How to tell what foods/drinks you can tolerate??

[Zac with no K]

I don't really know where to start with trying to find a diet that works for me.

Had Crohn's for maybe 2 years and it's really hard for me to eat foods that taste bad to me, foods I'm not craving or to stay away from (bad)foods I am craving and it's just hard for me to stick to certain diets.

Now I'm starting to loose weight again and have VERY low energy and I need to seriously change my eating habits.

What do I do to find out what foods I can and cannot eat?

How long after I eat a certain food can I tell if its good or bad?

And also for drinks, I don't know what drinks benefit me, and I can't even drink that much - too much liquids(which is not much at all) make me feel way too full and kind of nautious. So I'm ALWAYS dehydrated even when I drink a lot.

What do I do for staying hydrated?

ANY advice really helps,
thanks

Zac

 

[kiny]

This is just my opinion.

There are foods you simply should not eat with crohn's. Tomatoes and spices I will never touch, it's like playing russian roulette with your life.

There are foods that give you no benefit whatsoever, so eating them is plain pointless, shrooms is a good example, they give you almost no benefit in terms of nutrients but you spend a hell of a time trying to digest them.

Most people stick with safe foods, fish (gives you free omega 3 as an added bonus), chicken (unfried of course), rice, potatoes, fruits, easy to digest vegetables, etc.

Dairy is more of a personal choice, I avoid it because my belief is crohns is a bacterial infection. I am also lactose intolerant.

Most "Eath Healthy" diets are actually also good crohn's diets.


Can't help you with the other question, because some people digest slower, others longer, some have issues in that part of the colon, others in another part, it's really hard to say it was food X, it's much easier to study the foods and find out what's in them.

Staying hydrated is an easy one, just drink lots of water, you can drink 1.5L daily at the least. If you have D it's important to drink lots, water is also needed to keep your blood flowing.

 

[kiny]

Now I'm starting to loose weight again and have VERY low energy and I need to seriously change my eating habits.

Might want to check if you need B12 or iron supplements. Once you're low on iron it takes quite a while to get back on your feet, supplementation, preferably intravenous, is much faster.

 

[Zac with no K]

Thanks for the advice Kiny!

 

[rygon]

I find that drinks hit me within 30mins or so (anything with caffine in for me). Foods can vary between 4-6hrs and a day. I normally eat what I like then if I find something has upset my stomach, thnk of what is the most likeliest thing and leave it out of my diet for a week. then I try it again and see if i have problems. If not, it wasnt that and back to the drawing board, if it was then I leave it out totally.

I find with foods, if you grow veg, herbs etc yourself and cook yourself then you will be more inclined to like it (youve put the effort in so your going to eat it). I keep away from all ready meals, and only have fast food once a week (trying to cut that down).

Having a range of good food that are very easy and quick to make is a must when feeling ill. I normally have something like sundried tomatoes and basil (both from garden) blitzed in a blender with oilve oil with some pasta. Add a bit of garlic sausage and cheese and warm up. Takes about 10mins.

home made chicken soup is great with the broth coming from the bones. Takes a while to get the broth (although no input is needed) and another 10mins to put potato / pasta / veg etc in but can be frozen and used when needed

 

[Mapper]

I've been following the elimination diet in Dr. John Hunter's book "Inflammatory Bowel Disease". It's hard at first but it's helping me identify foods that cause me problems. I can usually tell within hours if a food is bad for me. The recommendation is to keep a food/symptom diary and to introduce one new food per day, but certain foods, such as wheat, he recommends trying for 7 days because reactions can take longer to occur with those foods.

I'm surprised at how different my safe and unsafe foods are from other people's - for example, potatoes totally kill me, but tomatoes are just fine! I can also eat dairy with no problems. Everyone seems to have different trigger foods. I would recommend taking a look at the book.

 

[zilla7777]

For me, If I have a certain food that within a few hours makes damn sure it wants to go out either end, I know it doesnt go well with me. :lol: It's basically trial and error. You may find foods you can tolerate that others can't, and vice versa. If you aren't sure whether it's agreeing or not, just give it a miss. The "what are your SAFE and UNSAFE foods" sticky is a good guide to find foods you might not know you can tolerate. Also, to stay hydrated try remembering to drink water a bit more, I know I forget. It is probably also a good idea to drink a gatorade once in a while too to keep electrolytes up if you aren't feeling well. Electrolyte imbalances can make you feel as bad as if you were dehydrated! Hope this helped a little and take it easy, hope you feel better soon.

 

[silvermist]

Silvermist here. I eat chicken,pork, some spicy foods,sodas (the clear ones ) Coffee with cream and a zero cal sugar. Have looked for no gluten breads. Have found a gluten flour and it's call Almond flour. Some have told me red bean flour. But that don't sound good. Was looking for something to replace the nuts that I can't have. I'll have a burger every now and again ( without lettuce, tomato, onions, oh heck kiddie burger). I cook without the onions or garlic by useing the powders. Sometimes I can have fried foods, but not all the time. You just don't know when you can have them. Crohns is trial and err. I'm beging to hate those two words. But you do what you have too. Listen to others and you decide. I hope and pray that you don't wind up in the hospital. Stay Healthy.

 

[noileum]

Crohns is trial and err. I'm beging to hate those two words. But you do what you have too. Listen to others and you decidE.

This is so true. I often try new foods and eat foods which I know to disagree with me (because I like the taste, or if we're going out for dinner with friends) as long as it's on my own terms.

I wouldn't think of trying a new fast food outlet etc if I didn't know where the nearest toilet was, or what I was going to be doing for the rest of the day.

I've lived with Crohns for over a decade and personally the occaisional pain/discomfort etc is well worth it. I've tried some pretty random food which i would've thought my body would disagree with and been delighted to find that I could eat it with no issues. I've also come to terms with the fact that while I can't eat fast food very often (once or twice a month) when I do it tastes soooo much better.

I'd second the food diary aspect, and not only keep a record of what you eat, but how you're feeling throughout the day. It's something that you have to do for a while for it to be really useful but there are benefits to be had straight away. (I found it shamed me into not having a chocolate bar on my morning commute which was habit more than anything)

 

[vonfunk]

I was/am a glutton for punishment and would give a food 3 chances to react badly with me. First time might be nothing, 2nd an odd coincidence and the 3rd time indicative of a problem.