The last five days for me have been worse than ever. My Crohn's is in the small intestine, really bad cramps, and then some just dull, burning pain, under the right rib area. Running to the potty like always, passing no blood, just looks like the lining of my gut is coming off again. I take Prevalite powder mixed in water every day, and had been taking 5mg of Prednisone each morning, this really helped in the beginning. I am still losing weight, but it looks like I am gaining, I am so bloated. I also have Bentyl to take to slow my gut, not really sure it does anything for me. Today, I ate a small bowl of rice with soy sauce three times, and just now ate 3 very small activia vanilla yogurt cup. I am lactose intolerant so lets hope I keep part of it. Many other health issues, fibro, cfs, hypothyroidism, really high BP (five pills a day) and still not controlled. I cannot even eat boiled chicken now without getting sick. I tried the low density diet as well. What I would really like to know, what do you guys eat/drink when you have a really nasty flare? I am weak, I know I need protein, and now the muscle cramps are bad. I try to drink Gatoraid, but it don't seem to settle well. Could those of you that would post your diet when your really sick? Thank You
What to Eat During a Flare?
- Thread starter ratdog
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SarahBear
Moderator
When I'm flaring, I mostly eat potato soup, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, toast, well-cooked pasta with a bit of butter, and fish. Fish is usually pretty easy on the stomach, and that would help you get your protein. It varies quite a bit from person to person though, so I encourage you to keep a food journal (if you're not already) to better understand what you can tolerate right now.
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Just test small amounts of food to you figure out what your flare foods are. Protein wise hmm I struggle with chicken and pork, but I am completely fine with beef. This is opposite of most. The only thing I am sure of with crohn's over the years now, is everyone is completely different.
As Sarah said a food journal is a must for your long term health.
As Sarah said a food journal is a must for your long term health.
Cat-a-Tonic
Super Moderator
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In a bad flare, plain white rice is about the only solid food I can stomach. Gatorade is pretty acidic, so if it gives you trouble, try watering it down, or opt for something like Pedialyte (I usually water that down too as it's very sugary). For calories & protein, you could also try supplement drinks like Boost, Ensure, Slim Fast, Carnation instant breakfast, etc.
If I'm just having a bad day, I can do a lot of what has been mentioned already - mashed potatoes, plain pasta, toast, baked chicken or fish, mac & cheese (the kind from a box sits better with me, as I can't do real cheese but I can do the fake cheese powder). Basically anything low-residue (low fiber) and bland. Some people can do things like bananas and applesauce too - personally I hate applesauce, and bananas cause me pain, so those are out for me, but might be worth giving a try as we're all different. Good luck and I hope you're able to find some food options that work for you.
If I'm just having a bad day, I can do a lot of what has been mentioned already - mashed potatoes, plain pasta, toast, baked chicken or fish, mac & cheese (the kind from a box sits better with me, as I can't do real cheese but I can do the fake cheese powder). Basically anything low-residue (low fiber) and bland. Some people can do things like bananas and applesauce too - personally I hate applesauce, and bananas cause me pain, so those are out for me, but might be worth giving a try as we're all different. Good luck and I hope you're able to find some food options that work for you.
A lot of the foods suggested have milk or milk products in them. Milk is really bad for me. I guess I am just worn down from the pain and all that comes with this curse. I have lost over 40 pounds since this all started, so now I am SICK of people saying, "You look great! Have you been working out"? Why are you not back to work?
SarahBear
Moderator
You can likely find lactose-free substitutes for the milk products.
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Mashed potato, plain rice, rice bubbles, bananas, apple sauce and toast with some honey or vegemite are my main flare-up foods. As for drinks, I pretty much only drink water- sometimes tea is OK.
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Hey Ratdog,
I'm in a similar place where meat sounds terrible, but I still need protein. I usually get away with things that are soft, so I don't have to chew. I'd recommend peanut butter (or almond/cashew/whatever; make sure it's as additive-free as possible, since a lot of brands have corn syrup added.) Soft-scrambled, boiled, or poached eggs are nice if you don't have trouble with eggs. Tuna with olive oil or mayo is good. Today I had shredded chicken salad with homemade mayo, made of avocado oil and egg. Mayo is a little labor-intensive, but Google can give you tips. Also homemade chicken soups are great. In general, I like to keep ingredients lists as minimal as possible.
Oh also, if you go to Whole Foods or a similar health food store, their deli dept. should have minimally-processed lunch meats available. Ask for the ingredients on anything and they'll print you a little tag. You can get some that have no additives beyond water and seasoning, like Applegate Oven Roasted Turkey. (I just bought some yesterday, which is how I know that.
)
Lunch meats are usually a bad idea, but if you get the clean, minimally processed kind, I find 'em easier to eat than "regular" meat. Note that these are NOT the kind that come pre-packaged; if your deli has them, they'll slice it for you to order. The pre-packaged ones have carageenan, saddestoftrombones.
Good luck and I wish you health!
I'm in a similar place where meat sounds terrible, but I still need protein. I usually get away with things that are soft, so I don't have to chew. I'd recommend peanut butter (or almond/cashew/whatever; make sure it's as additive-free as possible, since a lot of brands have corn syrup added.) Soft-scrambled, boiled, or poached eggs are nice if you don't have trouble with eggs. Tuna with olive oil or mayo is good. Today I had shredded chicken salad with homemade mayo, made of avocado oil and egg. Mayo is a little labor-intensive, but Google can give you tips. Also homemade chicken soups are great. In general, I like to keep ingredients lists as minimal as possible.
Oh also, if you go to Whole Foods or a similar health food store, their deli dept. should have minimally-processed lunch meats available. Ask for the ingredients on anything and they'll print you a little tag. You can get some that have no additives beyond water and seasoning, like Applegate Oven Roasted Turkey. (I just bought some yesterday, which is how I know that.
) Lunch meats are usually a bad idea, but if you get the clean, minimally processed kind, I find 'em easier to eat than "regular" meat. Note that these are NOT the kind that come pre-packaged; if your deli has them, they'll slice it for you to order. The pre-packaged ones have carageenan, saddestoftrombones.
Good luck and I wish you health!
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I can sometimes handle egg sandwiches. Also chicken is usually OK.
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The only thing I can tolerate when flaring is toast. I try to use Creamy Peanut butter for protein as much as possible. I also eat white rice, but cannot do soy sauce. I am also lactose intolerant, that makes it super tricky!
Hope you are well again soon.
Hope you are well again soon.
