Warning: the not so pretty, but honest details of digestive issues will be included in this post.

I have always been a pretty healthy person. I enjoy working out regularly, I crave healthy food, I eat healthy food. Now, don’t get me wrong, I will treat myself to salty fries and a burger every once in awhile, but it has always been a treat. During the pandemic, I started noticing that I just didn’t feel right. I was having daily stomach cramping and bloating. I would be constipated for 3-5 days at a time. It got to the point that I didn’t even want my husband to touch me because I was so uncomfortable.

I got used to the stomach issues, or at least I attempted to tolerate it. I tried to clean up my eating, clean up my alcohol intake. We weren’t eating unhealthy, but I tried to mix in even more veggies, fruits and good fats. We eliminated our regular charcuterie board snacks and swapped them with fruit, nut butters, granola. Nothing seemed to work. The bloating and cramping was still constant and instead of getting rid of the constipation, I just added in the inconsistencies of diarrhea. To add to the stomach issues, I couldn’t stop belching. We joked that I could never go back to an in office job, due to my uncontrollable belching. Oh, it was fun!

This wasn’t the first time that I had dealt with these issues. Four years prior I had gone through similar (although not as painful and consistent) issues. I did the elimination diets for dairy and gluten, along with following the Low Fodmap diet. I eventually determined that I was sensitive to gluten. It was like clockwork. If I consumed more than a bite or two of gluten, I was constipated for a couple of days.

Now, let’s go back to the pandemic. I was not only feeling all of the gut issues, but I realized how lethargic I was. I was losing motivation to do anything and just tired. I needed an hour+ nap every day just to make it through. I started getting depressed, simply no desire to do my normal daily activities that I used to thrive on. I attributed the tiredness and depression to the pandemic, after all, the timing made sense.

After 9 months of suffering, my husband finally convinced me that I had to go to the doctor. Enough was enough. After seeing my regular doctor, I was referred to a gastroenterologist. I had a pelvic ultrasound. If you haven’t had one of these, as a female, they use a wand inserted into your vagina. It isn’t painful, but you are fully exposed. They didn’t find anything, so they ordered a colonoscopy. It is true what they say about colonoscopies, the prep is the worst. Again, nothing. Since they couldn’t find anything, the doctor was ready to have me walk away with IBS and following the Low Fodmap diet.

I was not satisfied with this answer. My sister-in-law had been diagnosed with fructose malabsorption 12+ years earlier and told me to ask for one more test. I asked for the fructose malabsorption test. The doctor ordered the test and it was mailed to me at home. This test is extremely easy to take, it is a simple breath test. There is a simple strict diet prior to the test, you have to consume a disgusting (in my opinion) sugary drink and breathe into 5 tubes over a course of a couple of hours. After a week or two, I had my results. I had fructose malabsorption. My doctor instructed me to stay away from sodas, juice and high fructose corn syrup. Little did she know, I don’t drink juice or soda and I’m not sure the last time I bought something with high fructose syrup. Clearly that wasn’t the issue. She then sent me on my way, no additional help or information.

I would have felt helpless, instead, I reached out to my sister-in-law. She provided me with all of the materials that she had received throughout the years. If you search the internet, there isn’t a lot of information and the information that you can find seems to be conflicting. I wasn’t looking for a “cure”, rather what in the world can I eat?

It was time to start looking at cleaning up my diet and removing all fructose. I decided to do a 6 week cleanse. My SIL told me which list she found to be the strictest and I went with that. I followed all of the rules. I measured amounts, I only ate the food allowed and completely avoided the foods that were not. I felt hungry all the time for the first week. My body was getting rid of all the sugars and having cravings. Eventually, I got used to the cleanse and I was happy. HAPPY. After about 3-4 weeks, I really started noticing a change. My attitude and energy were up and my bloating and cramping were going away. All in all, I lost around 3 inches around my waist in pure bloating.

When I follow the list and track my food, I feel fantastic. It is easy to get lazy and after being pretty dang strict for a year, I found myself slipping a bit. But the best part is, I know exactly what I have to do to get back on track. I have also found which foods I can tolerate more than others. Give me all the kale, dark greens, mushrooms and snow peas for veggies every day, I’ll feel great. If I am going to mix in other vegetables, I know that zucchini, asparagus, brussel sprouts and green cabbage can be mixed in with small amounts a couple times a week. When it comes to fruit, lemon and limes, cranberries and rhubarb work great, I can also tolerate more avocado than they say I should. It just works for me.

Each person will have different results and each person will have different experiences. I hope that this site gives you a little more insight into fructose malabsorption and recipes that are easy to follow, flavorful and follow many of the fructose malabsorption restrictions (the ones that I personally follow).