Fructose Intolerance Diet: Foods to Avoid and Low-Fructose Alternatives
Fructose is found in almost all foods, though in very different amounts. For people with fructose intolerance, it is therefore important to follow a balanced diet while keeping fructose intake as low as possible. Frusano’s low-fructose foods are specially developed to meet these needs and are an excellent choice for anyone following a fructose-free diet.
Fructose Intolerance Diet – Avoiding Certain Sugars
Fructose
Most of the fructose in our daily diet comes from sweetened foods, as ordinary household sugar (sucrose) is made up of 50% fructose. In recent years, this problem has been intensified by the trend towards sugar reduction — which may sound contradictory at first.
Fructose is significantly sweeter than household sugar. This means that manufacturers can use smaller amounts to achieve the same level of sweetness and still advertise a product as having “reduced sugar”. However, while the total sugar content may be lower, the proportion of fructose — the most problematic sugar for people with fructose intolerance — often increases. This practice is becoming increasingly common.
For this reason, it is especially important to check ingredient lists carefully. Products promoted with claims such as “30% less sugar” frequently contain fructose or fructose-glucose syrup.
Fructose also occurs naturally, in small amounts, in most fruits, vegetables and cereals. However, fructose levels vary greatly between foods. Food tables can be helpful for people with fructose intolerance, as they list the fructose content of many common foods (e.g: Souci, Fachmann, Kraut: "Food tables for practical use", see book recommendations). That said, these values are only a guideline, as fructose levels can vary significantly depending on variety, ripeness and origin.
Sorbitol
In addition to fructose, sorbitol intake should always be considered. For people with fructose intolerance, a simultaneous sorbitol intolerance is the rule rather than the exception. Sorbitol can also have a laxative effect in larger quantities, even in people without fructose intolerance. In cases of hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), sorbitol must be avoided entirely, just like fructose.
Unfortunately, information on sorbitol content is often unreliable. In particular, online databases based on official food codes may list sorbitol as “0” even for foods that actually contain significant amounts. In many cases, this "0" simply means that no data is available.
For example, sour cherries contain between 0.4 and almost 3 g of sorbitol per 100 g, while sweet cherries contain between 1.4 and 4.5 g per 100 g.
Sorbitol should be avoided in the case of fructose intolerance and simultaneous sorbitol intolerance is the rule rather than the exception in the case of fructose malabsorption.
Other Types of Sugars
You can find a complete list of types of sugar here.
Fructose Intolerance Diet – Is Eating Fructose-Free Possible?
With natural foods, a completely fructose-free diet is virtually impossible. However, fructose levels vary greatly from food to food. The key factor is your individual tolerance threshold, which can differ significantly. While people with hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) may tolerate well under 1 g of fructose per day, those with fructose malabsorption (=intestinal fructose intolerance) may tolerate up to around 50 g per day.
Frusano products are generally very low in fructose, and the fructose, sucrose and sorbitol content is clearly stated for each product. This is achieved by using exclusively fructose-free glucose syrup as a sweetener and carefully selecting low-fructose fruit varieties, such as blackcurrants and even certain exotic fruits like calamansi.
In most cases, Frusano foods are well tolerated. If you have a particularly low personal tolerance threshold, we recommend paying close attention to the listed fructose, sucrose and sorbitol values and choosing products with the lowest fructose content within each product category.
Different Recommendations Depending on the Type of Intolerance
Hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI)
In cases of HFI, the rule is clear: the diet should be as fructose-free as possible.
Fructose malabsorption
With fructose malabsorption, a strictly fructose-free diet is usually not necessary. Instead, we recommend avoiding fructose from sweetened foods by consistently replacing household sugar — or fructose itself — with dextrose or maltose.
Fruit and vegetables should generally not be avoided completely or for long periods. At most, they may be reduced temporarily. In many cases, it is sufficient to replace high-fructose fruits such as apples with low-fructose alternatives like currants or raspberries.
In short
No to fructose from sweets
No to high-fructose fruit
Yes to low-fructose fruit and vegetables
Sucrose Content and the Role of Glucose
Fructose is one of the two components of the disaccharide sucrose, commonly known as household sugar or simply “sugar”. The other component is glucose (dextrose). This means that a food containing, for example, 50 g of household sugar also contains 25 g of fructose. The same applies to cane sugar and brown sugar, which also consist largely of sucrose.
Some publications suggest that consuming glucose at the same time may improve fructose absorption and that so-called “bound fructose” — fructose that occurs as part of sucrose — is better tolerated. However, the scientific evidence for this is limited. Many people with fructose malabsorption (intestinal fructose intolerance) report that they tolerate sucrose no better than pure fructose. In cases of hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), sucrose is always prohibited, as fructose is metabolised in the same way regardless of its source.
Based on experience, glucose may improve fructose tolerance in some individuals with fructose malabsorption, but this cannot be generalised. For this reason, people with fructose intolerance should pay attention not only to fructose content but also to household sugar (sucrose) intake — at least until individual tolerance has been clearly established, for example through an elimination diet or an H? breath test.
In addition to keeping fructose levels very low, Frusano products also contain extremely small amounts of sucrose, which is clearly stated for each product. All Frusano products contain a significant excess of glucose, meaning they provide far more glucose than fructose. Details on sucrose labelling can be found in the Sugar declaration.
Fructose Intolerance Diet – Avoiding Certain Sugars