i really need help figuring out what to eat. Fructose intolerance.

[LionessMom]

i had already started taking out HFCS. nasty stuff. turns out i am intolerant of it anyway. i suspect my kids are as well. they have an appt next month to take the breath test. but i need to cook for everybody. so dinner has to be stuff we all can eat, so has to be fructose free.

here is the thing. i can figure out how to put variety in it.

i get different diet reccs from different sites.

no foods are

fruits

juice

honey

brown sugar caramel molasses etc. including agave syrup corn syrup palm sugar maple syrup and splenda

whole wheat

brown rice

turnips

sweet potatoes

yams

carrots

beets

eggplant

peas

onions

tomatoes

squash

apple cider vinegar

soy sauce

tomatoe sauce

and some spices to avoid or really limit are:

chervil

coriander

dill weed

garlic powder

ginger

hot chili pepper

onion powder

parsley

and pumpkin pie seasoning

it doesnt say anything about fresh ginger or fresh garlic. i had been drinking ginger in my tea to aid digestion and add garlic to everything.

i am allowed (by doctor- websites list other stuff)

glucose

maltodextrin

white flour

oatmeal

white rice

white pasta

broad bean (i dont know what that is)

celery

chives

endive

mushrooms

potatoes (any way i want)

spinach

watercress

asparagus

canned unflavored beans

broccolli

cranberries

lemon

lime

orange

strawberries

tea

eggs

chickpeas

lima beans

mung beans

all meat (no sugar added)

pistachios

no sugar peanut butter

amaranth (dont know how to cook)

tahini (?)

butter

cocoa

olive oil

rice vinegar

ranch dressing

worcestshire sauce

it says i am allowed milk and cheese but it gives DD2 a rash so we are avoiding dairy as well. i would like to avoid wheat period.

halfo of the veggies and fruits i listed are supposed to be limited to one serving a day. so i have been eating all kinds of meat with white rice or potatoes.every.day. i did add some broccoli to the rice. and the i salt it. sigh.

i have been juicing lemons or limes and adding it to water and stevia. that way i dont drink pop. but some websites say no stevia either. so i might just go to plain maltodextrin. i wanted to lose weight and started excercising. but now on this diet the weight is just pouring off of me. i have lost 25 lbs in the last 3 mo. and all i cut out was HFCS and dairy at that point. i could stand to lose almost 15 more lbs. but i am not trying anymore. i already hit my goal weight loss 5 lbs ago. :shrug.

so can anybody help me to come up with ideas of what to eat? i need ideas for mixing stuff together in interesting and new ways.

[LionessMom]

i forgot to add: some of this stuff i have never cooked before or eaten before. like amaranth....

[karen1968]

If you get straight stevia, NOT Truvia or one of the liquid blends, you should be OK. Truvia and other packeted Stevia usually has maltodextrin and/or other alcohol sugars in it. Trader Joe's has a nothing-added stevia powder.  Xylitol might be another alternate sweetener for you to try.

You might try looking at some anti-candida diets, as they are sugar and grain restricted. Same with strict low-GI diets. That might give you some ideas for variety. 

Weight pours off me when I go off grains and sugars, too.  When I did a similar diet, I ate lots of salads...you could cook up different meats, including salmon, and top a salad with it. "Burrito" bowls are good, too, although I'm guessing if you can't do coriander, cilantro is also out...There is variety out there, you just have to search a little more for it...

[LionessMom]

i can have maltodextrin but i am supposed to be wary of xylitol.

and some websites say no to iceberg lettuce.

[karen1968]

Hmm, I've always thought of iceberg as just fiber and water :)  How about other greens? Spinach, kale, romaine?

How bad are your symptoms that you are going so far to keep them away?  I have IBS that is triggered by fructose, but I mostly just need to stay away from sweets, esp. commercially made ones, or learn to pay the consequences (bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea).

[rhesp1212]

Are you sensative to High fructose CORN syrup....or all fructose? There's a big difference there.

You just sort of have to play around with mixing and matching different foods.

I like to roast my veggies in the oven with a bit of olive oil.....try maybe some red potatoes with olive oil and rosemary, salt and pepper...and serve it with whatever meat of your choice, and a side of broccoli. Add in some seafood if you can. When I was severely restricted, it helped to make out a 4-5 day menu so I could see what I was eating and make sure that I ate a variety of the foods that I was able to eat.

Use the chickpeas to make homemade hummus (basically chickpeas, tahini, oil and spices) to dip veggies into and add a bit of fat to your diet. Make pestos from herbs and mix it in with pastas or use to marinate chicken with. Try making homemade marinades to prepare your meats (oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, rosemary or whatever safe herbs you can use, worchestshire sauce) in so you don't get bored with the same flavors all the time. Make homemade french fries baked in the oven to munch on too! There's lots of options for the foods you are allowed to eat. The most important thing is to make sure you always have premade foods on hand for quick snacks etc. There's nothing worse than being hungry or wanting a snack and not having something handy!!

[LionessMom]

i have to stay away from all fructose. certain things are allowed. the things in the allowed list are allowed.

i really need specific recipes to cook.

i cant have BBQ sauce :( DH wants bbq ribs and he threw a hissy bc i told him no bbq sauce. i can make my own but they call for ketchup and brown sugar. both are no nos)

when i eat HFCS my fibro flares real bad. makes me bedridden for a few days till it clears out. pain etc. plu the bowel issues. i really got t stick to the severe form of the diet for 6 weeks till my insides heal a little then i can add back in some stuff if it doesnt cause flare ups.

[karen1968]

If you want specific recipes with those restrictions, its going to be a bit of work. As I said - try a site for low-GI diets and/or anti-candida diets. Both those types of diets are severely restricted with sugars and are probably your best bets for finding easily-adaptable recipes.

Aside from that, you are probably also going to have to suck it up and stick it out for 2-4 weeks while your palate adjusts. I know I *craved* sugars for at least a couple of weeks. You've got great motivation, though.