Are you switching to a low-fructose diet? Sticking with low-fructose foods is a great and effective way to combat fructose intolerance and/or GI issues like IBS—best of all, it’s totally doable. Read on for plenty of tips, tricks, and suggestions to help you cut fructose from your day-to-day meals and snacks.


Things You Should Know

  • Eat fruits and veggies in moderation, and stick to options that are low in fructose such as bananas, strawberries, avocados, and spinach.
  • Avoid foods with lots of added sugars. These include sugary cereals, flavored yogurts, and many pre-made sauces and condiments.
  • Eat bread that is gluten- and wheat-free. Rice bread, potato bread, and spelt sourdough are all good options.
  • Choose sugar-free drinks and avoid alcohol.
1

Stay away from high-fructose fruits.

  1. Apples are one of the biggest offenders out there. While fruit is fine to eat in moderation, high-fructose fruits like mango, pear, watermelon, grapes, and raisins will only leave you with gut pain and other uncomfortable symptoms.[1] Instead, stick with low-fructose fruits, like:
    • Lemons and limes
    • Bananas
    • Cranberries
    • Mandarin oranges
    • Strawberries
    • Avocados[2]
    • Dieticians advise only eating 1-2 baseball-sized servings of fruit each day to help keep your symptoms away.[3]
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2

Steer clear of high-fructose veggies.

  1. Onions, asparagus, and other veggies are full of fructose. Veggies like artichokes, broccoli, leeks, mushrooms, shallots, red peppers, peas, and okra are known to cause unpleasant flare-ups for fructose-intolerant individuals.[4] Stock up on plenty of low-fructose veggies instead, such as:
    • Sweet potato
    • Turnip greens
    • Spinach
    • Green pepper
    • Chives[5]
    • Dieticians advise eating no more than 3 servings of veggies each day on a low-fructose diet.[6] For reference, one serving of vegetables equals 1 cup of leafy greens or a ½ cup of any frozen, fresh, or canned veggies.[7]
5

Ditch ready-made meals and desserts.

  1. Strive to eat meals you prepare for yourself at home. Homemade meals are better than boxed dinners or other microwavable meals, which are often made with high-fructose corn syrup. Also, try to avoid any commercial baked goods and desserts, which are often high in fructose.[11]
    • In moderation, chocolate can be a great dessert option on a low-fructose diet. Dieticians suggest limiting yourself to 5 squares of dark chocolate, 4 squares of milk chocolate, or 3 squares of white chocolate.[12]
    • A bowl of lactose-free ice cream is another refreshing, low-fructose dessert alternative.[13]
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7

Avoid high-fructose condiments and sauces.

  1. Tomato sauce, jam, and Asian-style sauces are just a few to steer clear of. Many condiments and sauces have some amount of fructose in them, including reduced-fat mayonnaise, pasta sauce, tomato paste, and chutney. If possible, clear these items out of your refrigerator and pantry if you have them on hand.[17]
    • Some condiments, like mayonnaise, tomato sauce, and BBQ sauce, can be enjoyed in small servings that are less than 3 US tbsp (44 mL).
    • Like tomato paste and tomato sauce, ketchup also isn’t recommended for people with fructose intolerance.[18]
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8

Switch to a low-fructose bread.

  1. Wheat, rye, and barley bread aren’t good options for a low-fructose diet.[19] Instead, stick with bread that is wheat-free and gluten-free. Cornbread, rice bread, potato flour bread, and spelt sourdough bread are all safe options to choose from.[20]
    • Feel free to change things up with gluten-free or wheat-free pasta, too.
    • Talk to your doctor and ask for their recommendation on how much bread you can eat. Not everyone on a low-fructose diet can tolerate bread, even low-fructose varieties.
13

Create a meal plan with your doctor.

  1. A customized meal plan can cater to your exact level of fructose tolerance. Safe fructose levels vary from person to person, so it helps to ask a doctor or dietician for advice. Schedule an appointment to figure out what you can and cannot eat. Also, ask about the exact amount of fructose you can have per day so you don’t go over.[26]
    • If you’re sensitive to a lot of different foods and ingredients, ask your diet or dietician if you can try a low FODMAP diet. This type of diet limits a lot of triggering foods and ingredients, including fructose.
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Warnings

  • Steer clear of any foods or beverages with “sorbitol” included on the ingredients list. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol that can worsen digestive symptoms for some, so it’s best to avoid it altogether.[28]
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About This Article

Claudia Carberry, RD, MS
Co-authored by:
Registered Dietitian
This article was co-authored by Claudia Carberry, RD, MS and by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman. Claudia Carberry is a Registered Dietitian specializing in kidney transplants and counseling patients for weight loss at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Claudia received her MS in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2010. This article has been viewed 26,160 times.
7 votes - 72%
Co-authors: 7
Updated: November 11, 2022
Views: 26,160

Medical Disclaimer

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.

Article SummaryX

To avoid fructose, read food labels very carefully. Avoid products with high-fructose corn syrup, honey, agave nectar, inverted sugar, maple syrup, molasses, palm or coconut sugar, sorghum, or sorbitol. Look for low-sugar dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and snacks. Avoid ready-made products and food with added sugar. If you have fructose malabsorption or hereditary fructose intolerance, talk with a doctor about specific health needs. For more advice from our reviewer on changing your diet, scroll down!

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