Current best database for fructose content data?

[khethma]

Hello!

I'm new to the whole fructose free diet and to the forum (this is my first post), and I have a question for the long-time members to start (I'm sure I'll have many more as time goes on).

Suspecting that I have HFI, my family doctor has prescribed a very strict fructose free diet as the first step in confirming the diagnosis (it's only taken me 38 years to figure out a good candidate for my many, many bizarre dietary and health issues ).

Anyway, my question to the long-time members is: which of the nutritional database websites is currently the most comprehensive and accurate for fructose data in your opinions? I've been reading some of the older posts in the HFI Lifestyle - Adults section, and I've seen members reference the USDA database in the US and one from Europe (Denmark, I think?) that many members a few years ago considered to be really good. I'm just wondering which database is everyone's current favourite.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone!

(I'm from Canada, btw.)

Heidi

[charlie]

Hi Heidi, welcome

Personally the 2 I use are www.nutritiondata.com and the finelli one.

Nutrition data - if you click on tools and click on nutrient search tool you can make lists of foods highest in fructose and sucrose in each category which is useful.

Finelli - if you can find the food you are looking up it has a better individual breakdown.

www.fineli.fi/index.php?lang=en

[lucky]

Hello Heidi,

Welcome. We're in Canada too

"Fineli" is great, but we now mostly use "Nutrition Data" as a lot of our products come from the US. It makes it a little easier to decipher contents.

That being so, keep in mind that Canada sometimes alters ingredients in goods allowed to be sold in the country. So not every product "safe" in one country is so in another.

And if you are looking to just drastically reduce fructose (but not entirely eliminate to the HFI level), you will also want to keep in mind that different varieties of the same produce may also have different levels of fructose (and sucrose). And that the climate it's originally grown in, and not just shipped to, is a factor. That, and how it's stored or cooked once you've aquired it.

So, for us "Nutrition data" is really helpful because it's more local...

Hope this helps

[khethma]

Thanks, everyone. I know that the Canadian government has one of these too (Canadian Nutrient File at webprod3.hc-sc.gc.ca/cnf-fce/index-eng.jsp), but I wanted some opinions from the people who've been at this for a while.

I am looking to follow the HFI diet not the FM, at least until I get a more definitive diagnosis. FM fits a number of my symptoms, but HFI fits my overall history and my more serious symptoms better. I did make a list of the sugars that are considered safe from the Boston University HFI website and put it as a note on my iPhone for while I'm shopping. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of sugar!

Anyway, thanks for getting back to me. I hadn't come across the Fineli one yet, so I'll check it out.

Heidi

[charlie]

If you are in any doubt which one you have you are far better to follow the HFI diet for some time anyway to clear and settle the system before trying anything back in. And avoid the common problem that many dietitians have saying vegetables should be ok, or bananas for some reason is the other one. Cut out ALL fruit and vegetables. ALL sugars. Keep food simple and basic to start and as much homecooked as possible.

[khethma]

Thanks for that advice, Charlie. That's the approach I sort of thought I'd take. It's funny. I never really ate much for fruits and vegetables anyway, but I've been sort of doing an inventory of what I have been eating of other foods and am shocked at all the hidden fructose. No wonder I've been feeling so ill!

Anyway, I do have another question for all the adults with HFI, but I think I'll post it in the HFI Lifestyle - Adults section, since it probably fits better there.

Heidi