IBS--Free at Last!

Enter to win the ibsfree.net FODMAPS-friendly recipe contest!

Every few days I review the site statistics for this blog, and I've learned that many visitors are especially interested in the recipes posted here. I'd like to build the recipe collection with your help! Do you have a FODMAPS-friendly recipe you'd be willing to share?

Here is the process:

• Review your recipe to make sure it is FODMAPS-friendly. This will be easier if you have read IBS--Free at Last! Those who haven't read the book yet can also submit recipes, but if the recipe contains FODMAPS, your entry won't qualify for the $25 best recipe prize. No purchase is necessary to enter this contest!
• Download the contest guidelines from the Resources sidebar of this blog. Please take the time to review these guidelines and the sample entry form.
• Download the entry form, use your word processor to type in your entry information and recipe, and send it to me at patsycatsos@gmail.com as an email attachment.
• If you prefer, download the pdf version of the entry form, fill it in by hand, scan it, and send it back to me as an email attachment.
• That's it! Suitable entries may be posted in the ibsfree.net recipe collection or in my upcoming cookbook.
• There is a $25 Whole Foods gift certificate for the best recipe submitted by February 28, 2010.
• When the cookbook is published, I will draw 10 names from those who submitted recipes, and will send those 10 people free cookbooks, postage paid (sorry, continental U.S. only--if you are elsewhere, I will contact you to make arrangements for shipping).
• If you have questions about the contest, please ask via the "comments" link, below.

I can't wait to hear from you!

Fructose 101

Fructose is known as "fruit sugar". It is present in fruits, some vegetables, honey, granulated sugar, agave syrup and high-fructose corn syrup. In the past, the human diet was lower in fructose than it is today--think of how hard it was to get honey in the wild, for example, or what a treat it would have been in the past to have fruit out of season, much less a never-ending supply of ketchup, cookies, candy and other sweets. Now it seems as though fructose is everywhere in our food supply.

Our capacity to absorb fructose is easily overwhelmed; it is almost considered normal to experience abdominal pain, flatulence, bloating or diarrhea when we overdo the amount of fruit or fruit juice we consume--many people have experienced this phenomenon. But some of us experience symptoms with much smaller intakes of fructose. And most of us overlook the impact that large portions of sugary sweets, baked goods and soft drinks can have. And what about those honey or fruit juice concentrate-sweetened energy bars? Interestingly, apples are part of the traditional BRAT diet sometimes recommended to fight diarrhea. Umm...maybe apples and apple juice aren't such a good idea for some people with diarrhea.

Diagnostic dietary fructose intolerance tests are available, but are not ordered as frequently in the US as they are elsewhere. If you suspect you don't tolerate fructose very well, try cutting back on soft drink and other sweets. Limit tomato paste. Choose small portions of fruits that are lower in fructose, such as kiwi, berries, citrus fruits, and bananas. Read labels, and avoid or limit portion sizes of foods sweetened with honey, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, agave syrup and fruit juice concentrates.  See if you feel better!

Fructose malabsorption can occur on its own, or it can be part of the larger IBS picture.The FODMAPS elimination diet in IBS--Free at Last! can help you figure out how fructose fits into your IBS scenario.

It is important to distinguish dietary fructose intolerance, described in this posting, from hereditary fructose intolerance, which is a serious, hereditary disorder requiring a truly fructose-free diet.

Click here for more details about dietary fructose intolerance and how it causes GI symptoms.

Buy IBS--Free at Last!