I think, that like most things in life, you have to experiment and pick & choose what's best for you. Some aspects of Mr Waelder's writings in his blog make sense to me. For instance, carbonated beverages (soda pop, pop, whatever) are just not good for a body, whether you are healthy or not. (assuming the basic difference between an occasional softdrink Vs being a major portion of your diet). Essentially its just an addictive combination of water, artificial flavours, artificial colors, lots of sugar, even caffeine. I agree (and who wouldn't) that fish can be a very healthy way to get protein, and it can also provide essential vitamins & omega 3, esp. cold water fish.... (halibut & cod just to name a few). However, some people with IBD can not tolerate higher levels of fat found in some fish (so be careful what you choose & how you cook it). Think the same can be said about certain pork products. I love (& miss) bacon and eggs for breakfast... but instead of fatty old bacon, I've switched to very lean ham and find it more than acceptable as a compromise, it's really very tasty (& healthy). I FIRMLY believe anyone would experience a benefit in reducing their intake of cow milk (whether you've have IBD or not, some studies indicate that humans were not designed to consume cow's milk the way we do... our daily dairy requirements not withstanding... i.e. we need our daily minimum intake, but should look at other or more beneficial means of getting it... yogurt, hard cheese, milk substitutes, etc..) I was under the impression that goats milk had lower levels of lactose, apparently that's a prevalent common misconception. I use a milk product that does not contain lactose and it works for me, whereas cow's milk (my uncle was a dairy farmer, we were all raised on it) has all my adult life presented me with problems. Even if you have no apparent issues
with lactose, what does your doctor/nutritionist tell you about fat content? Maybe a lower fat content milk would be beneficial. I dunno why fat content affects us if we have certain types of IBD, or how. But regardless of whether you have IBD, its
commonly accepted that lowering your fat intake has tremendous health benefits.
The canned tuna I eat is packed in water Vs oil, no sardines or kippers for me, and
I use only skinless/boneless chicken OR extremely low fat cuts of meat. I boil or broil... (you would be amazed/possibly disgusted by how much fat comes out of a boiled piece of chicken). And, not wanting to catch any nasty bugs in my currently weakened state, I follow proper guidelines in the preparation and cooking of food.
Breads, grains, etc. Fibre is very beneficial to the whole digestive process if you're
healthy... that's why manufacturers are loading everything up with fibre where it never was before. However, it you intestines are ulcerated & bleeding, fibre is a hard to digest substance... It's no longer just helping to grind up other food in the intestinal tract, it can also be grinding up you. Of all of the changes that I've been
advised to make to my diet, this one hurts the most. Not only because I love (and
still do) really hearty, multigrain breads loaded with fibre, but because finding food
items that are low(er) in fibre for when I flare is now a freaking challenge. Seems all the manufacturers out there jumped on the fibre bandwagon without taking in to consideration that for many people, fibre isn't always the best choice diet wise.
Cooking oil... I used teflon coated pans IF I have to fry/stir fry, and use as little of a canola or safflower oil, even olive oil as possible.. A pump spayer, canned spray, or even a pasty brush is helpful in keeping oil qty. to a minimum. non-saturated is
the way to go, (check the levels in other foods you eat if listed) AND I would watch for other potential issues with using coconut or palm oils (oil products can & do go rancid). In moderation any poly-unsaturated oil product should be acceptable, but
this is an individual thing.. If you can tolerate good ole fish & chips deepfried in a hot pot of grease, God Bless. Just saying that,... Hey, we've got IBD. Do we want
to add to our bodies burden by not trying to watch what we're eating. I think not!