Frustrated with diet!

[ilovedevon]

Hey all! My dr told me to be on a low fiber, no raw veg, no dairy diet. This is the complete opposite of what I thought "healthy eating" was.

Anyway, I'm in recovery of an eating disorder and have learned that it's better for me to stay away from really processed foods...however now I feel like that's all I eat with Crohn's! I thought I wasn't allowed to have whole grain foods and stuff like that. I just feel like my diet is crappy and not nutritious. Just venting but would love to hear everyone else's diet!

 

[hugh]

hi and welcome
there's always a few diet threads on the boil,
some are having good results with vegetarian, some are doing well with paleo/SCD variations.
the common uniting factors to both are (to my understanding) an avoidance of overly processed foods - grains (particularly gluten grain, (particularly wheat)), sugar ( like HFCS, sodas,sweeteners), vegetable (seed) oils, and flavourings, and the addition of beneficial nutrient dense foods (vegetables, fish oils, probiotics, vitimin D).

There's alot of misinformation out there about 'healthy foods' but we all have to work it out for ourselves (except for the armchair experts who won't try anything because they don't believe it can do any good)

 

[Grumbletum]

Hey there It's one of the many frustrations of having IBD, the fact that there's no one recommended diet cos we all have different triggers. Like Hugh says, it's a case of working out what your danger foods are. The best ways to do this are probably by starting on an elimination diet and keeping a food diary. It takes time, patience and effort , but is worth it for the relief you might get.
Also worth looking into are making blended soups and juicing if you're missing your veg.

 

[shmo]

Unfortunately what "healthy eating" is to the general public, is not the same to most of us.

A high fibre diet (and this is a generalization as everyone is different. You'll have to find out what's best for you) tends to cause agitation in the intestine and can also make it harder for your body to digest the foods that you consume. Things that are rough to the touch will generally be hard for the body to break down on the inside as well. Some people with Crohn's have to avoid fibre like the plague. Others are able to tolerate it more.

You'll find many on here say the same of raw vegetables. It's true that a raw carrot has more nutrients than a cooked carrot gram per gram, but if it is cooked, your body is more likely to absorb more than if it is raw. For example for me, I often have to take the skin off of vegetables, which is generally the most nutritious part. However if I eat it, it'll go right through anyway and probably give me some gut pain on the way down. I gain absolutely nothing.

Dairy I have personally never thought of as part of a healthy diet regardless of whether you have Crohn's or not, but that's just my personal view. I know even if you are tolerant of lactose, it can cause gas which is just more discomfort.

Just because you avoid grains doesn't make you unhealthy

 

[ilovedevon]

Thanks everyone...I think I might try to eliminate wheat first and see what happens. It's such a huge part of my current diet so I guess I'll start there. I looked at the SCD but it seems so restrictive and eliminates many of the foods that I eat...ironic? LOL.

 

[Grumbletum]

Wheat and gluten would be a good start, I guess