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Learn how to handle Fructose Malabsorption: Fructose Malabsorption treatment, diet, medication, and tips

Fructose Malabsorption Food List: Which Foods to Avoid

Fructose Malabsorption Food List - FructoHelp - www.fructohelp.com

There is still a lot of food to enjoy without experiencing any symptoms of fructose malabsorption. Once you know a proper fructose malabsorption food list, you can improve your well-being significantly.  I will show you what is favorable to eat and what you should avoid for eliminating symptoms and restoring normal digestion.

The following food list is specific for fructose malabsorption. It differs from the low FODMAP food list, as you don’t need to avoid all FODMAPs, such as lactose, when having only fructose malabsorption. 

A brief summary of what you can eat when having fructose malabsorption

The following foods are fructose-free or have at least a low fructose content. You may focus on these for preventing symptoms:

  • Rice
  • Potatoes (not 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, 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.

This was only an excerpt of a much larger list. Read on to see the rest.

The detailed and searchable fructose malabsorption food list

The color-coding is as follows:

 Safe  You should be able to eat it
 Almost safe  You should be able to eat it, but only in smaller doses
 Be careful  You should highly restrict your intake
 Avoid it  You should avoid it

wdt_ID Suitable? Food Category Fructose/Glucose Sorbitol (g/100g) Remarks
1 4 Apple Fruits 2.83 0.51
2 4 Apple (dried) Fruits 2.83 2.49
3 3 Apricot Fruits 0.50 0.82
4 4 Apricots (dried) Fruits 0.50 4.60
5 1 Avocado Fruits 0.67 0.00
6 2 Banana (ripe) Fruits 0.96 0.00
7 3 Blackberry Fruits 1.05 0.00
8 3 Blood orange Fruits 1.13 0.00
9 2 Blueberry Fruits 1.35 0.00
10 3 Boysenberry Fruits 1.49 0.00
11 1 Cactus pear Fruits 0.10 0.00
12 1 Cantaloupe Fruits 0.81 0.00
13 3 Cowberry Fruits 0.97 0.00
14 2 Cranberry Fruits 0.97 0.00
15 4 Cranberry (dried) Fruits 1.15 1.20
16 4 Date dried Fruits 1.00 1.35
17 4 Fig dried Fruits 0.91 0.00
18 3 Gooseberry Fruits 1.10 0.00
19 2 Grapefruit Fruits 0.88 0.00
20 4 Grapes Fruits 1.04 0.20
21 4 Guava Fruits 1.65 0.00
22 4 Honeydew melon Fruits 2.10 0.00
23 1 Jackfruit Fruits 0.28 0.00
24 3 Kaki Fruits 0.81 0.00
25 3 Kiwi Fruits 1.06 0.00


For even more detailed information, download my free nutrition guide.

Also, feel free to use my Fructose Malabsorption Recipe Checker. The tool is based on the food list above and will show you problematic food within any recipe that you paste in there. 

And if you want to have an infographic of the fructose malabsorption food list for printing and pinning somewhere, see further below.

 But first, some additional tips for sweetening your food and how to balance your fructose intake.

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 alternatives 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.

 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 could 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!

The nutrition guide infographic

And here is the promised  infographic of the fructose malabsorption food list. If you want a printable pdf instead where I’ve spread the image over five separate pages, click here.

FructoHelp - Fructose Malabsorption Food List (Dietary Fructose Intolerance) - www.fructohelp.com

 

Did you miss something? Leave a comment and I will do some research!

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Elaine
Elaine
6 years ago

Thanks for your great work! I just printed your infographic and pinned it on my refrigerator ;-)

1
Reply
Nick
Author
Nick
6 years ago
Reply to  Elaine

You are welcome. I’m pleased to hear … or read that!

0
Reply
rcusick
rcusick
6 years ago
Reply to  Nick

Hi! This is very helpful but I am having trouble printing the infographic. .

0
Reply
Nick
Author
Nick
5 years ago
Reply to  rcusick

Would it help you, if I split the infographic into multiple pieces?

0
Reply
Noobie
Noobie
4 years ago
Reply to  Nick

Do you have a printer-friendly version? (don’t mind if it’s multiple pages)

0
Reply
Nick
Author
Nick
4 years ago
Reply to  Noobie

Yes, I’ve just updated the site with a printer-friendly version. You can find the link above the infographic.

1
Reply
Apple
Apple
5 years ago

I have had fructose malabsorption for ten years now and this was still useful

0
Reply
Therisa Bennett
Therisa Bennett
3 years ago

Ice tea is in the Avoid section? Also, is red cabbage ok or no? Its in 2 different columns.

0
Reply
Nick
Author
Nick
3 years ago
Reply to  Therisa Bennett

Hi Therisa,
ice tea is in the avoid section, as it often contains artificial sweeteners, like xylithol, which worsen the symptoms. You can read more about sweeteners here: https://www.fructohelp.com/sweeteners/
I just had a look at the red cabbage entries. Unfortunately, the second entry in the “almost safe” category was wrong. I’ve corrected that. Thanks for letting me know, and sorry for causing confusion.

0
Reply

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About the Author

Hi there, I'm Nick. I am running this site to share my knowledge about fructose malabsorption and to help others in dealing with their disorder ... like me. Read More…

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