Ensure

[VictoriaSage]

Am I the only one who thinks that Ensure actually upsets them? I don't know, I feel kind of gurgly after I drink one.

It seems the only way I can get any nutrition though.

I just have no skill with cooking nor money to buy expensive organic produce and really don't trust the local produce anyway.

I'm trying to gain weight, since the doctors said I'm underweight now. Eating is difficult and I really don't know what to eat.

I just want to throw my hands up because I'm just so frustrated. What am I going to do if I can't even handle a simple Ensure?

 

[hannahni]

I know how you feel! I have been trying to put on weight as well and I thought ensure would be a good thing for me. But just like it does for you, it upset my stomach so much! I had to stop drinking them.

 

[poopmachine]

Hmm, I drink ensure from time to time when i feel im not eating the best and feel my energy and entire body starting to become a vegetable.....but i have not had any problems with it.
Have you considered possibly trying other supplement shakes other than the specific ensure maybe a different brand may agree with you better?

 

[IAmTheWalrus]

When in a bad flare, I notice that Ensure gives me the Beegees (bubble guts), God send when trying to put on wait when out of a flare, can't get enough of the banana ones, but yeah, cramps and wind when flaring.

 

[VictoriaSage]

@hannahni:

It so frustrating. I can't seem to find anything that I can eat safely. And what really sucks is there is no GI doctor where I live. Not that I could afford it anyway. Let alone a nutritionist. I last went to see an internist. He asked me if I was anorexic. NO I AM NOT. I -like- eating and food. I want to eat more! I just cant take the pain from just about everything. Even simple peanut butter sandwiches.

I guess I'll keep trying them since they don't hurt me anymore than anything else would really. It's still frustrating that they're supposed to be gentle on me but their not.

Gotta say, it's really nice that you know my annoyance!

 

[VictoriaSage]

Hmm, I drink ensure from time to time when i feel im not eating the best and feel my energy and entire body starting to become a vegetable.....but i have not had any problems with it.
Have you considered possibly trying other supplement shakes other than the specific ensure maybe a different brand may agree with you better?

Sadly, where I'm at (Fairbanks Alaska) there isn't much selection for -anything- especially groceries. I think they have Boost as well. I haven't tried them. I might. It seems that Ensure has more nutrients? But I could be wrong.

 

[VictoriaSage]

When in a bad flare, I notice that Ensure gives me the Beegees (bubble guts), God send when trying to put on wait when out of a flare, can't get enough of the banana ones, but yeah, cramps and wind when flaring.

I guess the problem is I'm in a flare. I haven't been able to get a doctor or medication. But that sounds exactly how it effects me!

 

[kiny]

I feel ensure is garbage when looking at the ingredients. It is water with sugar, cheap casein protein from milk and some vitamins. Why do they use whey isolate in some and casein in others, because it's leftover whey that is why, on the cheap. If they wanted to make a good product they would be using one type of protein isolate, when companies use multiple it means they're using leftover garbage from cheese at bottom price and cheap casein leftover.

Why do people even want it, such garbage.

 

[VictoriaSage]

I feel ensure is garbage when looking at the ingredients. It is water with sugar, cheap casein protein from milk and some vitamins. Why do they use whey isolate in some and casein in others, because it's leftover whey that is why, on the cheap. If they wanted to make a good product they would be using one type of protein isolate, when companies use multiple it means they're using leftover garbage from cheese at bottom price and cheap casein leftover.

Why do people even want it, such garbage.

That...that does sound pretty ick. I started drinking it because the doctors suggested I should. Since I'm too underweight right now.

Now I'm even more confused. Why did they tell me to drink it when it not even made from beneficial things?

 

[kiny]

Also, I do not understand how they can bunch it all together, they throw a bunch of sugar, protein and a whole bunch of vitamins and minerals all together into one tiny bottle and people goggle it all down at once. Good way to give people liver issues, way to go.

 

[kiny]

That...that does sound pretty ick. I started drinking it because the doctors suggested I should. Since I'm too underweight right now.

Now I'm even more confused. Why did they tell me to drink it when it not even made from beneficial things?

Cause it's calories, calories come from 3 macronutrients, protein, sugar and fat. But there are better ways to get your calories than this, you can use better quality protein isolate from a sports brands, it will be of much higher quality and you can choose hydrolised or ionised, and use glucose in the form of tablets that are clean and take your vitamins during a meal instead of a drink without any fat, fat soluable vitamins are much better absorbed during a meal, you will also lessen the chance of developing kindey issues like that. Bunching sugar, protein and vitamins is hard on your liver and kidneys, much better to spread them out.

 

[VictoriaSage]

Cause it's calories, calories come from 3 macronutrients, protein, sugar and fat. But there are better ways to get your calories than this, you can use better quality protein isolate from a sports brands, it will be of much higher quality and you can choose hydrolised or ionised, and use glucose in the form of tablets that are clean and take your vitamins during a meal instead of a drink without any fat, fat soluable vitamins are much better absorbed during a meal, you will also lessen the chance of developing kindey issues like that. Bunching sugar, protein and vitamins is hard on your liver and kidneys, much better to spread them out.

Thank you! I'll start looking into the sports proteins. I think this has helped me and been more informative than any doctor visits I've had lately.

 

[kiny]

Sure, there are few types of protein, casein (made from milk), egg protein (albumen), soy protein (from soy), whey (usually extracted from the cheese process).

*I don't recommend casein (what ensure uses in some bottles), cause it will always have lactose, no matter how good the filtering is, and the brands that use casein tend to use it for cheaps, so they tend to use cheap filtering too.

*Then there's egg protein, which is pretty nice, it has good amino acid profile, but bioavailability is low (still higher than casein garbage), but it has no lactose at all which is nice.

*Soy protein, don't know enough about it.




*Then there is whey, whey built up a good reputation and the main reason is it's bioavailability, it gets taken up really easily by the intestine.

types of whey:

*concentrate = no good for crohn imo, way too much leftover lactose
*isolate, the best whey, few types, ionised (good, very lactose free, issue is a bit of denaturing of the amino acids, not a real big deal), microfiltered (good but sometimes denaturing and sometimes lactose), hydrolised (best bioavailability of any protein you can find period, but sometimes tiny bit of lactose, and costly)


also, most sports brands actually detail the amino acid profile, which is important if you actually want to know what you're getting and what you might be short on

hope this helps

 

[VictoriaSage]

It's very helpful kiny! I really appreciate it.

It really makes me wonder why the doctor never explained all of this to me instead of just telling me to go for the Ensure. I would much rather prefer to know the details like this so I can control what I'm eating and drinking.

I guess it just shows how you have to take things into your own hands.

 

[happy]

VictoriaSage,
Welcome to the forum. You could take a look at the Enteral/Elemental Nutrition section in the treatment forum for a discussion of other liquid forms of food. Perhaps it would be covered for you if it were prescribed as food for you. There is also good info in the Kids with IBD sub-forum about this treatment.

Good luck.