Sorry Lindsey, I have got distracted with some goings on over here.
So diet matters! It matters to every single person so it absolutely matters to our kids!
Yes certain foods can cause trouble for IBD patients and for every patient it is different so you have to know your body.
That said, there is so much research about the Standard American Diet (SAD) and it's link to disease and health issues. You just can't expect the body to function well if you are giving it garbage. On top of that, the chemicals and such that are in processed foods are toxic to our bodies and affect them on the cellular level.
Just look up the health benefits of a piece of broccoli or carrots. Look at all the nutrients and anutrients that they provide and hat systems they affect. Then look up some of the ingredients listed on the pop tart box. You tell me which thing you should be putting in your body.
I have spoken to many world reknown functional medicine practitioners and not one of them is ready to say they can manage the disease with diet. They all agree the meds are necessary. BUT the meds bring their own set of problems. So I embarked on really cleaning up our acts to protect my kids' livers, kidneys, lungs etc. I also found that this way of eating had a dramatic affect on O's inflammation. he was in good solid remission but only gained about 4 pounds over two years. Within two week of starting this new way of eating she gained 4 pounds in two weeks. Her energy sky rocketed. Her GI's theory is that while the drugs took care of 99% of the inflammation, her diet cleaned up the rest and put her in the best possible health. We have since been steadily decreasing her meds and are approaching bare minimum. here is no plan to pull the meds completely. Further the few times we have loosened the reigns on the diet, the doc has seen it is blood work and calls us out on it.
So we had her appointment today and I asked the GI, why every book I read and every doc I see speak etc, lists all these diseases they can cure or prevent with diet and not one lists IBD. They list MS, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, alzheimers, dementia, etc...I would think IBD would be just as easy. He said that is because IBD is not 2 distinct diseases. The theory now is that there is a spectrum and many genes and what turns each of them on could be a host of factors. So while one diet may work for one person, the next has a different gene etc and they need something specifically tailored to them. There is a lot of research being done on this and hopefully we will come to the day when they can identify all this.
In the meanwhile, I have pulled all processed food, dramatically reduced sugar, eat very little meat and when we do it is grass fed organic beef or pastured chicken, do not drink milk...I desire to cut out cheese but I am an addict so that is a work in progress. We follow an anti inflammatory diet. Sugar is a huge inflammation causing food.
I encourage you to read some books or watch some of the documentaries I listed in the diet section of the parents forum. It is a good motivator to start the journey.
Watch out for fanaticism. Take it slow. Do what works for you. There is not one silver bullet. It is just common sense good eating. Don't forget variety!
A good practical tip to switching the family over is to have them watch the documentaries. For some reason my kids pay a lot of attention to some one on the tube. Sad I know:ymad:
Also don't deprive them. For instance don't say, from now on no (insert name of offending food lie product here). The minute you tell someone they can't have something, they will obsess over it and want I. Instead, try crowding out the bad foods by adding more good stuff in. For example, when we started and my girls wanted chips I would say, "sure you can have chips, but right after you have a serving of fruit or vegetable" Many times the fruit or veg satisfied them or they just skipped it all together figuring it wasn't worth it. Eventually them came to reach for the fruit or veg first. Same with soda, "absolutely, you can have soda with dinner, but first have a glass of water".
Processed foods and sugar are addicting. It is scientifically proven. It is a hard addiction to break but the more good stuff you get in that feeds every cell and system in their body the less they will want that stuff. Trust me...BTDT! A few times!
To answer some of your questions...a go to for us is juicing fruits and veggies...so delicious and addicting and you get soooo much good stuff with out all the bad fiber during a flare. (btw you still get fiber just not the aggravating kind). We juice all the time now...also do lots of smoothies when not flaring...these are a good way to get a lot of fruits and veggies in easily.
I buy everything organic but it isn't necessary. Look up the Environmental Working Group site. They have a list of the cleanest produce and the dirtiest (with regard to pesticides etc). If you just buy the Dirty Ones as organic, you should be fine. maybe try a few plants yourself this summer. It is amazing how willing kids suddenly become to eat a vegetable they grew themselves. Works with having them cook to! And pick the meals from an "approved" cookbook. Gives them some control.
Oh yeah, and at the beginning I would look up the benefits of certain foods I was serving and tell my kids about it at dinner. They are athletes so it really struck a chord with them. good site and the one I quote frequently here (because he backs up his statements with scientific data and doesn't sell anything is World's Healthiest Foods.
Good Luck and feel free to pm me with any questions. Your son is so lucky you are interested in doing this. I missed the boat with my oldest and she is in college refusing to change. Hopefully I got O and T. It is a great gift you are giving your boy!
