Fructose also affects us in less immediate ways.When fructose travels to the lower intestine, where we store tryptophan, the fructose binds with the tryptophan- making us unable to absorb it either. Soooo... it all leaves the body. Since tryptophan is what makes us sleepy when it is dark- not having any can cause insomnia. Tryptophan also helps us make seratonin... and since seratonin is what makes us happy, a lack of seratonin causes depression. (Interestingly, one recent study shows that women who have fructose malabsorption disorder are much more likely to suffer from depression than men- likely because men create much higher levels of tryptophan than women do.)
Fructose is a single molecule sugar found in most fruits (with higher amounts in stone fruits, like apples, pears, and peaches). It can also be found in sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, etc.
Some foods have molecules of fructose chained together- we call these food fructans.
Wheat, spelt, kamut, brown rice, onions (anything in the onion family), shallots, leeks, artichokes, asparagus, green beans, and tomato paste are some of the major fructans.
Table sugar-I believe in America, beet sugar and cane sugar-have equal parts fructose and glucose. Glucose is another type of sugar- a type of sugar that is easily absorbed, even by fructmals! Glucose also does the wonderful job of helping the fructose to get absorbed. So, if you have equal parts of glucose to fructose, or MORE glucose than fructose, chances are you will absorb it (again, unless you go overboard and freak out your system). Some people react to sucrose or regular table sugar (even it teeny tiny amounts) but many fructans can tolerate it without symptoms, as long as they don't go overboard with it.
Sorbital, mannitol, xylitol, and other “itols" inhibit fructose absorption in everyone! Fructmals should stay far from these "itols," which can even be found in gum and toothpaste. We already have enough trouble without these "itols!" (It is my understanding that Arm and Hammer “Peroxicare” is one of the few toothpastes that does not have sorbital- but don't take my word for it. Always read your labels!)
Additionally, because fructmals already have issues with bacteria creating all sorts of chaos in the stomach, some doctors and nutritionists believe that fructmals should avoid probiotics (like yogurt), and prebiotics (like inulin, and chicory). These are also known as fructooligosaccharides (FOS). Apparently, these can make the bacteria crazier than they already are. I have also read, in contradiction, that some doctors and nutritionists believe it is important to have probiotics, to help balance the flora in our guts. One lady in my yahoo fructose malabsorbtion group has said that her doctor had her start with a tiiiiny 1/8 tsp of goat kefir, and now she is at 2 tablespoons. She says she able to tolerate much more fructose, having done this. I still stand in the "who knows?!?!" section on this one.
(Ok, I admit it. I'm standing in the "who knows?!?!?! section of all of it. But, I'm trying to learn!)
Things that some fructmals can handle, in small amounts, that I just can't seem to tolerate right now are carrots, tomatos, lemon/lime, berries, cauliflower, broccoli, and nuts. I am actually only tolerating spinach and zucchini, and only in tiny amounts. As for right now, I have decided to eliminate those foods during my elimination phase. For 6 whole weeks I will do my best to be not just low fructose, but fructose FREE. If I run into a food that gives me reactions- it lands in the elimination pile for now. After 6 weeks, I will start "testing" foods in very small amounts, one at a time. This is an approach I found on a couple VERY HELPFUL websites I happened to stumble upon! You will see that much of my information comes from there (I will post links below). Apparently, Canada is ahead of us, and Australia is ever further ahead of them as far as understanding fructose malabsorption. All of the research is still VERY new, everywhere, though, which is what makes it so difficult to understand and deal with. There is a lot of conflicting information out there! What I have stated here is my basic understanding, from my own personal research. Please, do your own research, and talk to your doctor and nutritionist about how to approach your diet.
http://avthompson.wordpress.com/what-is-fructose-malabsorption-disorder/
https://sites.google.com/site/fructmal/diet
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/fructose_malabsorption_australia/message/13644
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