Supplements

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Diet supplements to lose weight? It's important to discuss any supplementation with your doctor in case of contraindications.
 
So you want a supplement to gain weight? A nutritional drink like Ensure clear is dairy free and can provide protein, vitamins and minerals.
 
I lost 12 pounds I gained 9 pounds back so far but I still look unhealthy I know I'm lacking what I need my mom didn't know if it was just safe for me to start taking supplements without my doctor approval
 
Complementary energy rich drinks should not be a problem to take regardlesso what meds you are on. I think it's more a question of whether you want your insurance to cover the price - for that you woukd need your doc to prescribe it.
 
But do I need my doctor to take stuff for calcium and other vitamins that I am not getting from certain foods that bother me and that I can not eat
 
See your doctor he may request a bone density scan and prescribe Fosamax,

In the mean time taking a mutli vitamin from a spot like GNC, and a protein drink like muscle milk light will help
 
Ive had a few in my days, they set you up in this machine which scans the density of your bones, Like you I struggled with calcium intake because I swore it was the cause of my stomach inflammations (from eating dairy). So my gastro worried my bones weren't strong. Of course he was right and I was prescribed Fosamax which Id take off an on LOL.

Fortunately dairy doesn't seem to bother me as much anymore and it's more like sugar cereals and soda which aggravate my stomach. Be sure it's dairy that's truly the source of your discomfort
 
I used to think the same, I wouldn't eat pizza or cereal and milk, no cheese nothing. But now I eat pretty much whatever I want, and the worst Ill get is mud butt, no abdominal pain.

Do you get those nasty crohns stomach pains, or what are your symptoms? I mean I'm no doctor and in no way can I make a diagnosis or medical recommendation, but from my own experience I've found that food in general upsets my stomach!!! So I pretty much just eat what I want, try and get fiber in and just know that chances are I'll be needing to hit up the bathroom after a meal. But accepting that has opened up a lot of different foods to me that I stayed away from in the past and basically have gotten the same results as far as how my body is reacting. So I eat more and gain more, though it's still a battle!

But in response to your original questions, taking a basic calcium supplement and or multi vitamin, along with a lightweight protein supplement drink will be good for you
 
that sucks!!!! I'd spend more time with your gastro. You could also explore medicinal marijuana with your doctor for appetite and stomach pain and other prescription pain meds, and even look into seeing a pscyh for mental health.

I've been there, had all the symptoms you're describing, been on the Remicadee machine, I know what you're going through

Best to be proactive
 
seems to be a bit of confusion about whether you want advice on supplement drinks or vitamins and minerals.

Supplement drinks are sugar drinks stuffed with low quality vitamins pushed by large corporations (no guessing which side of the fence i'm on)

With bowel disease you do want to supplement as your absorption will be not so good
The big one is vitamin D3, but here's a link to a video by a gastroenterologist and a pharmacist about supplements specifically for crohn's

the sound quality is terrible so start at 6:00 on this video even though it's part 3 (-parts 1 and 2 ARE worth listening to - the first two are the pharmacist going into detail about why and how but he is hard to hear, at 6:00 the gastro takes over and recaps the first two segments) and it should pop up a link to part 4 at the end
[youtube]HaityhbNYIs[/youtube]

probiotic foods and drinks (non-dairy kefir and kombucha) are probably better than pills (more bacteria from a wider variety of species)

Dairy is an iffy source of calcium,
yes, milk has a lot of calcium but it's not readily available and may even lead to calcium leaching from the bones so don't worry about not eating dairy .

Switching to a net alkaloid diet rather than an acidic diet should help calcium absorption alot.
By this i mean giving up grains and sugars, but still eating meat (paleo)

"Calcium works best when combined with other nutrients that work in synergy to build and maintain strong bones – I call them calcium friends. They are vitamin D and magnesium and both influence calcium metabolism and absorption.
Some integrative nutritionists recommend a ratio of calcium to magnesium close to 1:1 (e.g. if you take 1000 mg of calcium, you will need about the same in magnesium) but most stick to a 350-500 milligrams of magnesium per day guideline. You need around 1000-2000 milligrams of vitamin D, which you can get from sun exposure and certain foods like liver and oily fish. "

There are plenty of non dairy calcium rich foods
http://eatdrinkpaleo.com.au/paleo-diet-calcium-non-dairy-calcium-rich-foods/

I'd read up on Fosamax and the like,

"Fosamax simply stuffs calcium in the bones in an amorphous manner that does nothing to improve bone strength or prevent fractures. "
http://robbwolf.com/2009/03/19/paleo-vs-osteoporosis/

"Bisphosphonate drugs like Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva, are problematic because they stay in the bone indefinitely and disrupt the normal bone regeneration process.

Healthy bones maintain their strength from a continual process of bone breakdown and bone rebuilding. Osteoclasts are the cells that break down your bone, and osteoblasts are the cells that rebuild it.

Fosamax and similar drugs poison your osteoclasts, permanently killing them—the normal bone repair process is halted. So, your bones will indeed get denser. However, denser bones are NOT stronger bones, which is the part they don’t tell you. In fact, eventually your bones become weaker and more prone to fracture."
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...buying-fosamax-with-an-imaginary-disease.aspx
 
Last edited:
Listen to Hugh. And that entire video series is terrific, should you have time to go through it.

Specifically for crohns I have found the most important to be:
Probiotics
Vitamin D3
B complex
Vitamin E
 
Important to note: if you have inflammation or even scarring left from previously active disease in your ileum, oral b vitamins are not going to be absorbed. You can use sublingual, nasal, IV, or dermal routes instead. Personally I use a once daily vitamin B patch.
 
@kel,

Pretty good knowledge Ive got the ileum issue too and should be more aware of my vitamin intake For B vitamins and the others you mentioned. I haven't really tried a probiotic but I'm now considering giving it a shot.

Eating non diary seems so limiting though!!!!! I wonder what the cost/reward factor is for just eating whatever you want but staying away from the types of food that make your stomach go super aggro lol

For someone like Kirsten it just seems like a pretty crazy regiment that could be restricting or just overall difficult to maintain
 
Both of my kids have had ileocaecal resections and I tend to base most of the supplementing on blood levels. My daughter lives away from home so I am not fully familiar with what she is taking right now but I had a nutritional panel run on my son and the following deficiencies were picked up, so we are supplementing:

B12 (injection)
Vitamin D
Zinc
Magnesium.

At the GI's suggestion we are also supplementing with Turmeric.

Dusty. :)
 
Scottskillz said:
@kel,
I haven't really tried a probiotic but I'm now considering giving it a shot.
Click to expand...

Start low dose and build up! Can have an 'unpleasant' reaction if you start high

Scottskillz said:
Eating non diary seems so limiting though!!!!! I wonder what the cost/reward factor is for just eating whatever you want but staying away from the types of food that make your stomach go super aggro lol
Click to expand...

I went non-dairy for two months and then played around
I added Hard Cheese back in and it is fine for me and opens up a whole lot of foods (meatza - like pizza but the base is mince, grated onion & carrot and egg)
But milk and yogurt cause a definite toilet reaction so it's probably lactose intolerance.
Simple to test, just avoid the food for a month and then test yourself with it.

the cost/reward factor is so personal, it's either an addiction to overcome or a basic need for comfort or anywhere in between

Scottskillz said:
For someone like Kirsten it just seems like a pretty crazy regiment that could be restricting or just overall difficult to maintain
Click to expand...

I look at it differently, it's how we ate for 2.5 million years till we started farming.
I haven't found it restricting, i've found it liberating, but were all on our own journey
 
********. You should keep your doctor informed of what you're taking but you don't need to make an office visit every time you change multivitamins. Most doctors aren't even educated about supplements, odds are you're more informed on the subject anyway.
 
Have you thought about Juicing raw veggies Kirsten.?It's loaded with vits.,nutrients and enzymes.It wont fatten you up,but it will do you a power of good.Start with carrot & apple to see if you can tolerate it.There is a juicing thread on the forum and also lots on the web, which will give the the vitamin content etc.
 
kel said:
You should keep your doctor informed of what you're taking but you don't need to make an office visit every time you change multivitamins. Most doctors aren't even educated about supplements, odds are you're more informed on the subject anyway.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Things you can buy over the counter (i.e. without a doctor's prescription) are probably not worth consulting your doctor about - which is why you don't need to see a doctor to get them. Aren't most of us trying to see doctors as little as possible? I can't imagine my GP would be that impressed if I made an appointment with her to ask about vitamins, supplements, or whatever (I've read through this thread but still aren't sure exactly what kind of supplements are being asked about).

Kirsten: do you have a doctor that you see on a regular basis? Don't they do blood tests for you routinely anyway? I'd have thought they would if you have Crohn's, and if you do then they'd tell you if you had deficiencies. If you haven't had blood tests for a while and are concerned you're not getting everything you need from your diet, it's not going to do you any harm to take a multivitamin (though you might find some upset your stomach). If you want supplements to gain weight - i.e. calories rather than vitamins - you can find liquid meal supplements in pharmacies or ask your doctor for them.
 
Kirsten,

Jumping in a bit late but I would ask your doctor to check for common vit/mineral deficiences found in those with Crohns. I believe some of the more common ones would be iron, zinc, magnesium, B12, D - but, don't limit to these, ask if there are others your GI could test.

If you're looking to gain weight as well as supplement any vit/min deficiencies, I think nutritional shakes are a good way to go. I read above that Ensure is dairy free and Boost also sells a fruit beverage - tastes/looks just like juice, in the same type of individual juice packs (tetrapaks?) you often see juice sold in (I'm not 100% certain it's dairy free but I imagine it is???)

If you still have active inflammation, you may be not absorbing nutrients from the foods you eat (and you won't from some of the usual nutritional shakes either). Until the inflammation is under control, ask about elemental or semi-elemental shakes. These are formulated to be very easily absorbed. A couple of examples would be Peptamin or E028. I believe these are a bit expensive but may be covered by insurance if prescribed. You can find more info on this under the Treatment forum, under Enteral Nutrition. But, to avoid confusion, note that EN can be used in two ways - 'exclusively' to induce remission and/or provide complete bowel rest (so no food, formula only) or just as a 'supplement' along with a regular diet (which is what you are looking for).

My son did EN for close to two years as his 'maintenance' treatment. He recently started remicade but has continued with EN to supplement any missing nutrients.

Good luck! :)
 

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