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Coffee and it's impact on Crohn's Disease

M

MarkyB

Guest
Hi All, as a newbie I've been 'catching up' on previous articles. My main interest is in self-help to try and avoid all the drugs.

:sign0144:

1st Q: WHAT IS WRONG WITH COFFEE? I love drinking coffee, the stronger the better but a few of you seem to have stopped - do you suffer? how would you know it was the coffee?

2nd Q: FIZZY DRINKS? I have also been reading here and over the net that drinking fizzy drinks 'acidic' may be a problem, both for Crohn's and Arthritis. Again - does anyone back this up and what is the reasoning behind this?

As for diet: I love eating food. Over the 18yrs since diagnosis I have been on low residue diets etc but have come to realise that they make NO difference (for me). I struggle with salads, most veg etc and find most non-absorbed foodstuff tends to go tho' very quickly!!! I also find now that I cannot eat the quantity I used to in one sitting (ie going out for a 3-course meal say) Mind you after 3 re-sections there isn't as much pipework left to take it all...

I would suggest to fellow Crohnies is to eat what you enjoy - BUT - bear in mind the potential consequences.

Hope you don't mind the length but some things are good to get out in one go... :)
 
K

katiesue1506

Yeah I can't do anything caffeinated because it adds extra air to my system, making the bloating almost unbearable. I also have to make sure I'm not gulping water when I drink it as to not get extra air in my system. I have a true problem though in that I've only had water to drink since I've been diagnosed (back in October). I'm not a fan of fruit drinks and I don't like coffee... and milk is out as it adds to bloating as well... the only relief I've found is adding raspberry crystall light packets to a bottle of water. Other than that... just water. Kinda boring. Anyone else have this problem too?
 
J

Jeff D.

Like Katiesue said carbonation causes bloating. Caffinated beverages such as coffee and cokes dehydrate you and they also can cause diahrea.
 
R

ruthymg

Guest
yeah, I read somewhere that caffiene irritates the bowel wall. Also, real coffee, as in made from beans (fresh coffee) contains a lot of oil. This is probably why a lot of chronies can't tolerate it. I personally can tolerate instant coffee in moderation, but fresh coffee, which I love, just doesn't agree with me.


Ruth
 
K

Kev

Senior Member
Location
Halifax, NS, Canada
I'll toss in my 2 cents worth (remember, you get what you pay for).. Carbonation has all of those negative aspects already covered by others PLUS it's either a cupload of sugar or some nasty sugar substitutes.. Also, that bloating effect can trick the old stomach to release extra acid.. Stupid stomach can't tell whether its' full of Co2 or food.. A little carbonated drink can help with upset stomach, gas, etc., but to much can actually worsen the problem.. Flat ginger ale in moderation is probably the only carbonated beverage that a medical professional would recommend.. (it is on every colonoscopy preparation sheet the hospital sent me)..
As for coffee (GAWD, how I miss real coffee.. and I made the best coffee EVER).. first, caffeine keeps you awake (us crohnies NEED our rest), it irritates the lining of the stomach, possibly the ileum as well.. It's taboo for people with elevated blood pressure, and a lot of IBD meds cause higher blood pressure as a side effect. The solution.. use decaf.. BUT, be careful.. A lot of decaf is made by soaking the beans in salt water. So there is higher sodium levels (also bad for most of the above). If you shop carefully, you can find fresh water decaf or swiss method decaf coffees.
Just remember, decaf isn't caffeine free.. it typcially has 1/2 the cafeine of regular.
 
D Bergy

D Bergy

I love coffe and drink an awful lot of it. I know it irritates my stomach so I am trying to switch to tea. My question is what kind of tea helps crohn's?

I am drinking green tea now, but it has hardly any taste to it. If I am going to drink something during the day I would rather have it taste decent and help my guts at the same time. Any suggestions?

Thank you.

D Bergy
 
I

Ilysha

Guest
Tea

I don't know if it's good for Crohn's, but Yerba Mate tea is a good coffee substitute. It does not have caffeine, but contains a natural stimulant which has the same effect as caffeine. I make mine with a little milk and honey and it's very good.
 
R

rattle

Guest
I drink REDBUSH TEA without milk.I can have coffee but not too much.Coke is the worst it makes me really ill.Also normal tea has quite a high caffine level this can also affect me if i have too much.
 
J

Jeff D.

Do any of the men after drinking some kind of coke get a pulsating feeling in their man's parts. It hurts and is really annoying when you are trying to do something and you have the pulsating feeling. I found out that it is the carbonation bubbles forming gas which in your area it leads to something like air in a hose and it needs to come out or something like that.
 
R

rattle

Guest
Jeff D. said:
Do any of the men after drinking some kind of coke get a pulsating feeling in their man's parts. It hurts and is really annoying when you are trying to do something and you have the pulsating feeling. I found out that it is the carbonation bubbles forming gas which in your area it leads to something like air in a hose and it needs to come out or something like that.
Click to expand...
Hi Jeff,
No i dont get any thing like that.I had a camara go down that way to check my bladder and that produced air when i went to the loo it was not fun like peeing broken glass for two days.
 
Nancy Lee

Nancy Lee

I drink Chai tea..and maybe two cups of coffee a day.
Am only able to drink apple juice..in the way of juices.
No carbonated drinks...except when I am not well
I will let ginger ale go flat and sip it.
And the odd glass of Merlot...like one or two glasses a month.
 
DanSJVDavis

DanSJVDavis

Never had that problem Jeff. hm.

I drink a lot of coffee. I've given up so many other things that I vowed I'd never give up this last one. It doesn't seem to bother me much, though it does occasionally play havoc with my hiatal hernia. I've tried switching to decaf, but as Alton says, when they make a decaf coffee that actually tastes good then I'll switch. There's just a...dunno, stale taste to decaf that takes away from the enjoyment.
 
T

Teenie

Guest
Have you tried low acid coffee?

Folgers makes a low acid coffee. You might want to look into. It's called Simply Smooth, or something like that. Supposed to be a little more gentle on the stomach then regular. Not sure if it's any better for Crohns patients though.
 
Mazen

Mazen

I drink the following teas: Normal black tea, green tea, Chamomille and Anise teas. Fennel sometimes.

You just have to get used to the taste, and if you want some sweetness just add a little honey (try not to use sugar as sugar worsens inflammation and weakens the immune system)
 
D Bergy

D Bergy

I have heard that licorice is good for the mucosa of the stomach. I had some tea with licorice in it a while back before I knew I had Crohn's. Has anyone ever used it as a part of a treatment program? I am thinking of trying it out again, but since I have no outward symptoms I cannot tell if it would be helping or not.

D Bergy
 
Nancy Lee

Nancy Lee

Hello D Bergy..

I had no idea that licorice helped the mucosa of the stomach.
I do eat a piece when I am constipated, and also for a treat.
I look for the old fashioned kind we got as a kid..they looked like pipes or cigars
and I'll eat a piece about half the size of the cigar..
tastes great.....works great!

Nancy :)
 
G

goblue650

Guest
Coffee falls into the "things in moderation" category for me. Having it every day can definitely cause problems, esp during a flare up. However, I find that as long as I have it just once in a while like once every two weeks or so, i get away with it. Also, having a cup after so long off makes it taste "OH SOOOO GOOOOOD!" But, if I get into drinking it for several days in a row, the big D comes a calling. It took me two years of denial to finally cut myself off from being a daily coffee drinker. However, I truly did notice a difference after I stopped.
 
S

Sojourn

This just goes to show how personal this disease is and affects everyone differently. Both GI's I've had have not ruled out coffee. But I know from my own experience that it is not good for me on daily basis. I'm with the Wolverine there in regards to moderation but I have a hard time with that.

I'm drinking tea more often now, Twining's Irish Breakfast Tea. About the Yerba Mate in an earlier post. My sister lives in Argentina and it's a national pastime down there. I drank it when I was there (it's almost an insult to refuse a mate cup when it's being passed around) but it gave me D also.
 
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