Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar found in fruits. You can also buy products that have had fructose added to them, as in fruity baked goods. Fructose is commercially manufactured into a variety of foods you would not necessarily think of as sweet. It is important to read the ingredients label to be certain. If eating fruit is not to your liking, you can purchase fructose in powdered form and use it as needed.
Dried Fruits
Dates are fructose-rich foods. A type of date called medjool contains 31,954 milligrams of fructose per 3-oz. serving, according to NutritionData.com. A 3-oz. serving is the equivalent of three dates. This amount can supply up to 20 percent of your daily recommended allotment of fructose, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Deglet noor, another type of date, is also rich in fructose. A 3-oz. serving contains an impressive 19,559 milligrams of fructose.
Seedless raisins are fructose-rich dried fruits. A 3-oz. serving size contains 29,700 milligrams of fructose. All varieties of raisins, including golden, red and purple, contain large amounts of fructose.
Dried prunes are among the highest in fructose content. A 3-oz. serving contains 12,450 milligrams of the sugar. Prune puree and/or juice also contain large amounts of fructose.
Agave is another rich source of fructose among the dried fruit family. According to nutritiondata.com, a 1-oz. serving contains 12,000 milligrams of the sugar. This amount supplies you with 15 percent of your daily recommended allotment of sugar.
Other dried fruits that are rich in fructose include apricots, pears, peaches, bananas, cherries, mango, pineapple, blueberries, cranberries and figs.
Fresh Fruits
If dried fruits are not to your liking, you can receive ample amounts of fructose by eating fresh or canned fruits. A raw apple without skin, for instance, can provide you with a respectable 6,000 milligrams of fructose. If you choose to eat the skin, you will receive slightly less fructose at 5,900 milligrams. This averages out to 7 percent of your daily recommended allotment of sugars cites the USDA.
A 1-cup serving of pineapple, either raw or canned, contains 6,500 milligrams of fructose. This amount will provide you with 7 percent of your daily nutritional recommendation of sugar. Pomegranate, either the fresh fruit or juice version, contains 6,400 milligrams of fructose per 1-cup serving. One cup of blueberries contains 4,970 milligrams of fructose.
In addition to eating the fresh version of fruit, you can get equivalent amounts of fructose from juices, purees and sauces made from the fruit.
Condiments
Salad dressings, such as fat-free Italian, can contain fructose. According to nutritiondata.com, a 2-tbsp. serving of this dressing contains 5,590 milligrams of fructose. Fat-free French dressing, same portion size, can contain 5,000 milligrams of fructose. And, thousand island variety contains 4,000 milligrams of the sugar.
References
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference; Release 20, USDA; 2008
- NutritionData
