# Protein Shakes with Crohn's



## southborder82

Hi, my name is Gabe and I am 15. I was diagnosed with Chrohns May 2011 and have been battling with the pains since. My Crohn's is located in my small intestine and when I flare, I get stomach pains and nausea, unlike most patients who suffer something with their bowel. My goal here is to get any ideas for good protein shakes that will work for me and of course, my stomach. I have taken protein before, some cheap stuff from Body Fortress. It usually makes my stomach upset when I drink it. I was wondering if there are any better supplements out there ..?

I lift weights through a program through my school. I lift 3 days a week and do 2 days of ab work and get some cardio from basketball.


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## PsychoJane

I guess you would have to try and see if you tolerate them but there is a huge variety of "vegan" vegetable protein (rice, chick peas, soy, pumpkin, hemp). I know I have no problem from them but I think that nothing gives me real digestive issues (I have to say I am lucky on that aspect). These proteins needs to be combined properly though. Like, you can't just buy pumpkin protein and go home thinking you will increase your protein intakes and help your conditions. The vegetable protein needs to be combined in order to have a "complete" protein like the one you get from animal sources. The other thing I am thinking of is to try and find a natural whey protein supplement (that one is what is normally present in the "average" fitness protein supplement. What I am guessing is that maybe you are not tolerating the other ingredient well (may it be sugar or sweetener or what not that is added). There are whey protein that are as bland as they can. It surely is not the greatest tasting product in the world on its own but if you blend it with a juice that you handle well or with some milk or dairy free beverage it should be find and maybe not get your stomach upset. 

If you go for vegetable source you need to make combo like:
soy+pumpkin   pea+pumpkin seeds    pea+rice   rice+soy  etc. etc.


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## David

Hiya Gabe and welcome   Rather than protein shakes, you may want to consider some form of elemental nutrition as they'll be high in protein and other necessary nutrients Crohnies so desperately need.  These can be as simple as the Ensure or Boost you see at Wal Mart.  Not only can they help you maintain or maybe even put on weight, but there are many studies that showcase they can help induce remission of your Crohn's Disease   As always, I'd discuss such a choice with your doctor before doing so.  It's good to keep them in the loop and see what they have to say.


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## Tenacity

You may want to try isopure first. It is more of a water consistency rather than a shake. Not many calories, but pure protein. If you handle that fine, then try the shakes. Milk based ones might bother you more. Isopure is great, only down side is price. You can also drink it the day before a colonoscopy, and you can't do that with the shakes!


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## southborder82

Thank you guys with all your help. I'm getting some Ensure today and going to start drinking that as post workout shake and see how it goes for awhile. If i don't have any problems, I may start on the isopure shakes. Again, thank you guys for your help.


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## amyh

I have ensure, and sometimes, only an hour or so after I eat, I'm hungry again (guessing I didn't get much nutrition from my meal), so I have an ensure and it makes the hunger pangs go away.


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## bangarang

southborder82 said:


> Thank you guys with all your help. I'm getting some Ensure today and going to start drinking that as post workout shake and see how it goes for awhile. If i don't have any problems, I may start on the isopure shakes. Again, thank you guys for your help.


Before you consider isopure you should check out sunwarrior protein. Its vegan, so no dairy at all, more digestible, and cheaper per serving than isopure not to mention 50g per serving of protein like in isopure is way overboard(used to take isopure myself). 

If you want to get protein in bulk theres a site called truenutrition.com, where they let you customize your protein blends and they even let you add a vitamin/mineral mix so you get some nutrition with your protein. Cheapest place to buy protein in bulk. If your interested or any other questions let me know.


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## PsychoJane

I went to check the sunwarrior protein. They are quite complete but it is still rice protein which means it would be beneficial to combine with another source of vegan protein (from legume[soybean, lentil, pea are good sources]) in order to get every essentials amino acids in required proportion. As it is, there is not enough lysine to bond into perfect complete protein. That's why I like the that truenutrition site you linked, it allows to make appropriate vegan combo which are rarely sold as "real complete" protein on their own.


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## CrohnsCHES

David said:


> Rather than protein shakes, you may want to consider some form of elemental nutrition as they'll be high in protein and other necessary nutrients Crohnies so desperately need.  These can be as simple as the Ensure or Boost you see at Wal Mart.  Not only can they help you maintain or maybe even put on weight, but there are many studies that showcase they can help induce remission of your Crohn's Disease   As always, I'd discuss such a choice with your doctor before doing so.  It's good to keep them in the loop and see what they have to say.


Agreed!  You definitely need to keep your doctor informed of what you want to try, but David is right - you may not need a fancy sports protein powder. With Crohns, you will have to start tailoring everything to what works best for your body. Shakes like Ensure and Boost can also be useful ways of getting some decent nutrition during flare-ups, and many athletes also just drink milk (or chocolate milk!) after a workout, so you could also try that if you tolerate dairy well.  Good luck finding a good protein drink! :thumright:


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## KenC

Cheaper proteins are usually whey concentrate that contain a lot of lactose and fat.

Like others have suggested, a good protein made entirely of whey isolate, or at least the majority consisting of isolate, will be easier on your gut.   (Isopure as mentioned above is a popular example but there are more)  

BTW, if you can tolerate whey, it has a better amino acid profile and biological availability than any other protein source.  Good luck.


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## kiny

Make sure when you buy one it's without artificial sweeteners, they're promoting the formation of bacterial biofilms that populate the mucosa, it's in the research section somewhere. If your powder tastes like anything but powder, like chocolate or strawberry or whatever, it has artificial sweeteners in it. Protein powder should taste like powder, not anything else.

Found it, here you go:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/05/21/could-compound-in-artificial-sweeteners-worsen-crohns-disease

_"MONDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- The food additive maltodextrin, commonly used in some artificial sweeteners, may worsen Crohn's disease by encouraging the growth of E. coli bacteria in the small intestine, a new study suggests."_

And they have found E Coli in the intestine of crohn patients multiple times in inflamed tissue.


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## Tenacity

Lol. You guys sure can debate till the cows come home. If I were just reading this with no prior knowledge I would be totally lost and avoid protein shakes. In 13 years of trying most of the protein shakes made, I can say most of them never bothered me. Excess sugar might. Sweetener never ever gave me problem being in my shakes, I think that's going a bit too far - 99% have sweetener and maltodextrin in em. Isopure as stated has been the most reliable and safe bet for me.

Having protein the day before a colonoscopy is like a life line to me. Especially when you are on no calories but clear liquids for 60+ hours. Only isopure can be taken because its clear


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## kiny

Tenacity said:


> 99% have sweetener and maltodextrin in em


Walk into any decent pharmacy and you can get protein powder without saccharin / maltodextrine. Nestlé and Nutricia both make them, tons of brands do.


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## Tenacity

kiny said:


> Walk into any decent pharmacy and you can get protein powder without saccharin / maltodextrine. Nestlé and Nutricia both make them, tons of brands do.


Lol well you buy that lovely tasting protein.

To everyone else, please don't be this extreme. There is NO reason to. Not for protein. Seriously. I promise.


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## kiny

Tenacity said:


> Lol well you buy that lovely tasting protein.


Well, there is no taste, once the artificial sweeteners are out it tends to just taste like powder. I have tried optimum nutrition and other sports brands, and when I leave those overnight in a shaker not completely emptied, my shaker smells disgusting, the leftover is a sticky mess. I don't want that in my intestine. When you eat artificial sweeteners you are giving bacteria exactly what they need to make biofilms, and on top of it you're adding protein, also used to create biofilms. If you don't believe in any of this, that's fine, but then you shouldn't believe in diet or eating healthy either, so I'm not sure why you even take protein then.


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## kiny

KenC said:


> a good protein made entirely of whey isolate, or at least the majority consisting of isolate, will be easier on your gut


gastric emptying time of proteins:







digestibility:









There is a study of digestibility of protein in kids with cerebral palsy (movement impairment) and they showed that 50:50 casein to whey protein improved bowel movement and consistency compared to 82:18 from regular cow milk. Same study was done in HIV patients and the same result.


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## Tenacity

kiny said:


> Well, there is no taste, once the artificial sweeteners are out it tends to just taste like powder. I have tried optimum nutrition and other sports brands, and when I leave those overnight in a shaker not completely emptied, my shaker smells disgusting, the leftover is a sticky mess. I don't want that in my intestine. When you eat artificial sweeteners you are giving bacteria exactly what they need to make biofilms, and on top of it you're adding protein, also used to create biofilms. If you don't believe in any of this, that's fine, but then you shouldn't believe in diet or eating healthy either, so I'm not sure why you even take protein then.


For those looking to avoid sweeteners all together as part of a strategy - then your advice is awesome. Why not check your protein too... But if someone is just asking about protein in general (like in this thread) the amount of sweetener in a few servings during the day of isopure or most others protein drinks won't send you into a flare and is more so good for you than anything else. I've trained with and designed diets for more than a few athletes that had crohns and protein was a vital part of their success in dieting. None of them had problems with it. 0. While in remisson or while flaring. Had many discussions on this. Now stuff like creatine they certainly had to find out what works the hard way. But protein...common. Moral of the story - no one needs to worry about sweetener in their protein unless they are avoiding it on purpose before questioning protein. You might be doing more harm for your crohns just stressing about your diet as bad as it looks kinky


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## Tenacity

kiny said:


> gastric emptying time of proteins:
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> digestibility:
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> There is a study of digestibility of protein in kids with cerebral palsy (movement impairment) and they showed that 50:50 casein to whey protein improved bowel movement and consistency compared to 82:18 from regular cow milk. Same study was done in HIV patients and the same result.


1. Isopure is not milk based. I know whey is a byproduct of milk protein, but it's not mixed in milk as some shakes are

2. And I can show you studies that conclude casein protein is bad for crohns actually. It's always been known to slow motility and digest slower for normal digestive tracts. This is why you may read that it is the protein of choice for bodybuilders at bedtime.  I can probably find a study on anything you eat that will prove its bad for you btw.


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## angelamack

I suggest you must eat nutrient-rich snacks that are perfect for everyone like kids and adults living with Crohn’s. Exercise benefits almost everyone, one essential way exercise can help people who have Crohn’s disease is by improving their overall health.


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## ramittman

Has anyone tried the egg white protein powder mixes??


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## Treid

I drink a shake called Visalus every morning before work. I find it helps keep some of my symptoms down.


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## Jennh

Hi Gabe, I learned the hard way crohns, and the medications can completely deplete your system of all nutrients.  Feeling weak, and lethargic coupled with crohns pain is not good for anyone let alone someone who works out. I am an associate for a company that provides personalized nutrition.  A friend turned me on to them because with crohns, taking 6mp and humira shots my white blood count dropped to 1.6.  I needed something but vegetables triggered my crohns, and regular vitamins made me just sick.  Their products are gluten, soy and casein free, non-gmo, and just organic.  They do have a meal replacement shake, made from grass-fed whey, so its lactose free as well.  If you are interested I can send a sample packet out to you to try before buying anything. As for the supplements, you take a free (HIPAA compliant)health assessment and based on your specific dietary, exercise patterns, and medical conditions, medications, etc it creates a nutritional plan based on scientific and medical research data.  I have to get blood tests every two weeks and 6 weeks after starting my vitamin plan my wbc went up to 4.8.  It really was a life changer for me.  Again, if you or anyone wants a sample pack first, let me know.  I don't want to post my site to seem like I am spamming, I am just excited that something finally worked to make me feel better and give me energy and want to pass it along.  my gmail is jkhersh631 If you want to contact me.


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## sifatsultan

PsychoJane said:


> I went to check the sunwarrior protein. They are quite complete but it is still rice protein which means it would be beneficial to combine with another source of vegan protein (from legume[soybean, lentil, pea are good sources]) in order to get every essentials amino acids in required proportion. As it is, there is not enough lysine to bond into perfect complete protein. That's why I like the that truenutrition site you linked, it allows to make appropriate vegan combo which are rarely sold as "real complete" protein on their own.



I just joined Gym and starting to feel like giving Protein supplement a try instead of the 6 egg white that my trainer told me to have daily. Since I have issues with dairy product, it seems from your note that Vegan protein shakes is a better option. 

Can you suggest me the exact combination I should start with.

Note: I have zero experience or knowledge with protein supplements!


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## kikig

My two cents - I use Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein during the day (120g) and then Optimum Nutrition Casein in the evening (20/40g).
They both taste fairly ok, and don't cause me problems. 
What works for one, may not work for another so my advice is to try a few brands and you'll settle on one that suits you.
I make it up with water, not milk as milk tends to be a bit of an irritant at some points in the day


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## sifatsultan

kikig said:


> My two cents - I use Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein during the day (120g) and then Optimum Nutrition Casein in the evening (20/40g).
> They both taste fairly ok, and don't cause me problems.
> What works for one, may not work for another so my advice is to try a few brands and you'll settle on one that suits you.
> I make it up with water, not milk as milk tends to be a bit of an irritant at some points in the day


I started taking soy milk with Horlicks, let me complete a month and then I'll start trying your suggestions.

Thanks.


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