Happy New Year!

Hi, it's been FOREVER since Ive blogged. One of my goals for 2013 is to research more in regards to my son's intolerance and finish what I started...a book about our journey with Fructose Intolerance!

I wish you all a safe & happy new year!

Facebook page :)

https://www.facebook.com/FructoseAndBellyacheFree

Hello! It's been awhile since I've written. While I am currently working on several exciting fructose intolerant related things I have made a Facebook page to better engage with those with the intolerance or parents like me! Feel free to post, to ask questions and to share! Thank you!!!

You CAN have cane sugar :)

Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for all the comments. I thought I would just take a minute to shout out to the world that:

YES CANE SUGAR HAS FRUCTOSE  AND YES- NATHAN IS EATING A CANDY BAR WITH SUGAR? WHY??

Because http://fructoseandbellyachefree.blogspot.com/2012/07/sugar-and-fructose.html!!!

Im sorry but if one more person asks me I'm going to scream!! We are so thankful that cane sugar is 50% fructose 50% dextrose naturally and that with this ratio it seems that intolerant people do not experience symptoms. Now I wouldn't go cane sugar crazy (diabetes, rotten teeth) but when you're 8 and super skinny and already have a long list of "can't have foods" a Hershey Bar sounds awesome!!

Most people associate fructose with sugar & fat bellies.

I associate fructose with a child who gets sick and looses weight. I know that cane sugar naturally has that nice 50/50 ration of dextrose and fructose- the 2 work together and do not cause symptoms. I am thankful my son can have cookies and ice-cream and all the other foods sweetened with cane sugar! We have eliminated so many foods already. Remember always read those labels though, honey, fruit, hfcs are in so many foods!

Okay sorry for my rant but it's so frustrating when people talk to me about fructose and weight loss and sugar and it has little to do with fructose intolerance. Good luck with your journey! You're not alone :)

Pizza and Fructose

So you're fructose intolerant, and love pizza...should you eat it? Technically no. But if you've already gone through your 2 weeks of eating fructose free and are ready to re-introduce a little fructose into your life give it a try...just know that:


Tomato sauce naturally has fructose in it and some brands even put high fructose corn syrup in their sauce.

Eating margarita pizza (the thinner crust with sauce and roma tomatoes on it) is just adding fructose.


If you're symptoms cause you to not eat much the rest of the day (like my son's) wait until the end of the day to eat your pizza- I wouldn't let Nathan eat it for lunch but dinner, sure.

Since Nathan has been dealing with this fructose thing he has "cheated" and eaten pizza at a few times. 

Once we ordered it while he had a buddy over, I noticed it was pretty saucy and saw that Nathan, on his own, dabbed off some sauce. Even at 8, he's aware and doesn't want to fructose it up! He did have a little symptoms that evening but we knew it was coming. And yes, he was too "full" for an evening snack or dessert..still trying to get him to gain weight.

I also make semi-home made pizza at home. The kids love it! We get one of those box pizza doughs, add hot water and the kids make their own! We go VERY LIGHT on Nathan's with the sauce, like a thin film of sauce. Being 8 he's not a fan of olive oil and garlic or any white pizza sauces, a thin amount gives him very little symptoms. Some times you gotta feel like you can eat like everyone else. It is beyond difficult to never eat any fructose. Then we add fresh ingredients, whole milk mozzarella that we grate, so good!! 

 When you're fructose intolerant your body cannot tell if it's manufactured or natural...you have symptoms regardless!)

Be leery of FRUCTOSE FREE recipes on the web!! I just read 3 blogs that had fructose free recipes for pizza that listed tomatoes and tomato sauces :)

Good luck and if you aren't ready to experience your symptoms at a party I'd skip the pizza :)

Orange Juice & Fructose

Can I have OJ?

orange juice sugar is 50% fructose.

orange juice has approximately 4.2 g fructose per 100 g of juice

So the answer is no. So my son's mornings consist of vanilla ensure. It's hard...who doesn't like a little oj in the morning? But when your symptoms consist of belly fullness and other issues starting your day out like that isn't a good thing!

 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Fructose_content_of_Orange_Juice#ixzz20sbt7XwK

Rainbow Sugar Cookies (of course without fructose)

How cool do these look!! I found this on pinterest by B.Inspiredmomma.com


Rainbow Swirl Sugar Cookies

•  sugar cookie dough (prepared from scratch or mix)
• liquid food coloring in red, blue, green, and yellow
• plastic wrap

1.  Divide sugar cookie dough into 4 bowls.
2. Add one color of food coloring to each bowl and mix into dough.  You'll need to use quite a bit to get such bright colors.
3. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on table/counter.  
4. Form the blue dough into a long log and press flat into a rectangle on the plastic wrap.  
5. Form the green dough into a log and press flat onto the blue dough.
6. Form the yellow dough into a log and press flat onto the green dough.
7. Form the red dough into a log and press flat onto the yellow dough.
8. Using the plastic wrap to lift the edge, gently roll the rectangle of dough up into a log.
9. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer until firm but not frozen.  Ours took about a half an hour.
10. Remove from freezer and slice log into small discs.
11. Place a couple inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet and bake according to dough recipe directions. 

  It's a great kid-friendly recipe & FRUCTOSE FREE!!!!

Homemade Smoothies

• Hello! Who doesn't like a nice, cold, freshly made fruit smoothie in the summer! Nate is missing out on watermelon, bowls of crisp grapes and crunchy apples. So I'm happy for him (and all the other fructose intolerance peeps) that bananas contain an even ratio of fructose and gluclose. Which in turn will not effect fructose intolerant people. Smoothies are so easy to make & taste awesome. When you make them at home you know, for sure, what's in it and what's not!

Fructose in Bananas

A medium banana contains approximately 5.72 g of fructose. Fructose is a common sugar found in many fruits, and it is also present in bananas. When you hear about fructose, it's often the controversial artificially produced form of fructose that's used in processed foods and soft drinks in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. However, natural fructose, like other simple sugars, supplies your body with energy. Although your body metabolizes fructose differently than other forms of natural sugar, in limited amounts, fructose is fine for most people, notes California physician and surgeon Jeremy E. Kaslow (not fine in my son) :(

I know I posted fruits that were very low in fructose but here they are again :)

Favorable foods (i.e. fructose equal to or less than glucose)

• Stone fruit: apricot, nectarine, peach, plum (caution – these fruits contain sorbitol);
• Berry fruit: blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, loganberry;
• Citrus fruit: kumquat, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, tangelo;
• Other fruits: ripe banana, jackfruit, kiwi fruit, passion fruit, pineapple, rhubarb, tamarillo

Thumbs down to these!

• 
  
• 
  
• Banana's don't give Nate any symptoms so it's Banana Smoothie making time!
• 
  
• 1banana
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a blender, combine banana, milk, vanilla, egg and sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and top with a pinch of cinnamon.

or try: 

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

14 cup cocoa powder (hershey) 2 tbsps cane sugar  3 tbsps warm water 1 banana (sliced and of course peeled)

2 cups non-fat vanilla yogurt (frozen) read labels for HFCS 112 cups ice (cold skim milk)

Good luck with your fructose intolerance and Smoothie making :) We'll experiment this week with blueberries!