Alternative Diets for people with Crohn's Disease

[dad_01]

My 13-year-old son was recently diagnosed with crohns.

We have two very different diets to consider. One is from our pediatric GI specialist, who seems happy if he would eat mcdonalds food and milk shakes three times a day, in order to load on the calories. However, it doesn't seem to consider the quality of the calories he would be getting.

A nutritionist we have seen privately - an alternative type nutritionist - is suggesting an approach that he says will address the source of the crohns. His diet would elminiate - at least for 8 weeks - all dairy, wheat, and most sugar.

Just looking for some thoughts and experiences with this.

Thanks!

 

[Jeff D.]

I would say if he can eat something let him eat it. I just recently read an article on the internet about food and hunger and they said that your stomach looks for 51 different nutrients and when all of those are found you will stop being hungry or if you overstuff yourself you will not be hungry but you will be having to use up a lot of energy digesting the food after which saps some of the calories your son needs. So it is not the quantity of food you eat but the quality of food you eat. I your son can handle eating fruits I would advise eating lots of fruits and vegetables that are uncooked because when you cook them they lose their nutrients. Only have him eat those if he can handle them. Then eat some sort of protein, eating fish is one of the healthiest things for you as it contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids which are good for inflammation. Tell your son to excercise not too hard at first but don't go to easy. Tell your son to look into the art of Parkour. It is like urban running and gets you into shape and allows you to understand the beaty of your environment. The site is called parkour.net and it would have every thing you would ever need to be healthy from nutrition to training to the actual art.

 

[Jeff D.]

I also forgot to mention he should keep a food journal of everything he eats. Write down every symptom of each food good or bad. Those are some things that have helped me out and now I have only a few symptoms that trouble me.

 

[Kev]

Seem to be a case of extremes. If you follow the old 'everything in moderation' lore, then somewhere in between you should find a happy medium. First of all, a 13 year old is going to have a tuff time maintaining an unrealistic diet... and I know from being a full time single dad to 2 teen boys that u can't be with them all of the time. I ruled out all processed sugars... substituted honey.. and I removed as much lactose from my diet... damned stuff is even used in margarine and added to pills as fiillers. I also steered away from fibre (there's a real challange, they put it in everything now) and I reduced my fat intake.. my is about 1/5 the national avg..
(like, one of those burger/milkshake meals is way more than the recommended max daily allotment).. A lot of wheat is sort of so/so, but oatmeal is very healthy.
I had the privilege of having a nutritionist who specialized in IBD issues, and she was very helpful. And I keep a daily journal of everything I eat, and how it reacts.
Protein is very important... basic building blocks.. part of a well balanced diet.. and I think that eating healthy is crucial if you have a disease like this. Your son will want a burger like everyone else.. someplaces grill, others fry.. some offer VERY good grilled veggie burgers.. Carbonated beverages are often a problem, but a little flat ginger ale can be beneficial... Fries? God I love fries.. but to avoid a lot of fat, I make mine from scratch, grilled in a convection oven.. great substitute. Pizza
Who doesn't love pizza? I make mine with soya mozzeralla, no lactose, low fat, a lot of veggie pepperoni, peeled pepper (red or yellow, not green - to reduce gas) ..

Welllll, I won't give away the whole cookbook... you need to experiment, try a little of this and that, see what happens, compromise between the two extremes, and give your son a diet that he can maintain, and hopefully live long & prosper with..

that;s just my 2 cents worth

 

[Sojourn]

That's good you're getting different opinions and hopefully you can find a good balance. When I was first diagnosed, the GI said I could eat anything. I thought this was really strange considering everything I'd read. I even thought maybe he was trying to make me sicker so he could prescribe more drugs and make more money. I'm not sure about that.

Eventually I settled on a soft food diet of foods that are easy to digest.

 

[dad_01]

That's good you're getting different opinions and hopefully you can find a good balance. When I was first diagnosed, the GI said I could eat anything. I thought this was really strange considering everything I'd read. I even thought maybe he was trying to make me sicker so he could prescribe more drugs and make more money. I'm not sure about that.

Eventually I settled on a soft food diet of foods that are easy to digest.

The diet from the alternative nutritionist is supposed to be for about 6 weeks, to bring stomach bacteria into balance, by establishing more "good" bacteria and getting rid of "bad" bacteria. This is mostly through having no dairy or wheat for the six week period, which would be difficult for him to do.

 

[Jeff D.]

You could also try probiotics. I am taking primal defense right now and my stomach has thanked me for it. But their are many many different kinds to take and all will help get the intestines back into a higher good bacteria to low bad bacteria.

 

[Cog]

I know it is hard but I would recommend keeping away from sugar, sweeteners, soda and as much artificial food as you can. It has taken me a long time (years) to get around to doing this but I am better for it. If you want to research it more please look at Mercola.com. Yes wheat and cow dairy is good to avoid too.

 

[Mazen]

I advise you get the book "What to Eat with IBD"; it's very nice book, written by a dietician who has Crohn's; it also contains info on supplementation, food safety and Crohn's friendly recipes

 

[dad_01]

Thanks for all the great comments and suggestions.

 

[old hat]

A nutritionist we have seen privately - an alternative type nutritionist - is suggesting an approach that he says will address the source of the crohns. His diet would elminiate - at least for 8 weeks - all dairy, wheat, and most sugar.

Just looking for some thoughts and experiences with this.

Thanks!

It would be nice if there were a special diet that would 'address the source of the Crohn's" but there isn't. Unfortunately, it just isn't the case. If this guy is telling you that this diet will 'address the source of the Crohn's" I would strongly suggest that you consider finding another dietitian. Here is a place to find a qualified Registered Dietitian (RD) accredited by the American Dietitic Association (ADA)
http://www.rdlink.com/

Here is some good info on food, nutrition and IBD
http://www.ccfa.org/info/diet?LMI=4.2

 

[dad_01]

It would be nice if there were a special diet that would 'address the source of the Crohn's" but there isn't. Unfortunately, it just isn't the case. If this guy is telling you that this diet will 'address the source of the Crohn's" I would strongly suggest that you consider finding another dietitian. Here is a place to find a qualified Registered Dietitian (RD) accredited by the American Dietitic Association (ADA)
http://www.rdlink.com/

Here is some good info on food, nutrition and IBD
http://www.ccfa.org/info/diet?LMI=4.2

Let me clarify - I don't think the dietitician meant that diet was the cause of the crohns in the first place but rather that, once my son had shown crohns symptoms, that diet played a big factor in the source of the symptoms. Maybe "diet aggravating the symtoms" might better describe it, if I''m not getting too confusing.

Thank you for the good suggestions!

 

[Shoeless]

Would going on a south beach diet be bad for you with Crohns?

 

[old hat]

Would going on a south beach diet be bad for you with Crohns?

There isn't a single diet that is either good or bad for people with Crohn's in general. It varies widely between individuals.

 

[dad_01]

There isn't a single diet that is either good or bad for people with Crohn's in general. It varies widely between individuals.

Sounds like it can awhile to learn your own body's individual sensitivities to diet.

 

[old hat]

Sounds like it can awhile to learn your own body's individual sensitivities to diet.

It can. That is why the food journal that Jeff D mentions above is so useful.

 

[dad_01]

Sounds like it can awhile to learn your own body's individual sensitivities to diet.

Can any generalities be be made about wheat and dairy and sugar, in terms of dificulty for those with crohn's to handle?

 

[old hat]

Can any generalities be be made about wheat and dairy and sugar, in terms of dificulty for those with crohn's to handle?

Secondary lactose intolerance can sometimes occur as a result of Crohn's disease. Not everyone develops it and the degree of intolerance varies widely.

There is a distinct condition called Celiac Disease aka gluten-sensitive enteropathy that is caused by sensitivity to the gluten found in wheat. It has many of the same symptoms as Crohn's Disease. This condition is specifically trigerred by gluten found in wheat as well as rye, barley and triticale. Crohn's Disease does not work this way though some people do have trouble with glutens.

There has been some speculation that Crohn's Disease might be related to consumption of large amounts of refined sugar. Careful epidemiologic analysis does not support this speculation. Sugar consumption is a secondary rather than a causal factor. Still sugar consumption is higher in people with Crohn's disease and can cause it's own problems like dental hygiene problems. Too much sugar can also aggravate diarrhea.

Nutrition in Crohn's cases, especially pediatric cases, is a complicated subject and (unfortunaely) there is a lot of misinformation floating around. I eally would suggest talking to a registered dietitian. I am an interested layman, not an expert.

edit
If he isn't drinking any milk, make sure he gets enough Vitamin D and Calcium from some other source.

 

[DarrylP_Ajax]

In my personal experience, i tried the nutritionists diet that you speak of, and i will fully say that it did nothing for me, didnt get worse, didnt get better. I also tried the SCD stuff and had no luck their either, i know some people have had luck on the diet, so i am not going to bash it since everyone is different, but for me, it was a waste of time. I went from 240lbs to about 195lbs at the peak of my disease. The two above diets i was unable to gain a pound back, but within 3 1/2 months of my own personally tailored diet, i was back up to 235lbs

Also on a very opinionated note, you can get lots of calories and gain weight WITHOUT complete trash like fast foods and over processed stuff you get from the grocery store junk aisle. I am very heavy into body building, especially in the last two years since i was diagnosed, my diet is between 5000-6000 calories a day, and that is ALL clean cut food, hardly any truly processed foods, other then breads and dairy, which isnt really processed that much at all. Ever since i have begun my own diet i put together, along with a training regime that includes 6 days a week at the gym, cardio included and lots of sleep, i feel awesome. I also play hockey two nights a week in a league based right by Toronto. This year i have had the best season i have ever had in my life, pre or post crohns (finished 3rd in the league in points out of 260 players), so its safe to say i dont think i have ever been healthier or more in shape in my life.

I guess my overall point is that there is never a set diet, medication or quick fix, you have to figure it out on your own (in the case of your son since he was unlucky enough to be cursed with this stupid disease at such a young age which is completely unfair) he will probably need a little help on figuring it out. But if one thing doesnt work dont be discouraged, it may take a couple rounds to find that perfect combination, but i believe with crohns we all have some kind of lifestyle that can control our disease well enough to live a healthy lifestyle, it has worked for me so far. I wish you and your son the best of luck on finding the diet that works best for him.

P.S. I know doctors are almighty and knowing, but dont listen to everything they say when it comes to diet. My GI said NOTHING that i do with my diet will help my crohns as it is not caused by diet. If i ask anyone here though they will tell you diet effects them big time, including myself. To this day still, no matter how great i feel, if i eat any of my "bad" foods, which the two big heavy hitters being Onions and Pork, my internal system goes INSANE and i end up having multiple BM the next day. So my doctor is obviously ill-informed

P.S.S. I consider Green Tea (imported, not the crap tetley makes) to be a godsend, ever since i started drinking it religiously 6 months ago (never drank tea in my life) i only have one BM a day with no D. I am on Imuran, but it the tea made a night and day difference in a matter of 4-5 days. I now drink 3-4 cups a day and find it works wonders.

I apologize for getting a little ranty above, CD pisses me off sometimes and i get a little worked up

 

[Mazen]

Hi Darryl

How do you put an appetite to eat 6000 calories per day? For me , most of the time I have no appetite, and if I eat a somewhat big quantity of food , I don't feel good...

Do you have any tips on how I can increase my appetite. Also what do you eat to beef up? I need to gain some weight....

 

[old hat]

P.S. I know doctors are almighty and knowing, but dont listen to everything they say when it comes to diet. My GI said NOTHING that i do with my diet will help my crohns as it is not caused by diet. If i ask anyone here though they will tell you diet effects them big time, including myself. To this day still, no matter how great i feel, if i eat any of my "bad" foods, which the two big heavy hitters being Onions and Pork, my internal system goes INSANE and i end up having multiple BM the next day. So my doctor is obviously ill-informed

Crohn's isn't caused by diet and, according to all available evidence, the course of the disease itself not influenced by diet. The disease itself is the on-going inflammatory process in the intestines. Diet can certainly aggravate symptoms in some people. Diet can make symptoms worse or cause symptoms on it's own in the case of secondary lactose intolerance. It does not worsen the inflammatory process which is what the disease actually is.

Your doctor is not ill informed but the two of you are talking about different things.

 

[DarrylP_Ajax]

Crohn's isn't caused by diet and, according to all available evidence, the course of the disease itself not influenced by diet. The disease itself is the on-going inflammatory process in the intestines. Diet can certainly aggravate symptoms in some people. Diet can make symptoms worse or cause symptoms on it's own in the case of secondary lactose intolerance. It does not worsen the inflammatory process which is what the disease actually is.

Your doctor is not ill informed but the two of you are talking about different things.

That was the point of my statement
"My GI said NOTHING that i do with my diet will help my crohns as it is not caused by diet."
He believes that there is no point making my life easier by watching my diet because crohns is not caused by diet, but controlling my diet does help my crohns (just because my diet is not lessening the inflammation doesnt mean it is not helping, by watching my diet and feeling better, it lessens my stress, thus resulting in less inflammation, so technically diet does indirectly help crohns). When i eat properly and dont get aggravations i am less stressed, less run down, less depressed which all results in my disease being less active.

 

[DarrylP_Ajax]

Hi Darryl

How do you put an appetite to eat 6000 calories per day? For me , most of the time I have no appetite, and if I eat a somewhat big quantity of food , I don't feel good...

Do you have any tips on how I can increase my appetite. Also what do you eat to beef up? I need to gain some weight....

I am in the gym 5-6 days a week when i have proper time, i burn 500-600 calories/day doing cardio for an hour before i even start my weight training portion of the day, so i probably burn at least 1000 calories on any given day at the gym. I also have an extremely fast metabolism, if i eat anything less then 3-4000 i will start losing weight/muscle fast.

As far as quantity goes, that is actually the key. Yes i am eating a large quantity of food to get those 6000 calories but i dont eat it all at once, i spread that out over usually 6 meals a day, maybe 7 or 8, depending on how much time i have at work. Breakfast is my largest meal calorie wise, i consume about 1200 calories when i wake up in the morning (6am) in the form of a protein shake. By spreading out your meals over multiple times in smaller amounts throughout the day you actually naturally increase your metabolism as you will no longer get the sugar spikes you get by eating 2-3 large meals through the day.

As far as increasing your appetite goes, the only way in my opinion you can actually do that is to give your body a reason to want more food. Alot of people have problems like yourself with eating large amounts because you are usually forcing yourself to eat against your bodys own will. Its just a simple chemical signal that your brain is sending to say "i am full". By speeding up your metabolism you will eventually turn that signal off, making it much easier to eat more food, since your body is actually asking for it.

Carbs are my staple for large aomunts of calories, whole wheat everything, pasta, bread, cereals (i tend not to eat TOO much cereal though as since i have been on imuran i can only handle so much dairy a day, cereal without milk is no fun ), buckwheat is a huge part of my diet as well, just the plain roasted kind. I eat a fairly clean diet. Fast food is out of the question, no McD's, no Pizza Pizza. i eat no Pork, beef (and extra lean at that) on rare occasions. Chicken and Tuna are huge staples for protein/meat, its basically the only meat you will see me eating. I consume a lot of dairy and yhogurt throughout the day (once again pacing myself, so i dont kill myself with lactose). Milk is a good slow burning protein as well. I eat alot of eggs as well for extra protein, since i have no cholesterol issues i eat the whole egg. I try to eat a decent amount of veggies, but too much and i get probs, so when i eat them i make sure they are cooked well (i tend to try and make some kind of soup so i am drinking the broth the vegetables have been boiled in as to not lose out on the nutritional portion of the vegetable). As far as fruit goes, i eat bananas faster then a monkey, and also a lot of wild berries.

One of these days (in the process of preparing for an exam and have had family things going on) when i get time i am going to put together some kind of menu overview of my meals.

And as stated above green tea is part of my diet (which increases metabolism as well)


I think i covered everything, if you have any other questions let me know, would be glad to help.

 

[Mazen]

Thanks Darryl

Regarding the shakes, what kind do you use? I once tried Ensure, and I couldn't handle it !!!!

As for whole grain products I also cannot handle them , as I have a narrowed ileum and have problem with fiber.

As you said, green tea is very good. I use an organic one, which seems to help a lot.

 

[DarrylP_Ajax]

Thanks Darryl

Regarding the shakes, what kind do you use? I once tried Ensure, and I couldn't handle it !!!!

As for whole grain products I also cannot handle them , as I have a narrowed ileum and have problem with fiber.

As you said, green tea is very good. I use an organic one, which seems to help a lot.

My shakes are homemade. They consist of:

1 1/2 Cups of Buckwheat (Soaked in water overnight and strained)
2 Large Bananas
3 Tablespoons Strawberrys or Mixed Berries
2 Cups of 3.25% Milk
1 Heaping Scoop of ON Whey (available at any nutrition store like GNC) which has 40g of Protein a scoop
2 Tablespoons of Flaxseed Oil

Blend away like a maniac and u have yourself my patented 1200-1400 calorie shake

This has been my staple in rebuilding myself back up to my 240-245lb self that i was in Dec/05 before i dropped to 195lbs by Mar/06 because of the CD, now i am back up to between 230-236lbs depending on the day

 

[killerzoey]

Hello

I'm sorry to learn that your son has been diagnosed with this disease - and so young. Welcome to the forum.

There are a few diets that claim to be able to effect improvement on IBD - the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and the Maker's Diet. I don't know anything about the Maker's Diet but wanted to say I'm on the SCD and am glad I am. Like the diet your nutritionist wants your son to try, the SCD also eliminates all wheat (all grains, actually), all milk, and all long-chain carbs. The reasoning behind this is that grains and other long-chain carbs don't always break down by the time they reach the lower intestines and colon, which feeds the bad bacteria and yeast down there. These bad guys then grow and begin impairing the intestinal wall, further impairing digestion and allowing even more carbs to feed the bad guys. The diet starves the bad guys and the yogurt we make (made a particular way using only certain good bacteria) re-colonizes the good bacteria population. Eventually, balance is struck again and then intestinal healing can occur. There is a book called "Breaking The Vicious Cycle" that tells you how to get going on the diet, and a website, too www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info

I know of one woman on another board that completely keeps her symptoms at bay by following an anti-candida diet. It seems to me that there must be various ways of getting to the point of having IBD and that is why different diets work for different people.

Not sure what your son's symptoms. I did not have diarrhea so it's more difficult for me to gauge improvement than it might be for others. People with D can often improve quite quickly in that area.

I trust the science behind the diet and it is comforting for me to know that by following it I am, at the very least, doing my level best to promote intestinal healing. It is not meant to be done to the exclusion of any medication or doctor's recommendations, but in order to be effective it must be done 100%. This means that doing the SCD 90% of the time is not even close to 90% as good as doing it completely. To starve the bad guys you really have to do just that - not even a crumb thrown their way. The diet does not work miracles for everyone but IMO because it was designed for IBD it is worth a try.

BTW as I mentioned I didn't have diarrhea but I did have horrible bloating and urgency, and my stools were awful looking - floating and yellow or mucousy and bloody. I was living on Ensure before I started the diet and now I have worked up to eating fruits, vegetables, home-made yogurt, meats, lots of wonderful, natural food. And my "output" is great; I am smoooooth-running now

What seems different is that through following the diet I am absorbing more of what I eat. The dark circles under my eyes are beginning to fade and I am never bloated. Based on my experience I would think that your doctor's advice of just eating high calorie anything leaves a bit to be desired.

I still have LRQ pain but it has faded. Unfortunately it's been replaced by more recent arthritic complaints : ( but hopefully this too will pass.

Just wanted to share my experience so far, for what it's worth. Best of luck to you and your son.

 

[Cara Fusinato]

I have been placed on a very restrictive diet by a dietician . . . not for Crohn's but to lose weight (not normal for Crohn's people). So, though my situation is different, I am on a restrictive diet. It totally and completely sucks. I mean, I am indeed losing weight at a very steady and proper weight, it doesn't agravate my Crohn's and does bring food easier for my poor intestines to handle, but life has no quality being THAT restrictive. I have gone through withdrawls and have to cope with seeing others eat while I can't. I have had to skip two parties and miss out on socializing. I am just too miserable in social situations (which we attend a lot of). Even television's hideous food ads make me ache. My dietician decided to give me some anti-depressants for the emotional aspect, but since I don't like those things, I just stock-piled them and am working through it on my own much like that old psychological test of the rats who had to get shocked to go get food or water and eventually they just gave up and accepted the torture because they couldn't avoid it.

My point is . . . while the dietician is wanting your son to rather detox the system and then you will add in appropriate foods, your son, who is now coping with a miserable life-long illness diagnosis must now deal with an additional tough burden. Please consider the emotional aspect as part of your decision.

Crohn's is individual. Perhaps you might wish to speak further to the dietician and skip the weeks of system detox and just ask for them to help construct high calorie healthy meals and snacks. Like above mentioned . . . consider the quality of the calories and the overall impact of the foods on the system. You can eat a lot of fine healthy foods without eating junk. Keep a food journal and discuss what worked and didn't at each session. What works for one person doesn't for another with this illness.

Best wishes for your son.

 

[old hat]

Here is the scoop on the Maker's Diet and its creator
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art35127.asp
Bottom line: bogus credentials. bogus research. bogus supplements. bogus

 

[Kev]

Live and learn. Isn't it a pain that everytime you stumble on information about this or that, it typically leaves you asking more questions instead of answering a few. As a case in point.. I started noticing, decades ago, that if I consumed 3.5% whole milk in tea or coffee, that I would experience the big 'D'. So I switched to powdered skim milk, and I could have as much as I wanted, and no big 'D'. I always ASSumed that this was 'lactose intolerance'. Yet, in reviewing the info on the SCD website, 'they' say that skim milk has more lactose than whole milk. anyone understand my pain? I had ASSumed that less fat content equated to less lactose (is my ASSumption comprehensible? wouldn't anybody else have made it)SOOOOO, now what? Should I ASSume that the 'they' on the SCD website know of where they speak? It seems to be a 'safe' ASSumption, otherwise somebody is sure to have blown the whistle by now (if any ASSumption can be said to be safe). I also saw, on another thread, current thinking on the nutritional aspects of IBD, and 'IF' I correctly interpreted what that 'they' were saying (lot of medical jargon) the 'current' rationale is that sucrose is bad for IBD, fructose is good for IBD, AND lactose, more importantly 'lactose intolerance' is not directly tied to IBD, it's just an adjunct, seperate entity that complicates IBD, it's diagnosis, treatment, et cetera; AND that the symptoms of lactose intolerance, altho mimicking IBD symptomology, is NOT related to the progression of the disease. i.e. the nasty lactose intolerance symptoms will make you feel worse; in total it may make your IBD symptoms worse BUT it doesn't mean that your IBD is worse, or better, or static, whatever..
Will somebody out there shoot me? Are you really starting to feel my pain now??
So, I WILL see if I can find a (ha, ha) 'DEFINITIVE, TRUSTED, UN-DISPUTABLE AND RELIABLE' source of info on whether whole milk HAS less, more or equal amounts of lactose in it than skim ..AND IF THAT IS 'TRUE', then I have to start from scratch.
WHY? Cause I based my 'lactose intolerance' on my own faulty assumption. And if I am not 'lactose intolerant' then what, aside from 'fat' content, is different in the whole 'whole vs skim' scenario, AND if I am lactose intolerant, then why did I have lesser symptoms after switching to skim milk? Or is all of this just a drug induced dream/nightmare? Anyone who is able to decipher this and rationally comment on it is more than welcome to jump in. At the moment, I'm totally in an IBD quandary.

 

[kpratte]

Will somebody out there shoot me? Are you really starting to feel my pain now??

Why?, you back up everything I've noticed with diets.

"My GI said NOTHING that i do with my diet will help my crohns as it is not caused by diet." He believes that there is no point making my life easier by watching my diet because crohns is not caused by diet, but controlling my diet does help my crohns

This just always seems to amaze me with GIs. Everyone that I know that has Crohn's has practically got the same statement from their GIs, yet all of us have found the opposite to be true. Diet will not prevent it cause, but it sure helps with the symptoms.

I had picked up the SCD book many years ago and what I found that it was tad hard to be good, like impossible (least for me). I'll echo the same to keep a food journal and figure out things that just don't agree with ya.

Here are the things that I found to stay away from:
- High fat
- Fried (fat)
- Milk / dairy
- Caffeine
- Chocolate (caffeine, fat, milk..)
- Nuts, berries, seeds (don't digest)
- Pees, Corn (don't digest the shells)
- Popcorn (The one thing my GI did tell me to stay away from)
- Spicy foods

So, do I abstain from foods that I should stay away from all the time? No, I tend to do more of a moderation method except for the nuts, berries, seeds, popcorn, pees, corn, spicy foods that I try to avoid all the time.

The one odd milk fact that I did pick up over the years is that cheese that has been aged quite a while (like 18 months) has about 0g of lactose (or just trace amounts) and if lactose is an issue, then harder cheeses are better.

- Ken

 

[AbstractDonut]

I say try the diet, it sound much like the SCD diet. If you read the reviews from the people who used the diet for quite some time you get lots of success stories. I personally have been on the diet for at least a month and a half.

If I eat meats and cheese, no problems what so ever. If I eat a vegetable or a fruit, I get the worst cramps and nausea ever. Which would lead you to believe that it hits everyone different, but I still say you can try the diet.

I'm down to 120 lbs from 180, and I would still think lessening the symptoms would be more important than just getting his weight up. Its the symptoms which cause the weight loss, you get him to a stable place he will gain weight on his own. 6 weeks on a diet is not that long.

 

[dad_01]

You addressed one question that my son and I had. If he tries to follow the alternative nutritionist's suggestion for the eight week diet - no dairy, no wheat ,no gluten, no sugar - but doesn't do it 100 percent but does it, say, 90 percent, will he get 90 percent of the benefit.

I was figuring that, probably, unfortunately, he wouldn't.

 

[Kev]

Aiming for 100% of anything is admirable, hopefully also acheivable. But if you hit the hi 90's, that's not a failure. Its a damned fine start. Diet is just one aspect of this, I have consulted with a number of dieticians and nutrition counselors, even one that specializes in IBD diets. I lived by it... and it helped, even thought it cured me for a long time. Then, despite no changes in diet, exercise, supplements, pills, etc., it all stopped working. I haven't been able to recapture that 'magic', and I can't explain it. I do know this, thanks mostly to my food journal, if I go off diet I pay a price. Sometimes I do so... the occasional slip hasn't killed me. Nor has it cured me... same as when I never dreamt of breaking my extremely rigid diet. I hope that my personal experiences gives you so food for thought on the diet issue

 

[Mazen]

Hi Kev. What did the dietician that specializes in IBD diets tell you to eat? any advice would help. Thanks

 

[Kev]

Well, Mazen.. Not sure which is shorter, the list I can eat Vs the list I can't. Sheeesh!

I'll try to put it in a nutshell... 1st, no nuts.. plus nothing with peels, skins or seeds. I am allowed meat, lots of protein... but it has to be extremely lean. I try to keep my fat content to less than 1/3 that recommended for healthy people. For example, the mainstay of my diet is chicken, white meat (dark has more fat in it), skinned & boned. I will then boil it, to remove even more fat... then bake, broil or barbeque it to give it some flavour. Another is tuna, canned, packed in water. I've got into the habit of reading the labels... I've been surprised at how much fat is in foods... and that a lot of times, no name or generic brands are healthier than the brand names, even better than some of those labeled as healthy choice, etc, etc..
I eat white bread (no way I could go carb free), I avoid fibre as much as possible, I eat a lot of white rice (yuck) can't have wild or brown rice (I could cry), no fresh or undercooked veggies (and I was a farm boy who loved raw or partly cooked vegs)
I drink lactose free skim milk, low lactose plain yogurt (blah) use honey Vs sugar, and as for fruits/veggies... cooked, pureed, like natural unsweetened applesauce,
peeled carrots cooked to a mush, any others I can lay my hands on that aren't of a gassy or green variety.. It's a low fat, low fibre, low residue, high protein diet that worked fine.... until it all stopped working. Regardless, I'm sticking to it for the mo..

Welllll, sticking to it 99.9 percent of the time. We all have to breakout now & then.

 

[kpratte]

Well, Mazen.. Not sure which is shorter, the list I can eat Vs the list I can't. Sheeesh!

You're not kidding.. My issues with fat content aren't that bad, I just need a lower fat diet, no nuts, seeds, corn, peas or things with serious skins. That's 99% of my issues.

- Ken

 

[Mazen]

Hi Kev. Well I'm basically on the same diet but with a bit more variety and more fat (mainly olive oil, flaxseed oil and very little butter). I based the diet on the books "The New Eating Right for a Bad Gut" and "What to Eat with IBD". It was working fine for almost 3 years till I flared a month ago. I'm now staying on it, hoping to stabilize soon.

 

[melodia]

This is probably a dead thread, but it's been my general experience that this disaster is an autoimmune issue in which the bowel takes offense to certain foreign proteins, such as gluten, eggs/'unwashed' chicken (particularly ex-laying hens are a complete no-no. Drumsticks generally seem tolerable though) and pork (ham seems to be easier to tolerate). Milk doesn't seem to be a huge problem, at least not cheeses such as cheddar although I tend to drink lactose free milk just to be on the safe side. Other animal fats in high quantity will also lead to cramping.

Avoiding those things has means I do not have any cramps at all. *BUT* I still have the multiple bowel movements, messy gas and pain/swelling in my smaller joints (hands/feet/neck) that tend to result when _any_ matter is in the bowel, so I suppose it depends on what sort of state of irritation your innards are in. (Going to try to fix that with methotrexate.)

I would certainly not advise anyone with an immunological condition consume any offensive proteins even if your symptoms are in complete remission. It seems fairly obvious that to do so will invite a reaction on the part of your immune system that could lead to a flare.

Other than that, certain foods are going to have an obvious annoyance factor on the intestines but that level of annoyance is going to be determined by the level of inflammation caused by the immuno-response to the formerly mentioned proteins, so if one can avoid the cramping then there should be no other restrictions.

The best way I can describe it is it's as if your immune system is a fascist regime, any allergens are going to provoke it. Maybe not visibly, at first, but over time and the danger here is once the symptoms present themselves it can be very difficult to determine the source. So, best advice is to not take the chance and just avoid them. There are plenty of products coming available that have no gluten or eggs in them, even custard!

You can find all sorts of products that are allergen free at http://www.orgran.com

 

[dad_01]

My son has been using a feeding tube for teh past three weeks and has gained almost three pounds. We're probably going to stick with it to give him some breathing room - maybe get him to gain 12 to 15 lbs.

In the meantime, we are lookiing to try the SCD as a possible long term approach to managing his crohns.

 

[razorback11]

Does anyone know anything about this diet

Hello everyone, I am 33 years old and weigh about 186 pounds. I went on the 11 Day Diet exactly 8 days ago and only lost only 6 pounds. Does anyone know if this diet works because I really need to loose weight at least 66 pounds. I follow it thoroughly. It just seem very slow. Does anyone know anything about this diet and if it really works. Please let me know.

 

[Kev]

You've lost 6 lbs in just over 1 week? And you worry it isn't working? I think you are on the wrong site. Weight loss is one aspect of IBD, usually not a 'healthy' sign. There are several sources of info for adopting a sane healthy diet, which in conjunction with a good exercise regimen, should help anyone reach their 'ideal' weight. Crash diets, especially those whose sole goal is rapid weight loss, regardless of the effects it has on one's health, is something that anyone; but particularly those with chronic illness, should really try to avoid. And if one is chronically obese, the smartest, safest choice is a diet that is provided and monitored under the care of a licensed physician. My 2 cents.