Learning to eat again with fructose malabsorption is no easy task. The online resources are so conflicting, that it’s hard to know who to listen to. The most current information on the disorder is a well-guarded secret — the people doing the research are charging for it, and those who have paid for it don’t want to share with others. I’ve been compiling a list of resources for fructose malabsorption that I can refer back to, and interacting on Facebook and Yahoo Groups in an effort to learn as much as possible from people who have been through it.
I have been eating a very basic diet of what I think are safe foods, and it really has been helping, but I know there is room for improvement. These are the foods I’ve been living off of for the last ten days while trying to regulate my digestive system:
Grains:
- Cheerio’s
- Corn tortillas
- Glutino gluten-free white bread
- Glutino gluten-free flax seed bread
- Grits (polenta)
- Oatmeal
- White rice
Veggies:
- Leaf lettuce
- Spinach
(I’ve just been told this is high in fructans, though. *sigh*) - Shredded carrot
- Summer squash
- White potatoes
- Zucchini
Beverages:
- Green or herbal tea
- Vanilla rice milk
- Water
Protein:
- Chia seeds (added to cereal and oatmeal to keep me full for longer)
- Chicken breast
- Deli chicken breast (lunch meat)
- Nitrate-free bacon (very small amounts)
- Tofu
To flavor my food:
- Cinnamon
- Cultured butter
- Dairy-free Parmesan and shredded cheeses
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Miracle Whip w/olive oil (no HFCS)
- Salt
- Vanilla
Snacks:
- Baked Lay’s
- Smarties
- Special K Popcorn Chips
- Tostitos Natural corn tortilla chips
Questionable items I’ve had:
- Eggs (I’ve suspected eggs as a problem for awhile, so I’ve decided to lay off of them for a bit)
- French fries
- Tater crowns
- Redbridge gluten free beer (once)
- Corona beer (twice)
Supplements:
- Acidophilus (this helps regulate and solidify stools…at least for me)
I’ve noticed some improvements in the way I’m feeling while eating this way. My brain fog and mood swings are much less frequent. Actually, the only time I’ve had brain fog in ten days was after drinking a beer. But whether that is from a low alcohol tolerance (I hadn’t drank in a month, and before that was drinking very little) or a reaction to something in the beer, I have no idea.
I’ve only had diarrhea once in that period of time, and I’m certain it’s from the blueberries I tried to bake into some bread. Otherwise my digestive symptoms have been limited to mild bloating and a little gas — far less than before, so it’s a start, right? I’m looking into digestive enzymes to help digest vegetables, and supplements that I should be using to compensate for any missing nutrients in my diet and to help heal my intestines.
Things that annoy me about fructose malabsorption:
- I have to scrutinize every recipe I come across to make sure it’s safe.
- Every time I discover a “fail safe” food, it gets debunked by a more recent study.
- I have had to completely retrain myself on the way I used to read labels.
- The diet varies from person to person, so it must be personalized for every individual. This means you can’t trust advice you receive without doing a trial run yourself.
- “Malabsorption” is a hard word to type.
- I really, really miss chocolate.
What annoys you about it?
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