Newbie with questions about SCD/Paleo, Low Residue, and Safe foods.

[JenGC]

Hi all, I'm newly diagnosed, and because I had the best 4 weeks I've had since onset immediately after my colonoscopy (ie when my gut was totally cleaned out), I feel that an appropriate diet could be very beneficial to me (on Humira and its better but not yet in remission).

What's confusing me though, is that although many people rave about SCD/Paleo, virtually all the legal foods on their list are not safe for me at the moment, from what I can tell - lamb tends to turn me into a mess of D (and possibly V) as well as terrible pain, for example.

In fact almost all of the foods I'd normally list as safe are simple carbs - bread, rice, pasta. The only foods that are both legal and safe are fish, avocados, cheese, eggs, and squash/zucchini.

Has anyone else had this situation, and either been successful with the SCD anyway, or tried it and failed, or perhaps some advice to wait until I'm not flaring?

I've lost a fair bit of weight already and don't have lots left before it gets a bit marginal, so I'm reluctant to launch into the SCD with so few food options that I'll struggle to get enough calories.

Alternatively, the low residue diet I was on before the colonoscopy seemed to settle things out a bit - even though I don't have any major scarring and they couldn't see a lot of narrowing.

Any comments welcome - I'd love to hear some others experiences.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

The lack of foods I can eat is why I stopped paleo. I am unable to tolerate fiber and aside from meats it's mainly fiber. I lost a lot of weight on the paleo diet and switched to low fiber. I think the best thing is to make your own diet try to eat low fiber and incorporate some of the healthier but safe paleo and SCD options.

 

[JenGC]

Thanks ngng, the only meat I can really eat is seafood, and although before I got sick I was probably the only person in the western world way exceeding my fruit and vegetable quota, I can't now - you can imagine I'd love to think the SCD diet would work, because I so love my fruits and veggies (I hadn't eaten an apple in two weeks, and was on a long commute home with my brother in law when he cracked a juicy apple - I could've killed for it!). And a fresh rocket salad..... Who could not long for that......

Anyway, I really appreciate your reply - it probably is part of the mounting evidence that I shouldn't try the SCD when I'm flaring and most of my safe foods are carbs

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I am totally with you. I'd love to eat a huge salad and eat primarily veg but I'm afraid with my inflammation and strictures. Carbs seem to be the only thing to help me gain weight while not putting my GI in too much distress.

I wish there were healthier foods on a low fiber diet. Have you tried juicing and puréed foods?

 

[JenGC]

I'm still pretty new, though puréed soups are something I have tried and seem to be better than whole soups - I've only tried juice a couple of times - commercially made but fresh with no additives, and found them to be neutral (wont make my flare better, wont make it worse).

I suppose that it's probably reasonable to have a juice a day on the basis of the nutrition, if I can digest it (so far only clear a

 

[lizbeth]

Hi there,

I'm also newly diagnosed and was advised to follow a low residue diet. Like you, I love my veg, I even grew my own, but not it's not something I can enjoy at the minute. I am beginning to notice certain foods that cause trouble, usually the ones I love . I have no experience of the other diets you mentioned but from the little I read would agree they do appear to contain "forbidden" foods .

At this early stage I would suggest that you would continue with the low residue and maybe talk with a dietician about the other diets, in the meantime why not have a look at the diet, fitness and supplement subforum, maybe someone else has posted a similar question. I tried to put in a link but it didn't work .

The foods that you can tolerate are the same for me, I tend to stick to those mostly and test the waters with something else now and again (I am never eating fruit cake again!!! It was so bad) I can eat bananas

I hope you get something sorted very soon and get into remission, good luck and take care. :ghug:

 

[UnXmas]

I couldn't handle fibre. I didn't try all those diets specifically, but did try "whole foods" types of diets on the recommendation of various nutritionists which involved similar foods (e.g. no refined or processed foods). It didn't do me any good at all, and I couldn't keep my weight up on that type of food either.

I eat a low fibre diet now. I eat some insoluble fibre, just not much, and I stick to white bread, white rice, etc. and eat a lot of sugary foods to keep my weight up, as very fatty/stodgy foods make me feel horribly full too.

If you want some ideas for fruits and veg that are easier to digest, I do alright with the following: bananas, avocados, root vegetables (carrots, parsnip, swede, turnips, etc.) mashed up; tinned fruit, and vegetable soups.

 

[amrycrohns]

I am a huge fan of eat whatever you can eat. Basically I eat all foods that are 0 issue foods for me. I tried Paleo 3 times now, but after I remove all don't eat foods + foods I can't tolerate there just isn't much left.

I have 3 friends with no issues and they struggle with carbs on Paleo, especially with longer runs and backpacking trips they usually have to cheat for a few days.