Veggies

[morgane]

It has now been 5 weeks since I was diagnosed with Crohn's and I have to say my consultant has been poor on the food and diet front. He said avoid insoluble fibre, which is what I've been doing, but that basically means most vegetables. Before now, most of what I ate was vegetables, especially raw. I love eating healthily.

I am craving vegetables. Am I allowed them? Any? I've been trying to get on with peeling and de-seeding cucumbers.

 

[rygon]

The only way is to try. Everyones different so best bet is to try one veg at a time, and give it a day or2 to see if it has anyeffects on your gut

 

[KellyMom]

I am in the same boat! I miss veggies, fruit, whole wheat. I just posted about this too! I wish I had a good answer for you, but I am 1 week out from diagnosis so I have no clue what i am doing yet.

 

[morgane]

Wahh I hate taking the risk! I am starting liquid diet in just over a month's time so I will probably use that introductory stage to try out veg.

 

[hugh]

i think that while the intestine is ulcerated veggies and nuts are a problem, but when in remission they should be fine.

people will offer all sorts of advice about food so here's mine, make what you will of it.

Problem foods fall into three groups,
we're all aware of one group, many aware of two but most people don't want to know about the third group.

firstly, The painful ones,
imagine nuts of carrots or whatever rough food sliding through an ulcerated section of intestine, scraping off the mucus and opening up the scabs

secondly, the reactive ones,
many crohnies have food allergies, often multiple allergies, -an adverse reaction to food protiens. In most cases ( i think) due to intestinal permeability, - the gut allowing proteins through the intestinal wall that normally would not be allowed into the blood.

thirdly, the underlying problem.
we evolved to eat veggies, then about 2.5 million years ago made a leap to eating meat, probably leading to the rapid increase in brain size,
(check out Loren Cordain - Origins and Evolution of the Western Diet: Health Implications for the 21st Century. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5dw1MuD9EP4#

then we added grain, and it rapidly became the staple, enabling civilisation as we know it, but many people can't digest them and one of the proven effects of grains and beans (especially wheat) is increased intestinal permeability. this allows undigested food and faeces into the bloodstream -guess what?- provoking multiple immune reactions.

wikipedia:-
"Defects in the intestinal epithelial barrier function have been observed in a number of bowel disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is now becoming evident that an aberrant epithelial barrier function plays a central role in the pathophysiology of IBD, gastrointestinal diseases, cardiovascular disease, acute and chronic pediatric and other recognised diseases. Intestinal permeability is also increased in skin conditions such as psoriasis and atopic eczema"

the sad thing is that the real problem foods are considered 'safe foods' - paste, white bread, etc.

that's just my opinion, but check out the paleo thread