Anyone see this trend to be true?

[BWS1982]

My newer GI doc whom I acquired in the last hospital stay stated some basic groundwork for inflammatory responses in the foods I eat. He stated as a general rule that grains that grow under the ground such as rice and potatoes are anti-inflammatory (meaning they're safe) and grains such as wheat, corn, and oats are pro-inflammatory as they grow above ground. He says then further that the healthy fats (mono and poly, unsaturated) are also anti-inflammatory and that saturated fats are pro-inflammatory (ie: olive oil and canola oil and fish oils are good, and the others like corn oil and whatnot are bad).

He also happen to mention that just because I see some residual food particles in the toilet doesn't mean that's a particular food that is unsafe, per se. For example the leaves of lettuce or the seeds from tomatoes that may be floating in the toilet don't equate to that being a bad choice of food. Although this piece of advice is still subject to the fact that if you eat something and you have a bad reaction from it, don't eat it again-simple as that. But the doc said everybody, IBD patient or not, sees certain foods in the toilet anyways, so don't be writing off anything that doesn't turn completely to stool after going through me.

Anyone first off have any insight to if this holds true for the grain and fat rule of thumb I mention, and second off, anyone seem to see a trend with what you see expel out of you and not be completely digested?

I notice corn products don't agree with me for starters, but other than that, this disease is so "custom built" to each patient that's about the only established fact I can rely on. I already knew though about the healthy fats, besides I try to focus on those anyways...

 

[Suzy]

I really can't eat onion without getting sick. There's probably more, but I'm still in the process of discovering what I can and can't eat. From the beginning (i've been ill for about a year now, diagnosed in August) i've always been sick when I had onion. There was less of a reaction when I was on lots of medication, but now I'm only on 5 mgr of Prednisone and pentasa, I notice I can't eat it anymore.

Also, when I don't feel well eating bread or potatoes make me sick. Yoghurt and other dairy products I digest very well. My doctor thought that was strange, since apparantly a lot of Crohn's patients are lactose intolerant.

I was tested for both lactose and gluten intolerance before I was diagnosed, and had no allergy to either of those.

Whenever I'm with other non-ill people I usually call things like onions my 'allergies' though, because people fail to understand it if I explain it otherwise. If I say onion is a trigger for me to get ill, they think there might be a small chance that I'll get a little bit ill when I eat it, and don't understand if I refuse all of it, when I say 'allergy' all of a sudden everybody understands.

 

[D Bergy]

I never heard of that general rule before, but it is pretty accurate. Some of those grains contain gluten also, which some people are sensitive to.

Pretty much any healthy oil is also antiinflammatory. This is why they are used to prevent heart problems since blockages are related to chronic low grade inflammation.

Onions are the single food that will swell up my guts badly. I often wonder what the heck is in them that make them so objectionable to my body?

Dan

 

[MERF]

Garlic is my nemesis. I handle cooked onions and shallots fairly well though. Insofar as everything else is concerned, cole slaw (which I dearly love) seems to be the most consistent irritant I can think of. Pickles are another thing that I simply will not touch. Of course it all depends on what state of flux I happen to be in at the moment. There are some days that regardless what I ingest, from medication to food, it will fly straight through me. Literally ... it is like my small intestine transforms into a straight away and dumps right into my colon. It happened when my doc had me swallow the pill camera too ... rather than the couple to three hours they anticipated the camera recording activity in my small intestine, it was OUT in 32 minutes! Since this does not happen with everything I eat, I do not worry that I am getting no nourishment. It does seem such a shame and a waste, however, when within an hour after taking all this expensive medicine I see it surface in the toilet. Same with a particularly good lasagna. :ylol2:

As for corn, it seems to never fail, if I am craving something, it is corn. And I eat it with no problems. Beans too. Sometimes, they are just what I seem to need to eat, you know?

Seriously, though, everyone has some undigested food in their stool. It happens especially to fast eaters who may not be chewing their food well. We crohnies need to be cognizant of that too.

 

[smellybum]

Have to say fish oils and plain fish in general seem to be a great food to eat for me..... potatoes too seem to go down easy and without consequence..... onion is not good however as is any salty , fatty or suggary foods

 

[Kev]

Welll, with some things... like corn kernals for example.. they are almost impossible for anyone to digest... and what nutritional value do you get for the effort? I think some other foodstuffs.. like frinstance, anything with seeds, pits or stones... IS something to think about.. Hard, sharp, not easily digestible little gems... having to traverse inflamed or constricted parts of our digestive tract.. Hmmm, let's think about that. Anyone ever had a 'bad' sunburn? What if someone suggested rubbing it with coarse sandpaper? Have I made a point?

 

[Digits]

it always seem, even if i chew every bite 100 times, Corn kernels seem to magically reconnect somewhere in the travel from the bowels to the toilet. Grrr.

im pretty fine with just about anything, but i have a general rule

No fresh fruits
No Acidic fruits
No fresh Vegetables (green veggies, actually)
No Wheats, Bran, Etc..

anything else is pretty much fair game.

 

[Mazen]

Last time I ate corn was about 4 years ago, and I spent the night with pain and high fever.... so never again.... I canot even tolerate corn bread.

Boiled Potatoes and rice, I can always handle even in my worst days.

It's good that there is a GI who talks a bit about food. His advice seems good regarding grains and fats. Although I can eat white bread, I don't think the Gluten and yeast in it are good for us. As for fats the advice is very good, and matches one I read in lots of nutrition books on Crohn's and inflammation.

 

[Kev]

Wellll, despite my 'terse' sort of 1st answer... the more I think about it, one thing does seem to have a 'ring' of almost homespun folklore truth to it. Every 'green' food I eat causes me trouble... which is the colour of chlorophyl... but I can eat a ton of carrots, or parsnips, or potatoes... or mushrooms, and I get along ok. I can even eat yellow or red 'bell' peppers... but if I eat a green 'bell' pepper, watchout.

Now, that's an over-simplification... (for example... I haven't dared tried 'red' cabbage... and red, white, yellow or green, onions are a major no no too.. as are 'gassy' things like turnips, rutabagas, etc., no matter how well they are cooked... and my veggies are all cooked to an un-recognizable mush like state)
but... welllll, if one holds that it's the exceptions that prove the 'rules' there may be something else working here... Just cause something is folklore doesnt' necessarily 'invalidate' it... just means no one has ever proved/dis-proved it.

 

[MERF]

Well all I know for sure is this: Beer is nature's most perfect food and I'm sure glad about that!! :beerchug:

 

[BWS1982]

Would it astonish you MERF that I have never drank beer except for the few sips I was given as a toddler when I lived with my Dad still (they all give kids just a taste).

Even before the Crohns it was for health purposes (bodybuilding) that I never drank, beer or any alcohol, period. Been sober for all my life except the few sips I speak of above.

(I always get the most interesting results when I share this fact about me....)

 

[MERF]

To each his own, Benson. And no, I'm astonished by very little anymore. Probably my greatest source of astonishment is the world of healthcare!

 

[Kev]

hmmm, when it comes to alcoholic beverages.. to each their own. I was never a big 'drinker' per se... Perhaps because my parents weren't, or perhaps due to the work I performed in bars/taverns... in that environment, many folks either swear off the stuff, or fall into it hopelessly. I have rarely touched any alcohol since my dx.. I do miss my glass of wine with a fine meal, or a nice cold Clancy's Amber Ale at my favourite watering hole... used to pop in there twice or so a month, have a glass or two... and listen to a lot of Irish/Scottish/Gaelic music... compensation for being a trifle homesick. Think once my GI is back (in July) if the LDN still seems to be working, I'll pop into O'Carrolls n have a glass (or two)...