Being a relative newby to Chron's (I have it in the terminal Ilium) I was just wondering why certain foods affect you and why they should affect you, I mean surely everything's digested down in your stomach, so by the time it gets to your guts it should be nice sloppy liquid ready for things to be digested or whatever, so why say do popcorn or nuts cause the most problems because surely there digested too? Or am I completely missing out on something? (I never listened in GCSE Biology lol)
Why do certain foods cause pain?
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I think popcorn and anything with hulls, skins and seeds may irritate the lining of the intestines, hence inflammation, then strictures and narrowing and so on.
This post from a crohns forum does make sense!
here is an analogy that might make sense to you. Ever had a really slow flowing drain? Maybe you've lived in an old house or in a town whose water system has been around for, maybe a hundred years? So imagine this rusty, corroded pipe. It isn't smooth anymore on the inside. It is pitted and there are eruptions of rust on the inside that have nearly closed the opening in a couple of places. Most of the time it still runs ok, because you only need a pinhole for water to get through. But, suppose a guest comes over and they don't know about your old house and its equally sensitive plumbing. they graciously offer to clean up the fablulous meal you all have just enjoyed while you trek off to the bathroom. By the time you get back, they're standing over the sink with a sheepish look on their face. The water just isn't draining and there bits of the salad and a piece of meat or two swirling in the water. Immediately you know what's wrong. That piece of tomatoe and the corn and the meat grissle have gotten stuck somewhere in those old rusty pipes. Sometimes it will clear itself with just a plunger, but sometimes you gotta call in the plumber because the force of trying to clear the drain has blown one of the fittings and there's a mess spilling into your basement.
That's what the bowels of many crohn's patients look like. Think of the scar tissue as the rust in the pipe. Now do you see why corn, nuts, celery, and other coarse stringy foods can cause us so much misery? Of course you can eat all these foods. And sometimes you will get away with it. Maybe even most of the time, but if you are prone to obstruction or have been told you have a stricture best to avoid them. Unless you are prepared to suffer the consequences.
This post from a crohns forum does make sense!
here is an analogy that might make sense to you. Ever had a really slow flowing drain? Maybe you've lived in an old house or in a town whose water system has been around for, maybe a hundred years? So imagine this rusty, corroded pipe. It isn't smooth anymore on the inside. It is pitted and there are eruptions of rust on the inside that have nearly closed the opening in a couple of places. Most of the time it still runs ok, because you only need a pinhole for water to get through. But, suppose a guest comes over and they don't know about your old house and its equally sensitive plumbing. they graciously offer to clean up the fablulous meal you all have just enjoyed while you trek off to the bathroom. By the time you get back, they're standing over the sink with a sheepish look on their face. The water just isn't draining and there bits of the salad and a piece of meat or two swirling in the water. Immediately you know what's wrong. That piece of tomatoe and the corn and the meat grissle have gotten stuck somewhere in those old rusty pipes. Sometimes it will clear itself with just a plunger, but sometimes you gotta call in the plumber because the force of trying to clear the drain has blown one of the fittings and there's a mess spilling into your basement.
That's what the bowels of many crohn's patients look like. Think of the scar tissue as the rust in the pipe. Now do you see why corn, nuts, celery, and other coarse stringy foods can cause us so much misery? Of course you can eat all these foods. And sometimes you will get away with it. Maybe even most of the time, but if you are prone to obstruction or have been told you have a stricture best to avoid them. Unless you are prepared to suffer the consequences.
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Lovin' that analogy 
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I think the question still applies, though. By the time food arrives to the bowels, it is called chyme and is actually a mixture of partly digested food and liquid.
The only reason I can think, then, to explain why certain foods would bother is because even though the chyme is liquid, it still contains some undigested solid particles.
Insoluble fiber is not digested, so it makes sense that even as part of the chyme it would be rough enough to irritate an already inflamed bowel.
I think that is your answer.
The only reason I can think, then, to explain why certain foods would bother is because even though the chyme is liquid, it still contains some undigested solid particles.
Insoluble fiber is not digested, so it makes sense that even as part of the chyme it would be rough enough to irritate an already inflamed bowel.
I think that is your answer.
Happyballerina- that's exactly right! Remember some foods like nuts, seeds and skins can come out of a regular person undigested. We all know what happens when people eat sweetcorn! And seeds have a tough coating, because the idea is animals eat them and scatter them in their droppings (thus planting the seeds over a large area). So gracifer, the answer to your question is popcorn and nuts etc are not digested, so that's why they scratch your insides.
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The one that gets me is sugar? And caffeine? Those are my worst pain triggers and I wonder why they have such a bad effect.
Caffeine is a stimulant, so it stimulates the bowel muscles. Not sure about sugar, I know in the long run it alters the gut flora, but don't know about the short term. Although I guess sugar is a stimulant too? Since you can get sugar rush from eating lots in a short time.
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Rebecca is correct about the caffeine.
Sugar is not a stimulant in itself, however it does trigger the production of insulin which regulates the amount of energy in you (sugar = carbs = calories = energy.) A high level of insulin might give an effect mimicking a moderate stimulant.
I think the issue with sugar might be related to its digestion process. First of all, if we're talking about starches (potatoes, bread -- polysaccharides), you need the enzyme amylase to break those down into sugars (monosaccharides like glucose, for example.) if you're lacking that enzyme it would cause digestive difficulties.
If it's straight up simple sugars that are causing you problems, it might be related to the bacteria in your gut. Lactose, fructose, raffinose, and sorbitol are all sugars that can cause gas in people where the bacteria in the gut produce methane.
Sugar is not a stimulant in itself, however it does trigger the production of insulin which regulates the amount of energy in you (sugar = carbs = calories = energy.) A high level of insulin might give an effect mimicking a moderate stimulant.
I think the issue with sugar might be related to its digestion process. First of all, if we're talking about starches (potatoes, bread -- polysaccharides), you need the enzyme amylase to break those down into sugars (monosaccharides like glucose, for example.) if you're lacking that enzyme it would cause digestive difficulties.
If it's straight up simple sugars that are causing you problems, it might be related to the bacteria in your gut. Lactose, fructose, raffinose, and sorbitol are all sugars that can cause gas in people where the bacteria in the gut produce methane.
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