Vegan Diets

[kabbyswartz]

I'm sure this has been asked before, forgive me. But has anybody had any successes or failures trying a vegan diet to subdue symptoms? Dairy and meats in general seem to bother me, and I'm trying to gather some information before plunging into this lifestyle change. Also, I am a college student, so cheap options or cafeteria suggestions would be nice too

 

[Susan2]

DustyKat has a daughter with Crohn's who is a vegan. She will come on and talk to you about this, I am sure.

 

[DustyKat]

Thanks for the tag Susan2.

Yes, my daughter is vegan and has now moved to raw vegan but she is already in remission. It can and often is frustrating because diets are so variable when it comes down to the individual, so what suits one is awful for another.

Are you in remission?

Sarah found that following her surgery red meat in particular was difficult to stomach and it then followed that other meats didn't sit well with her either so she soon found herself eating seafood only. The choice to move away from fish and to vegetarian was a personal choice rather than a Crohn's one.

After about a year as a vegetarian, with some dairy, she started to cut out all dairy. It wasn't until she did this that she realised that dairy did impact negatively on how she felt. She then gravitated to raw vegan and organic where possible. Her first attempt failed as she could not maintain her weight but about 2 months ago she had another go and as far as i know it is working this time. I think the difference this time is she realised she just wasn't eating enough before. It certainly isn't an easy diet and it's not a diet for everyone.

She also juices everyday. She makes about a litre and consumes it over the day. IIRC her mainstay juice is carrot, spinach, lemon, ginger and ice. But she also juices kale and beetroot quiet a bit. Other than lemon she does not juice fruit as it concentrates the sugars too much.

Another thing she has eliminated is caffeine and she has also cut out refined sugar from her diet.

Since she is in remission it is hard to say what effect the diet is having on her Crohn's IYKWIM. She looks well and she says she feels great so I guess it must be so! :lol:

Sarah is also at university so it hasn't always been easy money wise. The one saving grace has been the university has an organic co op on the grounds. I'm sorry if I am off the mark here, I still have trouble working out if college and university are the same thing over there! :eek2:

Dusty. xxx

 

[KatyBuckeye]

I wanted to chime in with a different perspective. I was vegetarian for about 3 years prior to my diagnosis. Not completely vegan, but I limited all animal products most of the time. The only thing I really used liberally that vegans do not was honey. I considered my diet to be very healthy and balanced. Since my diagnosis, I've become convinced that the vegetarian diet definitely served as a trigger of the disease for me. Some of my digestive issues started about the time that I became vegetarian- really bad gas and bloating. A lot of the things that I did eat as a vegetarian- whole wheat products, soy products, etc.- are known to contribute to inflammation in the body. I've heard some people saying that the vegan diet does help. But just be careful about the types of vegan foods that you do eat.