Ah, potato chips... That makes sense. I've had issues again recently, but its subsiding - it fits the potato chips, which I binged recently.
Discussion
aʜ ʏes, ɪ rememʙer ʏou saɪᴅ ᴛʜaᴛ ʏou ʜaᴅ aʟso concʟuᴅeᴅ ʏou ʜave ᴋɪᴅneʏ ᴅamaɢe ɪssues. ɢʟaᴅ ᴛo ʙe aʙʟe ᴛo ʜeʟᴘ ʏou wɪᴛʜ ᴛʜaᴛ. aʟso ɪ ᴛʜɪnᴋ ᴛʜaᴛ ᴘaʟm oɪʟ ɪs sᴛɪʟʟ ʙaᴅ, so ɪ'm ᴘroʙaʙʟʏ ɢonna ᴊusᴛ ɢɪve uᴘ on ᴛʜem.
● Here's what you need to know for avoiding fructose:
The Good News: Starch = Glucose Only
All starches are polymers of glucose - they contain zero fructose. When digested, starch breaks down entirely into glucose. This applies to:
- Wheat starch
- Potato starch
- Corn starch
- Tapioca (cassava) starch
Free Sugar Content in Whole Foods
| Food | Glucose | Fructose | Sucrose | Notes |
|---------|------------|------------|--------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| Potato | Low | Low | Low-moderate | Sucrose is dominant; increases with cold storage |
| Wheat | Trace | Trace | Trace | Almost entirely starch |
| Corn | ~0.5g/100g | ~0.5g/100g | ~2.1g/100g | Low free sugars |
| Carrot | ~0.6g/100g | ~0.6g/100g | ~3.6g/100g | Higher sugar than others |
| Tapioca | Trace | Trace | Trace | Nearly pure starch |
Safe Choices for Fructose Avoidance
Best options (very low fructose):
- Plain potato, wheat, tapioca, corn - the starch itself is fructose-free
- Pure glucose/dextrose as a sweetener
Watch out for:
- Sucrose - it's 50% fructose when digested
- High-fructose corn syrup (42-55% fructose)
- Carrots have slightly more free sugars than other starches
- Sweet potatoes - higher sugar content, mostly sucrose
Key Takeaway
Plain starchy foods (potato, wheat, tapioca, corn) are excellent for avoiding fructose since their carbs are almost entirely glucose polymers. The small amounts of free sugars present are mostly sucrose and glucose, with minimal free fructose.
Sources:
- https://www.fao.org/4/w8079e/w8079e0h.htm
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791245/
- https://starch.eu/priority/factsheet-on-glucose-fructose-syrups-and-isoglucose/
oʙvɪousʟʏ, ɪ neeᴅ ᴛo eʟɪmɪnaᴛe more ᴛʜɪnɢs. sucrose ɪᴛseʟꜰ ʙreaᴋs ᴅown ɪnᴛo ɢʟucose/ꜰrucᴛose, ᴛʜouɢʜ ɪn ᴛʜɪs ꜰorm ɪᴛ ᴅoes ɢeᴛ aʙsorʙeᴅ mosᴛʟʏ wʜoʟe, ᴛʜaᴛ ꜰrucᴛose ɪs sᴛɪʟʟ ɢonna ʙe a ᴘroʙʟem.
ᴛʜe ᴛʟ;ᴅr ɪs ᴛʜaᴛ no maᴛᴛer wʜaᴛ ᴛʜeʏ are, ᴘroʙaʙʟʏ ʙesᴛ ᴛo mɪnɪmɪse aʟʟ ꜰorms oꜰ carʙs, sɪnce mosᴛ oꜰ ᴛʜem conᴛaɪn sucrose, wʜɪcʜ conᴛaɪns ꜰruucᴛose. mɪʟᴋ ᴅoesn'ᴛ, ɪᴛ ɪs ɢaʟacᴛose/ɢʟucose.
● Lowest Fructose Fruits
| Fruit | Fructose (g/100g) | Notes |
|--------------|-------------------|---------------------------|
| Lime | ~0.6 | Very low |
| Lemon | ~0.8 | Very low |
| Cranberries | ~0.7 | Also high in antioxidants |
| Rhubarb | ~0.4 | Technically a vegetable |
| Avocado | ~0.1 | Almost none |
| Apricot | ~0.9 | Fresh, not dried |
| Peach | ~1.5 | |
| Nectarine | ~1.4 | |
| Cantaloupe | ~1.9 | |
| Honeydew | ~2.0 | |
| Raspberries | ~2.4 | |
| Strawberries | ~2.4 | |
| Oranges | ~2.4 | |
| Pineapple | ~2.1 | |
| Kiwi | ~2.1 | |
| Papaya | ~2.7 | |
| Grapefruit | ~1.8 | |
Fruits to Avoid (High Fructose)
| Fruit | Fructose (g/100g) |
|------------------|--------------------------|
| Grapes | ~8.1 |
| Pears | ~6.4 |
| Apples | ~5.9 |
| Cherries | ~5.4 |
| Mango | ~4.7 |
| Watermelon | ~3.4 |
| Bananas | ~4.9 |
| All dried fruits | Very high (concentrated) |
Quick Rule
Aim for <3g fructose per serving. Berries, citrus, and stone fruits (peach, apricot, nectarine) are generally your safest choices.
cʜerrɪes anᴅ sᴛone ꜰruɪᴛs ɪn ɢeneraʟ are a ɢooᴅ oᴘᴛɪon, ɪ ᴅɪᴅn'ᴛ ᴋnow ᴛʜɪs ʙuᴛ "ᴅruᴘes" ɪncʟuᴅes sᴛone ꜰruɪᴛs (anᴅ casʜews ʙᴛw). so, ᴛʜɪs ɪs nɪce ᴛo ᴋnow, ᴘeacʜes, ᴘʟums, cʜerrɪes, aᴘrɪcoᴛs, necᴛarɪnes, aʟʟ are amonɢ ᴛʜe ʙeᴛᴛer oᴘᴛɪons, anᴅ ʙananas... noᴛ a ʙɪɢ ꜰan ʙuᴛ ɢooᴅ ᴛo ᴋnow. anᴅ cɪᴛrus are aʟʟ ɢreaᴛ!
Wow. This is good info. Looks like my favorite fruits are low frustose - cranberries, avocado, and apricots. That makes me wonder if they're my favorite because I feel better afterwards. Idk, never thought about it.