Intolerance? Eating better but how much better?

[barbie13]

Okay so you maybe have seen my posts here but I have been recently diagnosed in jan 2013 with crohns because of a stricture in my small intestine. I do not get D, I just feel bloated alot and my stomach feels crampy, pressure, etc after meals and while I was on Pentasa, I became constipated and had narrow stools probably due to some inflammation. I am now on Prednisone and starting Imuran tonight actually. *a little nervous about how i am going to react to it.... T cell lymphoma how scary is that? Neway I have really curved my eating habits from eating pizza, fried foods, processed everything to some of these things..

Gluten Free White Bread
Hormel Naturals Turkey or Ham *not smoked
Cheddar Cheese Sharp
Apples no skins and honey
bananas!!! love them they love me
almond butter
organic grape jelly
Carmel Rice Cakes *gluten free
Gluten free cheese puffs
Salmon no seasoning
canned green beans *salt added only
squash (olive oil and basil)
I cook with coconut oil now
Olive oil Gluten Free kettle cook chips
sugar free vanilla pudding
light applesauce
small amounts of brown or white rice
baked potato no skin or a little bit of skin with butter only
mashed potato
i put no sugar added plain yogurt in smoothies
almond milk instead of regular milk
blueberries for smoothies
strawberries for smoothies
hamburger cooked well no bun with cheddar cheese
grilled chicken no seasoning maybe some basil or salt
coconut water

I cut down my sugars, sweets, and for now chocolate until I know what the hell i am doing. I am just trying get into a more healthy lifestyle. I also currently take a food based multi Vitamin with digestive enzymes and a small amount of probiotic. I also take addtl C and D chewable vitamins. I am currently taking prednisone 30mg and tapering and starting 75mg Imuran. I am also taking prozac 10mg and moving up to 20 mg and trinessa which is the birth control pill. I tried taking omega 3 vitamins but it made my stomach feel kinda like it had heartburn or something. I just dont know really if i actually have any intolerances because I do not have D so does intolerances always be accompied by D or is my inflammation not associated with diet? I feel alot less bloated without all the fried foods and breading but how do i know what hurts and what doesnt. I havent ever had trouble with dairy that I know of but what if the swelling is bc of dairy? ugh.....

 

[Ya noy]

lymphoma is always scary.

The Hormel Naturals contain carrageen, a processed seaweed product, which many believe is very bad for your health, especially for those with crohns. I recommend checking the ingredient labels of those cheese puffs, rice cakes, kettle chips, and yogurt you've been buying as well.

http://blog.arkofwellness.com/watch-out-for-carrageenan/

Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that exposure to both nondegraded and degraded carrageenan was associated with the occurrence of intestinal ulcerations and abnormal tissue masses called neoplasms. Even low concentrations of carrageenan have adverse effects on the intestinal epithelial cells. Epithelial cells line the small intestine creating the impermeable membrane that prevents toxins such as microbes, undigested food, etc. from leaking into the bloodstream.

I don’t necessarily need to repeat what happens when the gut becomes permeable, but I will anyway: toxins leak in to the bloodstream and our immune system responds sending auto-antibodies that trigger attacks against our bodily tissues and nerves. Carrageenan has a long and notable history of significant correlations to different types of cancer, including colon cancer.

Just because a product is labeled "gluten free" doesn't necessarily make it a healthy choice. There can be health dangers associated with preprocessed "gluten free" products, especially if you're not even sensitive, much less allergic, to gluten. You really need to check the ingredients.

Which is why the various diets that prohibit wheat products, also prohibit most preprocessed foods as well, and recommend cooking your own food from scratch instead.

Why lite applesauce? If it contains an artificial sweetener, then it's most likely aspartame, which many believe is extremely detrimental to your health. Same with the sugar-free pudding.

Side effects of aspartame http://www.livestrong.com/article/22810-dangers-aspartame/

Side effects of aspartame include headaches, weight gain, rashes, fatigue, irritability, heart palpitations, dizziness, insomnia and seizures. Birth defects and cancers have also been linked to aspartame, but the National Cancer Institute refutes this information. NCI cites a study done in 2006 as showing no association between aspartame consumption and risk of certain cancers.

An organic, "no sugar added" applesauce might be a more healthy choice.

To learn what you tolerate best, you may want to try an elimination diet, or adhere to the SCD, Paleo or GAPS diets for a couple months, adhering to all food principles and rules to see how you do on them.

But those with strictures often do best by following a low-residue diet, meaning one with very little fiber or added bulk, to reduce the volume your digestive system has to process, so it doesn't have to work as hard.

 

[barbie13]

thank you so much for your very informative response! I am new to this and just really spinning in circles here! I looked at some things in my fridge and sure enough i found carrageenan in my hormel lunch meat, my tuna packet, my cottage cheese, ice cream, etc.... thank you i read the article you linked and it was extremely helpful as well. I am going to try the low residue approach but i am very thin and need to maintain weight so I have to eat fairly often throughout the day and enough.