Why is your son so skinny? Fructose Intolerance!!

Nate was almost 10 pounds when he was born.
A big, cute, chubby baby.
Nate grew into a cute, chubby happy toddler!
But around 3 1/2 or 4 Nate stopped gaining

weight. As the months went on my big
chubby little man turned into such a skinny,
tiny boy.
"Ewww I can see your bones!"- was what his sisters would say when it was bath time.
"You need to give that boy a sandwich"

Around 4 Nate stopped gaining weight and even lost some

"Wow your daughters healthy, why is your son so skinny?"
"Why is Nathan so tiny?"
"Does Nathan eat?"
"Is Nathan sick?"
"What's wrong with your son, he's skin and bones?"

-this is what I have been asked for the past 4 years. As Nate slowly grew in height his weight just sank. He was the average weight of a toddler when he was in first grade. Teachers asked me why, the rest of our family are healthy and tall. Nathan's sisters are very tall for their age. Nathan was skinnier than the smallest kids in class- he noticed it too.
Nathan was not following his curve- every doctor appointment was about gaining weight- why is he so skinny? It was so scary when Nathan would get the flu too, he couldn't afford to lose an ounce.

When Nathan was 6 we started with the gastro doctors. I blogged earlier about Nate's
symptoms. When you goggle FRUCTOSE INTOLERANCE somewhere on the list you will
see weight loss or read that the symptoms can result in weight loss- now for me that would
be awesome! But for my son it is not. It is dangerous, it is sad, it is embarrassing, it is not a
good thing. Medical issues aside, luckily Nathan has a great self esteem and is an awesome
athlete. Believe me, as his soccer coach I love how fast that boy can run but as his momma-
inside I'm thinking I hope he's not loosing weight- let's make sure Nate eats a lot today!!

We started 2 Boosts a day and DUOCAL (which is given to cancer patients)
Thankfully Nathan has gained 6 pounds!! That's huge and we are on our way to being a
healthy weight!! After finding out FRUCTOSE was the cause of Nathan's weight loss (or the
symptoms that led to it) we are trying our best to eliminate it from his diet.

It still stings a little when people ask me why my boy is so small and skinny, or make a joke about it or when we go swimming and a buddy comments on his boniness( these all happened last week)- but at least I know we are on our way to a healthy weight. If you see an extra skinny kid maybe he does eat- maybe his mommy is trying so hard to make him healthier, maybe it's an allergy and the poor kid feels full after 3 bites but tries so hard to eat to get bigger. I can't tell you all the times I have cried thinking about my poor baby boy eating- trying to gain weight, but his belly just couldn't do it- asking us why? Why his belly can't fit anymore food? Why his sisters can eat and eat without this problem? I'm so thankful we have an answer now.

I'm sure when Nathan's a big strong guy I'll look back at these years and smile.
Thankful that we got through them in tact!
 And thankful to be Fructose free! We love our son so much and good care less if he's big or small. It's about being healthy and feeling good about one's self!!

Food allergies can directly affect the digestion tract, resulting in diarrhea, vomiting and nausea. These common gastrointestinal symptoms of a food allergy can lead to significant weight loss if you are unable to eat and keep food down. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/310277-severe-allergies-weight-loss/#ixzz1zwFePN86)  

Sugar and Fructose

Sugar.... from diabetes to hyper kids, weight gain and high fructose corn syrup...it's a hot topic. 


When Nathan first got diagnosed as being FRUCTOSE INTOLERANT we thought- oh no, that eliminates nearly everything sweet!! 


After weeks of research I have found countless articles about sugars in regards to diabetes and weight. Below is what I have found most useful in regards to my son.


Can he have CANE SUGAR? I asked our Cleveland Clinic dietician and she said, after explaining what it contains that yes, Nathan can slowly add cane sugar to his diet as long as it doesn't effect him. 


I always have Nate eat food with cane sugar after he's had a few meals (seeing as how one of his symptoms is lack of appetite from feeling too full).


Below is what we found in regards to white, cane sugar and fructose:

How Sugars Break Down in Malabsorption

Sorbitol breaks down into fructose and another sugar. So therefore it is a hidden source of Fructose in your diet.

Sugar malabsorption is the inability (in some people) of the small intestine to break down sugars like fructose (most common), lactose or sorbitol into smaller molecular fragments for digestion. So the sugars progress down to the colon (large intestine) where bacteria break it down into short chain fatty acids and the gases carbon dioxide and hydrogen. These gases create enormous pressure in the intestine causing bloating, pain, diarrhea and flatulence.

In these people, because fructose (or lactose or sorbitol) is not absorbed by the intestine the condition is known as malabsorption, or an inability to be absorbed. But the molecule gets up to other mischief: it arrives in the colon where it drives an "osmotic purge". This means it attracts fluids back into the colon, making bowel motions loose and watery.

The main danger is that any other nutrients present can be lost from the body, like calcium and iron. Fructose malabsorption therefore is not only associated with gastro-intestinal distress but also the inability to absorb all kinds of nutrients which can lead to serious diseases like anaemia and osteoporosis.

Fructose malabsorption is notoriously undiagnosed and misdiagnosed. Recent findings are that Fructose malabsorption is associated with the early stages of depression and mood disturbances.

 Table sugar(the white stuff!) from sugar beets or sugar cane is composed of 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose 


(It being a 50/50 mix means, at least for Nate, that cane 


sugar doesn't bother him, at least not enough to eliminate it)


Yes, sugar is made up of glucose, which is easier to digest and metabolize. High 


fructose corn syrup has been altered to increase the fructose and decrease the 


glucose. The body doesn’t metabolize fructose as easily as glucose; it metabolizes 


it more like fat. The natural fructose in fruit is counterbalanced by the fiber but 


this is generally not present in foods with high fructose corn syrup.




Don't you feel like a scientist or dietician now? :)



Now when it comes to being hyperglycemic like my husband, or diabetic like my Dad, sugar is a different story. Fructose intolerance is serious, it is in my son at least. Good luck and always ask your dietitian any questions you may have regarding fructose! :)






http://www.diet.com/g/fructose-intolerance

Two Fructose Free Parties!!

Hello! Thanks to diligent family members we had a 

FRUCTOSE FREE 4th of JULY!!

Here's how we did it:

My 3 cuties!

Aunt Lissa made homemade marshmallows and turned them into rice krispie treats

Grandma read EVERY LABEL (so important!) and had the right breads, pasta and turkey for Nate- made sandwiches without tomato for Nate too, used no fructose gravy in her Swedish meatballs(which Nate loved!)

Fructose free turkey sandwiches!

Blueberries and Rasberries were in bowls (instead of apple slices and grapes)

Had a spread of fructose free candy in bowls like NERDS and SMARTIES

Read those labels! These are fructose free but most are not!

Made Kool-aid for all the kids and had water- instead of juiceboxes

Desserts were made with cane sugar 

Homemade marshmallow make these safe for Nathan

Nana had Ben & Jerry's Icecream that contained no fructose (natural or hfcs)

And there you have it!! 

It is possible to host a party of 40 people and have a large selection of fructose free options!! 

A special thanks to all the awesome family members that made it possible for Nate to eat and be bellyache free!!

Fructose free jello!

When you're FRUCTOSE INTOLERANT it is so important to read labels- it's not trying to be healthy or loose weight- my goodness for Nate it's the opposite- we're trying to gain weight!!! It's very important to keep in mind natural fructose as well as hfcs and sugars. And it may seem like we are loading him up with table sugar but in actuality that's just a small portion of his new diet. Meats and potatoes and diary and veggies are our staple! Good luck in your fructose free journey. I hope you all have as much support as we do :)

Happy 4th!

Hi, my name is FRUCTOSE

Hi My name is FRUCTOSE and I'm in practically EVERYTHING!!!!

I'm in fruit- like watermelon, apples-, the list in long.... you know- all your son's favorites!!

I'm also in peanuts, peanut butter and those peanut butter crackers you're son loved to have as his snack in school!!

Did I mention that I, FRUCTOSE, am also in tomatoes and carrots- the days of munching on carrots and having a burger with ketchup and tomato are gone.

I'm also in BREAD- yep that's right!! High Fructose Corn Syrup (which is fructose) is in breads, buns, crackers and rolls. And of course juice!

I like to make people fat, allowing you to store my sugars and not burn it off- now in your son- I like to make him sick- make him feel full which makes him loose his appetite and do the opposite, cause him to lose weight.

I, FRUCTOSE, am loved by manufacturers, even mother nature....I am powerful and dangerous and taste delicious.

Lemonade...can I have that?

Summer Carnivals! Gotta love them. The rides, the fries in vinegar and that awesome, shaken, home-made Lemonade. But can Nate have it? How much fructose is in it? Is it worth it? 


These are the questions we now ask ourselves as we stand in the lemonade lines.


 Here is what our Cleveland Clinic Dietician told us and what we found in our research:

Lemons contain fructose, a natural sugar common to most fruits. 

Compared to many other fruits, lemons contain relatively low amounts of fructose.

Here are fruits that are very low in fructose: Bilberry, Blackberry, Gooseberry, Grapefruit Lemon, Lime, Loganberry, Nectarine, Pomelo, Raspberry ,Redcurrant Whitecurrant ,Wild Strawberry

So is is worth it? Depends on the severity of your fructose malabsorption or intolerance. We make sure Nate has already eaten dinner- his symptoms cause belly aches and other symptoms that make him unable to eat or too full (he ends up losing weight too).

At our city's festival Nate enjoyed a half cup of lemonade without any issue- so for us, it was worth it! I wouldn't allow him to drink any other than the kind made with cane sugar and even then, only after he's had a full day of fructose free eating.

I've included a home made lemonade recipe that is syrup free- remember lemons do contain fructose though so don't try it if you're in your 2 week fructose free stage!

Enjoy :)


How to Make Lemonade (whether life hands you lemons or not)

4 cups water
1 cup lemon juice (about four lemons’ worth-or use lemon juice from concentrate)
½ cup sugar 

Stir until sugar is dissolved and sweeten or water down to taste. Enjoy!

The juiceboxes are gone

Welcome! Wow this summer is a hot one! Cleveland has seen several days in the 90's and little to no rain. With all the heat comes the constant thirst. When you're a kid- juiceboxes are a staple.

Gone are the days of handing Nate a cup of juice or gaterade or juicebox. His buddies mom's are now handing him water instead.

 It's not always easy. When the snack person after baseball hands Nate a cold juicebox or Gaterade he feels a little bummed- but it's filled with fructose!!! Not worth it.

Even without a fructose intolerance, as healthy as juice seems, parents need to be wary of doling out too much to children, especially during the summer when kids need plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.

Unlike water and low- fat milk, fruit juices and sodas are laden with fructose, a type of naturally occurring sugar that could trigger obesity in humans, said Richard Johnson, MD., the J. Robert Cade professor of nephrology in the UF College of Medicine.

"Studies in humans have linked drinking excessive amounts of fruit juice and soft drinks with an increased risk for not only obesity, but also diabetes and high blood pressure," said Johnson, also the college's chief of nephrology, hypertension and renal transplantation. "In terms of obesity, fructose actually may set you up to not turn off your satiety response, so you will continue to eat." Look at the ingredients below. When you're fructose intolerance you'll be hit hard with juice. HFCS and the natural fructose from fruit. 

(It's funny because in my son it's the opposite- fructose makes him sick- makes him loose weight. I've never seen an article or new report on that!!)

Unlike glucose, fructose does not signal the body to produce insulin, the hormone that turns sugar into energy and lets the brain know it's time to stop eating. Fructose actually seems to do the opposite - causing resistance to insulin and blocking the "do not eat" order from making it to the brain, 

So as we all know juice isn't the best to pass out to our kids on a hot afternoon, especially with a fructose intolerance.

Yay for water!!!