Discussion Board

I have recently started to suspect that I am having trouble digesting fruits. I get pains, excessive gas, bloating and general abdominal discomfort several hours after eating fruit.

I would like to eliminate fructose from my diet for a while to see how I feel. I'm having trouble figuring out what to eliminate. Obviously fruit but I've seen beans, green beans, artichokes, asparagus, onions, leeks, coconut milk, sweet potatoes, and parsnips. Oh, and wheat but I've been gluten free for close to a year now. I want to do this test correctly. If I eat something with fructose unknowingly I won't get an accurate test.

I'm looking at Nutrition Data and everything but lettuces and greens seem to have fructose. But I don't know if they don't have fructose or they aren't included in this database.

Also, this information isn't matching other things I've read, such as beets being very low but they are one of only 5 vegetables that another site said to avoid.

It doesn't seem possible to avoid fructose. I have an appointment with a gastro on Wed, I hope it goes well. I want to do that breath test and see what the results are.

Can you help with the list of foods that contain fructose?

Thanks

Hi Fern,



I agree.



That is my recommendation. Get a proper diagnosis before doing anything. Otherwise you may spend lots of time and energy pursuing this without needing to. It is possible to have either fructose intolerance or fructose malabsorption and they are different and I beleive the tests may be different for each one, so check into this when you go.

If your diagnosis comes back positive, then we can go from there and sort out the information.

In addition, if it seems that if fruit is the problem, then maybe the first thing you may want to try is to just cut back on fruits, or specific fruits that seem to bother you, or to even look at how you are consuming them. While fruit is one of the easiest foods to digest, some people beleive they handle them better if they eat them either by themselves or before other foods.

I don't know of any science to support this, but it couldn't hurt.

In Health
Jeff Novick, MS, RD

I'm seeing a GI on Wednesday, will let you know the outcome.

Fern,

This will be an important step. While I am sure you are uncomfortable and getting frustrated, getting a proper diagnosis is important. Otherwise, your energies may be spent in ways that are not helpful and you may only end up more frustrated.

Let me know what happens after you see the GI doc

Also, in the meantime, if you can, it may be beneficial to track your responses to different foods and/or changes in your intake and how you feel and your resulting symptoms. This info will be helpful if diagnosed and if not, still beneficial to the next step. Sometimes, proper diagnosis is a process of elimination of what it is not, before you figure out what it is.

Good luck!
Jeff Novick, MS, RD

Well, I guess it went ok. He ordered a CT scan of my abdomen which I really don't want to do but for now I said yes. Blood work (which has been done numerous times and has never been anything but normal), a stool test (good one!) and a breath test for bacterial overgrowth, I see the value to that.

I was not impressed though. At one point I mentioned I ate beans. He almost dropped his papers - you eat beans, well that's why you have gas. Then when I told him that I was only eating 4 things for the past 3 days, quinoa, millet, rice, and corn. He said I can do whatever I want as long as I maintain my calorie and protein intakes. He had never heard of fructose malabsorption and he actually told me that he was sure that if he asked his partners about it they would ask him what the fu__ he was talking about.

So not the most impressive doctor but he's taking it seriously and ready to start exploring what could be causing me trouble. I should have all of these results in 2 weeks.