkDLew However, said sweet treats may have an impact on my health. Milk teas, for example, are some of my perennially…

On the following page, you will find sweeteners and sugar substitutes you can use without hesitation, you should be careful with, and you should avoid at all in case of Fructose Malabsorption. Please note, that the sweeteners you should be cautious with, shouldn’t be eaten during the first phase of the Fructose Malabsorption diet. Now, let’s dive in!

What sweeteners you can use

Dextrin

Dextrose

Erythritol (E 968)

Glucose

Lactose

Maltodextrin

Maltose

Rice syrup

Spelt syrup

Sugar substitutes: Sweet One®, Stevia®, Sugar Twin®

What sweeteners you should be careful with

Brown sugar

Lactitol (E 966)

Lactulose

Oligosaccharide & Polysaccharide (e.g. Inulin)

Raw sugar

Sucrose (glucose:fructose=50:50)

Xylitol (E 967)

And finally, what sweeteners you should avoid

Agave syrup

Caramel

Corn syrup

Fructose

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

Honey

Invert sugar

Isomalt (E 953)

Maltitol (E 965)

Mannitol (E 421)

Maple syrup

Molasses

Palm sugar

Sorbitol (E 420)

You can find all that information also in the figure below. Please feel free to print it and carry it with you during your grocery shopping.

https://www.fructohelp.com/favourable-foods/Despite some restrictions on your eating habits, there is still a lot of food to enjoy without experiencing any symptoms of Fructose Malabsorption. Once you know it, your well-being will be significantly improved. I will show you what is favorable to eat and what you should avoid for eliminating symptoms and restoring normal digestion.

Small amounts of fructose from time to time are good in the long-term

As I mentioned on the Fructose Malabsorption Diet page, you should avoid fructose entirely only in the first phase of the low fructose diet. Avoiding it further would probably worsen your symptoms in the long run.

So keep trying, add some fructose to your meals, e.g. low fructose fruits like bananas, and slowly find your dose. This will vary over time and may probably increase by doing the low fructose diet. For me, it worked out really well!

How to sweeten your food in case of Fructose Malabsorption

If you like sweet stuff from time to time, I can give you some good news: You do not have to pursue total abstinence.

You may use sucrose in small amounts,  as it consists equally of glucose and fructose, but you will feel better by choosing safe alternatives. These alternative are for example Stevia or dextrose.

Do not use honey or sweeteners like sorbitol to sweeten your food as they will worsen your symptoms.

You can find more information on the Sweetener page. Check out the table and the figure there for a large list of favorable sweeteners and sweeteners to avoid.

And this is what you can eat when having Fructose Malabsorption

Despite some forbidden foods, there is still a lot of food to enjoy without having any symptoms. Here is an extract of favorable foods:

Rice

Potatoes (no sweet potatoes)

Gluten-free pasta, rice noodles

Meat (check the ingredients if marinaded)

Fish and seafood (check the ingredients if marinaded)

Eggs

Unsweetened milk products

Salad

Oil

Vinegar: cider vinegar, herb vinegar (avoid balsamic vinegar)

Vegetables: pumpkin, zucchini, chard, celery, spinach, avocado, broccoli, rhubarb

Fruits (you have to test them individually): banana, papaya, lime, lemon, mandarin

Nuts

Tea

Fresh herbs (oregano, basil, ...)

Herbs often contain high amounts of fructose. But as only small amounts are typically used for cooking, they should not invoke any symptoms.

Add glucose to improve the absorption of fructose

As mentioned under Facts and Symptoms, glucose acts as a piggyback transport for fructose. This means that you can occasionally add glucose, such as dextrose, to high fructose foods. If you can’t resist anymore. But please keep in mind, that you consume a lot more sugar than is ideal that way. And this is for sure not healthy. So please do it only on occasion.

Consume fructose on a full stomach, after meals

By doing that, fructose is released from the stomach slower and delivered to the small bowel over a longer period. This improves the absorption of fructose.

Make a pause of at least 2-3 hours between fructose-containing foods

This is important, as your body cannot handle large amounts of fructose properly at the same time.

How to reduce Fructose Malabsorption symptoms by restoring the intestinal flora

Intestinal rehabilitation for getting rid of abnormal bacterial colonization is a further step towards improved symptoms. The low fructose diet is an essential part of that process, but you can further support that process by adding special supplements (e.g. psyllium husk powder) to your daily intake. I usually drink a glass of water with half a teaspoon of psyllium husks before breakfast. And this further reduced my symptoms of Fructose Malabsorption in the long-term.

Every now and again I go through the frozen fish section of the grocery store, only to be very disappointed in the world. Last weekend, at Target, I found this bit of beautiful, fructose-free, beer-battered cod.  Gorton’s Classic Beer Battered Fish Fillets Ingredients: Alaska Pollock fillets, batter coating, vegetable oil. Alaska Pollock fillets ingredients: Alaska Pollock, sodium tripolyphosphate (to retain fish moisture). Batter coating ingredients: Rice flour, water, beer (water, barley malt, corn, rice, hops, yeast), wheat flour, tapioca dextrin, salt, whey, dextrose, baking powder (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate), sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, natural flavor.

My local Kroger (midwest grocery chain) is always out of my favorite type of yogurt (Dannon plain lowfat or full-fat).

or

They're also always out of fresh mushrooms, but that's another matter entirely. 

Yesterday I was, once again, attempting to buy yogurt. Now, I would by greek yogurt, but they only have the fat-free greek yogurt and it costs 3X as much as Dannon. 

So I settle for Kroger's generic organic brand, Simple Truth Organic:

I don't have a lot of luck going off-brand when yogurt is concerned. Most taste like crap, but I had hopes for Simple Truth Organic. 

What amused me the most is the ingredients list. 

Dannon Plain Yogurt Ingredients: Cultured Grade A Milk, Pectin.

Simple Truth Plain Yogurt Ingredients: Cultured Pasturized Organic Lowfat Milk, Organic Skim Milk, Organic Corn Starch, Organic Locust Bean Gum, Pectin, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3.