A day in the life of an HFIer!




I have been targeting my last few posts and recipes towards an almost exclusive group of people: HFIers (read more about my story here!). Although technically, anyone can greatly benefit from a low-fructose approach to life. This is why I thought I would write a post for absolutely everyone; whether you are an HFIer or not, feel free to compare your daily eating habits to mine, I’d love to know! All the products mentioned have links, so you can get them, if you wish.

I spent almost a year trying to determine what my body needs rather than giving into meaningless cravings. I want to feel satisfied and happy with my food choices, not guilty or accidentally sugared (it happens to the most experienced of us. They are often related to snack foods in my case. Cheese crackers anyone?). Although living with a dietary restriction is difficult when you are out, it doesn’t have to be when you are in. If you know exactly what you are feeding your body, it is much easier to rule out what doesn't work for you. 


My daily meals are far from repetitive, but I go through various phases throughout the year. Sometimes, I veer towards high-carb, low-fat meals, sometimes high-fat, low-carb, sometimes high-protein. It really depends. It’s the second year I’ve gone through a vegan mindset at the beginning of the spring, but as I am sure you are aware, restricting vegetables, fruit and even some starches on an HFI diet is already challenging, let alone on an HFI vegan diet. But it’s great fun! I find meal planning such a calming task, it sets you up for the week and, most importantly, sets you up for success. 


I like simplicity in my products, but complexity in the appearance of my meals. A sky-high salad is ideal in my opinion; it’s balanced and adaptable, especially if you use fresh produce and homemade toppings. I rarely eat packaged food; I am always sceptical of mile-long ingredient labels. I would rather make my own pre-packed lunch from scratch, for half the price and twice the flavour. Not to mention the macronutrients and nutritional composition! 

I had my breakfast after a medium-intensity routine of pilates and yoga; I exercise almost every day, a combination of pilates, yoga and indoor cardio works very well for me, along with outdoor running in the summer. Since the weather is finally improving, I’ve transitioned my breakfast from cooked oats to a lighter, more flavourful option. Today, I had smashed avocado and sliced radishes on a slice of seeded bloomer, topped with rocket and black pepper. I also had some water and a cup of black coffee, along with my vitamin C, folic acid and biotin tablets.


I like green tea, coffee, black tea and water, and those are all I drink on a typical day. Sometimes my water is sparkling, I find that it adds a bit of dimension to the list of authorised drinks us HFIers are given. It feels a little bit special, for some reason! 

I like snacks a lot. Today, I had a little plain Greek yoghurt with organic brown rice puffs from Rude Health and a teaspoon of pumpkin seed butter whilst I was reading M&S’s free Italian recipe flyer.

Lunch is when I get to be creative again! I love rice bowls and open-faced sandwiches as much as I like quiche or grilled chicken, so literally anything could land on my plate. Today, I had a bowl of pasta, which isn’t uncommon! I found that Tesco’s freefrom spaghetti, which is made from rice and maize flour, contains less sugar than Barilla’s pasta (0.5 grams per 100 as opposed to 3.5 grams per 100). Although I prefer the taste of whole-wheat pasta, I try to stay away from it as the sugar content is somewhat higher. Doves Farm brown rice pasta is great, too, at 0.5 grams per 100. I made a light avocado and basil pesto with plenty of lemon juice and black pepper. I sprinkled a few flaked almonds on the top for effect and ate the entire bowl with chopsticks. 



I had a kallo corncake later on, to keep me going until dinner. I prefer them to rice cakes, they have a buttery consistency which is much more pleasant and satisfying! 

Dinner turned out to be out, today, which is great as I can show you what I order when that is the case! This is a mixed spiced bean burger with pesto mayonnaise and a basket of chunky chips. I am not a fan of chain-made burgers, I don’t like Nando’s burgers, Byron’s burgers or even fast-food burgers. The meat is often full of fat, the bun full of sugar, and the chips full of grease. I’d rather have a homemade one, for half the calories and sugar, and twice the satisfaction. But when a really good burger comes along, I’m loyal to it. Being halfway through The China Study, I am attempting a meat-free and mostly dairy-free diet, with some leniency when eating out. This burger is meatless, but it is most likely made with eggs, and the mayonnaise with dairy. I asked for the traditional brioche bun to be replaced with the focaccia bun on their menu, which contains no sugar. The chips are flash-fried and finished in the oven. The whole ensemble is absolutely delicious, although a little bit naughty! 

I had a cup of herbal tea when I got home and that’s it! If I have a lighter dinner, I might have a refreshing bowl of yoghurt as a dessert, but most of the time, I don’t need it. 

That’s my day of eatses on a low-fructose diet! It’s a lot easier than you might think, and keeps me full and happy every day of the week, wherever I am!

Happy eating, HFIers!

Roasted Garlic and a Hummus Recipe!





I am writing this post from my garlic-infused apartment. If you love garlic, you have to make this. Not only will your tastebuds start dancing, your kitchen will smell divine as it’s roasting. Did I mention it takes no time at all? Chop, drizzle and in the oven it goes. Then you can sit back and enjoy the smell. Or if you’re like me, run to the oven every 5 minutes and inhale deeply.

So, why is this little 2-in-1 recipe so perfect for us HFIers? Because garlic is safe for us. And if you like it, you’ll love these! The taste and texture of roasted garlic is considerably different from raw garlic; it’s much deeper and sharper. I love it, it’s such an effective addition to a plain dish (I can see a pasta recipe coming up very soon, here!) yet it’s a very sophisticated flavour. It blends fabulously into pastes and sauces, and melts delightfully on meats, fish or pasta. Versatile, isn’t it? Which is why I’ve added a heavenly hummus recipe. It really is heavenly. 

Roasted Garlic:

Instructions:


Preheat your oven to 200°C. Chop the top off your garlic and drizzle with olive oil. This will make the cloves easy to squeeze out and allow them to become soft and buttery. Create a nest out of parchment paper (like you would with a fish parcel) or foil for your garlic. This prevents the tops from burning. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before trying to squeeze out the cloves. You can keep them in the fridge or use them straight away!




Roasted Garlic and Cumin Hummus


The official recommendations suggest our intake of hummus should not be superior to a tablespoon. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I first read this, I was not pleased. I could live on hummus and pita bread. After thinking about it more seriously, one tablespoon is actually quite a lot. The problem with hummus is that it is addictive. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s potent. One of the main reasons roasted garlic works so well is that it’s much more satiating. And so is cumin. So after a tablespoon, you’re good. As much as I love this recipe, I would not be able to eat the entire recipe (yes, that happens sometimes.) Result: happy HFIer! No bloating, no nausea. Tested and approved! 

If you would rather use a different type of bean, you could try white or black beans. Or you could even mash it up with soft cheese for an easy spread instead.





Can we talk about these adorable new mini pita breads from Sainsbury’s? I am so glad they don’t have any added sugar!

Here’s the recipe!

If you snack on this once a day, this recipe will last you a week.

Roasted Garlic and Cumin Hummus

Ingredients:


Half a can of chickpeas
1 teaspoon tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
4 to 6 roasted garlic cloves, depending on your preference
Salt and pepper
Water

Instructions:


I have found the quality of your blender will make or break your hummus. I have a cheap blender, so it never turns out very smooth. But don’t worry if you, too, have a crappy blender. You might need some elbow grease to finish the process.
Put all the ingredients in your blender, apart from the water. Blend for a few seconds, then add water accordingly. The more water you add, the runnier it will be; it depends whether you like your hummus to be a paste or a spread. Don’t forget to run a spoon along the sides of your blender and stir through to incorporate all the chickpeas.
Dip homemade crackers in it for a quick snack or spread on sandwich bread instead of mayonnaise! Yum!

Happy eating, HFIers!

What are your thoughts on hummus? Let me know, I would love to hear from you!

Smoked salmon open-faced sandwich


Hello HFIers! There's something you should know about me if we're going to be friends... Breakfast is my favourite time of day. I'm 100% a morning person.


There are various things I like about early mornings. I like the freshness of the air; whatever the season, the air always feels so pure in the morning. I like seeing the dedication on people's faces, their belief that a new day might lead to great things. By the time the day is over, we are all filled with the day's events, impatient to get home and unwind and happy it's over. And so it goes.
Mornings are so full of hope. One of those hopes is the promise of a great breakfast. This open-faced breakfast sandwich is incredibly satisfying: it is light, low-fructose, of course, flavourful and fresh. It's a very appropriate pick for a spring breakfast or lunch, if you haven't got that sort of time in the morning.

Are you a morning person? Or are you a rusher? Taking time for myself in the morning allows me to set me up for the day. Whether it's watching the world wake up from my bedroom window for a couple of minutes or an intense yoga session, it all counts!


I must admit, I'm all about instaworthy food. (Follow me on Instagram!) The combination of colours and textures on this plate is wonderful, don't you think? Added to that, the sliced rye bread is (almost) homemade. What's so refreshing about this recipe is that there is no code to stick to: you can mix and match what you desire most. If you do, however, choose to top your bread with smoked salmon, watch out for any added sugar. Smoked goods haven't always been smoked, the food industry has developed an extensive number of smoke flavourings (including components such as beech, oak, hickory and maple), and added sugar is sometimes part of this process. (Click this link for more information on smoke flavourings in Europe)

Tesco's smoked salmon and Sainsbury's Taste the Difference smoked salmon both contain sugar, and various other unnecessary ingredients. After looking for a while, I bought the one which had the least ingredients. In my experience, the fancier the style of the product you're getting, the more likely it is to contain sugar.


This recipes comes together in about 10 minutes, it is also easy to pack or prepare in advance if you want to take it along with you. And, it's under 300 calories. Such a winner.

  Happy eating, HFIers!



Ingredients:

2 small slices of rye bread
2 thin slices of smoked salmon (or 1 thick, divided)
1 tablespoon of low fat, plain soft cheese (Laughing Cow or Philadelphia, for example) 
Small handful of spinach
Squeeze of lemon juice

Instructions:

Pop your sliced bread in the oven or toaster until warm and crisp. Top with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and spinach. I arrange the spinach on the side for practical reasons, it is easier to eat it as a salad than piled high on top of the toast. Squeeze a wedge of lemon on the salmon and spinach, a cracking of black pepper and an optional few drops of Tabasco. (I am so addicted to chillies I have them for breakfast, too. I am aware of my insanity!)

An almost recipe: IKEA's multigrain bread



 I have a love-hate relationship with bread.



I grew up eating all sorts of bread; French organic sorts on my mother's side, and brown sliced sorts on my father's side (Fun fact: my mother is French, my father Dutch!). When I was younger, I had organic toasted bread with butter every morning. I grew out of this habit when I moved to England; perfectly squared, spongey slices of mush hardly tasted like the bread I knew, and I started eating porridge instead.

I think the most appealing facet of bread is its versatility. You can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack, make it savoury or sweet (only the former for us HFIers!), have it brown or white, toasted or fresh, homemade or store-bought... There is an endless amount of variations. Bread has remained on of my favourite foodstuffs, but authentic bakeries are almost non-existent in and around York. I am always shocked to find breads labelled baguette or focaccia, when they taste nothing like the real thing. That is part of the reason why I gave up bread for almost a year, longing for the freshly baked loaves sold in Luxembourg.

I had never really crossed paths with pumpernickel and rugbrød (Danish rye bread) until last summer. I was going through a wheat-free experiment and was pleased to hear rye bread contained no wheat. Unfortunately, I later found out sugar is often used in the batter in order to activate the yeast and had to stop eating it. This made me wonder if all yeast-based breads contain sweeteners. I couldn't find a single loaf of industrial bread containing no sugar, sucrose or fructose. When I say industrial, I mean the square-shaped kind I mentioned earlier. Proper bakeries tend to have more choice for a low-fructose diet; sugar is also an excellent preservative in order to keep goods fresh for more than a couple of days; it is often the case that homemade bread only stays soft for a few days.




The official guidelines advise the consumption of white bread instead of brown bread when going low-fructose. I personally find white bread very bloating, especially if it is not homemade. (I do like homemade, sugar-free brioche, a recipe will follow shortly!) This particular bread making mix is one I found at IKEA, which is why this recipe isn't quite a recipe: add water and tadah! The best rye bread you'll ever taste. It contains all natural ingredients and no added sugar! Pick it up next time you go to IKEA or get it here.



Ingredients: 

1 box of IKEA's multigrain bread mix (list of ingredients below)
600 ml of warm water 

Instructions:

All the instructions are on the box; it advises you to pour the water in the carton and shake for 45 seconds until combined. I poured it into a mixing bowl to combine the mixture properly as it tends to be quite lumpy. Leave to rise for 45 minutes and bake in the bottom of your oven for 60 minutes on 200°C. 

What's on the back of the box?
Ingredients: wheat flour (21%), wheat flakes (20%), rye flakes (17%), coarse rye flour (13%), sunflower kernels (8%), wheat starch, linseed (6%), malt (4%)(from barley), sourdough powder (rye flour), salt, dried yeast.

Pipe Rigate with avocado sauce


I thought I would keep it simple for my first recipe.






Today I'm coming to you with a pasta recipe. Pretty straight forward, no? This is a lazy-day lunch or dinner. If you're on a low-fructose diet, I am quite confident pasta will be on your list of staples. In fact, I think it's on everyone's when it comes to quick and filling meals.

This recipe contains less than 5 ingredients and works wonders if you tolerate avocado. I consume avocado on a regular basis and absolutely love it; it doesn't make me feel unwell or upset my stomach. The velvety consistency allows you to use less avocado than you think you might need. I added a dollop of low-fat crème fraîche to smooth it out, but it's completely optional. You could substitute the cream with greek yoghurt or unsweetened soy yoghurt,  1/4 cup of white beans or leave it out!

This recipe would work with any type of pasta; I chose pipe because I like the fact the sauce can hide  inside the tubes and create little parcels of goodness. But I can see myself trying this with spaghetti or linguine in the near future!



So let's get on with the recipe, shall we?

Ingredients:

Serves 2
180 grams of pipe rigate, I always recommend using white pasta as it contains less fructose
1/2 of a large avocado, diced
1 tablespoon of half-fat crème fraîche
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Optional garnish: 
Black pepper
Chilli flakes
Parmesan cheese

Instructions:


Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook your pasta according to the instructions. Meanwhile, you can prepare the sauce.
Combine the diced avocado, powdered garlic, salt, pepper in a blender, gradually adding water until you obtain a smooth sauce. Add the cream at the end and whiz to combine.
Drain your pasta when it is ready, and pour in your sauce. Toss it together to heat the sauce and serve.
Add the optional garnishes if you fancy them!

Well, that was easy. Happy eating, HFIers!

Do you like avocado? How do you like to eat it? Let me know, I would love to hear from you!

What you should know about me

Hello and welcome to my blog! I'm glad you've found your way here. You have probably been searching high and low for a decent blog if you suffer from HFI or DFI and love food as much as I do. I know I have, for years; with the emergence of low FODMAP diets, it has become easier. But I showed little interest for recipes consisting of baked chicken, wilted spinach and endless amounts of mushrooms. There is nothing wrong with these items, but I hardly ever eat simply. I am fascinated by the combination of different flavours and textures; for food lovers, cooking is more than just a function, it's a passion. As much as I want to preserve my health, I also want to preserve my figure. I would happily eat buttered gnocchi every day of the week, but I am fairly confident my jeans would feel snug, so to speak!




Snippets of deliciousness.



My main goal in life is to feel my best. I know far too well what an overdose of sugar feels like. Feeling your best when you have been diagnosed with HFI, like me, or DFI truly is an ongoing challenge, and sometimes a struggle. But we just have to keep our chins up and accept that we are exceptions (which make us exceptional. Obviously.) My brother and I weren't diagnosed until I was about 10. My mother spent 10 painful years chasing down paediatricians, witnessing two disgusted, scrunched up little faces each time we were fed baby pots or chunks of fruit, and not being able to put two and two together. Luckily, a single (unrelated) epileptic fit I experienced led my neurologist to pursue a DNA test to figure out what on earth was going on. HFI, or Hereditary Fructose Intolerance, was the answer to our concerns. I wish I could say the diagnosis changed everything for us; it did in some respects, I now understand that my natural aversion for sugar is the result of a deeper underlying cause (i.e. the absence of the enzyme adolase B, which breaks down fructose) and annual liver function tests, blood tests and check-ups with my dieticians insure that I am as healthy as possible. The days of unexplained illness have long gone and I am feeling better than ever! It is also easier to explain my condition when I need to; the emergence of all sorts of intolerances and allergies has led to stricter laws in the UK; anywhere serving food must have a full list of ingredients for all their dishes. Unfortunately, food shopping and eating out is becoming harder and harder with the development of 'fast foods'. As a general rule,  I stay away from packaged goods, but it isn't always convenient (pesto, anyone?).  I have made it my mission to provide other followers of a low-fructose diet the necessary resources to live a happy life, relieve boredom, provide inspiration and support!

I would just like to finish off with a word of caution: although being diagnosed with HFI puts us all in the same box, listen to your body. We are all different, and manifestations of an exposure to fructose will vary from one person to the next, as will their severity. I experience nausea and extremely uncomfortale bloating several hours later; I know these symptoms are signs I have had fructose. Experiment and test as much as you can, within your own limits. Test some of the safe recipes on my blog, they are always introduced by guidelines depending on how severely you are affected and how to adapt them! Happy eating, HFIers!


What would you like to see on this blog? Drop me a comment,  I would love to know!
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