# Low Fiber/Residue Diet Support Group



## nogutsnoglory

Welcome to the Low Fiber/Low Residue Diet support group. This thread is for anyone interested in or following this diet. Topics for discussion can include q & a and discussion about the diet, foods that help/hurt inflammation & scar tissue, recipes and resources. 

"What is a low-fiber with low-residue diet?

About two thirds of people with small bowel Crohn's disease develop a marked narrowing (or stricture) of the lower small intestine, the ileum. For these patients, a low-fiber with low-residue diet or a special liquid diet may be beneficial in minimizing abdominal pain and other symptoms. This diet minimizes the consumption of foods that add "scrapy" residue to the stool. These include raw fruits, vegetables, and seeds, as well as nuts and corn hulls. The registered dietitian associated with your IBD treatment program can assist you in devising such a diet when appropriate. Often, these dietary adjustments are temporary; the patient follows them until the inflammation that caused the narrowing responds either to medical treatment or to a corrective surgical procedure.

It is important, however, to watch out that you do not impose too many food restrictions on yourself or your child. These limit variety in the diet and make a balanced intake of foods more difficult to achieve." -CCFA


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## nogutsnoglory

I am on this diet by doctors orders due to severe stenosis in my colon and small intestine. I have trouble finding healthy foods to eat on this diet. I would love to incorporate more fruits and vegetables but anything aside from juice scares me. I mainly eat white flour products and dairy. This has helped me gain weight but long term I know this is unhealthy.


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## bobisacrohny

I feel this a science that is often overlooked and needs more resources based on research by the medical community as it is key to help.


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## nogutsnoglory

What do you mean Bob? I'm not sure there is much to investigate on this diet. On diet in general absolutely but I wouldn't recommend this diet to anyone who isn't inflamed or stricturing. It's a limited diet and often not the healthiest. It just has the least impact on our bowels.


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## bobisacrohny

I know about this but it is rarely discussed and know others with the problem that didn't even know about it.  There aren't monitors that I know of inside patients bad areas knowing what is exactly happening in real time showing how the foods they are eating are reacting.  I just think a lot of advice is based on speculation and judgmental theories.  Some may be good, some bad.  This method supports long term treatments without cure.  Just look at the extreme amount of meds and vitamins but no cure.    

If people affected knew exactly what was causing their inflammation and how to stop it there would be less amputations and would be a huge development.  I believe there are people out there that do have this knowledge but aren't sharing because they are inventing drugs and vitamins to make big profits.  The medical community claims there is no know medical cure which is based on science practice and research.  If food is a proven answer then specific foods and timing should be prescribed.  

When research is geared towards what is making our organs healthy and not what is going to make us healthy we may get answers.  Knowledge of curing a Crohn's patients and other medical conditions effecting bodies organs through food would be instrumental in everyone's well being.   

Non conflict of interest research would be helpful but that would tame or reconfigure the huge weight loss industry!  Capitalism sadly is not conducive to cures where profits are at risk.  This is where society morality needs to kick in, but don't get me wrong as there are many, many medical professionals that care and are making good strides but are disadvantaged because of the capitalistic system.   I told a doctor that I like to try natural methods first before trying meds and laughed at me and said all things in the universe are natural.  This is a undeserving horrible condition and hopefully in the future can be avoided.  Just saying...


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## nogutsnoglory

I think there is a lot if opportunity to study integrative nutrition and natural supplementation. It's a bit hard to do a clinical trial on diet because you can't monitor what people eat and control what they do. 

I think the premise of the low fiber diet is simply to eat foods that have demonstrated not to further damage the inflamed gut. I'm not sure there is much more that can be done in that area in terms of research.


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## UnXmas

I don't know exactly how a low fibre/low residue diet helps me, but I know that it does reduce my symptoms to a significant degree, so I'm pleased to have this group. 

I don't have any strictures or anything like that, so I do eat some insoluble fibre, and can do so without noticable ill effects. So if I really want an apple, I can have one, but I'm not about to start having a bowl of bran for breakfast or start snacking on nuts.



> I am on this diet by doctors orders due to severe stenosis in my colon and small intestine. I have trouble finding healthy foods to eat on this diet. I would love to incorporate more fruits and vegetables but anything aside from juice scares me. I mainly eat white flour products and dairy. This has helped me gain weight but long term I know this is unhealthy.


Have you tried canned fruit? Ripe bananas and avocados are also easier to digest from this perspective. Soups are good also. Root vegetables like carrots, parsnips and turnips, if pealed and cooked well, are easier to digest than other vegetables. Nut butters are also useful. I'm not sure if all these fully comply with criteria for a low fibre/residue diet, but I do know they're less likely to cause problems than most other fruits.


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## Sarah50

After following this diet and being on Asacol for 2 months... ALL my symptoms went away!  I still follow this diet pretty much because I'm afraid if I don't, I'll have worse problems because of the stricture.  However, I have been eating food that I couldn't eat while flaring and it's not giving me any problems (Crohn's symptoms).  Am I headed for trouble if I don't stay completely on the low residue diet?  I worry about the stricture getting worse if I don't.  

Does anyone have experience to know if this is true or not?

Thanks for creating this group, Noguts!


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## nogutsnoglory

Sarah I think it depends on the severity of your stricture. Is it mostly inflammation or scar tissue? You can do some experimentation but if things get worse you know you need to stick with this diet. 

What are everyone's thoughts on oatmeal? I have seen it on some low fiber diets and some say to avoid it. I'm scared of it but maybe strained oatmeal is ok?


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## UnXmas

nogutsnoglory said:


> What are everyone's thoughts on oatmeal? I have seen it on some low fiber diets and some say to avoid it. I'm scared of it but maybe strained oatmeal is ok?


I do alright with oatmeal. I believe oats contain both soluble and insoluble fibre, so they're hot as difficult to digest as things like wholemeal bread or bran, but they aren't low fibre/low residue, and probably pose more of a problem to people who have troubles with fibre than white rice, white bread, etc. Oatmeal I find quite filling though, which isn't good given my appetite problems.


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## Tuff

I don't have strictures, but my large intestine is covered in scar tissue. My doctor wants me to stay on low residue. 
I eat a lot of peeled potatoes. There are many different ways to cook them, I like them mashed, with some cheese added for flavour, kind of like twice baked potatoes without the peels. Bananas and melons are good, and lettuce. Some canned fruits like pineapple give me pain. Soup is good. I don't eat much red meat, mostly chicken and turkey. Rice is also versatile, fried rice is quick and easy. Ethnic foods give me variety, like perogies and Cantonese take out.


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## Cat-a-Tonic

I don't do low-res regularly, but if I get any symptoms then I jump right on the low-res diet until I'm feeling better.  I don't have any strictures that I know of, but low-res helps me feel better whenever I have a bad tummy day.  

With regards to oatmeal - I only seem to be able to eat it when I'm in remission.  And even then, it has to be mushy and soft.  I can't have crunchy oatmeal like in a cookie or a granola bar, that stuff causes me nothing but trouble!

I know a lot of fruit & veggies are high-fiber, and I cannot tolerate most fruit & veg, but I can juice almost anything and tolerate it just fine.  I'm not sure if juicing is considered low-res?  Even when I'm feeling unwell I can still tolerate juice, so I still juice when I'm doing low-res.


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## nogutsnoglory

I read that strained oatmeal may be OK for low fiber but I am not sure how one goes about straining oatmeal? I never liked it that much and the thought of that bulk going through my intestines scares me! The only good thing is it's an easy fast breakfast type food and it has a decent amount of protein while allowing more variety in my bland diet.


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## Cat-a-Tonic

I have no idea how you would strain oatmeal!  That sounds like it would be messy and difficult, and I would think you'd get hardly anything out of it.  

It is an easy breakfast, but there aren't many breakfast foods that are super difficult or time-consuming to cook.  Scrambled eggs are one of my go-to foods, and I've been known to have pancakes for dinner.


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## Michelle89

Cat-a-Tonic said:


> Scrambled eggs are one of my go-to foods, and I've been known to have pancakes for dinner.


I like the way you think  I love breakfast foods and especially pancakes for dinner!  I haven't officially gone gluten free, although try eat gf when I can, but I was surprised how much I like the Gluten Free Bisquick pancake mix.  Yummy!


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## Tuff

I forgot Cream of Wheat, or farina. This is quick to make, tasty and filling. I often make the Finnish version which is traditionally cooked in Lingonberry juice, but since I can't find any here I use cranberry and a little sugar.


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## Ya noy

Tuff said:


> I forgot Cream of Wheat, or farina. This is quick to make, tasty and filling. I often make the Finnish version which is traditionally cooked in Lingonberry juice, but since I can't find any here I use cranberry and a little sugar.


If you live in the U.S., IKEA sells a number of lingonberry products, including juice, jam, syrup and lingonberries.


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## nogutsnoglory

Ikea has so many yummy desserts. God bless the Swedes!


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## Tuff

I'm in Ontario, the closest Ikea is an 8 hour drive unfortunately. I'll have to ask my local deli if they can bring some in. Lingonberries are very good for you, being antioxidants.


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## nogutsnoglory

Do they have tiny seeds though? I know I was told to avoid berries because of the skin and seeds.


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## Tuff

I have a juicer, I want to cook with the juice. They're on the tart side anyway.
We have a Finnish dessert, kiisseli, which is a fruit or berry soup made of berries and water, or juice, sweetener and potato starch to thicken it. You can eat it as is, or put it on rice pudding, ice cream etc. I have a sweet tooth....


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## Astra

I like low residue, it works for me when I have urgency & frequency.
I also like this; 
http://www.whnt.nhs.uk/directorates...ation/x-ray/bariumenema/low_residue_diet.html

When I'm flaring I like to stick to breakfast food too!


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## nogutsnoglory

Astra that site seems to heavily restrict fruits and veggies. I don't know how safe this one is but it is from the National Institutes of Health so I imagine it's reliable.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000200.htm


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## Ellen_M

nogutsnoglory said:


> Astra that site seems to heavily restrict fruits and veggies. I don't know how safe this one is but it is from the National Institutes of Health so I imagine it's reliable.
> 
> http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000200.htm



I tend to switch between this advice and the advice given on the NHS site that Astra gave a link for.  The NHS advice is very good for "bad" days but is very restrictive if you need to follow low residue for any length of time.  I tend to include the fruit and veg listed in the NIH advice, in moderation.  I don't risk more than about three small portions of fruit and veg a day. If I feel any discomfort, then I go straight back to the NHS advice and eat mostly rice, cheese, and white bread for a couple of days!


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## UnXmas

Ellen_M said:


> I tend to switch between this advice and the advice given on the NHS site that Astra gave a link for.  The NHS advice is very good for "bad" days but is very restrictive if you need to follow low residue for any length of time.  I tend to include the fruit and veg listed in the NIH advice, in moderation.  I don't risk more than about three small portions of fruit and veg a day. If I feel any discomfort, then I go straight back to the NHS advice and eat mostly rice, cheese, and white bread for a couple of days!


That sounds sensible. I agree that a completely low fibre diet would not be the best thing long term, in particular with the restrictions placed on fruit and veg. I do tend to eat low fibre long term, whether or not I'm flaring, as too much seems make me more uncomfortable and gives me diarrhoea even when I'm not at my worst. But because I don't follow the diet strictly, I manage to get a reasonable amount and variety of fruit and vegetables, and even occasionally whole grains.

A few things on those linked pages do seem to contradict each other. I noticed biscuits are not allowed on the Wirral list, though I've never had problems with them. Also both lists limit the amount of milk and related dairy products, which I'd never thought of as high in fibre, and I must eat over that amount of milk in a day - I find yoghurts, custards, ice cream, etc. go down easy when I'm not feeling well.


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## nogutsnoglory

It does seem the NIH list is more liberal. I'd be scared to fully follow it but I want to experiment adding more fruits and veg since my dairy and wheat diet is not healthy.


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## Astra

Sorry peeps, I should've said, this diet was given to me after surgery (hysterectomy)
It is restrictive, and I've used it many times, but only if I'm in agony! Then I slowly reintroduce veg and fruit back in.
Here's another link, American I think, but it's good, and it's got veg and fruit!
http://www.hhsc.ca/documents/Patient Education/LowResidueDietFoods-trh.pdf


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## Ellen_M

Just wondering what other peoples experiences are when they go off the low residue diet? I currently have a stricture in my colon, and have just started Humira.  I have been following a fairly strict low residue diet, and apart from tiredness and some constipation, I don't feel any real pain or discomfort.

Yesterday, I fell off the wagon slightly and had one slice of flapjack (containing oats and desiccated coconut) and one rock cake (containing about 10 raisins).  Today, I have had extreme bloating, discomfort, and pain.  Could this really be the result of such a small amount of fibre?!


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## nogutsnoglory

It is definitely possible because the insoluble fiber might be scraping raw inflamed tissue in your stricture. If Humira is successful at opening up your stricture you may be able to resume a diet with more fiber.


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## UnXmas

Ellen_M said:


> Just wondering what other peoples experiences are when they go off the low residue diet? I currently have a stricture in my colon, and have just started Humira.  I have been following a fairly strict low residue diet, and apart from tiredness and some constipation, I don't feel any real pain or discomfort.
> 
> Yesterday, I fell off the wagon slightly and had one slice of flapjack (containing oats and desiccated coconut) and one rock cake (containing about 10 raisins).  Today, I have had extreme bloating, discomfort, and pain.  Could this really be the result of such a small amount of fibre?!


I'm not sure. For me, it's only when I've eaten fibre in large quantities that it becomes an issue. My reaction is delayed by a few days. So if I ate a large bowl of bran and a big salad every day, then I'd probably start experiencing symptoms (my stomach much more uncomfortable, diarrhoea more severe and more frequent) after about three days. And similarly, if I then replaced the bran with low-fibre cornflakes, and replaced the salad with easy-to-digest bananas, my symptoms would change back to their normal levels after eating this for a couple of days.

If I ate what you did - one flapjack and one rock cake, I don't think I'd notice any ill effects from it. But you might be a lot more sensitive than me, especially if you have a stricture.

The only way to know for sure is to see if the effects are consistent. So if you go back to your low residue diet now, and feel fine in a couple of days, it suggests the flapjack and cake may be responsible. If you have more bad symptoms when back on your low residue diet, the fibre probably wasn't responsible.

And if you stick to your low residue diet and your symptoms are consistent, you can then test different types and quantities of fibre, if you don't mind risking provoking your symptoms again. If a flapjack and a rock cake consistently produce a worsening of symptoms, you have your answer.


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## mccindy

I'm glad to see this low residue group.  I've been following (mostly) the elimination diet and have had some success.  It seems like fiber isn't the only thing causing me pain though.  I tried both beef and pork over the weekend and both gave me bloating and pain.  The pain is always the next day so I assume that's how long it took to get to the part of my intestine that's sensitive?  I've tried a white-flour popover (fail), nuts (fail), and bacon (fail).  I don't usually get diarrhea (unless I drink alcohol, then I throw up and get diarrhea), I tend toward constipation, even now that I eat almost no fiber.  Oh, I also had to eliminate even aged cheese - I tried Gorgonzola last week and that was also a fail.   
I haven't tried oatmeal, scared of the bulk!  I do eat cream of rice cereal sometimes but I don't really like it.  
I might have to try the gluten-free Bisquick though, I'm dying for a pancake!


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## lizbeth

Hello everyone 

I've been following a low residue diet for managing strictures (not sure I have one yet, waiting on tests results), initially when I was diagnosed 6 months ago I was told to follow a low residue and then remove anything that would upset my diabetes (type 1), I find it very restrictive compared to what I used to eat. I don't think there is much difference in the two diets but I did notice a slight improvement in symptoms after switching.  I have tried a few tests with food, discovered spicy is really not a idea and lettuce as well so I was surprised to see it listed as a safe food on the medline website, though I do think it's a lot to do with trial and error for everyone individually.  I'm a bit too scared of trying anything high fiber, one of these days I might pluck up the courage.


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## Ellen_M

UnXmas said:


> I'm not sure. For me, it's only when I've eaten fibre in large quantities that it becomes an issue. My reaction is delayed by a few days. So if I ate a large bowl of bran and a big salad every day, then I'd probably start experiencing symptoms (my stomach much more uncomfortable, diarrhoea more severe and more frequent) after about three days. And similarly, if I then replaced the bran with low-fibre cornflakes, and replaced the salad with easy-to-digest bananas, my symptoms would change back to their normal levels after eating this for a couple of days.
> 
> If I ate what you did - one flapjack and one rock cake, I don't think I'd notice any ill effects from it. But you might be a lot more sensitive than me, especially if you have a stricture.
> 
> The only way to know for sure is to see if the effects are consistent. So if you go back to your low residue diet now, and feel fine in a couple of days, it suggests the flapjack and cake may be responsible. If you have more bad symptoms when back on your low residue diet, the fibre probably wasn't responsible.
> 
> And if you stick to your low residue diet and your symptoms are consistent, you can then test different types and quantities of fibre, if you don't mind risking provoking your symptoms again. If a flapjack and a rock cake consistently produce a worsening of symptoms, you have your answer.


Before I had a colonoscopy which confirmed the stricture, I found just the same as you to be true.  It took a few days of fibre before I got any real problems.  Since the stricture was found and I was actually advised to go on a low residue diet (rather than my own trial and error) I didn't dare go of the rails until this weekend!  

It's a shame that the diet is so restrictive, mainly because I am currently back living with my parents along with my husband and kids and we all eat evening meals together.  I work in the day, and my dad is the home maker so he cooks the meal.  I keep telling him just to cook normally, and I'll pick out what I can't have.  However, bless him, he goes out of his way to make meals as friendly as possible for me, but I can see that everyone is beginning to get a little tired by the lack of texture and flavour!


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## UnXmas

mccindy said:


> I'm glad to see this low residue group.  I've been following (mostly) the elimination diet and have had some success.  It seems like fiber isn't the only thing causing me pain though.  I tried both beef and pork over the weekend and both gave me bloating and pain.  The pain is always the next day so I assume that's how long it took to get to the part of my intestine that's sensitive?  I've tried a white-flour popover (fail), nuts (fail), and bacon (fail).  I don't usually get diarrhea (unless I drink alcohol, then I throw up and get diarrhea), I tend toward constipation, even now that I eat almost no fiber.  Oh, I also had to eliminate even aged cheese - I tried Gorgonzola last week and that was also a fail.
> I haven't tried oatmeal, scared of the bulk!  I do eat cream of rice cereal sometimes but I don't really like it.
> I might have to try the gluten-free Bisquick though, I'm dying for a pancake!


Is it possible that you're just reacting to eating, rather than reacting to specific foods? Even when I avoid anything I know will make me worse, my symptoms still get worse after eating.

But I know nuts would give me problems, and bacon is quite fatty which could make it harder to digest.

Also you said you tend towards constipation, but that you eat almost no fibre? Wouldn't you do better eating more fibre to stop getting constipated? :confused2: Or maybe I've not understood your post correctly.


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## mccindy

I think that fiber tends to add bulk, and I have been eating more foods that don't add bulk and are softer and more fluid, so I expected to be less constipated, is mainly what I meant.  When I was eating a lot of fiber and this flare I was constipated as well, so I thought there might be a change with eating less, I guess. :confused2:
I don't react to everything I eat.  If I stick to the few foods that are easy to digest, I don't have the pain level that I do when I try the other foods.  I think sometimes eating anything causes me pain but eating trigger foods makes it MUCH worse.:yfaint:


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## greeneyes

Hi everyone! Reading your ideas and links for helpful diets is very useful. I was recently diagnosed with mild Crohn's. I have been having a lot of cramping after eating and I'm now on pentasa, which so far, is not doing a great deal. I was recently taken off of entocort. It was great for my symptoms but triggered daily migraines. So bye bye entocort.

Any ideas on quickly minimizing cramping with diet? What are your staples that always help?


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## OzyJac

After a couple of years in remission (following surgery) my symptoms are slowly returning.  

First it was the pain from eating, then the nausea from the drugs so I switched to mainly a liquid diet - an Up N Go for breakfast, a cup of soup for lunch and a small meal at night.  

This has helped enormously and I've pretty much followed this for the last six months or so.  I've also added in tinned fruit, yoghurt - soft foods that won't cause too much pain and I avoid eating a lot of fibre.  

The texture of food sometimes causes me more problems than fibre.  I can tolerate multi-grain bread and a small bowl of oatmeal for breakfast is sometimes ok.  But I can't eat hot chips and a couple of weeks ago I ate some risotto and was in agony for most of the night.  Maybe the gluggy texture of the food without any fibre to help push it through is the reason.  Anyway it was back to the liquid diet for a week until it all settled down again.


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## UnXmas

greeneyes said:


> Hi everyone! Reading your ideas and links for helpful diets is very useful. I was recently diagnosed with mild Crohn's. I have been having a lot of cramping after eating and I'm now on pentasa, which so far, is not doing a great deal. I was recently taken off of entocort. It was great for my symptoms but triggered daily migraines. So bye bye entocort.
> 
> Any ideas on quickly minimizing cramping with diet? What are your staples that always help?


Hi, sorry you've been diagnosed with this - it's unnerving when you first find out, but with time you'll find ways of managing your symptoms and it will get easier.

The foods that upset my stomach most are nuts and seeds. However, smooth peanut butter is great for me, as it's a good source of calories from the healthy kind of fats, and it's texture means it's far easier to digest than whole nuts.

The fibre in vegetables and fruits can cause problems. To make sure I get enough fruit and veg vitamins, I eat mostly low fibre ones like bananas, avocado, tinned fruits, vegetable soups, and well-cooked root vegetables (carrots, parsnip, swede).

Refined foods are far better for digestion than whole grains, so I eat white rice and white bread rather than brown. I can't digest breakfast cereals like bran and muesli, but rice krispies and cornflakes are lower in fibre and these are my staple breakfasts. 

Dairy products are also something I rely on for when I'm feeling ill and want something that will go down easily - ice cream, milk, yogurt, custard. However quite a few people with Crohn's don't do well with dairy, so although these are low fibre, you may have to be careful and see what you react to.


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## mccindy

_The texture of food sometimes causes me more problems than fibre.  I can tolerate multi-grain bread and a small bowl of oatmeal for breakfast is sometimes ok.  But I can't eat hot chips and a couple of weeks ago I ate some risotto and was in agony for most of the night.  Maybe the gluggy texture of the food without any fibre to help push it through is the reason.  Anyway it was back to the liquid diet for a week until it all settled down again.[/_

I think the risotto has cheese and stuff in it, doesn't it?  That might have been the problem.  It tends to be quite rich.  I can't tolerate casein or gluten so the cheese and chicken broth in most risottos makes them a no-no for me.  I hope you are able to find some answers and you feel better soon!


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## jbpharmd

I enjoyed reading your posts. I have discovered that fiber is a big irritant for me. I tried the SCD diet for a month and stayed in pain with diarrhea and weight loss. However, I still have problems figuring out which foods still bother me on a low residue diet. I am currently in a flare and/or having major crohns symptoms from a narrowing in intestines and fistula. I stay in a lot of pain when I eat. I have even thought about starting an elimination diet of chicken and rice with water and work up. I am really desperate to find a link to food triggers and my tummy pain. I will keep you updated. Any one know a great tracking app for this?


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## nogutsnoglory

I think the best route is to eliminate one food at a time for 1-2 weeks and see how you feel. I think the danger of total elimination and increasing slowly is that you will lose weight and be malnourished. 

GI Buddy by CCFA is a good app for tracking food.


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## UnXmas

jbpharmd said:


> I enjoyed reading your posts. I have discovered that fiber is a big irritant for me. I tried the SCD diet for a month and stayed in pain with diarrhea and weight loss. However, I still have problems figuring out which foods still bother me on a low residue diet. I am currently in a flare and/or having major crohns symptoms from a narrowing in intestines and fistula. I stay in a lot of pain when I eat. I have even thought about starting an elimination diet of chicken and rice with water and work up. I am really desperate to find a link to food triggers and my tummy pain. I will keep you updated. Any one know a great tracking app for this?


I think I agree with nogutsnoglory - I tried a very basic diet and I lost loads of weight that I really didn't have to spare. 

The concept of an elimination diet didn't work for me, because I did not react to particular foods. What I did react to was the overall content of my diet. If I eat a diet high in fibre, my symptoms get worse (hence my membership of this group!), if I eat a diet high in fat and stodgy foods, I get worse on that too. But if I eat one food item that's high in fibre - e.g. a cereal bar - I wouldn't have a noticeable reaction. I think this problem is something that elimination diets don't take into account. I could test any high fibre/high fat food and be fine. But if I ate large quantities of that same food, or ate it along with many other high fibre/high fat foods, it would contribute to worsening my symptoms.

The other problem I had with elimination diets is that I always have symptoms. No matter what I eat I will have some symptoms, and sometimes they will be better or worse without any external factor to explain the change. Or it might be due to a different medication, or because I've caught some minor temporary illness, or whatever. So I could feel absolutely awful one day, but it wouldn't necessarily be anything to do with my diet at all. This makes the process of finding the right diet extremely difficult, even with the help of food diaries, etc.

Unless you have really obvious, consistent reactions to particular foods, it may be better to look at your overall diet and symptoms over the course of a few weeks rather than trying to test individual foods.


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## mccindy

On the elimination diet I am fairly symptom free, but I do have problems maintaining my weight.  I do try to supplement with kefir milk and Bolton Farms Green Goodness juice.  I can't tolerate and gluten or dairy at all, as well as fresh or frozen veggies and most raw fruit.  Nuts are out too.  Beef and pork as well. It's difficult to take in enough fat to keep weight on, but I have found that coconut oil does help quite a bit.  Peanut butter is a good source for me as well.  When I've tried to reintroduce foods, it's pretty much been a failure.  I tried gluten last week - first time was okay, second was not good, third was quite painful!  So gluten is still out.


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## cleuger

Tuff said:


> I don't have strictures, but my large intestine is covered in scar tissue. My doctor wants me to stay on low residue.
> I eat a lot of peeled potatoes. There are many different ways to cook them, I like them mashed, with some cheese added for flavour, kind of like twice baked potatoes without the peels. Bananas and melons are good, and lettuce. Some canned fruits like pineapple give me pain. Soup is good. I don't eat much red meat, mostly chicken and turkey. Rice is also versatile, fried rice is quick and easy. Ethnic foods give me variety, like perogies and Cantonese take out.


I was told not to eat lettuce. Is there a certain type of lettuce that's OK to eat?


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## nogutsnoglory

Lettuce is tricky, I can't tolerate it but some do just fine. I think most with IBD would approach it cautiously. My nutritionist says only Boston or Bibb lettuce if I want to try it.


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## Amy2

Although my son is on the SCD, I try to include lots of legal, low residue foods, so he doesn't get too much fiber.  He doesn't eat nuts, but he eats nut butters (so far only almond and pecan).  And last night he had lentil soup - pureed.  These were his first lentils since getting sick, so I will be a bit nervous until he poops.  Is anyone else doing this?  Eating low-residue for the most part, but with the addition of high residue foods (for added nutrition) in the form of smoothies and pureed soups?  What happens in our bodies when we eat pureed foods?  How are they a problem?


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## nogutsnoglory

Amy I have had puréed beans a few times now and it's been great. I get the nutrition and hopefully the iron without taking a risk of having the peel hurt me.


----------



## cleuger

nogutsnoglory said:


> Amy I have had puréed beans a few times now and it's been great. I get the nutrition and hopefully the iron without taking a risk of having the peel hurt me.


OK these are things I'm looking for. So there are actually ways for me to still enjoy the foods I like. I hate this diet it makes me feel sluggish. I am juicing now which should help next I'm going to slowly cut out Gluten I'm starting to hate the taste of bread and its probably better for me anyway. There's not a lot I eat Ive been living on Ensure clears and vitamins I never really have an appetite. I love Bean soup so Maybe I could puree it Yumm!!! I read somewhere that butter lettuce is ok. Does anyone know? I miss my greens :frown:

On a side note I did purchase the boo Breaking the viscous cycle. Problem with some of these foods is I do have a small stricture. I have no idea where it is I thinks its on my left side bowel anyway it never bothers me they were not sure if it was scar tissue or inflammation when I was diagnosed. So does anyone with a Stricture go by this diet? Curious to know

TIA


----------



## Amy2

nogutsnoglory said:


> Amy I have had puréed beans a few times now and it's been great. I get the nutrition and hopefully the iron without taking a risk of having the peel hurt me.


Can pureed beans be considered low residue?


----------



## 723crossroads

Amy2 said:


> Although my son is on the SCD, I try to include lots of legal, low residue foods, so he doesn't get too much fiber.  He doesn't eat nuts, but he eats nut butters (so far only almond and pecan).  And last night he had lentil soup - pureed.  These were his first lentils since getting sick, so I will be a bit nervous until he poops.  Is anyone else doing this?  Eating low-residue for the most part, but with the addition of high residue foods (for added nutrition) in the form of smoothies and pureed soups?  What happens in our bodies when we eat pureed foods?  How are they a problem?


I think it is the fiber content that we can't seem to digest properly. I eat salad, but the lettuce doesn't digest. Juicing is good for you because it removes the fiber and leaves all the vitamins. You might want to try that.


----------



## 723crossroads

Amy2 said:


> Can pureed beans be considered low residue?


Nope, still has the fiber content.


----------



## 723crossroads

cleuger said:


> OK these are things I'm looking for. So there are actually ways for me to still enjoy the foods I like. I hate this diet it makes me feel sluggish. I am juicing now which should help next I'm going to slowly cut out Gluten I'm starting to hate the taste of bread and its probably better for me anyway. There's not a lot I eat Ive been living on Ensure clears and vitamins I never really have an appetite. I love Bean soup so Maybe I could puree it Yumm!!! I read somewhere that butter lettuce is ok. Does anyone know? I miss my greens :frown:
> 
> On a side note I did purchase the boo Breaking the viscous cycle. Problem with some of these foods is I do have a small stricture. I have no idea where it is I thinks its on my left side bowel anyway it never bothers me they were not sure if it was scar tissue or inflammation when I was diagnosed. So does anyone with a Stricture go by this diet? Curious to know
> 
> TIA


I can't do beans at all, just not worth it for me.


----------



## Amy2

723crossroads said:


> Nope, still has the fiber content.


And fiber, even in this form makes the body have to work hard, or ?

I'm trying to give my son the fiber and nutrition he needs, without stressing his body too much and without risking a blockage.  And smoothies and purees seem to be the answer.  Or am I wrong?

So many low residue foods are off limits because of the SCD.


----------



## cleuger

If I make a pot of beans for my Family usually what Ive been doing is taking the juice with ham and then dipping my cornbread in that Yumm but I would love  have the beans if possible even pureed. Blockage is my main concern. I'm looking into a hand blender, went to Target earlier and the cheapest one was 39.00 which to me is not bad. Pea's are something else I truly miss is there a way to have those? does anyone eat them? Its funny before I was diagnosed I was eating all this stuff with no problem now I cant have it because my DR says so.


----------



## 723crossroads

cleuger said:


> If I make a pot of beans for my Family usually what Ive been doing is taking the juice with ham and then dipping my cornbread in that Yumm but I would love  have the beans if possible even pureed. Blockage is my main concern. I'm looking into a hand blender, went to Target earlier and the cheapest one was 39.00 which to me is not bad. Pea's are something else I truly miss is there a way to have those? does anyone eat them? Its funny before I was diagnosed I was eating all this stuff with no problem now I cant have it because my DR says so.


I eat regular peas and they don't bother me. I cook them till soft though. As long as you cook alot of things well, it seems not so bad. But beans give me pain really bad and splitpeas too. As much as I love my splitpea with ham soup, it kills me! My hubs doesn't like me eating that! LOL:rof:


----------



## nogutsnoglory

I so miss split pea soup but in going to try to strain and purée it. It probably won't be the same but that with a dallop of sour cream sounds amazing.


----------



## UnXmas

Amy2 said:


> Although my son is on the SCD, I try to include lots of legal, low residue foods, so he doesn't get too much fiber.  He doesn't eat nuts, but he eats nut butters (so far only almond and pecan).  And last night he had lentil soup - pureed.  These were his first lentils since getting sick, so I will be a bit nervous until he poops.  Is anyone else doing this?  Eating low-residue for the most part, but with the addition of high residue foods (for added nutrition) in the form of smoothies and pureed soups?  What happens in our bodies when we eat pureed foods?  How are they a problem?


I can tolerate fibre in small quantities, but yes, I also recently started having more smoothies, soups and juice to get vitamins, as I'm not getting so many fruits and vegetables in their normal forms. I can't really tell you the differences in digestion, but I do know they cause me less problems when pureed. If your son does alright with purees and smoothies, you might try him on some of the fruits and vegetables that are the easiest to tolerate - bananas, avocados and root vegetables. I can manage all of these pretty well. Especially if you do find the lentils still give him trouble - lentils are probably more likely to cause him difficulties than if you make a soup from root vegetables like carrots.

Also you can get vitamins from fortified breakfast cereals. As far as I know, most breakfast cereals are fortified. You have to be careful because some are very high fibre, but cereals like Cornflakes and Rice Krispies are not.

And another way of getting nutrients is from liquid supplements.

I'm not sure whether these are allowed on the SCD, I'm guessing the cereals aren't, but there is no reason that someone would have to be short of nutrients when eating low fibre, unless you have to an extremely strict low residue/low fibre diet, but a really strict low residue/low fibre diet would usually only be used short-term.


----------



## 723crossroads

nogutsnoglory said:


> I so miss split pea soup but in going to try to strain and purée it. It probably won't be the same but that with a dallop of sour cream sounds amazing.


One good thing is when it is cooked thoroughly, it pretty much purees itself.


----------



## nogutsnoglory

Still that peel could be hard to digest. I might make it today and purée ill report on the outcome. Hopefully I won't be hunched over in pain.


----------



## Amy2

Son did fine with the lentil soup, so we will be trying other beans soon.   Very happy, because he really needs the iron!!!

My lentil soup recipe is an old family favorite that just happens to be SCD legal (when you leave out the potatoes).  So, it has the added bonus of being a familiar food.


----------



## 723crossroads

That's great Amy!!!


----------



## 723crossroads

nogutsnoglory said:


> Still that peel could be hard to digest. I might make it today and purée ill report on the outcome. Hopefully I won't be hunched over in pain.


I put carrots in mine also and it gives it good flavor, They get super soft too. I add chicken broth too and a whole onion and remove it when cooked.YUM!


----------



## nogutsnoglory

Had split pea with onions, carrots and spices puréed tonight and I live to tell the story


----------



## Bamafan94

Hi! I've had Crohn's Disease for 14 years. I recently got it back into remission after a minor flare-up, but now I've discovered that I've developed a complication.
My GI recently put me on a low residue diet because of a narrowing in my small intestine caused by scar tissue.
The diet is not to keep food from irritating the Crohn's, because it's in remission. It's only to try and keep food from getting stuck in the narrowing.
All the information I can find about low residue diets online is contradictory. My GI said absolutely no green vegetables and nothing with a skin. No nuts, anything high in fiber, corn or popcorn, and no meats that have fat or are grissled, including steak. Also nothing involving any kind of seeds. 
I'm fine with all this, but there are so many foods I'm not sure about. I know that everyone's different, but I really don't want to eat anything potentially dangerous.
Does anyone have advice on pulled pork, bacon, pepperoni, tortilla shells, spicy food, and Mexican rice?
There are probably more, I just can't think of them right now. I appreciate any advice that anyone has. 
I apologize if I posted this in the wrong place. lol!

Current Medications:
Imuran
Lialda
Remicade (Every 8 weeks)
Multivitamin
Prayer


----------



## Amy2

My son is in a similar position as you and he eats most things in smoothie form.  Steamed super greens or spinache, fruit smoothies with blended nuts, pureed soups, like lentil, broccoli, tomato, mushroom...everything is blended.  He eats no corn, rice or spicy food.


----------



## Rosie L

Hi, my dietician provided me with a diet sheet which was really useful, everyone is different as to what they can tolerate, I had the same problem as you and after a year on a low residue diet I have had surgery now and am slowly re introducing other foods.

Some of the things on my diet sheet were: well cooked root veg, e.g. Carrots, parsnip swede. I lived on mashed potato adding different things to it to change the flavour such as cheese, swede, parsnips, etc.
Fruit- juices, smoothies, cooked or stewed fruit with no skin. I found I could eat tin peaches or pears.
Breakfast cereals & grains - nothing with wheat, they suggest things like Rice Krispies, cornflakes, ready Brek etc any products made from white flour, white bread/ pasta.
Plain cakes, or muffins, rice pudding, 
Meat etc- soft tender mince or poultry, they say that tough meat such as sausages, burgers bacon etc may be eaten in a small amount but not if you have regular bloating.
Fish- any without bones, seafood such as prawns should be peeled
Dairy- all types of milk, cream, soya, butter, margarine, most cheeses, yogurts (not containing dried fruit, nuts or cereals), custards, mousse, yoghurt drinks
Misc- clear, cream or strained soups, sugar, honey, syrup, seedless jam, chocolate, ice cream, jelly etc.

Hope this is of some help, occasionally I would eat bacon and pepperoni and get away with a small amount but it would make me bloated. Spicy food can upset some people.

Hope things settle down soon for you.


----------



## Sarah50

Bamafan94 said:


> Hi! I've had Crohn's Disease for 14 years. I recently got it back into remission after a minor flare-up, but now I've discovered that I've developed a complication.
> My GI recently put me on a low residue diet because of a narrowing in my small intestine caused by scar tissue.
> The diet is not to keep food from irritating the Crohn's, because it's in remission. It's only to try and keep food from getting stuck in the narrowing.
> All the information I can find about low residue diets online is contradictory. My GI said absolutely no green vegetables and nothing with a skin. No nuts, anything high in fiber, corn or popcorn, and no meats that have fat or are grissled, including steak. Also nothing involving any kind of seeds.
> I'm fine with all this, but there are so many foods I'm not sure about. I know that everyone's different, but I really don't want to eat anything potentially dangerous.
> Does anyone have advice on pulled pork, bacon, pepperoni, tortilla shells, spicy food, and Mexican rice?
> There are probably more, I just can't think of them right now. I appreciate any advice that anyone has.
> I apologize if I posted this in the wrong place. lol!
> 
> Current Medications:
> Imuran
> Lialda
> Remicade (Every 8 weeks)
> Multivitamin
> Prayer



I was on a low residue diet and Asacol and within 6 weeks, all my symptoms went away.  My GI recommended the low res diet and I was following (so I thought) but was still having pain.  GI sent me to a dietician and she helped me figure out the food I was eating that was still causing problems - yogurt with fruit in it, eating preserves instead of jelly, and any fruit or veggie with skin.  

As far as the food you listed, I would cut out pepperoni (you're not supposed to eat any processed-type lunch meat) and definitely spicy food!  Not sure about Mexican rice unless it's spicy, then no.  Not sure about bacon. 

Definitely follow the 'ok' veggies and fruit - which is limited.  I just ate bananas and that was fine.  Definitely no seeds or nuts!  If you have any other questions about certain food, please don't hesitate to ask.  Good luck!


----------



## Bamafan94

Wow! Thanks for all the responses!

Amy2,
It hasn't even entered my mind to try blending foods! Now, that seems like an obvious choice! lol! 
I had wondered how long I could survive on Ensure. Not a great way to go, but I thought maybe just until this settles down.
Thanks for the advice on blending. I'll definitely try that! 

Rosie L,
Of the foods you mentioned, so far I've figured out that burgers, bacon, white bread, fish, dairy, jelly, and chocolate are okay. 
I drink fruit juices as long as there's no pulp or seeds. And I'm on a multivitamin, so hopefully I'm getting enough nutrition. 
Somtimes I'm hungry, but it just seems like too much trouble to figure out if a certain food will bother me. I stay bloated a lot, and I wonder if it's because I'm not eating often enough.
Was your surgery a bowel resection? If so, what was that like? Long hospital stay, and recovery time? I'm trying to get several opinions because my GI says I'll eventually end up having the surgery if nothing changes. He wants me to put it off for as long as possible.
Thanks for all the advice!

Sarah50,
I've branched out a little in the past week. I ate pizza, but picked the pepperoni off, and drank Gaviscon afterward, and that worked out well.
I even ate a chicken taco salad. It was only chicken and cheese in a tortilla shell, (not spicy) and again, drank Gaviscon, and it didn't bother me other than some rumbling and rolling sounds, but for me, that's pretty normal! lol!
I don't eat anything that my GI said not to, and that includes seeds, green vegetables, nuts, and anything with a skin on it. 
I thought pepperoni was a pork product, but when I started asking family members, I found out it's a mystery meat! Like Spam and such. I didn't realize that, but I'll stay away from it. After all, it's a small price to pay if I can avoid surgery.

Thanks again to all of you for the advice! It's been very helpful! 
I wish you all good health!


----------



## Rosie L

I can certainly relate to the trouble of finding new foods to eat, some days it's just easier to stick to what you know is ok.
Yes my surgery was a bowel resection - ileocaecal resection (this was my second my first a hemi-colectomy was over 13 years ago), I was on the enhanced recovery programme, where they get you out of bed asap, and you drink a carbohydrate pre-load before surgery to enhance your recovery. I was in hospital for 7 days, the stay can be anything from 4 days onwards, I was in a little longer as my bowel was slow to kick start again due to my surgery taking over 5 hours to do so it made my insides very sluggish and they needed help to start up again. It's tough at the beginning but I forced myself to follow all the advice and it definitely makes a difference. The information I picked up from this forum helped prepare me for what I was going through and I picked up some valuable information from it.  
The first 2 weeks are the hardest, but after that it gets easier.  You can go back to work anything from 4 weeks.  I went back this week after 8 weeks off (6 as sick leave and then I just had a 2 week holiday as well).  I was unlucky to get an infection in my wound and had to go to hospital daily up to last Friday to have my dressings done etc. but even though this happened it was still all worth it for me as I was having regular blockages as nothing could get through the stricture, i have been on a low residue diet for over a year and was permanately on laxatives to makes sure everything went through and I still had blockages. 
I am now at the point of slowly re-introducing normal food back into my diet.  The hardest part now is fatigue but as long as you allow yourself time to rest, it's manageable.  I will be starting B12 injections shortly.  I do not know what other medication I will need until they do a follow up colonoscopy at 6 months after surgery.
Hope this helps, if you want to know anymore detail, do not hesitate to ask me


----------



## Bamafan94

Rosie L,
Thank you so much for the info!
Sorry to hear that you've had to go through so much.
This truly is a nasty, ugly disease. I hope and pray that someday a cure will be found and also preventative messures so that no one has to suffer from this ever again!
I seem to be finding my way through this diet. It's not quite so confusing now that I've had so many in this forum to help me out! 
My problem isn't as serious as yours was, not yet anyway. I'm still having diarrhea because of 4 tiny fistulas that are connecting my small intestine to my colon. Hopefully, the Remicade will eventually heal those, and the diarrhea will stop. I occasionally have normal bowel movements too, so I know it's not a blockage. My GI wasn't overly concerned. He just said I should start thinking about surgery because it would most likely come to that at some point.
I was the one who freaked out! lol! 
I've been afraid of this very thing for 14 years. Ever since I was diagnosed and the doctors explained to me all the things that can happen.
There are so many possible complications it boggles the mind!
Thank you again for the info, and advice! I appreciate it very much! 
I wish good health your way!


----------



## Bamafan94

Hi!
Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing much better. The pain and bloating caused by the narrowing in my intestines has almost completely stopped.
I'm still able to eat plenty of good foods, I had to cut out several of course, but it's a small price to pay if it let's me avoid surgery.
I wanted to thank you all again for the great advice!
Hope you're all doing well!


----------



## Emmy

I'd like to join this please :3
I'm on a low fibre/low res diet right now... stomach still reacts to any food I eat though, some worse than others, things with too much seasoning or flavour don't seem to agree with me at the moment, but I went through a phase of craving salt.... now it's salt and chocolate... to balance the flavour I spose...


----------



## mccindy

Welcome, Emmy! Salt and chocolate - those things do go together!  Lindt makes a really good Sea Salt Dark Chocolate bar that is pretty good for satisfying the need for the taste of both at once.  It's also gluten- and dairy-free and pretty easy on the belly.  My permanent diet is one that is pretty low residue and low fiber, so I supplement with psyllium husks on the advice of a friend, Cat-a-Tonic (moderator here).


----------



## UnXmas

Emmy said:


> I'd like to join this please :3
> I'm on a low fibre/low res diet right now... stomach still reacts to any food I eat though, some worse than others, things with too much seasoning or flavour don't seem to agree with me at the moment, but I went through a phase of craving salt.... now it's salt and chocolate... to balance the flavour I spose...


Could it be you're not getting enough salt?  Have you had any resections? I recently got an ileostomy, which can make you more likely to become deficient in salt, as can any removal of the large intestine. The nurses told me that a salt deficiency can lead to cravings - advice that seems to be repeated in all the stoma literature I've been given. They've told me not to ignore a craving. Even if you've not had any intestine removed, you might want to check roughly how much your diet was providing. It's confusing though because most of the information you find seems to assume people go the other way and get far too much salt and that that's the biggest risk to health.

If a chocolate craving indicates a deficiency, I must get chocolate deficiencies pretty often.


----------



## Emmy

UnXmas said:


> Could it be you're not getting enough salt?  Have you had any resections? I recently got an ileostomy, which can make you more likely to become deficient in salt, as can any removal of the large intestine. The nurses told me that a salt deficiency can lead to cravings - advice that seems to be repeated in all the stoma literature I've been given. They've told me not to ignore a craving. Even if you've not had any intestine removed, you might want to check roughly how much your diet was providing. It's confusing though because most of the information you find seems to assume people go the other way and get far too much salt and that that's the biggest risk to health.
> 
> If a chocolate craving indicates a deficiency, I must get chocolate deficiencies pretty often.


Hmmmm... well no resections or ops yet thank god, but it may come to that soon if things don't get better with what I'm on... My crohn's is mostly active in my ileum, terminal ileum I think. I had an albumin/protein deficiency when I was in hospital though... made my legs and arms and face all puffy, face was already kinda puffy though from pred, but being in hospital my arms just inflated popeye style o_o; and you could press fingers into my ankles/legs and leave indentations... kinda scary... better now, but if I leave them at the wrong angle they can get a little puffy still...
Salt wise I thought I'd be getting enough D: But I spose I may not be.... I started sucking on pretzels and having salt with boiled eggs, and some of the snacks I eat are pretty high in salt... maybe I should just get a salt lick.... I did at one point just suck on some salt... while I was on the fresubin... cos they're all sweet, I got really desperate for other flavours of any kind XD
I'm keeping track of the protein I eat/intake everyday though, keeping track of salt too won't be much harder, will just have to list down the everyday stuff and check packets. I try to make it into a regime/routine, in a cute little notebook XD


----------



## Jag23

My GI has suggested i go on a low residue diet. I've only had symptoms of crohns since September 2013 but weight loss for around 2 years so my GI thinks I've had crohns for around 2 years.

I've been trying to get recipes for new foods but all the website I see seem to have a lot of fruit or veg which aren't good for me.

I eat a lot of Turkey, potatoes, pasta, rice and sausage and stew.
I seem okay with all of the above.

I tried a prawn cocktail before Christmas and that was a mistake. Woke up at 3am with bad cramps even though I'm on 35mg of Pred.

All the salad in it was de seeded and skinned, thinking it could have been the lettuce in it :/ 
I will try prawns on their own at some point.

Sometimes though I think what's the point of trying new food when you are in pain and I'm even sometimes scared of trying things.

PS. I would like to join this group but I don't know how.


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## UnXmas

Jag23 said:


> PS. I would like to join this group but I don't know how.


You've automatically joined it by posting in the thread. 

Were the recipes you were looking at supposed to be low-fibre/low-residue? Not many kinds of fruit and veg are good when on this diet. Bananas, avocados, and tinned fruit are the easiest to tolerate. Some might be ok with very well-cooked veg.

Lettuce is not good at all on a low-fibre diet - no raw salads are - so that may have been why the prawn cocktail didn't go down well. Although sometimes we get symptoms and it's just a coincidence - it's hard to know for sure if it's due to something we ate unless we eat the food multiple times and get a consistent reaction each time. But lettuce is definitely not low-fibre, so it is something to avoid.


----------



## Jag23

I was just looking for something other than potatoes to try and eat, I love them but others in my family aren't always massive fans.

How is everyone with gravy?


----------



## bobisacrohny

I would try using a broth instead of gravy as fat is bad.


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## nogutsnoglory

The fat wouldn't be bad in terms of fiber though. Gravy should be fine in terms of being low-fiber. 

The only things that bother me that are low fiber are chips because I don't chew properly and I feel scraping.


----------



## UnXmas

I do just fine with gravy.


----------



## UnXmas

Jag23 said:


> I was just looking for something other than potatoes to try and eat, I love them but others in my family aren't always massive fans.


Have you tried sweet potatoes? Also pastry is usually low-fibre - you might try pies, quiches, etc. If you make your own you can fill them with whatever meats and veg you can tolerate.


----------



## Jag23

Not sure about pastry.
I had a piece of Stand Pie (pork pie) and I didn't feel well later on.
I heard pastry was bad.

Really new to this

I haven't tried sweet potatoes, thanks. Will give them a try


----------



## mccindy

I have to avoid gluten, so no pasta or bread for me.  I do ok with oats, rice, potatoes (skinless) sweet potatoes, chicken and seafood/fish.  Lettuce can be tough but I do well with raw spinach.  Most raw veggies are not my friend, or fruits, so I avoid a lot of then and I can have some of then canned.

Gravy is okay if the fat is skimmed and made with gluten-free broth, for me, and corn starch as the thickener.


----------



## Emmy

So it seems a super well cooked Lancashire hot pot(potato, carrot, lamb/pork in gravy sorta thing) does NOT give me happy feels. Pains since I ate it. I didn't even finish it.... I had a shortcake biscuit afterwards, which I think tipped me over the good edge of full.... too much butter/fat maybe? Either way. Paaaaaaain. But it tasted so good. Maybe the strong flavours don't do me good either....


----------



## mccindy

With a mixture like that, it's pretty difficult to tell what might have been the troubling factor.  I've found I don't mix things up too much anymore, simply because I won't know what's causing me pain or trouble.  Spices can be trouble, thickeners can be, meats can be, gluten can be, dairy can be.  You might want to do simple for a while and track things keeping a food diary just to find out what exactly might be triggering your problems.


----------



## Jag23

Emmy said:


> So it seems a super well cooked Lancashire hot pot(potato, carrot, lamb/pork in gravy sorta thing) does NOT give me happy feels. Pains since I ate it. I didn't even finish it....


I've found that certain gravys aren't good for me.
I'm okay with oxo cubes and bistro gravy but i tried knorrs stock pot gravy (chicken, beef, lamb) and they came up on my food diary as bad.


----------



## UnXmas

Emmy said:


> So it seems a super well cooked Lancashire hot pot(potato, carrot, lamb/pork in gravy sorta thing) does NOT give me happy feels. Pains since I ate it. I didn't even finish it.... I had a shortcake biscuit afterwards, which I think tipped me over the good edge of full.... too much butter/fat maybe? Either way. Paaaaaaain. But it tasted so good. Maybe the strong flavours don't do me good either....


It may have not been anything specific in the meal - it may be that whatever you'd eaten would have triggered symptoms at this time. Shortcake should be absolutely fine for a low-fibre diet. If it were me (though of course we all react to different foods) the meat would have been most likely to give me problems. Not because of fibre, I just find red meat tough to digest for some reason, so I haven't eaten it for ages. Well cooked potato, carrot and gravy I'd be fine with. So yeah - _if_ it was something specific in the meal, I'd suspect the meat. But it might just have been your digestive system wasn't happy for other reasons, or it might perhaps be just too much food? Depending on your portion size and what you're used to eating, but since you were full, it's possible your stomach was just reacting to the amount of food rather than the specific ingredients.


----------



## nogutsnoglory

Today's experiment: baked beans that I strained. I think even straining there probably is a bit of fiber so I hope I'm not in for a disaster. Anyone else try beans and ok? I'm not worried about gas only about obstructions.


----------



## mccindy

Beans are not on my good food list - they cause me a lot of pain.  It's really a bummer because I love to make chili in the winter, and now I can't even eat it.    I hope the experiment worked for you NGNG!


----------



## UnXmas

Hope it went ok for you! I'm not risking trying beans. I never liked baked beans much anyway. I wouldn't mind being able to eat green beans again though.


----------



## Josephine

Just started residue diet today, due wait for phone back.


----------



## mccindy

UnXmas said:


> Hope it went ok for you! I'm not risking trying beans. I never liked baked beans much anyway. I wouldn't mind being able to eat green beans again though.




Oh, I miss baked beans.  I always did like them.  I miss eating chili too, but can't because of the beans.  Darn things.  i can eat green beans, though, which is good because they are yummy.  Wish I could eat fresh asparagus and brussels sprouts though!


----------



## silverdiskdj

I swear by the low residue diet... and even though I received surgery a few weeks ago... will most likely continue it. I have been on it for probably 6-7 years, and it does really help and make me feel better than foods that are high in fiber/greasy. As I usually tell people, it is the "middle of the road" diet... nothing too healthy, nothing too unhealthy. Of course, I need a properly working medicine to calm my disease down and put me in remission... this diet just makes me better in regards to day to day....

I think the huge thing with this disease though, and what I am learning, is that diets will widely vary person to person. Some people are so gun hoe about the SCD diet that it really irritates me when they believe it will work for everyone. I believe the same for this too (that it is very individual)... and luckily this is a diet IMO that is less restrictive and more my kind of diet (a comfort food diet) than the others.

Baked Beans, actually, seem to be alright for me to eat no matter what... and I really like them during summer grilling, so that is one thing I am happy about....


----------



## UnXmas

silverdiskdj said:


> I swear by the low residue diet... and even though I received surgery a few weeks ago... will most likely continue it. I have been on it for probably 6-7 years, and it does really help and make me feel better than foods that are high in fiber/greasy. As I usually tell people, it is the "middle of the road" diet... nothing too healthy, nothing too unhealthy. Of course, I need a properly working medicine to calm my disease down and put me in remission... this diet just makes me better in regards to day to day....
> 
> I think the huge thing with this disease though, and what I am learning, is that diets will widely vary person to person. Some people are so gun hoe about the SCD diet that it really irritates me when they believe it will work for everyone. I believe the same for this too (that it is very individual)... and luckily this is a diet IMO that is less restrictive and more my kind of diet (a comfort food diet) than the others.
> 
> Baked Beans, actually, seem to be alright for me to eat no matter what... and I really like them during summer grilling, so that is one thing I am happy about....


I've been relatively low fibre for years, but since my ileostomy and subsequent blockage the moment I eat even small amounts of fibre, I'm strictly low-fibre, low-residue to the extreme now. It seems kind of unhealthy to me though, in terms of the mainstream idea of healthy eating. Specifically the 5-a-day rule (five portions of different fruits and veg a day, not including potatoes). I can only tolerate bananas, tinned fruit and juice now, and deviating from that doesn't mean I just feel bad, like it would pre-ileostomy, it lands me in hospital. So clearly fruits and vegetables are not healthy for me. But the government has so forcefully pushed the "5-a-day" rule that the complete lack of greenery and fresh stuff in my diet, plus no whole-grains, nuts or seeds, plus a lot of high-calorie (i.e. junk) foods because I need to gain weight, and complete lack of exercise also due to health issues, I don't feel like I'm living very healthily! 

I get annoyed with people who push alternative diets too, primarily because I tried many alternative diets trying to heal myself (and I mean really tried, sticking 100% and for long periods of time) and only got sicker. And found the nutritionists and alternative health practitioners who advised me on these diets seemed to become very annoyed and disappear (with my money) when I told them it wasn't working. 

I need scientific proof of diets (or any therapy), and most of those claimed to help with Crohn's don't have that. The mainstream medical approach, from what I've seen, advocates the low-fibre/low-residue and "soft" diets, which are supported by solid evidence, and my own personal experiences have backed up my faith that these can in some cases be helpful. The fact that mainstream medicine doesn't present this diet as a complete cure, doesn't usually expect 100% adherence and doesn't present the dietary advice with such a forceful moral message as many of the alternative diets often do sits well with me too. The fact that the first time I tried any food which conventional medical advice warns as those which potentially cause blockages for ileostomy patients I got a blockage (more than once), and that since avoiding any of these high-risk foods I've had no blockages, convinces me. 

Btw. apparently soon fruit juice won't be counted as one of the 5-a-day because it contains too much sugar. :confused2:


----------



## silverdiskdj

I totally understand the "five a day" thing myself... and like you, stick to canned fruit if I eat any fruit at all. I guess I have just become accustomed to this diet, and my nutrient levels have remained relatively healthy for the last year or so... so I figure I shouldn't mess with what seems to be working. 

I have tried cutting things out of my diet, and like you... ended up worse off (or even in the hospital as I wasn't getting enough fluid or enough nutrients and ended up on TPN). This is why when people tell me "go on this, you won't need these meds anymore" irritates me. When I am on something that works... why mess with it?

In regards to my disease, Tysabri seems to be working, as my inflammation levels have dropped and nutrients/vitamins have stablized. However, I had at least three strictures in my intestines that caused me to have partial obstructions and I strongly believe the medicine couldn't rid itself of this due to it being scarred... so I think that now that they are out, starting with my next infusion... hopefully it will put me in remission. That is my ultimate hope...


----------



## mccindy

UnXmas said:


> I've been relatively low fibre for years, but since my ileostomy and subsequent blockage the moment I eat even small amounts of fibre, I'm strictly low-fibre, low-residue to the extreme now. It seems kind of unhealthy to me though, in terms of the mainstream idea of healthy eating. Specifically the 5-a-day rule (five portions of different fruits and veg a day, not including potatoes). I can only tolerate bananas, tinned fruit and juice now, and deviating from that doesn't mean I just feel bad, like it would pre-ileostomy, it lands me in hospital. So clearly fruits and vegetables are not healthy for me. But the government has so forcefully pushed the "5-a-day" rule that the complete lack of greenery and fresh stuff in my diet, plus no whole-grains, nuts or seeds, plus a lot of high-calorie (i.e. junk) foods because I need to gain weight, and complete lack of exercise also due to health issues, I don't feel like I'm living very healthily!
> 
> I get annoyed with people who push alternative diets too, primarily because I tried many alternative diets trying to heal myself (and I mean really tried, sticking 100% and for long periods of time) and only got sicker. And found the nutritionists and alternative health practitioners who advised me on these diets seemed to become very annoyed and disappear (with my money) when I told them it wasn't working.
> 
> I need scientific proof of diets (or any therapy), and most of those claimed to help with Crohn's don't have that. The mainstream medical approach, from what I've seen, advocates the low-fibre/low-residue and "soft" diets, which are supported by solid evidence, and my own personal experiences have backed up my faith that these can in some cases be helpful. The fact that mainstream medicine doesn't present this diet as a complete cure, doesn't usually expect 100% adherence and doesn't present the dietary advice with such a forceful moral message as many of the alternative diets often do sits well with me too. The fact that the first time I tried any food which conventional medical advice warns as those which potentially cause blockages for ileostomy patients I got a blockage (more than once), and that since avoiding any of these high-risk foods I've had no blockages, convinces me.
> 
> Btw. apparently soon fruit juice won't be counted as one of the 5-a-day because it contains too much sugar. :confused2:


Have you thought about making your own juice?  YOu won't get the fiber but you'll still get all the nutrients and calories.  My son and his wife bought a juicer and joined an organic veggie/fruit delivery service.  They use a combination of vegetables and fruits and make their own juice every morning in place of breakfast.  They get multiple servings of some very healthy fruits and veggies that way with no added sugar.  They use kale pretty much  every day.


----------



## UnXmas

mccindy said:


> Have you thought about making your own juice?  YOu won't get the fiber but you'll still get all the nutrients and calories.  My son and his wife bought a juicer and joined an organic veggie/fruit delivery service.  They use a combination of vegetables and fruits and make their own juice every morning in place of breakfast.  They get multiple servings of some very healthy fruits and veggies that way with no added sugar.  They use kale pretty much  every day.


I have, but I wasn't sure that it would be any more beneficial than bought juices - finding juices with no added sugar doesn't seem to be a problem where I live. (The government's move to exclude juices from the dietary guidelines includes the natural sugar in fruit juice, not just added.)


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## mccindy

The government is stupid.  There, I said it.


----------



## nogutsnoglory

Not all of the government moves are good because it's hard to apply a generalization. For example I think there was a push to get the cereal manufactures to switch to whole wheat, whole oat etc. that's great because it's important people eat healthier but what about those of us on low fiber diets? I can't find any cereal that isn't full of fiber or whole this or that.


----------



## UnXmas

nogutsnoglory said:


> Not all of the government moves are good because it's hard to apply a generalization. For example I think there was a push to get the cereal manufactures to switch to whole wheat, whole oat etc. that's great because it's important people eat healthier but what about those of us on low fiber diets? I can't find any cereal that isn't full of fiber or whole this or that.


I've though this too, when there have been proposals talked about in the media to put extra taxes on junk food. I wonder if I shouldn't get a discount if that happens, since I need all the calories I can get. I do find breakfast cereals quite limited because I need low fibre, but I have a bit of choice - Cornflakes, Special K, Rice Krispies and various supermarket-brands of the same cereals.


----------



## Josephine

Please can someone explain what the term 'Hard Meat' mean?


----------



## silverdiskdj

Wouldn't "hard meat" mean stuff that is harder to digest, like steaks (especially tougher ones) and such? I typically stay to ground beef if I eat red meat... but mainly eat chicken as that is easier for me to digest.


----------



## Josephine

silverdiskdj said:


> Wouldn't "hard meat" mean stuff that is harder to digest, like steaks (especially tougher ones) and such? I typically stay to ground beef if I eat red meat... but mainly eat chicken as that is easier for me to digest.


Thank you Silverdiskdj, I am formed a plan of action in my head of what I need buy and now I hope it work.


----------



## Pennstater68

Hi, I am new to the forum and was diagnosed with Crohns in 1989 and Fibromyalgia in 2007.  I have never been in remission and have had 2 resections and 1 exploritory.  I no longer have the ileosecal valve.  It seems the older I get the less I can eat.  I keep off meds as much as possible by excercising regularly and watching my diet.  I do take trazodone to sleep but that is it.  I just deal with symptoms as they come.  What I am trying to do is go to a more vegetable diet along with protein bars.  But I am finding the protein bars are really "stopping" me up.  Which is almost as bad as having diarrhea 5 plus times a day.  Plus I get very bloated because nothing is moving.  The protein bars seem to be the only "food" that does this to me.  Does anyone have any idea what could be in the bars that would affect me like this?


----------



## nogutsnoglory

Which protein bar are you using? Many of them are loaded with fiber so we would need to see the ingredients.


----------



## UnXmas

Pennstater68 said:


> Hi, I am new to the forum and was diagnosed with Crohns in 1989 and Fibromyalgia in 2007.  I have never been in remission and have had 2 resections and 1 exploritory.  I no longer have the ileosecal valve.  It seems the older I get the less I can eat.  I keep off meds as much as possible by excercising regularly and watching my diet.  I do take trazodone to sleep but that is it.  I just deal with symptoms as they come.  What I am trying to do is go to a more vegetable diet along with protein bars.  But I am finding the protein bars are really "stopping" me up.  Which is almost as bad as having diarrhea 5 plus times a day.  Plus I get very bloated because nothing is moving.  The protein bars seem to be the only "food" that does this to me.  Does anyone have any idea what could be in the bars that would affect me like this?


Are you on a low-fibre/low-residue diet? That could perhaps lead to constipation. Have you thought about trying any laxatives or stool softeners?

The protein bars - I agree with nogutsnoglory, it really depends on their ingredients and fibre content as to whether they could cause constipation.


----------



## aloe

Hi Everyone. I'm new to this group, and on a low residue diet for the last two years because of a narrow area in my intestine. I'm not sure if it's scarring or inflammation. It was at the site where I had a resection about 25 years ago, so could be either. I've been on Remicade for about 6 months, but my latest colonoscopy showed that it's not helping the stenosis, so I'll probably be adding Imuran. 

The main question I have (and I've asked it elsewhere on the forum, so I'm sorry if I'm being repetitive, but I keep reading different answers, so I thought maybe someone here would know for sure) is: Can we eat raw greens on a low residue diet if they're blended into a smoothie?

I'm trying to decide whether I should buy a juicer, or whether a blender would be enough. I realize that it would still retain fiber, but if it's blended really smooth, would that be safe? My husband is pushing for a blender because it's less expensive, but I don't want to do something that would risk blockage. I really want a juicer, but on the other hand, if I can manage the fiber in smooth form, maybe that would be healthier overall.


----------



## UnXmas

aloe said:


> Hi Everyone. I'm new to this group, and on a low residue diet for the last two years because of a narrow area in my intestine. I'm not sure if it's scarring or inflammation. It was at the site where I had a resection about 25 years ago, so could be either. I've been on Remicade for about 6 months, but my latest colonoscopy showed that it's not helping the stenosis, so I'll probably be adding Imuran.
> 
> The main question I have (and I've asked it elsewhere on the forum, so I'm sorry if I'm being repetitive, but I keep reading different answers, so I thought maybe someone here would know for sure) is: Can we eat raw greens on a low residue diet if they're blended into a smoothie?
> 
> I'm trying to decide whether I should buy a juicer, or whether a blender would be enough. I realize that it would still retain fiber, but if it's blended really smooth, would that be safe? My husband is pushing for a blender because it's less expensive, but I don't want to do something that would risk blockage. I really want a juicer, but on the other hand, if I can manage the fiber in smooth form, maybe that would be healthier overall.


I suspect the reason you get different answers is because it's different for everyone! What specifically do you mean by raw greens? Lettuce? (Sorry, I think the terminology for quite a few veg is different in the UK from the US.)

I used to be able to tolerate lettuce, cucumber, etc. raw as long as I kept it to small amounts - I didn't even need to blend it. However, now I have an ileostomy and it gets blocked at the slightest thing. I can't have anything like that now, no matter how well it's blended. Since you have narrowing of the intestine, I think you should also err on the side of caution here, as that sounds similar to the problem I have with my stoma - the stoma opening is too small. 

I don't have a juicer, but I have a blender and I use it for cooked veg like sprouts, broccoli and a few other things. One thing I have found useful is, after blending vegetables, I put them in a sieve and mash them through with a fork. Whatever makes it through the sieve I eat, anything that doesn't, I leave. Again, this is only since the ileostomy. 

So really you have to experiment to see what's ok for you, but if you are risking actual blockage, rather than just a temporary deterioration in symptoms, you may not want to experiment too far. Before the ileostomy, I ate moderately low-fibre and I knew that if I ate too much it would just cause me to feel uncomfortable and make the diarrhoea worse, but it was more the overall amount of fibre I consumed over consecutive days that was significant rather than any particular food. Now with the ileostomy I am strictly low-fibre, as eating it causes a blockage. The quantity of fibre eaten is still an important factor, but the foods most likely to cause blockages (some veg - in particular lettuce, cucumber, and other salads, -  fruit skin, pips, seeds, nuts, dried fruit) I avoid altogether because even a small amount is a risk.

Have you had problems with fibre already and how severe were they? Knowing your levels of tolerance will help you know if it's worth experimenting with a blender, but since you have narrowing, I would suggest the juicer would be safer, especially if you've already found small amounts of fibre to give you problems.


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## Nancye50

I have a Blendtec blender that I love dearly. I'm new to Crohn's so I'm getting a lot of advice. Someone just recommended a Hurom masticating juicer that let's you let a little fiber in. It's the most expensive juicer I've seen but being able to control the fiber seems nice. It was on Williams-Sonoma.


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## aloe

UnXmas said:


> I suspect the reason you get different answers is because it's different for everyone! What specifically do you mean by raw greens? Lettuce? (Sorry, I think the terminology for quite a few veg is different in the UK from the US.)
> 
> I used to be able to tolerate lettuce, cucumber, etc. raw as long as I kept it to small amounts - I didn't even need to blend it. However, now I have an ileostomy and it gets blocked at the slightest thing. I can't have anything like that now, no matter how well it's blended. Since you have narrowing of the intestine, I think you should also err on the side of caution here, as that sounds similar to the problem I have with my stoma - the stoma opening is too small.
> 
> I don't have a juicer, but I have a blender and I use it for cooked veg like sprouts, broccoli and a few other things. One thing I have found useful is, after blending vegetables, I put them in a sieve and mash them through with a fork. Whatever makes it through the sieve I eat, anything that doesn't, I leave. Again, this is only since the ileostomy.
> 
> So really you have to experiment to see what's ok for you, but if you are risking actual blockage, rather than just a temporary deterioration in symptoms, you may not want to experiment too far. Before the ileostomy, I ate moderately low-fibre and I knew that if I ate too much it would just cause me to feel uncomfortable and make the diarrhoea worse, but it was more the overall amount of fibre I consumed over consecutive days that was significant rather than any particular food. Now with the ileostomy I am strictly low-fibre, as eating it causes a blockage. The quantity of fibre eaten is still an important factor, but the foods most likely to cause blockages (some veg - in particular lettuce, cucumber, and other salads, -  fruit skin, pips, seeds, nuts, dried fruit) I avoid altogether because even a small amount is a risk.
> 
> Have you had problems with fibre already and how severe were they? Knowing your levels of tolerance will help you know if it's worth experimenting with a blender, but since you have narrowing, I would suggest the juicer would be safer, especially if you've already found small amounts of fibre to give you problems.


Thanks for your reply UnXmas! I haven't really noticed problems before with fiber specifically but was told by my doctor to not eat raw vegetables, nuts and seeds because of the narrowing in my intestines. She said that would help me avoid blockage and surgery. If I was to just eat what agrees with me, I would probably be able to handle a lot of those foods, but I certainly don't want to risk blockage. It seems like a smoothie should be okay, because other chewed up food I eat makes it through, but I just don't understand how the body processes fiber that is in the form of smoothies, and it sounds like it still might be too risky. I guess I'm trying to get around the fiber restriction, but probably shouldn't risk it.


----------



## UnXmas

aloe said:


> Thanks for your reply UnXmas! I haven't really noticed problems before with fiber specifically but was told by my doctor to not eat raw vegetables, nuts and seeds because of the narrowing in my intestines. She said that would help me avoid blockage and surgery. If I was to just eat what agrees with me, I would probably be able to handle a lot of those foods, but I certainly don't want to risk blockage. It seems like a smoothie should be okay, because other chewed up food I eat makes it through, but I just don't understand how the body processes fiber that is in the form of smoothies, and it sounds like it still might be too risky. I guess I'm trying to get around the fiber restriction, but probably shouldn't risk it.


Although we are always getting messages about fibre being healthy, such advice is aimed at the general population, and doesn't hold true for those of us who are so far from the average, healthy digestive system. You can get all the vitamins you need without raw veg - maybe a supplement or vitamin pill would provide you with reassurance you are getting all you need.

If you've not been getting symptoms from other foods with fibre, raw veg might be ok, but it's sensible not to risk it if you're at all uncertain.

I don't know much about how the body processes different types of fibre either - it is confusing at times! I know, however, that when I first tried eating fibrous foods after my ileostomy surgery, there were clearly visible differences in the stoma output. Sorry to be graphic, but my stoma output is usually smooth; when I eat anything with fibre, the output contains little hard bits, like it's full of gravel. It was so obvious that my body was just not breaking down fibre at all, even though I'd chewed everything really well, and these unbroken bits can clump together and block the stoma. After one blockage and two further attempts to try fibre which, although I didn't eat enough to cause a complete blockage, did lead to stomach cramps and more gravel-like output which hurt as it came through the stoma, I gave up experimenting and now eat strictly low-fibre, low-residue and my stoma output is always smooth. 

I know our problems are different as narrowed intestine is not the same as a stoma, but there is clearly something about fibre that means it isn't processed by our bodies as other food is, and even blended and chewed it can form into clumps and block narrow spaces.


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## aloe

Thank you UnXmas. That helps a lot. Your explanation makes a lot of sense, and I hear ya. I think I'll play it safe and go for a juicer when I can afford it. Thanks also for the assurance about not eating raw veg. That has been stressing me out a little bit, because I feel like I must be depriving my body terribly, but I do take vitamins and supplements, and eat cooked veggies, so hopefully that is enough. I do feel better overall since going on the low residue diet, it's just been confusing because I also eliminated a few other things that were causing problems, like coffee, so I'm never quite sure what it is that has helped the most. 

The other reason I've been worrying was I just have the narrowing in this one spot, (the ileum where I had a resection), plus now two fistulas. But the rest of my system, what's left of it, is healthy looking. So I was worried I'd be hurting the healthy parts and causing those to deteriorate without fiber, in an effort to save the damaged parts. I realize that's just how it will have to be though, because doing further damage to the bad parts could kill me, and the healthy parts have withstood the low fiber diet now for over a year and haven't deteriorated. 

Thanks for all your advice and sharing your experience.


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## UnXmas

I think you've got it exactly - it's about weighing up the different risks and benefits. By not eating much fibre, you may miss out on some optimum health benefits that you'd otherwise have, but the risk of a blockage probably makes that a worthwhile sacrifice to make.


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## nogutsnoglory

How are you guys with tortilla chips? I have avoided them for years because it's corn based, hard and rough but it's listed as low fiber. 

I have had it a few times now because I love nachos and cheese and I have episodes of pain and times I felt fine. This is still questionable yet exciting for me to possibly incorporate.


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## Write2bheard

I have little trouble with the chips. It seems the cheese or salsa do me in. So I avoid most of the time. I occasionally indulge right after infusion. I have about a ten day window then when I can have some items I'd normally pay for.


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## Jaron Smith

Hi,
Just a quick question.  At what point did your doctors tell you to being trying to normalize your diets?  
I would ask my doctor but I have a sneaking suspicion that he really doesn't know much about Crohn's given the previous information and recommendations he's given me.  (Primarily telling me it's ok to have salads and fruits but to avoid dairy and cabbage.)  

Anyway, just looking to more info as I enter my second month of low res/low fiber dieting.


----------



## Write2bheard

Jaron I think each of us differs and you just have to experiment to find out what you can tolerate. According to my GI doctor, it's not the diet per se, but what causes irritation and inflammation for you. I was eating a very restricted diet and still ended up in the hospital. I have only recently gotten to where I can eat any fresh fruits and fresh vegetables. I still am very limited on proteins, mainly very well ground turkey, hot dogs and fish. It took nearly two years and monthly Remicade treatment to get here.


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## Nancye50

I've been low residue since Feb and am just introducing fruits & veggies. Am I probably correct in assuming this is why I'm
having reflux/heartburn sometimes?  I've been off heartburn meds all summer and now might need them again?


----------



## Alley2231

Jaron Smith said:


> Hi,
> Just a quick question.  At what point did your doctors tell you to being trying to normalize your diets?
> I would ask my doctor but I have a sneaking suspicion that he really doesn't know much about Crohn's given the previous information and recommendations he's given me.  (Primarily telling me it's ok to have salads and fruits but to avoid dairy and cabbage.)
> 
> Anyway, just looking to more info as I enter my second month of low res/low fiber dieting.


The low residue diet is supposed to be temporary, not a life long diet. After my first 2 Remicade infusions, I asked if I could eat more fruits/veggies or wheat bread and I was told I could and to pretty much play around with different foods. Just don't do a bunch of foods at once, try one thing at a time for about 2-3 days, before adding something else. 

When I started to incorporate more fruits/veggies, I put them in a smoothie to see if my body could tolerate them better. Funny thing is, I've been making these smoothies since May with blueberries in them, I just tried eating blueberries outside of a smoothie and I had an issue, so my belly isn't a fan of whole blueberries. I also don't do well with processed, greasy meats, like pepperoni & sausage. 

It's different for everyone and it's good to eventually start to branch out. I'm more about trying out fruits/veggies, I have yet to experiment with oats, granola and nuts. I'm dying for a salad too, but the most I do right now with lettuce, is putting a few pieces on a sandwich/sub. Are you  not seeing a GI for your Crohn's?


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## Jaron Smith

Alley2231 said:


> Are you  not seeing a GI for your Crohn's?


 I'm a bit limited as to my choice of medical treatment. Most medications are unavailable to me and the doctors here aren't the highest quality. 

Most of what I know about my condition comes from online medical journals and self-observation.  Without top-notch medication, I'm entering my third week of remission and second month of strict dieting.  

I'm just curious to see what western doctors are recommending for their patients.


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## UnXmas

Low-fibre is a life-long diet for me.


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## Karen in Phoenix

It seems that roughage of any kind is not easy.  I've removed grains completely from my diet for now and feel so much better.  No bloating, etc.  I sure do crave them though!

Carrie is spot on with the smoothies. I can put things in smoothies I can't eat whole.  

So you'll need to experiment with foods to see what you can tolerate.


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## Asher

Hey my husband really wants to go to Red Lobster for dinner. What seafood is low fiber/residue? I hope shrimp! Haha


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## Nancye50

Red Lobster would be easy, especially if you can eat greasy food. Hush puppies, biscuits, shrimp, lobster. Yum!!


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## Susan2

I find fish easy to cope with and also scallops but I have problems with other crustaceans.


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## UnXmas

Asher said:


> Hey my husband really wants to go to Red Lobster for dinner. What seafood is low fiber/residue? I hope shrimp! Haha


No clear answer on this:

Should be fine according to this guide: http://www.hhsc.ca/documents/Patient Education/LowResidueDietFoods-trh.pdf

But I remember being told to avoid these types of food with an ileostomy, because they're _not_ low fibre. I found this which agrees: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/Documents/Digestive_Disease/HavingIleostomy.pdf
(The advice about avoiding "Shellfish, e.g. lobster, scallops, shrimp, crab" is on page 7.)

So to be safe I'd avoid shellfish!


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## Asher

Thanks guys!


----------



## leezapeza

Hi guys been awhile since I been in here just had my second stay in hospital due too a flare up they found another abscess same area the terminal iliem lager this time they had to drain it no fun  but better than I expected I have now been out on a low residue diet as well but I'm not to sure what that is and what foods are better for me ?


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## UnXmas

Well it looks like it's confirmed that I'll be on a low-fibre diet for life. I'm on my third ileostomy now, and all the advice I got from the surgeon and stoma nurses was that this stoma shouldn't block so easily as the last two, because it's an end ileostomy rather than a loop ileostomy. So I had some hope that I'd be able to tolerate more fibre now, but when I started testing eating it, I was straight back to the stomach cramps which I know mean I am on the way to a blockage. So I'll be sticking to low fibre from now on!


----------



## UnXmas

leezapeza said:


> Hi guys been awhile since I been in here just had my second stay in hospital due too a flare up they found another abscess same area the terminal iliem lager this time they had to drain it no fun  but better than I expected I have now been out on a low residue diet as well but I'm not to sure what that is and what foods are better for me ?


Foods high in fibre tend to be the ones conventionally classed as "healthy" - fruit, vegetables, whole-grains, nuts and seeds. These foods don't break down easily during digestion, and they're the ones you have to avoid if you are eating low-fibre or low-residue.

There are a few fruit and vegetables that you _can_ eat on a low-fibre diet: bananas, avocados, fruit juice, tinned peaches and tinned apricots and some pureed or boiled fruit.

You _can_ eat grains that are not whole-grains: you can eat white rice, white bread and white pasta. There are some low-fibre breakfast cereals: Cornflakes, Rice Krispies, Coco Pops, Frosties and some others.

You _can_ eat protein foods like fish, meat, eggs, cheese and other dairy.

If you google it you'll find many web-pages with lists of foods you can and can't have, though you may find you come across contradictions, where one site says a certain food is allowed, and another forbids it, but you can get the general idea of which foods are mostly well-tolerated. Here's an example which is quite straightforward: http://www.gwh.nhs.uk/media/140811/low-residue_diet.pdf


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## Ann Morgan

Asher said:


> Hey my husband really wants to go to Red Lobster for dinner. What seafood is low fiber/residue? I hope shrimp! Haha


I have not been able to eat shellfish for many, many years. It would give me diarrhea. Sure wish I could enjoy some food with flavor. : - 0


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## Ann Morgan

Nancye50 said:


> Red Lobster would be easy, especially if you can eat greasy food. Hush puppies, biscuits, shrimp, lobster. Yum!!


Oh, please don't tease me with those biscuits :lol::lol:
I cannot eat greasy foods at all, sends me right to the bathroom. I was at the airport with my sister and niece in August. My sister and I shared some food.
I really miss eating food with flavor, so I ate fried fish, french fries and coleslawoo: I was running to the restroom in less than an hour. A lady waiting in line in the restroom saw the desperation on my face, so she let me cut ahead of her line !!!!!


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## Ann Morgan

Ok, I was looking for somewhere to post a question I had about Whey Powder Isolate. I unfortunately posted my question on the Paleo diet "thread".
I got a pretty opinionated response.....yikes. 

I bought some Whey Powder at Sprouts Grocery store to use in my smoothies as a source of protein ( I guess body-builders use a lot of this whey or soy powder ). I have been using plain Greek yogurt in my daily smoothies for a while and needed a change, so I chose the Whey Powder. I only use 2 level tablespoons in my 24 ounce smoothie and then I add some extra water in it too. Well, if I look online to.research the powder, of course I get a lot of conflicting stories about whether it is good for you or not. Has anyone here ever tried a whey or soy powder if they make smoothies ? My  digestive system can tolerate a liquid diet WAY better than a solid food diet. I cannot eat a raw apple, but I can put one in a smoothie with no colon issues. I recently had a CT Scan for my Urologist to check a cyst on my right kidney and something on the scan showed the possibility of terminal ileitis.  I just had a colonoscopy and it was normal ( but I am still having symptoms ). Anyway, I hate my new GI from this year, so I will be looking for a new one in 2015 and I will have to bring along my latest colonoscopy results and my CT Scan results. How can they diagnose terminal ileitis ?????


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## UnXmas

I have some good news - despite my earlier posts where I said my new stoma seemed to deal with fibre as badly as my previous stomas, I've recently been eating a bit more fibrous fruit and veg without any blockage symptoms! I think maybe I needed a bit more time for this stoma to heal, and now it has. I think I'll always be eating low fibre, but now not so very low fibre. 

Ann Morgan - I know little about whey protein powder, but if you're finding the internet is divided over it, perhaps the best thing to do is try it for yourself enough times to know if it's making your symptoms worse?  Or are you worried it could do silent damage, making your health worse in the long term while you feel no worse at the time you're eating it? My personal feeling is that it is probably an unnecessary food: there are plenty of easily available protein sources where there is a lot of established understanding about the effects they have on health.


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## Nancye50

I have no idea about the whey powder. What about powdered peanut butter?


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## MsZombie

I put myself on a low res diet after my first hosp stay, which was an abscess drainage. At the time I didn't know I even had strictures, that news came last week during my first colonoscopy for the "official" diagnosis of Crohn's. I pretty much stick to my diet, but being new to Pred, my hunger is huge! My diet consists of grilled steak (NY Strip or Ribeye), lean pork chops, chicken breasts, potatoes no skin, mashed or baked, white rice, gravy and canned green bean and canned carrots. A few surprising things I can tolerate is caffeine, haven't had to stop coffee but switched to agave nectar instead of refined sugar, any kind of cheeses, real butter, and Coke, but Dr. Pepper makes me sick. Fried foods in moderation aren't an issue and I seem to be able to eat candy, cake and brownies. Not healthy at all but I have no pain and fairly "normal" BM's. There are other foods I tolerate without problems but no need to list everything. I thought I'd share b/c my particular diet intake seems a little wider in choices than others and I know everyone is different. I want to start juicing a few fruits and veggies but don't know if I'll be able to handle the taste and texture. Plus, I need a blender! Maybe Santa will bring one for me!
Doc said considering the narrowing of my strictures, he's amazed that I can eat the things I'm eating. But you never know, things can change. So I'll enjoy these while I can.
I forgot to mention that Chocolate Muscle Milk has become my best friend!


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## Ann Morgan

Zombie: Buy a Nutribullet instead of a blender or a juicer. I have one and I like it. It is WAY cheaper than a juicer.


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## Polaris

UnXmas said:


> Low-fibre is a life-long diet for me.


Me too, it seems.


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## Susan2

Definitely for me, as well.


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## MsZombie

I will look into the Nutribullet. Thanks!
My only concern is feeling like I'm constantly either having warm soup or cold juice. I know this will all take some getting used to, I can be picky.


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## MsZombie

Hubby and I are currently at his company Christmas party. They are giving out door prizes and 2 of them are NutriBullets! Of course we didn't win anything, but one of the employees wins one, they know of my current situation, and gives me the NutriBullet. Now I can juice! Thought I'd share this cause I'm pretty excited about it AND I never, ever win anything. What great people!!


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## leezapeza

Hi guy just got out of hospital for the 3rd time this year they had to do a resection of my illiem and I had a fistula in between my bowel and bladder had to take that out and bit of my bladder they were took my appendix as well and done a wedges resection so I'm feeling a bit empty I've lost 5 kg since then op was on 27/11/14 so I'm on very soft foods and smoothies my mum and dad have a thing called the bullet it purée everything and anything I been on that the first 7 days after surgery u couldn't eat anything but ice


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## Nancye50

Remember that smoothies from a blender or bullet still have a lot of fiber. A juicer is the only way to remove the fiber.


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## Ann Morgan

I have a Nutribullet and I like it, but it may not meet everyone's dietary needs. I do NOT make any of the Nutribullet smoothies that are listed in the recipe book that I  received when I purchased the blender because they all contain raw fruits and vegetables that I cannot tolerate at all in their solid form. I guess one day I should mix up something that resembles one of suggested recipes to see how my colon reacts. I am just afraid I will really get bad diarrhea from their recipes. I saw a nutionist/dietician in May and she gave me a paper with ideas for smoothies recipes, so that is the list I have been using. I don't have my Nutribullet recipe book any longer because I sent it to my Aunt. My smoothies have fruit,vegetable, protein, dairy, flavoring, and honey.

Every day I have my smoothie. It is refreshing because I also add 6-8 min ice cubes. It makes 24 ounces. I can digest liquid food easier than solid food. I gave up coffee seven months ago because coffee is a stimulant and creates more anxiety, as does candy. But now I am back to my 12 ounces of coffee in the morning, with liquid creamer. I really had missed the whole "coffee experience" in the morning. I like the hot coffee in the wintertime and the coffee aroma. Now instead of drinking my smoothie in the morning I drink it on late afternoon. I figured out how many calories were in my smoothie and it is no more than 600 calories. This may not be for everyone. I suffer from dry mouth too, so I like my liquid smoothie.

I use one medium ripe banana, one medium apple ( no core or skin, 1/2 cup of real carrot juice ( the refrigerated kind ), 5 ounces of plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup of soy milk, 2 tablespoons of honey and one tablespoon of real vanilla extract and 6 mini ice cubes. The NutriBullet is not made for ice cubes ?  Recently I have been experimenting with whey protein powdrr to replace the plain Greek yogurt ( which is the protein part of my smoothie ) and I have also been adding one level tablespoon of ground up flaxseed seeds. The protein powder is 2 level tablespoons. If I use the Whey powider I add 1/2 a cup of water. I have heard that whey and soy protein are not good for you. But I will try both of them so I can have some sort of variety in my daily smoothie drinks. 

My sister gave me a huge book about  different types of smoothies, but a lot of the "smoothies are just the sugary types of smoothies that contain real sugary ingredients like ice cream, sweet juices chocolate and coffee. I don't to drink a dessert type of smoothie. 

I know that this is not for everyone, but we are all constantly experimenting with what we can and cannot eat based omat our health condition is.

Thank you for listening. Have a great week. : - )


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## UnXmas

600 calories is an awful lot for a smoothie - it's almost twice the calories that are in one off the Ensure supplements my doctors prescribe to try to help me gain weight. Is the smoothie very filling? I'd love to find more sources of calories that won't fill me up!


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## Alley2231

UnXmas said:


> 600 calories is an awful lot for a smoothie - it's almost twice the calories that are in one off the Ensure supplements my doctors prescribe to try to help me gain weight. Is the smoothie very filling? I'd love to find more sources of calories that won't fill me up!


I know the smoothie I generally make for breakfast fills me up and is about 300 calories. I use - vanilla unsweetened almond milk(1 cup), spinach (2 handfuls), frozen blueberries(1 cup), frozen strawberries(1 cup), banana(whole), light vanilla yogurt(1/2 cup) and a few ice cubes. It fits nicely into a 32 oz water bottle that I have. Sometimes I switch out the strawberries and use pineapple. Yummy! :ysmile:


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## leezapeza

Hope I get a bullet for Christmas lol not the lead kind either


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## UnXmas

Alley2231 said:


> I know the smoothie I generally make for breakfast fills me up and is about 300 calories. I use - vanilla unsweetened almond milk(1 cup), spinach (2 handfuls), frozen blueberries(1 cup), frozen strawberries(1 cup), banana(whole), light vanilla yogurt(1/2 cup) and a few ice cubes. It fits nicely into a 32 oz water bottle that I have. Sometimes I switch out the strawberries and use pineapple. Yummy! :ysmile:


I need things that _ won't_ fill me up!


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## 1sickpuppy

Thanks, Ann for the smoothie recipe! I've been thinking about doing smoothies but can't do any fiber so was wondering about ingredients. This is a helpful starting point!


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## Nancye50

UnXmas do you mean you're bogged down by heavy calorie sources?

Are you using things like coconut oil, avocado, etc?


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## Marlena

Is it still low fiber if you cook your veggies to death?  Which I despise.


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## UnXmas

> UnXmas do you mean you're bogged down by heavy calorie sources?
> 
> Are you using things like coconut oil, avocado, etc?


I'm sorry, for some reason I missed this post until now. My situation has changed a lot. I'm still very underweight but gaining very slowly. However, since my last surgery I no longer have to eat as low fibre as I used to. I still eat only a moderate amount of fibre, but with my new ileostomy I've gradually been increasing and eating more fibre than I have in years without issues. However, I still get incredibly full, and eating fibre doesn't really help with weight gain, as the fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. I can eat now don't really add more calories to my diet, much as I appreciate the variety of food I can eat now.

When I was having to eat low fibre, yes, I ate a lot of avocados, smooth peanut butter, etc.



Marlena said:


> Is it still low fiber if you cook your veggies to death?  Which I despise.


Cooking vegetables generally makes them much easier for people who can't handle much fibre. I believe it lowers the nutritional value of the vegetables too though, and some vegetables may cause problems even when well cooked, so be careful.

I used to eat well cooked vegetables when I had to eat low fibre, mainly carrots and other root vegetables, some others would still give me problems even when thoroughly cooked. I just felt my meals were more normal and complete with a token piece of veg, cooked veg still provide some nutrition, and I like the taste. If you don't like the taste of well cooked veg, and find veg that hasn't been well cooked gives you problems, you may as well skip veg in their normal forms altogether, and maybe try smooth vegetable soups, or get your vitamins from supplements. I've not tried it myself, but some people find juicing is a way they can have veg without fibre issues.


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## Marlena

I do a lot of juicing, so I guess that's the route.  Thanks for your reply.


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## Ann Morgan

I don't eat raw OR cooked vegetables, I get diarrhea from both. But I do believe, from previous experiences, that I could probably eat cooked carrots and cooked root vegetables with little problems. But I am afraid to experiment on myself all of the time, so I have a tendency to eat "safe", but I am in no way getting the proper nutrition. A lot of foods that I can tolerate are foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates. I can tolerate all dairy and all bread and pasta. I started making one smoothie every day last year. My Nutribullet "blender" works well for me. Actually, if I could withstand it, I would just have TWO smoothies a day and bypass all solid food altogether ( except my 12 ounces of coffee in the morning and any kind of food that is chocolate : - ) .

Thanks for listening. I am staying home today. I am tired, as usual. : - (

Have a happy and healthy week.


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## Marlena

Next time you feel you try something, find a juicing recipe and try it.  Many Crohnie's who can't do veggies find this works.


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## UnXmas

Ann Morgan said:


> I don't eat raw OR cooked vegetables, I get diarrhea from both. But I do believe, from previous experiences, that I could probably eat cooked carrots and cooked root vegetables with little problems. But I am afraid to experiment on myself all of the time, so I have a tendency to eat "safe", but I am in no way getting the proper nutrition. A lot of foods that I can tolerate are foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates. I can tolerate all dairy and all bread and pasta. I started making one smoothie every day last year. My Nutribullet "blender" works well for me. Actually, if I could withstand it, I would just have TWO smoothies a day and bypass all solid food altogether ( except my 12 ounces of coffee in the morning and any kind of food that is chocolate : - ) .


If you're able to tolerate whole grain bread, you may be ok with more vegetables, because whole grains contain fibre too.

Start with very small portions of vegetables and build up.

Dairy can be a healthy food, and if you don't want too many calories, could you try dairy products like low fat yoghurt and cottage cheese?

And you've probably seen them already in many of the posts around here, but bananas, avocados, smooth vegetable soups, tinned fruit (except tinned pineapples), and fruit juices - all are good fruits and vegetables for people with issues with high fibre.


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## UnXmas

Looks like I am going back on a low fibre diet again. Fibre isn't blocking my stoma like it used to, but it seems to make my output far too thick.


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## Marlena

Went to the GI guy and still no fresh fruits - and it's summer!  And I absolutely love peaches and all the others.  Oh well, better safe than sorry, I suppose.  But I could have peach cobbler.  Hmmmmm.


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## karen.bruno.az

nogutsnoglory said:


> I am on this diet by doctors orders due to severe stenosis in my colon and small intestine. I have trouble finding healthy foods to eat on this diet. I would love to incorporate more fruits and vegetables but anything aside from juice scares me. I mainly eat white flour products and dairy. This has helped me gain weight but long term I know this is unhealthy.


I'm so sorry to hear that you're struggling with your diet.  There's a book out entitled "What To Eat With IBD" by Tracie Dalessandro, MS, RD, CDN.  It is a good food resource.

There is a soup in this book - cream of potato carrot (page 90)- and it is packed with nutrition.  Because the soup is pureed, it is very easy to digest and makes you feel full.  I make a pot of it when I have a flare, and live off of it for a week.    I would list the recipe, but the book is copyrighted.  I highly recommend it, though.  BetterWorldBooks has used books for incredibly low prices. Maybe they'll have a copy of it.  (free shipping!)


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## Marlena

Oh, I read that and it is indeed a really good book.  I'll check out that book site, too, thanks.  And I love potatoes and carrots.  I do a lot of juicing - you get most of the nutrients and none of the fiber.


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## karen.bruno.az

Marlena said:


> Oh, I read that and it is indeed a really good book.  I'll check out that book site, too, thanks.  And I love potatoes and carrots.  I do a lot of juicing - you get most of the nutrients and none of the fiber.


I haven't tried juicing - I guess I should do that!


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## Marlena

The book is cheaper on Amazon.


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## karen.bruno.az

Marlena said:


> The book is cheaper on Amazon.


Good to know.  I've told lots of people about that book - and everyone I know usually likes to save money!


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## AnnieYa

Marlena said:


> Went to the GI guy and still no fresh fruits - and it's summer!  And I absolutely love peaches and all the others.  Oh well, better safe than sorry, I suppose.  But I could have peach cobbler.  Hmmmmm.


I know what you mean, I walked through a market today and all the stalls were overloaded with all this amazing fruit or fresh smoothies/juices. There have been a few occasions throughout the year where I decided to risk it, but 75% of the time I end up worse off. Rhubarb crumble was tolerable for me though, did the peach cobbler work out OK?

Fruit juice (unless it's something really mild like pear) can really sting, but I haven't tried a pure vegetable one. Will look out for it


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## Marlena

The peach cobbler was just fine.  The batter is like runny cake and the peaches are all cooked, but taste way better than canned.  Rhubarb has worked for me, too.  It's the black and red raspberries that really get to me, but I think I had better be good.  The recipe for the peach cobbler - google "easy peach cobbler" and you'll find it.  Goes together in about 10 minutes.  And you can use any fruit.  Probably not applesauce, though.  But you can use drained cooked fruit as well.  In the veggie section of the market, in the part that's refrigerated, there are usually a number of juices.  they can be expensive, so I try to make my own.  I get them when they're on a big sale.


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## Marlena

Oh, you can also water down your juice or mix it with seltzer and then use a straw to drink it, so the bubbles bother you less.


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## AnnieYa

Marlena said:


> Oh, you can also water down your juice or mix it with seltzer and then use a straw to drink it, so the bubbles bother you less.


Thanks :ybiggrin:

I'm currently living without an oven  badly-stocked rental property. But perhaps stewing the fruit and topping with pancakes would be a good non-oven version.


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## Marlena

You could try very gently stewing and top with batter under a closed lid and see how it works, but just do enough for one small serving incase it doesn't, but the pancakes sound good, too.


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## lowri

My partner has just been diagnosed with crohns in his small intestines and ulcerative colitis in his large , as i prepare all his food i am looking for advise about the best food / diet for him 
many thanks in advance


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