Be as clear and explicit as possible when talking with
the waiting staff. Explain your fructose intolerance in
brief terms and order only foods that you know
cannot have sugars and how they should be pre-
pared. For example, order a steak, broiled on a
piece of aluminum foil with no seasonings at all, a
baked potato with butter, a lettuce-only salad with a
small slice of lemon and oil on the side, plain steamed
spinach and coffee/tea/milk.
The person who knows the ingredients in the food is
the person who prepares it. Ask to speak to that
person. It can be the chef, or the cook, rarely the
restaurant manager.
Be careful of soups. Except for upscale restaurants,
most soups are canned. Ask to read the label. If the
soup is made at the restaurant it may also contain
ingredients not compatible with a fructose-free diet.
Whether grilled or broiled, seasoning is routinely
used in meat preparation, so specify no seasonings
in your order. The chef will know if a sauce has
fructose-containing ingredients. Canned sauces are
also used in many restaurants. Request to check the
ingredient list.
Non-dairy products are often used in restaurants, and
may contain untolerated ingredients. Three frequently
used non-dairy products in restaurants are non-dairy
creamer, non-dairy potato topping, and non-dairy
whipped topping. Also ask to read their labels.
With the increasing popularity of processed foods,
sugar is often an ingredient about which the consumer is
not aware, and not only in restaurants. For example, high
fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is present and unsuspected in
numerous products including soft drinks, fruit drinks,
sports drinks, baked goods, candies, jams, yogurts, condi-
ments, canned and packaged foods, and other prepared
and sweetened foods. Also, potatoes, when prepared a
certain way, may provide a significant amount of fructose.
For this reason, the advice of ahighly trained nutritionist
is required in the treatment of fructose intolerance.
RisksAfter ingesting fructose, infants and children may
become sufficiently ill to require hospitalization. If
untreated, fructose intolerance leads to hypoglycemia
and acidosis that may act together to cause organ
shock and coma. Ongoing liver damage may result in
cirrhosis and eventual liver failure. Death may result
from any or all of the above. Hereditary fructose
intolerance may be relatively mild or a very severe
disease. In the severe form, even eliminating fructose
and sucrose from the diet may not prevent progressive
liver disease.
Research and general acceptanceClinical intolerance to fructose was initially
described in 1956. Some 4-5 years later, the defect in
aldolase B enzyme in the liver was demonstrated, and
hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) became clini-
cally recognized. The rapid early progress in the
understanding of this disorder may be due to the fairly
clear symptoms associated with ingestion of fructose,
which are difficult to miss. In many young infants, the
age of onset of symptoms leads to the diagnosis.
Genetic counseling may be of value to prospective
parents with a family history of fructose intolerance.
Medical experts agree that definitive treatment simply
consists of eliminating fructose from the diet. By doing
so early in the course, the affected child’s health is
usually fully restored within days.
Recent research performed at the University of
Innsbruck in Austria shows that fructose and sorbi-
tol-reduced diet in subjects with fructose malabsorp-
tion does not only reduce gastrointestinal symptoms
but also improves mood and early signs of depression.
Improvement of the signs of depression was also more
pronounced in females than in males
Medical researchers unanimously agree that
symptoms can improve in dietary fructose intolerance
patients willing to adhere to a low fructose diet.QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR
DOCTOR What is the difference between dietary fructose
intolerance and hereditary fructose intolerance?
How common are dietary fructose intolerance
and hereditary fructose intolerance?
Do I have dietary fructose intolerance and
hereditary fructose intolerance?
How did I get it?
What are the complications?
Can I be cured?
How is fructose intolerance identified?
What are the symptoms of dietary fructose
intolerance and hereditary fructose intolerance?
How is fructose intolerance treated?
Which foods and beverages contain fructose?
Which foods and beverages contain high
fructose corn syrup?
Can I consume any fructose at all?
Can I consume artificial sweeteners?Fructose intolerance