Foods allowed and prohibited in fructose intolerance

Fructose intolerance is the difficulty of absorbing foods that have this type of sugar in their composition, such as fruits, vegetables and vegetables, and therefore, when consumed, they cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sweat, diarrhea and swelling in the belly.

The cause for fructose malabsorption can be hereditary, which is why some babies already manifest symptoms early on, but it can also be contracted throughout life, due to intestinal changes that cause difficulty in digesting this substance.

Diet for fructose intolerance

To alleviate the symptoms of fructose intolerance, it is recommended to avoid the consumption of this sugar, which is naturally present in various foods, such as fruits, vegetables, vegetables and honey.

In addition, fructose can also be present in foods that are sweetened with corn syrup or with the sweeteners sucrose or sorbitol, substances that are present in foods such as soft drinks, canned or powdered juices, ketchup and fast food.

List of allowed foods

As fructose intolerance has several levels, from mild to severe, the restriction on consumption must be adjusted to the intolerance of each person. For this, it is advised that the person has a diary to record the foods consumed and the reactions provoked in the body, in addition to always checking the ingredients of the meals before eating, and the foods made at home should be preferred.

Some of the foods that are released for those with fructose intolerance are:

Dairy	Milk, butter, margarine, cheese and natural yogurt;
Sweeteners	Glucose or any sweetener that does not contain fructose, sucrose or sorbitol;
Vegetables	Broccoli, celery, lettuce, spinach, chard, mushrooms and artichokes;
Spices	Salt, vinegar, herbs, spices and mustard;
Soups	Made with allowed foods and spices;
Cereals	Oats, wheat, barley, rye, rice, tapioca and products made from them, such as breads, cookies and cereals, without being sweetened with fructose, sucrose, sorbitol, honey, molasses or corn syrup;
Animal protein	Meat, fish and eggs are all allowed;
Drinks	Water, tea, coffee, cocoa;
Sweets	Sweet desserts and pastas that are not sweetened with fructose, sucrose, sorbitol or corn syrup.

In addition, some vegetables that have fructose, such as potatoes or tomatoes, can be eaten in small quantities if cooked, as water removes part of the fructose from food.

List of foods to avoid

In the fructose intolerance diet it is necessary to exclude foods such as:

• Fruits, jellies and fruit jams; Table sugar, honey, molasses, maple syrup, corn syrup, fructose, sucrose and sorbitol; Peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas, white beans, corn and soybeans; Turnip, sweet potato, beet, cucumber, cabbage, tomato, carrot, eggplant, cabbage, onion, asparagus and peppers; Dairy: sweet fructose milk, commercial fructose, sucrose or sorbitol ice cream and fruit yoghurt; soy flour, muesli and all cereals made with sugar or honey; industrialized products with some ingredient that has fructose, such as: soft drinks, canned or powdered juices, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, industrial sauces, caramel, artificial honey, chocolates, cakes, puddings, fast food, some types of bread, sausage and ham.

As it is very difficult to completely exclude fructose from the diet, since it is present in many foods, it is recommended that the person with intolerance follow up with a nutritionist, so that an individualized and balanced menu for the day to day is established.

Although it can be a difficult task, people with intolerance to this type of sugar should avoid consuming fructose because if there is no control, over time, serious complications, such as kidney or liver failure, can arise.

Example menu for fructose intolerance

An example of a healthy menu for people with this disease can be:

Meal	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Breakfast	200 ml of milk + 2 slices of brown bread with curd and egg	1 plain yogurt + 2 teaspoons of chia + 1 tapioca with cheese	200 ml of milk + 1 col of cocoa soup + 2 slices of brown bread with cheese
Morning snack	10 cashew nuts	4 whole toast with curd	6 whole oat cookies, without sweeteners / honey / molasses / corn syrup
Lunch	Grilled chicken with brown rice and salad (vary broccoli, celery, lettuce, spinach, chard, mushrooms, artichokes).	Fish fillet with spinach and mashed potato	Spaghetti with chicken, mushrooms and white sauce + steamed broccoli
Afternoon snack	1 plain yogurt + whole grain cereal without sweeteners or fructose products	1 slice of chicken pie + iced tea with cinnamon, ginger and fennel	200 ml of cocoa milk + mix of chestnuts, nuts and almonds

It is important to remember that you should always check the label of processed foods to make sure that they do not contain ingredients prohibited in fructose intolerance, such as honey, molasses, corn syrup and sweeteners saccharin and sorbitol. In general, diet and light products, cookies, ready-made drinks and bakery products usually bring these ingredients. Learn how to read the food label.

How to identify intolerance

In people who have hereditary intolerance, or who have fructose malabsorption due to changes in the intestinal flora or inflammatory diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, for example, the consumption of this sugar can cause symptoms such as:

• Sickness and vomiting; Cold sweat; Abdominal pain; Lack of appetite; Diarrhea or constipation; Excess gas; Swollen belly; Irritability; Dizziness.

As breast milk does not have fructose, the baby only begins to have symptoms when he starts to drink artificial milk, using milk formulas, or with the introduction of foods, such as baby food, juices or fruits. If the amount of this sugar consumed by the intolerant child is very large, there may be more serious symptoms such as apathy, seizures and even coma. However, it is important to remember that the presence of gas, diarrhea and a swollen belly can also be symptoms of lactose intolerance.

How to confirm the diagnosis

The diagnosis of fructose intolerance is made by the gastroenterologist, endocrinologist or nutrologist, who make an assessment of the person's clinical history, and a test is performed with removal of fructose from the diet and observation of symptom improvement.

If in doubt, urine and blood tests can also be done to evaluate the effects of fructose on the body, in addition to the expired hydrogen test, which is a test that measures, through breathing, the fructose absorption capacity by body.