We all have busy lives. It is a known fact, and when fructose malabsoption is also a fact of life… convenience flies out the window. But there is no reason you have to go hungry!
Check out these quick, easy, healthy kitchen staples that make my life loads easier. I absolutely cannot live without….
Tortillas
These tortillas made their way into my home after ridding my house of gluten, and they have remained after three more more dietary needs were added. These are a winner! This particular brand of tortilla hides in the freezer section of my local health foods store.
It is not necessary to purchase the expensive tortillas. If you can tolerate a certain brand of flour tortillas, go for it!
~The key to success is always learning~ Please check out the updates at the end of this post 🙂
The best thing about tortillas is they are a blank canvas. If I need a filling dinner to-go, I snag a tortilla from the fridge with some precooked lentils or beans, whatever seasonings I feel like that day, some baby spinach, and some cheese (I use Daiya Brand since it is dairy and soy free… its not the same as real cheese, but as far as I’m concerned the people who came up with it are magicians).
Pop it open faced in the microwave for 1 minute, and roll it up so the melty cheese seals it at the top. Done! 🙂
Box Potatoes
Rarely a day goes by where I do not have a serving of this fast, warm, carb-y deliciousness. It is a great post-11-hour-work-day snack so I can think rationally about dinner instead of giving into the fructose loaded salsa and corn chips that are lurking around the corner.
As a bonus, if you use water instead of milk and olive oil instead of butter it is very low in calories and fat, and you can jazz it up with some onion or garlic water (instructions coming soon), homemade veggie stock, or any number of herbs and spices.
If you are also lactose intolerant, beware of other instant potato brands as I have found several that contain milk and butter in dried form.
More staples to come 🙂
~The key to success is always learning~ Update Added 10/13/12
Since I posted these first staples I have learned that I, personally, cannot digest brown rice very well but I seem to handle standard wheat flour, white rice, and quinoa okay. Always listen to your tummy when finding your own happy foods list. Keeping a food journal is very helpful in determining patterns since often the symptoms won’t show up for a day or two.
Transitioning away from vegetarian lifestyle continues to be the hardest part of living with Fructose Intolerance for me, personally. Previously I note lentils and beans as suitable options, however my body does much better with shredded chicken as the protein (I would recommend poaching some chicken breast, shredding it, and freezing it in individual portions). The problem with lentils, beans and chick peas is they are Galactans, which contain multiple chains of sugars that all people have trouble breaking down into digestible components. Anyone with a digestive disorder and associated gastrointestinal upset will be better served by staying away from these vegetarian staples.
If you are/were a vegetarian and live with Fructose Malabsorption I would love to hear from you so we can share techniques of sneaking more meat onto our plates. Please email me at happyfructosefree@gmail.com
Happy & Fructose Free 