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Why Don't GI Doctors Take The Role Of Diet Seriously?

Both my Gastroenterologist and his nurse practicioneer who have been in practice for decades refuse to believe that diet and nutrition plays a role in the treatment of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.

Just the fact that so many people have vitamin and mineral deficiencies, food allergies, food sensitivities and food intolerances ALONE should be on the radar of all GI doctors.

Then you have who knows how many patients are on a high junk food with a lot of refined sugar and/or alcohol which are of course inflammatory.

I get it. Its far more profitable to prescribe medications than to alleviate suffering via simple dietary changes, but I refuse to believe that most GI doctors are "psychopaths."


Why do you think that nearly all GI doctors do not tell their patient's to make adjustments in their diet?
 
The biggest reason doctors prescribe medications is that diet most of the time does not induce remission for patients. I would say that diet is the second most important thing when it comes to maintaining IBD with medication being most important.

Personally, I find that I can eat anything without causing any symptoms. Does this mean I eat a bunch of junk food? Absolutely not. Ever since my diagnosis, I have changed my diet to include more fruits and veggies and less processed food.

If your GI doctor thinks that diet plays no role in your IBD, then I would say it's time to find a new GI doctor.
 
My GI had told me that diet does not cause or prevent Crohn's, however he does recommend a healthy diet now that I am in remission. While I was flaring I had to eat what I could tolerate, which wasn't much. I had to drink nutritional drinks just to get my weight up. He has given me educational pamphlets and sent me videos about healthy eating. He is big on eating enough fiber and staying away from all the yummy stuff (fried foods, spicy foods, soda, alcohol, fatty foods, etc.). I try to be as healthy as possible, but I still enjoy some junk food!

I would agree that part of the problem is that not all doctors get a good training in nutrition. I believe that traditional medicine and supplements together can be the best treatment...but you have to find what works for your body. Just because I can eat bean burritos even when flaring but can only tolerate a couple of salads a week even in remission doesn't mean that's the same for everyone.

As far as vitamin deficiencies that may have a lot to do with where the inflammation is. I have the disease only in the colon so I have not had too many deficiencies. Only really anemia and dehydration.

My GI once said that I have to remember that anything that would be mildly irritating to the digestive tract in a person without the disease will be extra irritating to me because of inflammation and ulcers. For example beef is very hard for the body to digest. When flaring I cannot tolerate it at all. When in remission I can have it sometimes, but not all the time. This disease is crazy!
 

Scipio

Well-known member
Location
San Diego
Both my Gastroenterologist and his nurse practicioneer who have been in practice for decades refuse to believe that diet and nutrition plays a role in the treatment of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.
I think one reason why diet often looms so much larger in the minds of patients than of doctors is that diet is the one thing that is under the patient's direct control. Diet is the one tool that patients own. Medication, on the other hand, is the main tool that doctors own. Doctors and patients alike tend to focus on the tools at their disposal.

All the GIs I know are convinced that diet plays a role in the treatment of IBD. They are very familiar with the concept of "trigger foods" and the need to avoid them, and I've never met a doctor of any kind who wasn't interested in promoting a healthy diet to his/her patients. However, GIs know from sad experience that dietary adjustments alone won't do the trick. Except in the case of very mild disease, medication is going to be needed to achieve and maintain remission of IBD.

For the vast majority of Crohn's cases diet will play a role but a secondary role. The remission "heavy lifting' will be done by the medication.
 
I definitely think diet plays a role - but it does not cause or prevent IBD. I'd think of it more as a complimentary treatment.

The problem of using diet over medication for me is that there is nothing protecting you. You could well eat the right diet and be feeling well, and then something happens to set off the inflammatory cycle and without medications to intercept it (if you know what I mean) there is a greater chance it will get out of control and cause a flare.
 

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
Any GI I've seen have focused on diet and a little too much in my opinion. Many assume that everyone is eating garbage and don't believe their patients when they say what they actually eat. My current GI pushes organic foods and wants me to make my own kefir from scratch and if I'm not doing that then I'm not trying hard enough. I'm not about to make myself sick. If I wanted a dietitian I would have went to one.

During a flare diet plays an important role because you need your gut to rest and heal which is why GIs will suggest the BRAT diet or a bland one and sometimes even a liquid diet when needed. Preventative care is a whole different animal and highly debatable which would be the number one reason in my opinion why GI doctors don't focus on it much as a whole for treatment. They need to treat a flare as quickly as possible and only medication can provide that. If you want further help with diet then I would suggest seeing a dietitian.
 
Talking in very general terms the causes of IBD are a combination of environmental, dietary, microbial and bacterial factors.

So I think everyone with IBD should take care of their diet and do what works best for them but there is a lot more going on with this disease - things we can't control and that is why we need medication.
 
Many good points made on all these posts. Everyone should aspire to eat a good balanced diet, no matter the circumstances. It would be difficult for a GI to suggest a particular diet as everyone is so different. My son's family doctor mentioned to him to eat a balance diet including fiber. His GI doctor never mentioned diet at all. In the end, you do have the power to eat and figure out what is best for you.
 
Diet will not prevent or cause Crohns.

In some patients - such as myself - diet can be used to CONTROL Crohns. In my case, I developed abdominal cramps about 8 years into the disease. I began to suspect food triggers, and ultimately succeeded in isolating the trigger foods that caused the cramps. It was a painful process but I now know the trigger foods and have been able to control CD through diet. My GI accepted this.

The perplexing thing about CD is that no two patients have the same trigger foods.

I learned about the bland diet and found that after a case of painful cramps, it can speed the recovery and calm down the digestive tract.
 
My GI had told me that diet does not cause or prevent Crohn's, however he does recommend a healthy diet now that I am in remission. While I was flaring I had to eat what I could tolerate, which wasn't much. I had to drink nutritional drinks just to get my weight up. He has given me educational pamphlets and sent me videos about healthy eating. He is big on eating enough fiber and staying away from all the yummy stuff (fried foods, spicy foods, soda, alcohol, fatty foods, etc.). I try to be as healthy as possible, but I still enjoy some junk food!

I would agree that part of the problem is that not all doctors get a good training in nutrition. I believe that traditional medicine and supplements together can be the best treatment...but you have to find what works for your body. Just because I can eat bean burritos even when flaring but can only tolerate a couple of salads a week even in remission doesn't mean that's the same for everyone.

As far as vitamin deficiencies that may have a lot to do with where the inflammation is. I have the disease only in the colon so I have not had too many deficiencies. Only really anemia and dehydration.

My GI once said that I have to remember that anything that would be mildly irritating to the digestive tract in a person without the disease will be extra irritating to me because of inflammation and ulcers. For example beef is very hard for the body to digest. When flaring I cannot tolerate it at all. When in remission I can have it sometimes, but not all the time. This disease is crazy!
For me, beef is far easier to digest than vegetables and fruits.

Thanks for letting me know that you have a GI doctor who cares about your diet-After I stopped dairy, it made a huge difference, and I stopped all sugar about eleven days ago.

I used to buy into the "doctors are not taught nutrition in medical school, so that's why they don't tell their patients," but that's a lie because doctors, like most people have friends, family and acquaintances. They read and watch TV;They are exposed to information about nutrition and were all physicians to tell their patients BEFORE they got sick to follow a healthy diet, they would be out of business.
 
Diet will not prevent or cause Crohns.

In some patients - such as myself - diet can be used to CONTROL Crohns. In my case, I developed abdominal cramps about 8 years into the disease. I began to suspect food triggers, and ultimately succeeded in isolating the trigger foods that caused the cramps. It was a painful process but I now know the trigger foods and have been able to control CD through diet. My GI accepted this.

The perplexing thing about CD is that no two patients have the same trigger foods.

I learned about the bland diet and found that after a case of painful cramps, it can speed the recovery and calm down the digestive tract.
Thanks for your reply. I recently stopped eggs, sugar and most dairy products (only aged cheeses now) and that's helped with some of the inflammation.

I'm happy that your GI doctor was on board with your nutritional choices.

My nurse practicioner(SP) looked me straight in the eye and told me that nutrition does not play an important role in GI problems (paraphrasing) and this woman has been in practice for at least thirty-years and is very intelligent, yet is ignorant about the role of nutrition and stress in GI disorders, but she has no problem pushing high side-effect biologics BEFORE trying other healing modalities.
 
Many good points made on all these posts. Everyone should aspire to eat a good balanced diet, no matter the circumstances. It would be difficult for a GI to suggest a particular diet as everyone is so different. My son's family doctor mentioned to him to eat a balance diet including fiber. His GI doctor never mentioned diet at all. In the end, you do have the power to eat and figure out what is best for you.
Thanks for your reply.

At this point in time, in which professionals share new major findings online, in journals, conferences and the fact that there's a TON of nutritional information on mainstream TV (which doctors watch like anyone else, there is no excuse for GI doctors to not tell their patients the role of food, anti-nutrients, food allergies & sensitivies, leaky gut and stress as major factors in their disease.

I guarantee that there are people with the genes for serious IBD that never express themselves during their lives because their toxin "bucket" and other stressors were kept to a minimum.
 
I think one reason why diet often looms so much larger in the minds of patients than of doctors is that diet is the one thing that is under the patient's direct control. Diet is the one tool that patients own. Medication, on the other hand, is the main tool that doctors own. Doctors and patients alike tend to focus on the tools at their disposal.

All the GIs I know are convinced that diet plays a role in the treatment of IBD. They are very familiar with the concept of "trigger foods" and the need to avoid them, and I've never met a doctor of any kind who wasn't interested in promoting a healthy diet to his/her patients. However, GIs know from sad experience that dietary adjustments alone won't do the trick. Except in the case of very mild disease, medication is going to be needed to achieve and maintain remission of IBD.

For the vast majority of Crohn's cases diet will play a role but a secondary role. The remission "heavy lifting' will be done by the medication.
You make a lot of sense, but when doctors throw antibiotics and high doses of steroids at a person, this DOES cause leaky gut which worsens the inflammation. Then there's the fact that most doctors recommend levels of fiber that actually worsen a disease, plus every person with IBD should not touch eggs, dairy, grains (grasses), nuts or seeds. Also, a decent GI doctor can ask their patient something as simple as their stress levels and if they are getting treated for anxiety which does worsen IBD.

Then there are the very real problems caused by a high oxalate diet which also worsens IBD.

Thanks for your input.
 
Any GI I've seen have focused on diet and a little too much in my opinion. Many assume that everyone is eating garbage and don't believe their patients when they say what they actually eat. My current GI pushes organic foods and wants me to make my own kefir from scratch and if I'm not doing that then I'm not trying hard enough. I'm not about to make myself sick. If I wanted a dietitian I would have went to one.

During a flare diet plays an important role because you need your gut to rest and heal which is why GIs will suggest the BRAT diet or a bland one and sometimes even a liquid diet when needed. Preventative care is a whole different animal and highly debatable which would be the number one reason in my opinion why GI doctors don't focus on it much as a whole for treatment. They need to treat a flare as quickly as possible and only medication can provide that. If you want further help with diet then I would suggest seeing a dietitian.
I cut out all dairy, grains, eggs, sugar and most fruits and vegetables and am currently on the Carnivore diet. I will eventually incorporate well-steamed vegetables over time.

Even though organic, raw dairy helps many people, from what I've heard,even clean dairy can worsen the symptoms of Crohn's and UC.

I read some of your posts in the Entyvio forums. I had my third infusion about one month ago and it was my last because the side-effects were insane. I literally just found out about the risk for PML about a month ago.

I hope that you've been well and have found a new biologic or other treatment to lessen your suffering.

Thanks for your feedback.
 
My guess would be that doctors have to follow “ standard of care” or get sued. Standard of care is based on evidence from clinical trials and scientific research. Clinical trials are mostly funded by pharma and I doubt whether broccoli farmers give out much in the way of research grants. The trials and the research is done in areas that can make money ie drugs. My doctor told me that diet does not have a role in crohns, he gave me a choice of Humira or remicade. I have since found through personal experience that diet is pivotal. I have been in remission for three years and drug free yet even today when I tell my doctor about the lifestyle modifications I made he insists that diet has no role to play. He puts it down to the natural ebb of the disease. However I know for sure when I go off the diet for any length of time I can feel the crohns coming back. There is cause and effect. unfortunately no one other than the patient is going to benefit from researching cost effective natural methods to manage crohns hence the snails pace of research in that area.
 
My guess would be that doctors have to follow “ standard of care” or get sued. Standard of care is based on evidence from clinical trials and scientific research. Clinical trials are mostly funded by pharma and I doubt whether broccoli farmers give out much in the way of research grants. The trials and the research is done in areas that can make money ie drugs. My doctor told me that diet does not have a role in crohns, he gave me a choice of Humira or remicade. I have since found through personal experience that diet is pivotal. I have been in remission for three years and drug free yet even today when I tell my doctor about the lifestyle modifications I made he insists that diet has no role to play. He puts it down to the natural ebb of the disease. However I know for sure when I go off the diet for any length of time I can feel the crohns coming back. There is cause and effect. unfortunately no one other than the patient is going to benefit from researching cost effective natural methods to manage crohns hence the snails pace of research in that area.
Thank you for your insightful answer.

What basic dietary guidelines have worked for you?
 
Thank you for your insightful answer.

What basic dietary guidelines have worked for you?
I tried a bunch of things all at the same time so I am not sure what was effective and what was not or whether it was a combination. So below is how I started off

No grains
No dairy
No alcohol
No sugar
No cooking fats or salad oils other than butter, ghee, virgin olive oil or coconut oil
I took oregano capsules for the first month or so
Fermented foods of some kind with every meal - wildbrine sauerkraut, kimchi etc. after a few months of strictly avoiding all dairy, I added in home made yogurt and raw cheese.
Green smoothie everyday . The smoothie always included blueberries and some kind of green leaf. For a while I tried adding black seed oil to my smoothie but kept forgetting to do so.
Bone broth and collagen. I just buy the powdered stuff. Probably better to make your own.
I now eat a lot of vegetables, especially cabbage, leeks, prebiotic fibrous stuff. At one point I was even sun drying green bananas and grinding them into flour in a spice grinder...I was that dedicated !!
Turmeric, pepper and ginger tea at least twice a day
Regular exercise
At least half an hour every day in the sun without spf
Omega 3
Boswellia
During this time I also changed my job from a high pressure Fortune 500 company to a mid sized firm. That was not because of the Crohn’s but I wonder if the reduction in stress helped.

I started off very much on point but nowadays I am a little more relaxed about it. I listen to my body though. I can tell when I am about to go too far.
 
For the vast majority of Crohn's cases diet will play a role but a secondary role. The remission "heavy lifting' will be done by the medication.
I disagree with this, I think diet is definitively capable of doing the 'heavy lifting', but if the patient is in a flare, then they may require elemental diet initially to bring the inflammation down. Diet works because it changes the microbiome - diet and antibiotics are the main two ways we can do this.

What I'm not clear on is why new intolerances develop.

Hopeful girl - I wondered if you were able to expand the foods you could eat during after so long in remission?

As I'm also not on medication at the moment, but am developing intolerances to my existing diet - so what I can safely have is getting less and less.
 
I tried a bunch of things all at the same time so I am not sure what was effective and what was not or whether it was a combination. So below is how I started off

No grains
No dairy
No alcohol
No sugar
No cooking fats or salad oils other than butter, ghee, virgin olive oil or coconut oil
I took oregano capsules for the first month or so
Fermented foods of some kind with every meal - wildbrine sauerkraut, kimchi etc. after a few months of strictly avoiding all dairy, I added in home made yogurt and raw cheese.
Green smoothie everyday . The smoothie always included blueberries and some kind of green leaf. For a while I tried adding black seed oil to my smoothie but kept forgetting to do so.
Bone broth and collagen. I just buy the powdered stuff. Probably better to make your own.
I now eat a lot of vegetables, especially cabbage, leeks, prebiotic fibrous stuff. At one point I was even sun drying green bananas and grinding them into flour in a spice grinder...I was that dedicated !!
Turmeric, pepper and ginger tea at least twice a day
Regular exercise
At least half an hour every day in the sun without spf
Omega 3
Boswellia
During this time I also changed my job from a high pressure Fortune 500 company to a mid sized firm. That was not because of the Crohn’s but I wonder if the reduction in stress helped.

I started off very much on point but nowadays I am a little more relaxed about it. I listen to my body though. I can tell when I am about to go too far.
Were you able to eat fruits and vegetables while in the worst part of your flareup, or did you begin adding them when you could tolerate them?
I have not been able to digest plant material for a while now.

The only reason that I do not drink green smoothies is the high oxalate (anti-nutrient) content.
I've been on a near zero fiber diet for close to six months now.

I'm positive that I'm taking a long time to heal from my Crohn's Colitis due to the side effects from my three Enytvio infusions; The side-effects I've had from this are very common as written in some of the Entyvio threads.

My GI wanted to put me back on Prednisone again, but unless I'm at "death's door," I'm going to deal with my inflammation with diet and some supplements.

I am going to ease back into working out, but I have to get my Iron levels higher before I go into more intense exercise and the deep fatigue side-effects from the Entyvio begin to wear off in time.

Thanks again for some excellent ideas.
 
I disagree with this, I think diet is definitively capable of doing the 'heavy lifting', but if the patient is in a flare, then they may require elemental diet initially to bring the inflammation down. Diet works because it changes the microbiome - diet and antibiotics are the main two ways we can do this.

What I'm not clear on is why new intolerances develop.

Hopeful girl - I wondered if you were able to expand the foods you could eat during after so long in remission?

As I'm also not on medication at the moment, but am developing intolerances to my existing diet - so what I can safely have is getting less and less.
When I first saw the nurse practicioner at my GI's office three-years ago, she put me on an anti-parasitic, then Cipro BEFORE any fecal occult tests were done. Its now a fact that anti-biotics decimate the microbiome, killing off the beneficial bacteria and allowing the bad bacteria to go nuts.

Plus because most of our seretonin is produced by the gut, anti-biotics often cause panic attacks and/or depression.

I truly believe that at least in some cases, the inflammation should be allowed to run its course while supported by a clean diet & supplements but MOST patients with IBD (myself included) have no clue that they do not ALWAYS have to take Prednisone and other anti-inflammatories.

And as much as I do understand the profit motive for doctors, they could STILL make decent money while advising their patients to go on low or no residue diets, to reduce stress as much as possible, to get as much rest as possible, to cut out all alcohol, refined sugar, dairy, gluten and even eggs,

But then again, I've heard too many anecdotal stories of people getting relief from Ginger, Turmeric, Oil Of Oregano, bone broth, omega 3's, probiotics and other wisely-chosen supplements (as Hopeful girl listed).

And relatively speaking, we only know a tiny bit about the microbiome.

When I was a vegan (BIG mistake), I took a supplement called "Restore4 Gut Health" which seals up the tight junction gaps in the GI tract blocking foreign proteins from creating an inflammatory response, but I now know that anti-biotics, NSAID and Prednisone contribute to leaky gut and I bet that MOST of the inflammation suppressing medications people with IBD are put on cause more harm than good.

I truly get that people who are scared out of their mind will defer 100% to an authority figure (doctor) as I did months ago when I agreed to get Entyvio infusions.
 
I disagree with this, I think diet is definitively capable of doing the 'heavy lifting', but if the patient is in a flare, then they may require elemental diet initially to bring the inflammation down. Diet works because it changes the microbiome - diet and antibiotics are the main two ways we can do this.

What I'm not clear on is why new intolerances develop.

Hopeful girl - I wondered if you were able to expand the foods you could eat during after so long in remission?

As I'm also not on medication at the moment, but am developing intolerances to my existing diet - so what I can safely have is getting less and less.
I agree with you that diet can do the heavy lifting. I wish so very much that there was more research in this area. Right now it is all hit and miss and we figure things out as we go along. The University of Massachusetts school of nutrition ( I think) has IBD anti inflammatory diet guidelines. I did use several of their recipes. People may feel that they eat a “ balanced diet” which means different things to different folk. Unfortunately with Crohn’s you cannot eat a “balanced” diet and heal. You have to become an extremist. It is a question of choosing your sacrifice - you either give up eating like a normal person or you put up with medication and it’s intended and unintended effects.

To answer your question, what causes the most problems for me are North American strains of wheat ( I don’t have such a strong reaction to European or Asian varieties of wheat), beer and sugar. I eat a kind of modified paleoish diet with occasional lapses. I still avoid grains, though I suspect that oatmeal would probably be fine to add back, the last time I had a beer was last summer and then only one single glass :( , I always have something fermented at least once a day. Sunshine ( mild not blistering heat) really does help - I have no idea why, but it does, just taking vit D3 does not have the same effect I still make smoothies three glasses at a time and store in the refrigerator. I am still doing the bone broth , the vegetables and the tablespoon of homemade apple sauce. It’s not hard to do. It’s just that I have to plan things out - no more spontaneous take out ordering and heavens I really miss bread.
 
When I first saw the nurse practicioner at my GI's office three-years ago, she put me on an anti-parasitic, then Cipro BEFORE any fecal occult tests were done. Its now a fact that anti-biotics decimate the microbiome, killing off the beneficial bacteria and allowing the bad bacteria to go nuts.

Plus because most of our seretonin is produced by the gut, anti-biotics often cause panic attacks and/or depression.

I truly believe that at least in some cases, the inflammation should be allowed to run its course while supported by a clean diet & supplements but MOST patients with IBD (myself included) have no clue that they do not ALWAYS have to take Prednisone and other anti-inflammatories.

And as much as I do understand the profit motive for doctors, they could STILL make decent money while advising their patients to go on low or no residue diets, to reduce stress as much as possible, to get as much rest as possible, to cut out all alcohol, refined sugar, dairy, gluten and even eggs,

But then again, I've heard too many anecdotal stories of people getting relief from Ginger, Turmeric, Oil Of Oregano, bone broth, omega 3's, probiotics and other wisely-chosen supplements (as Hopeful girl listed).

And relatively speaking, we only know a tiny bit about the microbiome.

When I was a vegan (BIG mistake), I took a supplement called "Restore4 Gut Health" which seals up the tight junction gaps in the GI tract blocking foreign proteins from creating an inflammatory response, but I now know that anti-biotics, NSAID and Prednisone contribute to leaky gut and I bet that MOST of the inflammation suppressing medications people with IBD are put on cause more harm than good.

I truly get that people who are scared out of their mind will defer 100% to an authority figure (doctor) as I did months ago when I agreed to get Entyvio infusions.
Restore4 gut health sounds like an interesting product. I am going to file that information in case I need it some time :)
During the worst of my flare up I was not able to have anything other than black tea...not even a squeeze of lemon with my tea. Everything else would violently swish through my body. It was just awful.
At diagnosis my doctor gave me two weeks to decide between Humira or Remicade and meanwhile gave me Budesenide to tide me over. The Budesenide really worked well on me. I was therefore able to have the smoothies etc and keep it in my body long enough to extract some good from it - though with my gut as damaged as it was I doubt I absorbed anything completely. I did not make my decision in two weeks and ended up staying on Budesenide for 5 months. During which time I overhauled much in my life . when I finally tapered off the Budesenide I fully expected the Crohns symptoms to return but it hasn’t for three years now. I am attributing the 5 months strict lifestyle modifications along with the steroid for the initial improvement.
 
Both my Gastroenterologist and his nurse practicioneer who have been in practice for decades refuse to believe that diet and nutrition plays a role in the treatment of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.

Just the fact that so many people have vitamin and mineral deficiencies, food allergies, food sensitivities and food intolerances ALONE should be on the radar of all GI doctors.

Then you have who knows how many patients are on a high junk food with a lot of refined sugar and/or alcohol which are of course inflammatory.

I get it. Its far more profitable to prescribe medications than to alleviate suffering via simple dietary changes, but I refuse to believe that most GI doctors are "psychopaths."


Why do you think that nearly all GI doctors do not tell their patient's to make adjustments in their diet?
I can't answer that, but my was released from Emory after a 2 year stay and the doctor said " there is no diet restriction????
 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
Our pediatric Gi (both are one of the top pediatric ibd centers in the country )
Had us try
Crohns exclusive diet (no sugar limited wheat /red meat etc...) very long list of does and don’ts
Free of “pick a list diet “ including fodmaps
Ibd aid etc....
Exclusive enteral nutrition (een) with semi elemental
And elemental formulas for various periods of time

Prescription probiotics
Formula with prebiotics
Elimination diets

There are large nationwide nutrition studies as treatment at kiddie hospitals
Children’s if Philadelphia and Boston children’s
Like 90/10 and 80/20 for een as maintenance
Improve care now network had a nationwide study on SCD in kids woth ibd

Nutrition with kids (younger kids) is easier since parents control it
Harder for adults

Finding the right combo of foods /supplements and meds is tricky and very individualized
Since there are many different sub types of crohns
After eight years we have a decent system down for ds in terms of diet
Other autoimmune /Autoinflammatory disorders that he has require meds
Diet doesn’t stop them
 
I wanted to add a note just in case anyone is reading any of this and they find it helpful.

I am not a doctor and what worked for me may or may not work for you.

However, I will try and explain what I did and why.

When I was first diagnosed I was given two weeks to choose between 2 biologics and while that decision was being made I was put on a steroid. The steroid is like a sledgehammer, it smashes into your body with all the force of Thor on the rampage. Whatever else it did to my body, the drug did stop the diarrhea in its tracks in just 3 days. I used the reprieve from symptoms to “fix” myself the best that I knew how. Below is my thought process:

Remove irritants – hence the no grains, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol, no coffee, no carbonated drinks etc. Anything that I thought might be contributing to irritating my gut went out.
Improve the microbiome – oregano oil, fermented foods, prebiotics
Reduce inflammation and heal gut lining – bone broth, turmeric, Boswellia, omega3, chlorophyll
Improve general health – exercise, sunshine, stress reduction, nutritious diet

The medication brought down my symptoms enough for me to have the energy and time to support my healing process. I did not use the reprieve to go back to normal life. That normal life and the balanced diet with occasional treats was what brought me to this sorry pass in the first place.

At diagnosis a scan showed 18 inches of disease. My latest colonoscopy and biopsy shows an almost completely clean gut. Initially my doctor who has no belief that anything that I could do would help, kept me on a tight leash and pushed his medications at me endlessly. I had to come in and see him frequently with 6-month blood tests for an array of markers and annual colonoscopies. Even after all my markers showed much improvement, he still tried to persuade me to go on drugs. He now believes I have recovered sufficiently to need a colonoscopy only every two years and come in for office visits only yearly. He still doesn’t believe that my choices had anything to do with the remission … surprisingly he doesn’t show any curiosity as to how I got here....

An acquaintance of mine was diagnosed within a few months of myself. I don’t see him often or even chat much. I met him recently at a dinner party after a long time. He took the biologic route. When I met him, he had aged and was almost like a semi invalid. Half way through the meal, he had to go upstairs to lie down. It was so sad to see. His circumstances and genotype will be different to mine and what works for me may not work for him but still I wish he had used more common sense in the way he treated his body. After all it is the patient not the GI or the drug manufacturer who has to embarrassedly get up half way through a meal because he is too sick.
 
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my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
Hopeful girl your friend may not be on the right med combo or diet med combo
Biologics have healed my kiddos gut /joints /
I could say it was diet alone
But for him it wasn’t
Had to stop biologic due to a surgery (non ibd related )
When they were stopped he got sick fast (even with diet )
He does not look sickly and doesn’t need to rest through a meal
They have helped him a lot
Each person is different
This disease is evil because while diet can and does work for some
For others meds work
And a few select special folks need both diet and meds

I am so happy you found a fix for your crohns
That has worked so well for you
That is the goal
Whether that is med and /or diet
We all want a happy healthy intestine /body
 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
For those looking for diet
Crohns dad did a lot of research on this before diet was thought to play a role at all

Has some very interesting research prior to his death

 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
Dietary Therapy With the Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet is a Successful Strategy for Induction of Remission in Children and Adults Failing Biological Therapy.
Sigall Boneh R, et al. J Crohns Colitis. 2017.
Show full citation
Abstract
Background: Loss of response [LoR] to biologics in Crohn's disease [CD] is a significant clinical problem. Dietary therapy as a treatment strategy in this setting has not been previously reported. We report the use of dietary strategies using enteral nutrition coupled with the Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet [CDED] for LoR to infliximab or adalimumab as a single-centre experience.
Methods: Patients with LoR to a biologic despite dose escalation or combination therapy were treated with partial enteral nutrition [PEN] by a polymeric formula and the CDED for 12 weeks. Paediatric patients with severe flares received 14 days of exclusive enteral nutrition followed by PEN + CDED as above. All patients were seen at weeks 6 and 12 for follow up. Current and prior treatment, Harvey Bradshaw Index [HBI], C-reactive protein [CRP] and albumin were recorded. Remission was defined as HBI <5 at week 6.
Results: Twenty-one patients, mean age 22.1 ± 8.9 years [11 adults and ten children] met study criteria. Seventeen patients [81%] had used combination therapy, and 10/21 [47.6%] had failed a second biologic. Seven patients had a prior intestinal resection. Dose escalation had failed in 13/21 [62%] patients. Clinical remission by physician's global assessment and HBI after 6 weeks was obtained in 13/21 [61.9%]. Mean HBI decreased from 9.4 ± 4.2 to 2.6 ± 3.8 [p < 0.001], mean CRP decreased from 2.8 ± 3.4 to 0.7 ± 0.5 [p = 0.005] and mean albumin increased from 3.5 ± 0.6 to 3.8 ± 0.5 [p = 0.06].
Conclusion: Dietary treatment combining PEN with the CDED may be a useful salvage regimen for patients failing biological therapy despite dose escalation.
Copyright © 2017 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
PMID
28525622 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Thread on crohns exclusive diet that was studied in Europe

 
I agree with MLP. My son has more energy and is absorbing his food since starting on biologics. He was taking natural supplements prior to biologics but it didn't even make a dent. He is still taking Omega 3, probiotics, fish oil, zinc, multi-vitamin, iron, glucosomine but these alone will not help his crohn's fully. He also doesn't drink caffeine, carbonated beverages, and alcohol. I think most people require a cocktail of medication, diet, supplements, and a lifestyle that helps deal with stress.
 
I don’t want to get into a straw man argument here. No one would ever say that dietary changes ALONE can put Crohn’s into remission for EVERYONE. That would be untrue – and an irresponsible thing to say.

The point I am trying to make, is that I had to fight my doctors to just postpone drug therapy and try out something else first despite the fact that going by the blood work and my symptoms the “something else” was working. I am not some kind of “tie and dye hippie” with any kind of axe to grind against modern technology or medicine. I embrace modern medicine. However, I feel right now the research is extremely one sided.

I was told that biologics were the ONLY option and that diet will not make a difference. The exact words were “there is no evidence that diet makes a difference”. My question is whether, despite all the personal anecdotes, is anyone actually LOOKING for evidence? How will you find evidence if you don’t look for it? Is there any funding for research into cheaper and more natural ways of controlling disease? Do regular doctors even look at the findings of alternative therapies – even if only as a basis for further scientific investigations? I don’t think there is enough of that going on right now.

I am not unique. There are people going into hospitals and having lab manufactured liquids discharged into their blood vessels on a regular basis for years who may have benefited from an alternative approach. Again, for the “skim over” readers – most people will probably still require some level of drug intervention. My point is that we need more research on natural and cheaper methods that can decrease the necessity for drugs at least in some percentage of patients.

I feel that as patients we deserve better than taking random supplements or cutting out foods based on Google searches and guesses. We need to know precisely what helps, what does not and who it helps and who it does not help.

If I had done everything just as my GI told me too, I would have been unnecessarily and very expensively caught in a hospital dependent nightmare involving side effects, self-injections, travel problems, IVs, frequent doctor visits etc. for decades.

If even a small percentage – just 10% of people with this diagnosis can benefit from lifestyle modifications alone, they should be afforded that opportunity. They should not be told that “there is no evidence that diet makes a difference”. If the rest can benefit to some extent at least, even if they don’t go into full remission, they should be helped to do so as part of “standard of care” and not left to try things out on their own or dependent on the personal preferences of whichever GI they happened to go to. Drugs should not be the ONLY tool in the GI toolkit.

So back to the title of this thread “Why don’t GI doctors take the role of diet seriously?”

I wonder if they would they take a different approach if they became a patient themselves?
 
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I don’t want to get into a straw man argument here. No one would ever say that dietary changes ALONE can put Chron’s into remission for EVERYONE. That would be untrue – and an irresponsible thing to say.

The point I am trying to make, is that I had to fight my doctors to just postpone drug therapy and try out something else first despite the fact that going by the blood work and my symptoms the “something else” was working. I am not some kind of “tie and dye hippie” with any kind of axe to grind against modern technology or medicine. I embrace modern medicine. However, I feel right now the research is extremely one sided.

I was told that biologics were the ONLY option and that diet will not make a difference. The exact words were “there is no evidence that diet makes a difference”. My question is whether, despite all the personal anecdotes, is anyone actually LOOKING for evidence? How will you find evidence if you don’t look for it? Is there any funding for research into cheaper and more natural ways of controlling disease? Do regular doctors even look at the findings of alternative therapies – even if only as a basis for further scientific investigations? I don’t think there is enough of that going on right now.

I am not unique. There are people going into hospitals and having lab manufactured liquids discharged into their blood vessels on a regular basis for years who may have benefited from an alternative approach. Again, for the “skim over” readers – most people will probably still require some level of drug intervention. My point is that we need more research on natural and cheaper methods that can decrease the necessity for drugs at least in some percentage of patients.

I feel that as patients we deserve better than taking random supplements or cutting out foods based on Google searches and guesses. We need to know precisely what helps, what does not and who it helps and who it does not help.

If I had done everything just as my GI told me too, I would have been unnecessarily and very expensively caught in a hospital dependent nightmare involving side effects, self-injections, travel problems, IVs, frequent doctor visits etc. for decades.

If even a small percentage – just 10% of people with this diagnosis can benefit from lifestyle modifications alone, they should be afforded that opportunity. They should not be told that “there is no evidence that diet makes a difference”. If the rest can benefit to some extent at least, even if they don’t go into full remission, they should be helped to do so as part of “standard of care” and not left to try things out on their own or dependent on the personal preferences of whichever GI they happened to go to. Drugs should not be the ONLY tool in the GI toolkit.

So back to the title of this thread “Why don’t GI doctors take the role of diet seriously?”

I wonder if they would they take a different approach if they became a patient themselves?
Thank you so much for being blunt. I also believe that there is a time and place for medicine IF there is no other choice;If all possibilities have been explored and I broke my own rules by being fearful enough to get three loading infusions of Entyvio instead of using my common sense logic.

I have read some absolutely incredible posts on this forum, but it seems that too many people automatically give most of their decisions over to authority figures who are usually intentionally and willfully ignorant and have to answer to their medical associations and their investment portfolio.

And some doctors and NPs are not as nice out of office as they are in office;Some are people of low character just like any other person.

My current GI and his NP are not big into following up and instead seem to rely on the medication doing most of the work.
During my last visit, my GI doc basically said that "I'm doing far too much research into my condition" (paraphrased) which was an incredible insult because I've HAD to do a LOT of research as I had next to zero guidance from my GI doc's office as far as stress, diet and most of my symptoms go PLUS I was not given enough information (at the time) by the NP who scared me into getting the Entyvio (nothing about possible cancer or liver failure and making it out that IF I did not get the biologic, THEN I MIGHT have to get surgery down the line.

I'm going to have to go through a long list GI doctors and it disgusts me that (probably) most of these arrogant people refuse to take diet and stress into consideration as major contributors to IBS and IBD, when there are a couple dozen fields of medicine which strongly advise patients to make dietary changes, even though they're often not that wise.

I heard one You Tube channel owner, "Heal Your Gut Guy" state flat out that GI doctors get a percent of the cost of their patient's treatment when they are on biologics.


"I am not unique. There are people going into hospitals and having lab manufactured liquids discharged into their blood vessels on a regular basis for years who may have benefited from an alternative approach. Again, for the “skim over” readers – most people will probably still require some level of drug intervention. My point is that we need more research on natural and cheaper methods that can decrease the necessity for drugs at least in some percentage of patients.

If patients in all fields of medicine were given FULL informed consent n their treatment(s) and alternatives, there would be a lot more healthy people which is not profitable of course.

As psychopatic as SOME doctors are, pharmaceutical reps must be a rare type of cold-blooded person.


"I feel that as patients we deserve better than taking random supplements or cutting out foods based on Google searches and guesses. We need to know precisely what helps, what does not and who it helps and who it does not help."

I've had to research Stettoreah, blood and mucous in the stool, fatigue, chills, fever, tons of stuff on Entyvio and Prednisone, IV Iron, the Carnivore diet (I can not digest vegetable matter at all for now), how dairy and/or eggs can contribute to inflammation for people with IBD, how anti-biotics and steroids CONTRIBUTE to leaky gut, how stress aggravates IBD to name just a few things, and I do not want to THINK what people have had to go through from the GI doctors at the group I go to here in Buffalo, NY over the last couple of decades.

Doctors have their time and place. Duh! But again, outside of trauma or some other kind of emergency, patients should be given full informed consent, but in this world that's basically an ideological fantasy.

Thanks very much for your take on this. Its refreshing.
 
I believe diet plays a role in management of Crohns - I've seen it with my son. One gastro we were under was very pro-diet and put him on a FODMAP diet. We followed this quite strictly, and while doing so, it was the best period of health our son has ever had since his diagnosis. Over this period, he was on Asacol ONLY.

It seems like more than coincidence that after 18months of 'manageable' crohns (study/part time work) while following a FODMAP diet, folded when dietary changes occurred ???

No such thing as a Crohns diet for sure, but it has to play a role in the health of those with IBD, as diet does with the health of us all
 

Scipio

Well-known member
Location
San Diego
"I heard one You Tube channel owner, "Heal Your Gut Guy" state flat out that GI doctors get a percent of the cost of their patient's treatment when they are on biologics."


That's flat out false. Any US doc or drug company that participated in a kick-back scheme like that would both be guilty of a felony.

And whether the docs prescribes the company's drug or not, any payments (including legal payments such as consulting fees or for research) that a drug company pays to a doctor who has prescribing authority must be publically reported under applicable federal Sunshine Laws - right down to and including a payment or benefit as small as buying the doctor's nurse and office receptionist a pizza for lunch.
 
Snitzer1 - I know you feel that you have not had good experiences with doctors, but there are doctors who really do care about their patients. I agree that diet isn't a strong point with the majority of them, but I believe when they are prescribing medications, they are doing what they believe is best for their patient(s). It would be wonderful if alternative medicine and today's medicine would join forces to combine recommendation of natural supplements, specific diet for each person's crohn's and medication. But as it is, we have to figure it out on our own.
 
Thank you so much for being blunt. I also believe that there is a time and place for medicine IF there is no other choice;If all possibilities have been explored and I broke my own rules by being fearful enough to get three loading infusions of Entyvio instead of using my common sense logic.

I have read some absolutely incredible posts on this forum, but it seems that too many people automatically give most of their decisions over to authority figures who are usually intentionally and willfully ignorant and have to answer to their medical associations and their investment portfolio.

And some doctors and NPs are not as nice out of office as they are in office;Some are people of low character just like any other person.

My current GI and his NP are not big into following up and instead seem to rely on the medication doing most of the work.
During my last visit, my GI doc basically said that "I'm doing far too much research into my condition" (paraphrased) which was an incredible insult because I've HAD to do a LOT of research as I had next to zero guidance from my GI doc's office as far as stress, diet and most of my symptoms go PLUS I was not given enough information (at the time) by the NP who scared me into getting the Entyvio (nothing about possible cancer or liver failure and making it out that IF I did not get the biologic, THEN I MIGHT have to get surgery down the line.

I'm going to have to go through a long list GI doctors and it disgusts me that (probably) most of these arrogant people refuse to take diet and stress into consideration as major contributors to IBS and IBD, when there are a couple dozen fields of medicine which strongly advise patients to make dietary changes, even though they're often not that wise.

I heard one You Tube channel owner, "Heal Your Gut Guy" state flat out that GI doctors get a percent of the cost of their patient's treatment when they are on biologics.


"I am not unique. There are people going into hospitals and having lab manufactured liquids discharged into their blood vessels on a regular basis for years who may have benefited from an alternative approach. Again, for the “skim over” readers – most people will probably still require some level of drug intervention. My point is that we need more research on natural and cheaper methods that can decrease the necessity for drugs at least in some percentage of patients.

If patients in all fields of medicine were given FULL informed consent n their treatment(s) and alternatives, there would be a lot more healthy people which is not profitable of course.

As psychopatic as SOME doctors are, pharmaceutical reps must be a rare type of cold-blooded person.


"I feel that as patients we deserve better than taking random supplements or cutting out foods based on Google searches and guesses. We need to know precisely what helps, what does not and who it helps and who it does not help."

I've had to research Stettoreah, blood and mucous in the stool, fatigue, chills, fever, tons of stuff on Entyvio and Prednisone, IV Iron, the Carnivore diet (I can not digest vegetable matter at all for now), how dairy and/or eggs can contribute to inflammation for people with IBD, how anti-biotics and steroids CONTRIBUTE to leaky gut, how stress aggravates IBD to name just a few things, and I do not want to THINK what people have had to go through from the GI doctors at the group I go to here in Buffalo, NY over the last couple of decades.

Doctors have their time and place. Duh! But again, outside of trauma or some other kind of emergency, patients should be given full informed consent, but in this world that's basically an ideological fantasy.

Thanks very much for your take on this. Its refreshing.
Interesting to hear your experience. I too felt that I was being rushed into making choices that I was not ready to make. As I said, I was given two weeks to choose between two biologics and return to the hospital. They even fixed my return appointment before I left. I think the two weeks were for me to contact my insurance and see what they would pay for. I was also told that if I don’t start treatment immediately I could end up with surgeries etc. Hey, I most likely had Crohn’s for at least a year before diagnosis – why so much rush? It’s not like anything was about to explode in my gut. This whole process stinks.

When I got home that day from the doctors office, still in shock from hearing that for the rest of my life I would be managing a serious illness, I had a call from the pharmacy to talk to me about options on delivery. Shortly after, some kind of service affiliated to my insurance called me to let me know that I could have a nurse available to talk to if at any time I had questions on my medications. I know that a lot of people would find this very supportive, but I have never had a major illness before and to me it seemed like the vultures were circling my newly diagnosed head with $ signs in their eyes. It scared the living daylights out of me

What doctors need to understand is that even if there were NO side effects at all to these therapies, it still has a huge detrimental impact on your lifestyle. You have to give yourself injections, drugs have to be maintained at certain temperatures, you will need much more frequent doctors visits, sick days, travel will have to be planned around your drug therapy not around what you actually want to do. On top of that there are all the “minor” side effects like rashes, weight gain, fatigue, colds then of course all the low probability but major side effects like cancer or liver failure. And when the drug eventually stops working and it usually does, you have to go on something else which will screw up your already messed up insides in novel ways. Going on one of these therapies is a serious commitment for the patient. A person should be given as much time, information and support as they need to decide what course of action to take. Not just two weeks with no information on alternatives and a “better do as I say or else….” Of course if it turns out that you need to go on drug therapy to control your disease then you need to do that, but do so mindfully so you don’t regret your choice when its too late to do anything about it.

I am not questioning anyone’s motives or competence, but as a patient I feel that our current system could stand a little improvement.

Snitzer1, I had no idea that doctors get a portion of the cost of treatment on biologics. I would double check that information though – it seems like something that would be illegal – if it’s not, it should be!! Didn’t the Sunshine Act clean up a lot of the drug company gifts to physicians? This might be outdated information?

There are a lot of snake oil salesman and charlatans in the natural therapy world too. Unfortunately, too many people out there are trying to make a quick buck out of the sick and vulnerable.

Whatever your GI says, do all the research you need to Snitzer1 – at the end of the day its your butt on the line – figuratively and literally 😊
 
The first thing my gi did was give me some info on how diet might affect my disease, it was pretty basic though. But the SCD diet has been ignored for a while until a few years ago it was finally reviewed in studies to be helpful, its more complicated to follow though. my tips- eliminate refined sugar and lactose, eat whole grains, but corn and rice are iffy. just a few tips ive learned over the years but SCD doesn't advise grains like wheat and oats but they are super beneficial i have found.
 
The first thing my gi did was give me some info on how diet might affect my disease, it was pretty basic though. But the SCD diet has been ignored for a while until a few years ago it was finally reviewed in studies to be helpful, its more complicated to follow though. my tips- eliminate refined sugar and lactose, eat whole grains, but corn and rice are iffy. just a few tips ive learned over the years but SCD doesn't advise grains like wheat and oats but they are super beneficial i have found.
I am glad to hear that you have benefited from the specific carbohydrate diet, Wildbill. Corn and rice are grasses and filled with anti-nutrients, but when people have white rice (no husk and zero fiber & nutrients) they have no problems digesting them.

Do you soak your oats in a diluted apple cider vinegar solution before making them?

I'm also glad to hear that your GI doctor had the decency to give you some basic dietary advice.

Please look into anti-nutrients and how they affect every system in our body.
 
Interesting to hear your experience. I too felt that I was being rushed into making choices that I was not ready to make. As I said, I was given two weeks to choose between two biologics and return to the hospital. They even fixed my return appointment before I left. I think the two weeks were for me to contact my insurance and see what they would pay for. I was also told that if I don’t start treatment immediately I could end up with surgeries etc. Hey, I most likely had Crohn’s for at least a year before diagnosis – why so much rush? It’s not like anything was about to explode in my gut. This whole process stinks.

When I got home that day from the doctors office, still in shock from hearing that for the rest of my life I would be managing a serious illness, I had a call from the pharmacy to talk to me about options on delivery. Shortly after, some kind of service affiliated to my insurance called me to let me know that I could have a nurse available to talk to if at any time I had questions on my medications. I know that a lot of people would find this very supportive, but I have never had a major illness before and to me it seemed like the vultures were circling my newly diagnosed head with $ signs in their eyes. It scared the living daylights out of me

What doctors need to understand is that even if there were NO side effects at all to these therapies, it still has a huge detrimental impact on your lifestyle. You have to give yourself injections, drugs have to be maintained at certain temperatures, you will need much more frequent doctors visits, sick days, travel will have to be planned around your drug therapy not around what you actually want to do. On top of that there are all the “minor” side effects like rashes, weight gain, fatigue, colds then of course all the low probability but major side effects like cancer or liver failure. And when the drug eventually stops working and it usually does, you have to go on something else which will screw up your already messed up insides in novel ways. Going on one of these therapies is a serious commitment for the patient. A person should be given as much time, information and support as they need to decide what course of action to take. Not just two weeks with no information on alternatives and a “better do as I say or else….” Of course if it turns out that you need to go on drug therapy to control your disease then you need to do that, but do so mindfully so you don’t regret your choice when its too late to do anything about it.

I am not questioning anyone’s motives or competence, but as a patient I feel that our current system could stand a little improvement.

Snitzer1, I had no idea that doctors get a portion of the cost of treatment on biologics. I would double check that information though – it seems like something that would be illegal – if it’s not, it should be!! Didn’t the Sunshine Act clean up a lot of the drug company gifts to physicians? This might be outdated information?

There are a lot of snake oil salesman and charlatans in the natural therapy world too. Unfortunately, too many people out there are trying to make a quick buck out of the sick and vulnerable.

Whatever your GI says, do all the research you need to Snitzer1 – at the end of the day its your butt on the line – figuratively and literally 😊
I have zero proof if Gastroenterologists actually get a cut of the IV and injectable biologics that they prescribe, but to be honest, I would not be surprise. I do not mean to sound bitter, but reading your post reminded me of how the NP pushed the Entyvio (with the big pharama explanation) as if it was crucial to avoid possible surgery yet she also stated that it can take as long as six-months to begin working (if it works).

I get that patients have to do some of their own research, but its the doctor's responsibility TO speak up about the possibility of the side-effects you listed and for some of the biologics, there is the risk of PML.

And in a sad, sick way, its possible that biologics and the standard immunosuppressants side-effects can result in a patient eventually requiring surgery.

And you are 100% correct as far as there being PLENTY of alternative medicine practicioners who are snake oil salesman and charlatans.

And there are MANY well-meaning people who parrot what they see, watch and read which influences others who trust the word of someone who sounds like they are intelligent and well-researched. I have heard HUNDREDS of pseudo-intellectuals in You Tube videos like this when I was vegan (which caused my flareup which is in its eighth month now.

I really appreciate your take on this. Thanks.

When I got my first loading dose of Entyvio, a girl to my right who was also getting was handed the professional-looking Takeda Pharmaceutical brochure for Entyvio and she stated that she was too scared to read up on the possible side-effects, and your post got me thinking how the lack of thoroughness and followup by GI doctors in and of itself has an adverse effect not only on the patient's body, but also their mind as far as compounding pre-existing trauma from their GI and other physical problems and any pre-existing traumas they had.

PLUS, its very common for antibiotics to cause depression and/or panic attacks, a class of drugs which all GI doctors probably prescribe.
Sorry if I stated some of this already.

I'll be going to a local Western New York Crohn's & Colitis foundation meeting at the end of the month to ask people if they can recommend a GI doctor who is thorough, respectful and open-minded.
 
Snitzer - you may need to have a look at your carnivore diet somewhat. Speaking as a fellow carnivore, those oxalates that you mention are pretty prominent in meat protein. They can contribute (and in my case have definitely done so) to kidney stone formation. Us crohnies absorb oxalate at a greater rate than those without crohn's, so too much meat can be a recipe for stones. Over the last 5 years, I have had probably 10 trips to emerg for stones, 2 lithotrypsies and a far more aggressive procedure to remove a 2cm stone in my left kidney. It was recommended that I supplement calcium and citrus (lemon or grapefruit) juice to bind up oxalate before it can be picked up by my digestive tract.

Aside from that, my guts needed a combination of remicade and azathioprine in order to get to remission after 25 years of active crohn's (6 surgeries, 8 resections, over 30 strictureplasties). Diet didn't do it for me!
 
Snitzer - you may need to have a look at your carnivore diet somewhat. Speaking as a fellow carnivore, those oxalates that you mention are pretty prominent in meat protein. They can contribute (and in my case have definitely done so) to kidney stone formation. Us crohnies absorb oxalate at a greater rate than those without crohn's, so too much meat can be a recipe for stones. Over the last 5 years, I have had probably 10 trips to emerg for stones, 2 lithotrypsies and a far more aggressive procedure to remove a 2cm stone in my left kidney. It was recommended that I supplement calcium and citrus (lemon or grapefruit) juice to bind up oxalate before it can be picked up by my digestive tract.

Aside from that, my guts needed a combination of remicade and azathioprine in order to get to remission after 25 years of active crohn's (6 surgeries, 8 resections, over 30 strictureplasties). Diet didn't do it for me!
What types of foods have you had on the Carnivore diet? A lot of dairy and eggs? Have you eaten low-carb vegetables and/or fruits and if so, were they raw or steamed?

Please leave a link or two for how the Carnivore diet is high in oxalates (red meat).
I know that Spinach and Chard are near the top of the list.

When I stopped my vegan diet and went to an all animal diet (almost immediately) I now know that after nearly three-years of my vegan diet that I was dumping oxalates while having my Crohhn's flare while having the side-effects of Prednisone and so on.

I have read up a lot on anti-nutrients in the last seven months and oxalates are just a part of the picture.
Phytates, Saponins, Lectins, nighshades, ugh!

Have you ever had any problems with fatty stool (Steatorrhea)?

I appreciate your comments.
 
Do you soak your oats in a diluted apple cider vinegar solution before making them?
No I do not. I don't see any reason why that is necessary, where or when has it been proven to be necessary?


Please look into anti-nutrients and how they affect every system in our body.
i am aware of them, cooking either destroys them completely or reduces their quantity to such low levels it doesn't even matter and in other cases I think I read the some gut bacteria can break some of them down, but some people don't have these bacteria so they may have more issues then others.
 
No I do not. I don't see any reason why that is necessary, where or when has it been proven to be necessary?



i am aware of them, cooking either destroys them completely or reduces their quantity to such low levels it doesn't even matter and in other cases I think I read the some gut bacteria can break some of them down, but some people don't have these bacteria so they may have more issues then others.
Soaking oats makes them far easier to digest and be used for energy by the body because it removes most of the phytic acid, plus it makes the oats taste much better.

The sheer libraries worth of nutrition misinformation and disinformation (thanks to some industry and government biased studies on what diet is best for human beings).

This video may give you some ideas.


I hope this helps a bit.
 
So Carnivore diet is just meat only? No vegetables, no grains, no dairy, no eggs?

That’s a dogs life ! 🥴

Just joking....But hey ..you gotta do what you gotta do...
Thank you for the laugh!

Its funny that you wrote, "its a dog's life" because I was speaking to a worker at Whole Foods yesterday who is vegan and feeds his dog a fully vegan diet.

I will reintroduce eggs in a week or two to see what happens, but until my GI tract heals (God wiling), I am avoiding milk (except for low lactose cheeses), I have heavily steamed cauliflower and broccoli and I am done with grains/grasses for the rest of my life because unless you really soak certain grains, the phytates in them bind to the minerals in the oats (for example) which prevents the absorption of Iron, Magnesium and other minerals resulting in a depletion of minerals in the body over time as our metabolism has to find SOME source of minerals to function so the body literally feeds upon itself (on a nutrient deficient diet). This is one of the ugly lessons I learned after I stopped being a vegan.
 
https://www.webmd.com/kidney-stones/kidney-stones-food-causes#1 - listed as high risk
https://www.upmc.com/-/media/upmc/patients-visitors/education/unique-pdfs/low-oxalate-diet.pdf listed as medium risk
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=48 - Interesting article as it shows that some who are at risk react more strongly to protein levels than those who are not at risk. This one caught me a little by surprise. It appears that you are right about plants being a higher source of oxalates, however some of our bodies (mine for instance), seem to like finding ways to make things a little more miserable for me!

I am currently under the care of the kidney stone clinic in Ottawa Ontario due to my incredible ability to form these stones. So far, a year under their care seems to be having measurable results in preventing stone formation due to: 1) reducing red meat consumption 2) reducing chocolate consumption (man do I miss that!) 3) increasing citrate consumption daily.

Interesting thread - learned something new because of it.
 
My belief is that our food system is so far from nature that the diet and the consciousness is struggling to get back to the basics like eating from farm to table supplying the beneficial bacteria supplying the nutrients supplying the minerals doctors in India have known this for thousands of years that everything is connected because everything is created through protons and electrons meaning all things contain charge and electricity food being electricity anything that put in our body affects our neurological communication vaccines tobacco alcohol drugs food every single thing affects us consciously and Shows the importance of shooting yourself up with polysorbate 80 and hormones and different genetically modified compounds is not going to help if anything it’s going to cause more issues the same reason pharmaceutical companies sell their pills but yet everything that they create the bill from comes in nature’s form already
 
This is a much appreciated thread with a lot of great thoughts. I think overall there are a few reasons why a doctor might not give diet much credence:

1. As someone already mentioned, they get virtually no education in diet.
2. They are taught that peer reviewed research is the gold standard, and there's just not nearly as much peer review with diets. If there is no clear peer review evidence, they aren't going to recommend it. This makes sense, but I also think since peer review focuses so heavily on drugs, combined with the lack of nutritional knowledge, drugs really become the only language they know and understand.
3. Diet is an extremely emotional topic for people, which could result in reluctance for doctors to suggest drastic changes to diet or reluctance for doctors themselves to accept (or preference) certain research.
4. There is so much conflicting information out there and competing special interests that it is hard to know what is reliable.

It is hard to believe that diet is not part of the cause or solution for Crohn's. I was only recently diagnosed with Crohn's (had my first colonoscopy in March), but I had experienced symptoms for years. For example, I've had two fistula's over the past five years, one of which I had a fistulotomy to fix. Last year, I began to have rotten gas, frequency, lots of mucus, occasional blood, broke into a random fever once, etc. My doctor suspected UC or Crohn's, but when I asked her about diet, she said the same thing many people here are concerned about ("diet has nothing to do with causing or curing it"). I call BS.

Once my diagnosis was confirmed, my doctor began prepping me for the idea of drugs. I told her I wasn't interested in drugs and was going to try figuring out a diet solution first, with drugs as a last resort. She pushed back on me and agreed to disagree. My first gastro doc appointment was set for 4 months later and is coming up on July 31st.

I've been looking at this date as a deadline - a deadline to research, experiment, and to prove to my doctor that I could manage this with diet alone. As a result of my stubbornness, today is the first of July and I can say that my symptoms are 99% gone and my stools are near perfect looking. Since some people have shared their experimentations, I'll also share what is currently working for me:

Completely eliminated: meat, dairy, processed foods, oils, grains, beans, nuts, most vegetables, and additives. Pretty much everything. I have whittled myself down to two basic meals that I found were safe meals for me and have stuck with them for over two months now (boring as hell, but is working):

My first and last meal of the day is a big smoothie that includes:
bananas, skinless dates, 100% pure pumpkin, gooseberry powder, ground clove powder, cinnamon, and filtered water. My logic for this meal is that it is calorie dense (dates and bananas are high in calories, low in fat), pretty tasty (tastes like pumpkin pie filling), and is very soft on the system. Gooseberry powder and cloves are two of the best anti-inflammatories there is, and this is an "inflammatory" bowel disease. I soak the dates in water overnight so that I can peel the skin off of them easily and avoid any hard material going through my system.

I also take a few swigs of a probiotic during this meal (I have been using the "Gut Shots" fermented drinks, as well as a fermented Kvass - nothing with any carbonation, added sugars, caffeine, etc.). Bananas are a great prebiotic, which is why I include my probiotic drink with these smoothies.

For lunch, I have a soup comprised of:
sweet potatoes, vegetable stock (free of any additives), and spices (turmeric, coriander, onion powder, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon). I blend that soup into a paste (lately with avocado so that I am getting some fat into my diet). I know some people with Crohn's are sensitive to sweet potatoes. I found I was not and that they soften to the point of basically melting in the mouth once boiled, but I take it a step further and blend it after it's cooked. Again, I'm trying to make food as soft and easy on the system as possible.

I try and pack all three of these meals into an 8-10 hour time span, so that my gut is mostly resting for the remaining 14-16 hours of the day. I have read about people having success with intermittent fasting, which is why I've included this. I started off the diet spreading it out over six meals for the entire day and the progress was not as drastic as it has been since doing the fasting.

Additionally:
I drink a special blend of teas with a liberal amount of unpasteurized, raw honey three times per day (first thing in the morning, one between meals, and one before bed). The tea is a combination of slippery elm powder, marshmallow root powder, and fresh ginger (I shave the ginger and steep it, no hard pieces in the tea). My logic here is that honey acts as an anti-bacterial and these teas are again providing me with more anti-inflammatories.

I also only drink filtered water from home. I do not drink water that is not filtered, no bottled water, drinking fountains, etc. I don't want to take the chance of any outside forces messing with my gut microbiome while I'm trying to heal. It's a countertop filter that removes a lot of stuff, but a level down from reverse-osmosis.

For what it's worth, this has been my regiment for over two months now. Due to all the fiber, I have three to four bowel movements per day. I have gotten to the point where over the past couple of weeks, I have only had one movement per week with a hint of mucus. And it wouldn't even be noticeable unless someone was really looking close - which I am, because before I begin adding foods back in, I want to be sure that I have achieved 100% remission for at least a few straight weeks.

It has been a dreadfully boring two months when it comes to eating, but I am hopeful I am in the final weeks before a natural diet remission. Outside of diet, I have been working on bringing my stress levels down and doing very light exercise (walking, various stretches, etc.). I noticed before that my symptoms would trigger during moments of high stress, whether it be physical (a heavy workout) or emotional.

Sorry for the long post. The central topic here about doctors and diet is what basically triggered everything I've been doing over the past few months. My motivation has been to prove my doctor wrong and avoid medication.

Thank you to those who have been posting their thoughts and diet advice on the site. I am always looking to see overlaps with what is working (or not working) for people.
 
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Will do, Jo-mom. I am looking to get another blood test in the next 2-3 weeks before my gastro appointment to see where my inflammatory markers are currently at. When I do I'll update with the comparisons of then to now. I haven't had a blood test since late last year when my c-reactive protein and sedimentation markers were through the roof.
 
This is a much appreciated thread with a lot of great thoughts. I think overall there are a few reasons why a doctor might not give diet much credence:

1. As someone already mentioned, they get virtually no education in diet.
2. They are taught that peer reviewed research is the gold standard, and there's just not nearly as much peer review with diets. If there is no clear peer review evidence, they aren't going to recommend it. This makes sense, but I also think since peer review focuses so heavily on drugs, combined with the lack of nutritional knowledge, drugs really become the only language they know and understand.
3. Diet is an extremely emotional topic for people, which could result in reluctance for doctors to suggest drastic changes to diet or reluctance for doctors themselves to accept (or preference) certain research.
4. There is so much conflicting information out there and competing special interests that it is hard to know what is reliable.

It is hard to believe that diet is not part of the cause or solution for Crohn's. I was only recently diagnosed with Crohn's (had my first colonoscopy in March), but I had experienced symptoms for years. For example, I've had two fistula's over the past five years, one of which I had a fistulotomy to fix. Last year, I began to have rotten gas, frequency, lots of mucus, occasional blood, broke into a random fever once, etc. My doctor suspected UC or Crohn's, but when I asked her about diet, she said the same thing many people here are concerned about ("diet has nothing to do with causing or curing it"). I call BS.

Once my diagnosis was confirmed, my doctor began prepping me for the idea of drugs. I told her I wasn't interested in drugs and was going to try figuring out a diet solution first, with drugs as a last resort. She pushed back on me and agreed to disagree. My first gastro doc appointment was set for 4 months later and is coming up on July 31st.

I've been looking at this date as a deadline - a deadline to research, experiment, and to prove to my doctor that I could manage this with diet alone. As a result of my stubbornness, today is the first of July and I can say that my symptoms are 99% gone and my stools are near perfect looking. Since some people have shared their experimentations, I'll also share what is currently working for me:

Completely eliminated: meat, dairy, processed foods, oils, grains, beans, nuts, most vegetables, and additives. Pretty much everything. I have whittled myself down to two basic meals that I found were safe meals for me and have stuck with them for over two months now (boring as hell, but is working):

My first and last meal of the day is a big smoothie that includes:
bananas, skinless dates, 100% pure pumpkin, gooseberry powder, ground clove powder, cinnamon, and filtered water. My logic for this meal is that it is calorie dense (dates and bananas are high in calories, low in fat), pretty tasty (tastes like pumpkin pie filling), and is very soft on the system. Gooseberry powder and cloves are two of the best anti-inflammatories there is, and this is an "inflammatory" bowel disease. I soak the dates in water overnight so that I can peel the skin off of them easily and avoid any hard material going through my system.

I also take a few swigs of a probiotic during this meal (I have been using the "Gut Shots" fermented drinks, as well as a fermented Kvass - nothing with any carbonation, added sugars, caffeine, etc.). Bananas are a great prebiotic, which is why I include my probiotic drink with these smoothies.

For lunch, I have a soup comprised of:
sweet potatoes, vegetable stock (free of any additives), and spices (turmeric, coriander, onion powder, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon). I blend that soup into a paste (lately with avocado so that I am getting some fat into my diet). I know some people with Crohn's are sensitive to sweet potatoes. I found I was not and that they soften to the point of basically melting in the mouth once boiled, but I take it a step further and blend it after it's cooked. Again, I'm trying to make food as soft and easy on the system as possible.

I try and pack all three of these meals into an 8-10 hour time span, so that my gut is mostly resting for the remaining 14-16 hours of the day. I have read about people having success with intermittent fasting, which is why I've included this. I started off the diet spreading it out over six meals for the entire day and the progress was not as drastic as it has been since doing the fasting.

Additionally:
I drink a special blend of teas with a liberal amount of unpasteurized, raw honey three times per day (first thing in the morning, one between meals, and one before bed). The tea is a combination of slippery elm powder, marshmallow root powder, and fresh ginger (I shave the ginger and steep it, no hard pieces in the tea). My logic here is that honey acts as an anti-bacterial and these teas are again providing me with more anti-inflammatories.

I also only drink filtered water from home. I do not drink water that is not filtered, no bottled water, drinking fountains, etc. I don't want to take the chance of any outside forces messing with my gut microbiome while I'm trying to heal. It's a countertop filter that removes a lot of stuff, but a level down from reverse-osmosis.

For what it's worth, this has been my regiment for over two months now. Due to all the fiber, I have three to four bowel movements per day. I have gotten to the point where over the past couple of weeks, I have only had one movement per week with a hint of mucus. And it wouldn't even be noticeable unless someone was really looking close - which I am, because before I begin adding foods back in, I want to be sure that I have achieved 100% remission for at least a few straight weeks.

It has been a dreadfully boring two months when it comes to eating, but I am hopeful I am in the final weeks before a natural diet remission. Outside of diet, I have been working on bringing my stress levels down and doing very light exercise (walking, various stretches, etc.). I noticed before that my symptoms would trigger during moments of high stress, whether it be physical (a heavy workout) or emotional.

Sorry for the long post. The central topic here about doctors and diet is what basically triggered everything I've been doing over the past few months. My motivation has been to prove my doctor wrong and avoid medication.

Thank you to those who have been posting their thoughts and diet advice on the site. I am always looking to see overlaps with what is working (or not working) for people.
Your diet is similar to mine, you used gooseberry powder, I used turmeric. You used slippery elm, I used Boswelia. The pre and pro biotics, smoothies, cutting out grains, processed food, dairy etc.

I too felt that drugs should be the last option after I had exhausted everything else. I have no issue with taking drugs for a limited period of time to fix something that can be fixed. However, I do have an issue with this concept of managing chronic illness for years and years with serious drugs as a FIRST line of therapy.

Last week I had my GI visit to go over my latest colonoscopy. The disease has now contracted from 18 inches to just a tiny aberration of maybe a few millimeters. My GI did not even bother to do blood tests this time and told me to come back in 6 months to take blood tests – just in case anything changes.

I brought up this whole diet thing with him. So far, he has shown no curiosity on how I am getting better despite refusing to follow his recommendations. Regardless of his lack of interest, I always tell him what I am doing – he nods along but doesn’t ask any questions. I assume his brain can’t get over “there is no evidence that diet makes a difference” .

So this time I asked him “how do you know diet and other life style modifications doesn’t make a difference, is anyone looking for evidence and did they find statistically significant confirmation that dietary changes cannot make a difference?”. His response was something like “some of these therapies might work but they are too inexpensive to cover the cost of studying them” ...I forget the exact words , but that was the gist of it.

HA!!!! - what did I say !!!!!

There is no evidence yet because not enough people are looking for it. There is not enough research because something simple like cutting out grains, which may produce a better outcome on some types of Crohn’s than pharmaceuticals, cannot generate the same level of profits as injecting laboratory manipulated mouse proteins into your blood stream for years in a hospital setting. Not to mention the profits to be made from dealing with the side effects of the said modified mouse proteins. So in the end it is left to us patients – to hit or miss.
 
Your diet is similar to mine, you used gooseberry powder, I used turmeric. You used slippery elm, I used Boswelia. The pre and pro biotics, smoothies, cutting out grains, processed food, dairy etc.

I too felt that drugs should be the last option after I had exhausted everything else. I have no issue with taking drugs for a limited period of time to fix something that can be fixed. However, I do have an issue with this concept of managing chronic illness for years and years with serious drugs as a FIRST line of therapy.

Last week I had my GI visit to go over my latest colonoscopy. The disease has now contracted from 18 inches to just a tiny aberration of maybe a few millimeters. My GI did not even bother to do blood tests this time and told me to come back in 6 months to take blood tests – just in case anything changes.

I brought up this whole diet thing with him. So far, he has shown no curiosity on how I am getting better despite refusing to follow his recommendations. Regardless of his lack of interest, I always tell him what I am doing – he nods along but doesn’t ask any questions. I assume his brain can’t get over “there is no evidence that diet makes a difference” .

So this time I asked him “how do you know diet and other life style modifications doesn’t make a difference, is anyone looking for evidence and did they find statistically significant confirmation that dietary changes cannot make a difference?”. His response was something like “some of these therapies might work but they are too inexpensive to cover the cost of studying them” ...I forget the exact words , but that was the gist of it.

HA!!!! - what did I say !!!!!

There is no evidence yet because not enough people are looking for it. There is not enough research because something simple like cutting out grains, which may produce a better outcome on some types of Crohn’s than pharmaceuticals, cannot generate the same level of profits as injecting laboratory manipulated mouse proteins into your blood stream for years in a hospital setting. Not to mention the profits to be made from dealing with the side effects of the said modified mouse proteins. So in the end it is left to us patients – to hit or miss.
If your GI doctor had a conscience, he would at least be openly happy that you are healthier now.

I have no proof, but I would be shocked if GI (and other doctors) did not get some kind of percentage when they put a patient on expensive biological therapies, and most people are too brainwashed to see that doctors and other authority figures are people and do not have some kind of special empathy-There are some fairly open-minded doctors who have empathy and a conscience but a lot of doctors are narcissistics and sometimes psychopaths as far as their lack of empathy goes.

And ALL pharmaceutical reps are of the same mindset as the average doctor.

I just did some reading up on the side-effects of my biological, Entyvio (which I'm done with of course) at Drugs.Com and WOW. What this one drug has done to the lives of those with UC and Crohn's who posted on this site.


I've been using ginger, mint and/or Chamomile tea every day, started taking New Chapter Turmeric, I've been adding some very well-steamed carrots and cauliflower, began drinking some coconut water (for the electrolytes).

Do you have any suggestions as how I can speed up the elimination of the Entyvio from my body? My last infusion was about five-weeks ago.
 
This is a much appreciated thread with a lot of great thoughts. I think overall there are a few reasons why a doctor might not give diet much credence:

1. As someone already mentioned, they get virtually no education in diet.
2. They are taught that peer reviewed research is the gold standard, and there's just not nearly as much peer review with diets. If there is no clear peer review evidence, they aren't going to recommend it. This makes sense, but I also think since peer review focuses so heavily on drugs, combined with the lack of nutritional knowledge, drugs really become the only language they know and understand.
3. Diet is an extremely emotional topic for people, which could result in reluctance for doctors to suggest drastic changes to diet or reluctance for doctors themselves to accept (or preference) certain research.
4. There is so much conflicting information out there and competing special interests that it is hard to know what is reliable.

It is hard to believe that diet is not part of the cause or solution for Crohn's. I was only recently diagnosed with Crohn's (had my first colonoscopy in March), but I had experienced symptoms for years. For example, I've had two fistula's over the past five years, one of which I had a fistulotomy to fix. Last year, I began to have rotten gas, frequency, lots of mucus, occasional blood, broke into a random fever once, etc. My doctor suspected UC or Crohn's, but when I asked her about diet, she said the same thing many people here are concerned about ("diet has nothing to do with causing or curing it"). I call BS.

Once my diagnosis was confirmed, my doctor began prepping me for the idea of drugs. I told her I wasn't interested in drugs and was going to try figuring out a diet solution first, with drugs as a last resort. She pushed back on me and agreed to disagree. My first gastro doc appointment was set for 4 months later and is coming up on July 31st.

I've been looking at this date as a deadline - a deadline to research, experiment, and to prove to my doctor that I could manage this with diet alone. As a result of my stubbornness, today is the first of July and I can say that my symptoms are 99% gone and my stools are near perfect looking. Since some people have shared their experimentations, I'll also share what is currently working for me:

Completely eliminated: meat, dairy, processed foods, oils, grains, beans, nuts, most vegetables, and additives. Pretty much everything. I have whittled myself down to two basic meals that I found were safe meals for me and have stuck with them for over two months now (boring as hell, but is working):

My first and last meal of the day is a big smoothie that includes:
bananas, skinless dates, 100% pure pumpkin, gooseberry powder, ground clove powder, cinnamon, and filtered water. My logic for this meal is that it is calorie dense (dates and bananas are high in calories, low in fat), pretty tasty (tastes like pumpkin pie filling), and is very soft on the system. Gooseberry powder and cloves are two of the best anti-inflammatories there is, and this is an "inflammatory" bowel disease. I soak the dates in water overnight so that I can peel the skin off of them easily and avoid any hard material going through my system.

I also take a few swigs of a probiotic during this meal (I have been using the "Gut Shots" fermented drinks, as well as a fermented Kvass - nothing with any carbonation, added sugars, caffeine, etc.). Bananas are a great prebiotic, which is why I include my probiotic drink with these smoothies.

For lunch, I have a soup comprised of:
sweet potatoes, vegetable stock (free of any additives), and spices (turmeric, coriander, onion powder, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon). I blend that soup into a paste (lately with avocado so that I am getting some fat into my diet). I know some people with Crohn's are sensitive to sweet potatoes. I found I was not and that they soften to the point of basically melting in the mouth once boiled, but I take it a step further and blend it after it's cooked. Again, I'm trying to make food as soft and easy on the system as possible.

I try and pack all three of these meals into an 8-10 hour time span, so that my gut is mostly resting for the remaining 14-16 hours of the day. I have read about people having success with intermittent fasting, which is why I've included this. I started off the diet spreading it out over six meals for the entire day and the progress was not as drastic as it has been since doing the fasting.

Additionally:
I drink a special blend of teas with a liberal amount of unpasteurized, raw honey three times per day (first thing in the morning, one between meals, and one before bed). The tea is a combination of slippery elm powder, marshmallow root powder, and fresh ginger (I shave the ginger and steep it, no hard pieces in the tea). My logic here is that honey acts as an anti-bacterial and these teas are again providing me with more anti-inflammatories.

I also only drink filtered water from home. I do not drink water that is not filtered, no bottled water, drinking fountains, etc. I don't want to take the chance of any outside forces messing with my gut microbiome while I'm trying to heal. It's a countertop filter that removes a lot of stuff, but a level down from reverse-osmosis.

For what it's worth, this has been my regiment for over two months now. Due to all the fiber, I have three to four bowel movements per day. I have gotten to the point where over the past couple of weeks, I have only had one movement per week with a hint of mucus. And it wouldn't even be noticeable unless someone was really looking close - which I am, because before I begin adding foods back in, I want to be sure that I have achieved 100% remission for at least a few straight weeks.

It has been a dreadfully boring two months when it comes to eating, but I am hopeful I am in the final weeks before a natural diet remission. Outside of diet, I have been working on bringing my stress levels down and doing very light exercise (walking, various stretches, etc.). I noticed before that my symptoms would trigger during moments of high stress, whether it be physical (a heavy workout) or emotional.

Sorry for the long post. The central topic here about doctors and diet is what basically triggered everything I've been doing over the past few months. My motivation has been to prove my doctor wrong and avoid medication.

Thank you to those who have been posting their thoughts and diet advice on the site. I am always looking to see overlaps with what is working (or not working) for people.
Thanks so much for going into detail on the dietary regimen that has worked for you.

What kind of problems did meat give you?

Do you take any supplements, or do you get all of your micronutrients from your diet?

From what I've learned, a vegan diet high in carbs is inflammatory, but if you have become healthier from your dietary regimen, that's all that counts.


When I was a vegan, I had a TON of oxalates, phytates and other anti-nutrients on a daily basis.

After six months of only animal products, I've begun adding some well-steamed vegetables back in with some coconut water (for electrolytes).
I DO believe in the benefits of the Keto Carnivore diet, but at this point, with all of the side-effects from my three Entyvio infusions (I'm done with it),

I have had to add more carbs, because I have been worn down (NO SELF-PITY, just facts) from my anemia, my Crohn's and severe fatigue from the Entyvio (the most common side-effect it seems).

There are no more excuses for GI doctors mainly willful ignorance regarding diet for treating IBS and IBD because it really is as simple as money, repeat business and yes, that all doctors have to answer to their organized crime medical boards and the rest of the criminal organizations who control what physicians can and can not do-There is just no way that a physician can only push drugs in a brainwashed haze while disregarding tons of mainstream information on how diet helps and hurts all types of medical conditions.

It makes me really happy to read posts like yours (and Hopeful Girl's) as far as insisting on trying the dietary/natural approach to treat your illness.

When the bloated, sixty-plus pounds overweight nurse practicioner told me all of the "what ifs" if I did not go on a biologic ASAP, I will be honest: It scared the living hell out of me because I was a bit worn down mentally and physically and the time and not all, but MANY doctors take advantage of this desperation, this normal need to want to be healthy and vital, which is why so many people automatically opt for extreme chemo, surgery and/or radiation instead of even trying to get a second or third opinion on their diagnosis.
 
Your diet is similar to mine, you used gooseberry powder, I used turmeric. You used slippery elm, I used Boswelia. The pre and pro biotics, smoothies, cutting out grains, processed food, dairy etc.

I too felt that drugs should be the last option after I had exhausted everything else. I have no issue with taking drugs for a limited period of time to fix something that can be fixed. However, I do have an issue with this concept of managing chronic illness for years and years with serious drugs as a FIRST line of therapy.

Last week I had my GI visit to go over my latest colonoscopy. The disease has now contracted from 18 inches to just a tiny aberration of maybe a few millimeters. My GI did not even bother to do blood tests this time and told me to come back in 6 months to take blood tests – just in case anything changes.

I brought up this whole diet thing with him. So far, he has shown no curiosity on how I am getting better despite refusing to follow his recommendations. Regardless of his lack of interest, I always tell him what I am doing – he nods along but doesn’t ask any questions. I assume his brain can’t get over “there is no evidence that diet makes a difference” .

So this time I asked him “how do you know diet and other life style modifications doesn’t make a difference, is anyone looking for evidence and did they find statistically significant confirmation that dietary changes cannot make a difference?”. His response was something like “some of these therapies might work but they are too inexpensive to cover the cost of studying them” ...I forget the exact words , but that was the gist of it.

HA!!!! - what did I say !!!!!

There is no evidence yet because not enough people are looking for it. There is not enough research because something simple like cutting out grains, which may produce a better outcome on some types of Crohn’s than pharmaceuticals, cannot generate the same level of profits as injecting laboratory manipulated mouse proteins into your blood stream for years in a hospital setting. Not to mention the profits to be made from dealing with the side effects of the said modified mouse proteins. So in the end it is left to us patients – to hit or miss.
It sounds like we're both militant people when it comes to our approach with diet, lol. We must have come across many of the same sources in terms of the gut microbiome, pre/probiotics, anti-inflammatory spices, teas, etc. Like you, I'm not exactly sure what it was precisely that helped (eliminating a specific trigger or a combination of the right things), but I'm glad to have at least found a safety net diet if when I'm adding foods back in I have a setback. It should make it easier to perhaps eventually find the culprits.

I'm happy to hear about the progress you've made, and saddened to hear about your Doctor's lack of curiosity. Your question to the doc makes a great point: lack of research for the efficacy of diet does not mean diet isn't a factor. In order to eliminate diet entirely, this would also need to be proven through research. Since they don't know what causes or cures it, it makes no sense for them to exclude diet in any way.
 
Thanks so much for going into detail on the dietary regimen that has worked for you.

What kind of problems did meat give you?

Do you take any supplements, or do you get all of your micronutrients from your diet?

From what I've learned, a vegan diet high in carbs is inflammatory, but if you have become healthier from your dietary regimen, that's all that counts.


When I was a vegan, I had a TON of oxalates, phytates and other anti-nutrients on a daily basis.

After six months of only animal products, I've begun adding some well-steamed vegetables back in with some coconut water (for electrolytes).
I DO believe in the benefits of the Keto Carnivore diet, but at this point, with all of the side-effects from my three Entyvio infusions (I'm done with it),

I have had to add more carbs, because I have been worn down (NO SELF-PITY, just facts) from my anemia, my Crohn's and severe fatigue from the Entyvio (the most common side-effect it seems).

There are no more excuses for GI doctors mainly willful ignorance regarding diet for treating IBS and IBD because it really is as simple as money, repeat business and yes, that all doctors have to answer to their organized crime medical boards and the rest of the criminal organizations who control what physicians can and can not do-There is just no way that a physician can only push drugs in a brainwashed haze while disregarding tons of mainstream information on how diet helps and hurts all types of medical conditions.

It makes me really happy to read posts like yours (and Hopeful Girl's) as far as insisting on trying the dietary/natural approach to treat your illness.

When the bloated, sixty-plus pounds overweight nurse practicioner told me all of the "what ifs" if I did not go on a biologic ASAP, I will be honest: It scared the living hell out of me because I was a bit worn down mentally and physically and the time and not all, but MANY doctors take advantage of this desperation, this normal need to want to be healthy and vital, which is why so many people automatically opt for extreme chemo, surgery and/or radiation instead of even trying to get a second or third opinion on their diagnosis.
Sorry Snitzer, I should have been clearer in my original post. I have primarily been a vegan for seven years now. I put meat and dairy in there so people would know that these items are not in my diet, but they weren't primarily before either. Everything else was eliminated specifically for Crohn's. So, I am evidence that simply becoming a vegan is not some magic cure for this. My reason for going vegan back then was because I was already off of dairy due to lactose intolerance, but had another health problem I was dealing with, which the diet helped out with. So, I stuck with it. I've cheated a handful of times over the years, but never noticed any problems with eating a rare meat meal. So, meat certainly wasn't a villain in aggravating all my symptoms. I really don't know how my body would react to meat on a consistent basis now.

Like you, I have read research about potential dangers of high carb diets, but also a lot of information conflicting with that. The idea of it was discouraging to me at first because my diet is generally very high carb. It wasn't lost on me when I came across this info that there was a gradual elevation in symptoms after becoming vegan. This gave me pause and made me question whether or not I should start adding meat back into my diet. However, as I began to reflect about my journey, I came across a series of videos discussing a nasty correlation of people with Crohn's and yeast. I realized that the one BIG change I made to my diet after becoming vegan was adding A LOT of yeast. Eliminating meat led me to switch heavily over to breads, and it wasn't long before I discovered nutritional yeast and was sprinkling it on most of my dinners. So, I began to think that it might not be increased carbs, but rather the yeast.

I eliminated yeast along with processed foods and noticed a huge relief in symptoms, but I couldn't tell you for sure if it was the yeast or some other processed food related thing that may have been aggravating me. Still, my symptoms only improved to a certain point and I read online from many people how the colon cannot heal without rest. That's one of the key reasons I decided to structure the diet the way that I did - so that I could eat only really soft, easy to digest foods and give the gut rest.

To answer your other questions, I stopped taking the supplements I was taking, which was a B vitamin supplement and a vitamin D supplement. One of them had artificial ingredients and the other one had oil in it. Since I know one of my triggers is fried foods (the side effects of fried foods has been a bother for me since I was a teenager), I decided to eliminate any oil from my diet, even the small amount in the supplements. I do put Gooseberry powder (Amla) in my smoothies, if you call that a supplement.

It's a very restricted limited food diet, so I could be getting more of certain vitamins and minerals, but it is not a diet I've designed to be a permanent one that I would want to live with. I'd really like to be able to use my smoothie and soup as a base for breakfast and lunch, but be able to do something for dinner that would make for a more complete and full diet.

What is your concern with oxalates? I've never really concerned myself with them, but my research is limited. I remember researching them briefly, but wasn't too worried because some research seemed to suggest that eliminating fruits and veggies for the oxalates could do more harm than good (and that it wasn't really a major concern unless you were someone who was genetically predisposed to absorb more than the average person, or eating a crazy amount of foods with them).

The really frustrating thing about researching all this stuff for Crohn's is that there is so much conflicting information about EVERYTHING. Every time I thought I might have found some wisdom, there would be another source questioning it. So, it seems we're all our own guinea pigs in all of this until the research catches up.

What anti-nutrients are you speaking of?

I appreciate you sharing your experiences and I'm sorry to hear about your drug side effects. I read a lot of stories like that and it has scared the heck out of me thinking of going on some of these meds. Back in my youth, I used to be the type of person who implicitly trusted doctors and would always take meds prescribed, but having watched doctors play whack-a-mole with my health and those around me over the years, I now have perspective of their value and limitations. I do wonder if another reason doctors might not take us seriously is due to a psychological block. I mean, if diet were an answer, they would have to come to terms with the fact that they had not given the best advice to all their patients over the years by simply relying on drugs (if they stay ignorant, they can feel less shame/blame).
 
If your GI doctor had a conscience, he would at least be openly happy that you are healthier now.

I have no proof, but I would be shocked if GI (and other doctors) did not get some kind of percentage when they put a patient on expensive biological therapies, and most people are too brainwashed to see that doctors and other authority figures are people and do not have some kind of special empathy-There are some fairly open-minded doctors who have empathy and a conscience but a lot of doctors are narcissistics and sometimes psychopaths as far as their lack of empathy goes.

And ALL pharmaceutical reps are of the same mindset as the average doctor.

I just did some reading up on the side-effects of my biological, Entyvio (which I'm done with of course) at Drugs.Com and WOW. What this one drug has done to the lives of those with UC and Crohn's who posted on this site.


I've been using ginger, mint and/or Chamomile tea every day, started taking New Chapter Turmeric, I've been adding some very well-steamed carrots and cauliflower, began drinking some coconut water (for the electrolytes).

Do you have any suggestions as how I can speed up the elimination of the Entyvio from my body? My last infusion was about five-weeks ago.
I agree with you that there does seem to be an element of psychological manipulation in the way treatments are foisted on you. They get you while you’re still in shock, scare you with possibilities of what might go wrong, minimize the side effects of their therapies and pressure you to act immediately without time to really think things over or get another opinion. It does seem a tad unethical and bordering on a little fishy.

I have no knowledge of how to speed up elimination of Entyvio, you would need an expert opinion and I am certainly no expert. I guess there is no harm in trying out the things you normally do to get rid of something from your body. Like drinking lots of water and green tea (I think you are already doing that). Garlic and cruciferous veggies daily (again you are already doing that), Fresh vegetable juices especially including parsley, cilantro, celery and ginger if you can tolerate it. Saunas and steam baths might help. Anything to get your lymph moving – like light exercise, trampolining, dry skin brushing – especially under the arms and groin area. You can get a lymphatic drainage massage – or just a normal massage – that’s what I do. Epsom salt baths. I believe milk thistle cleans out the liver, though honestly, I don’t think it did anything for me – but maybe I didn’t try it out long enough.

I think you need to support your general health as well. Turmeric and gooseberry powder have anti-inflammatory properties. I read somewhere that you need to add black pepper to turmeric if you want it to be absorbed but if you just want it to hang out in your gut leave out the pepper. I do both – because I am confused as to what I want. I am a great believer in sunshine. I don’t think it’s just vitamin D only. I read somewhere that vitamin D is just a messenger that tells your body that you have made other sunshine dependent molecules – if that is true, then you need more molecules not messengers and taking vitamin D on its own might in fact be counterproductive.

There are general immunity balancing health tonics as well – “ Chyawanprash” – is some kind of Ayurvedic health tonic - Amazon recommends “Authentic Chyawanprash” - the main ingredient is gooseberry powder, also ashwagantha, raw honey and various other herbs – just makes you a little stronger if you can keep it down. I used to take it on a friend’s recommendation – it does seem to have a general immunity boosting effect and over all makes you feel better. When I used to take it regularly I would never catch colds even when everyone around me was sneezing and wheezing like Smokey the train. Really useful when you are going through a stressful time at work. It might help you with fatigue too.

Again, I am just suggesting things I have tried. I’m certainly not an expert on anything. So do your own research. :)

While you’re at it research Himalayan Shilajit also - I am told it’s good for fatigue, anemia, depression, gut health, chelating toxic substances...all things you are looking for. I have never used it , so no personal view on it.
 
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kiny

Well-known member
I have no proof, but I would be shocked if GI (and other doctors) did not get some kind of percentage when they put a patient on expensive biological therapie
20 oct. 2018

''The Globe investigation also found that Janssen has for years paid Canadian doctors each time Remicade is infused in their offices''

3727
 
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I was told 37 years ago that Crohn's was a "western disease" that was linked to our fatty diet. Since then I have heard the "Mediterranean diet" could benefit all of us. There are many diets and many theories, but none work for everybody.

As of now Crohn's isn't curable, so we are on palliative care, so to speak, under a circus tent. Send in the clowns. I avoid all my triggers, and I still get diarrhea for no reason. I have a good stretch where I'm feeling like a regular person for a week or two, and then it all changes. I make sure I keep Gatorade on hand when it gets too bad. Ensure is good to rest your system.

Stay away from diary, chocolate, dark pop and coffee. Raw fruit seems too rough for me.

Tomorrow I'll sneak in a Cappuccino and maybe I'll get away with it. Maybe not.
 
20 oct. 2018

''The Globe investigation also found that Janssen has for years paid Canadian doctors each time Remicade is infused in their offices''

View attachment 3727
Thank you for this. There is no way in hell that doctors in the United States do not also get a cut when they prescribe biologics to patients.

What you quotes MUST BE the tip of the iceberg as far as the corruption goes, but even though you do hear about some doctors losing their license and/or getting fined for various legal and ethical violations, and even though there are malpractice suits, I guarantee that most of these psychopathic professionals get away with these crimes most of the time.

If there is ever a class action lawsuit against Janssen and Takeda (for Entyvio), by the time there are any settlements, their profits for these drugs will have far exceeded any losses from lawsuits because chances are that all of the major pharmaceuticals set aside a fund or "slush fund" anticipating
class action lawsuits in the future.
I was told 37 years ago that Crohn's was a "western disease" that was linked to our fatty diet. Since then I have heard the "Mediterranean diet" could benefit all of us. There are many diets and many theories, but none work for everybody.

As of now Crohn's isn't curable, so we are on palliative care, so to speak, under a circus tent. Send in the clowns. I avoid all my triggers, and I still get diarrhea for no reason. I have a good stretch where I'm feeling like a regular person for a week or two, and then it all changes. I make sure I keep Gatorade on hand when it gets too bad. Ensure is good to rest your system.

Stay away from diary, chocolate, dark pop and coffee. Raw fruit seems too rough for me.

Tomorrow I'll sneak in a Cappuccino and maybe I'll get away with it. Maybe not.
Please look into a low residue diet, and if you have not kept a food diary yet, you will be able to make correlations between trigger foods and your GI (and other reactions) to them.

Some people with IBS and IBD can probably handle dairy when they are not in a flare, but dairy can be very inflammatory for people as can eggs.

Caffeine is too much of a stimulant for the GI tract, its murder on the adrenals and it can of course affect behavior;Those with high anxiety from their medical conditions should avoid stimulants as much as possible and this includes chocolate (NOT trying to rain on your parade!).

Raw vegetables and fruits are too harsh on even a healthy human body because a LOT of work has to go into breaking them down and all vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and seeds have varying amounts of anti-nutrients which 100% contribute to inflammation, worsen the already depleted nutrient reserves of IBD and IBS patients because Phytic acid and Oxalates reduce the amount of nutrients you can absorb from a meal.

I am not a dietician or nutritionist. Just a guy who was vegan for close to three-years and learned most of my lessons the hard way, and there's a ton I still do not know, but this much is a fact: EVERYONE consumes far too much fiber, carbs and anti-nutrients and the excess fiber can cause blockages, inflammation of the gut, constipation, you name it.
 
Sorry Snitzer, I should have been clearer in my original post. I have primarily been a vegan for seven years now. I put meat and dairy in there so people would know that these items are not in my diet, but they weren't primarily before either. Everything else was eliminated specifically for Crohn's. So, I am evidence that simply becoming a vegan is not some magic cure for this. My reason for going vegan back then was because I was already off of dairy due to lactose intolerance, but had another health problem I was dealing with, which the diet helped out with. So, I stuck with it. I've cheated a handful of times over the years, but never noticed any problems with eating a rare meat meal. So, meat certainly wasn't a villain in aggravating all my symptoms. I really don't know how my body would react to meat on a consistent basis now.

Like you, I have read research about potential dangers of high carb diets, but also a lot of information conflicting with that. The idea of it was discouraging to me at first because my diet is generally very high carb. It wasn't lost on me when I came across this info that there was a gradual elevation in symptoms after becoming vegan. This gave me pause and made me question whether or not I should start adding meat back into my diet. However, as I began to reflect about my journey, I came across a series of videos discussing a nasty correlation of people with Crohn's and yeast. I realized that the one BIG change I made to my diet after becoming vegan was adding A LOT of yeast. Eliminating meat led me to switch heavily over to breads, and it wasn't long before I discovered nutritional yeast and was sprinkling it on most of my dinners. So, I began to think that it might not be increased carbs, but rather the yeast.

I eliminated yeast along with processed foods and noticed a huge relief in symptoms, but I couldn't tell you for sure if it was the yeast or some other processed food related thing that may have been aggravating me. Still, my symptoms only improved to a certain point and I read online from many people how the colon cannot heal without rest. That's one of the key reasons I decided to structure the diet the way that I did - so that I could eat only really soft, easy to digest foods and give the gut rest.

To answer your other questions, I stopped taking the supplements I was taking, which was a B vitamin supplement and a vitamin D supplement. One of them had artificial ingredients and the other one had oil in it. Since I know one of my triggers is fried foods (the side effects of fried foods has been a bother for me since I was a teenager), I decided to eliminate any oil from my diet, even the small amount in the supplements. I do put Gooseberry powder (Amla) in my smoothies, if you call that a supplement.

It's a very restricted limited food diet, so I could be getting more of certain vitamins and minerals, but it is not a diet I've designed to be a permanent one that I would want to live with. I'd really like to be able to use my smoothie and soup as a base for breakfast and lunch, but be able to do something for dinner that would make for a more complete and full diet.

What is your concern with oxalates? I've never really concerned myself with them, but my research is limited. I remember researching them briefly, but wasn't too worried because some research seemed to suggest that eliminating fruits and veggies for the oxalates could do more harm than good (and that it wasn't really a major concern unless you were someone who was genetically predisposed to absorb more than the average person, or eating a crazy amount of foods with them).

The really frustrating thing about researching all this stuff for Crohn's is that there is so much conflicting information about EVERYTHING. Every time I thought I might have found some wisdom, there would be another source questioning it. So, it seems we're all our own guinea pigs in all of this until the research catches up.

What anti-nutrients are you speaking of?



I appreciate you sharing your experiences and I'm sorry to hear about your drug side effects. I read a lot of stories like that and it has scared the heck out of me thinking of going on some of these meds. Back in my youth, I used to be the type of person who implicitly trusted doctors and would always take meds prescribed, but having watched doctors play whack-a-mole with my health and those around me over the years, I now have perspective of their value and limitations. I do wonder if another reason doctors might not take us seriously is due to a psychological block. I mean, if diet were an answer, they would have to come to terms with the fact that they had not given the best advice to all their patients over the years by simply relying on drugs (if they stay ignorant, they can feel less shame/blame).
Anti-Nutrients: I printed this article out a few months ago. Plants can not move as animals can, so to protect their offspring (seeds and nuts) and themselves, they evolved toxins which interfere with the digestion, protein synthesis, reproductive abilities and other functions of the insects and mammals that consume them.

MOST of the produce found in supermarkets has been hybridized to make them as sweet and/or starchy as possible-Most edible plants that are found in the wild are not available year round (ESPECIALLY in the northern climes) and do not provide enough calories for human beings to thrive on and yes, through time people have developed ways to reduce the anti-nutrient content of certain foods (e.g. Oats), but the human race did not have modern agriculture long enough to cause a major genetic change which would turn all of us into Herbivores and this is one of the brainwashed lies about Veganism that I used to accept: That we can convert certain nutrients from plants into the basic building blocks our bodies need to thrive and that is a lie: We have to have a diet high in healthy animal fats (the cholesterol hypothesis is yet another of many lies) in order to absorb certain nutrients so that we can function at our best.

The vegan diet essentially causes a person to "feed off" of their own tissues in order to live. Some get IBD or IBS in time, some get Candida, SIBO, hair loss, muscle atrophy, premature aging, thyroid problems, OCD, depression, panic attacks, osteopenia or osteoporosis and on and on.

Vegans are not saving the planet, animals or themselves. It is literally a form of brainwashing and mind control as the lack of B-vitamins, Omega 3 fatty acids and other macro and micro nutrients literally dumbs people down.

Here is a link to a great video on anti-nutrients:



One problem with the vegan diet is the high amount of carbs and fiber which DOES create gas and bloating in addition to up and down swings in blood sugar PLUS too much fiber can contribute to leaky gut and constipation (which contributes to leaky gut).

This You Tube channel and the book by its owner may sound a bit radical, but he makes a ton of sense:

and https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Menace-Constipation-Hemorrhoids-Ulcerative/product-reviews/0970679645

There is conflicting information on what works for ALL medical conditions and what does not for several reasons:

1) When you hear someone's testimony or anecdotes as to what helped or hurt them, you are usually NOT getting the entire picture, meaning: What medications are they on and what are the side-effects of those drugs which could be worsening or creating some of their medical conditions.

2) Does this person drink alcohol and/or use a lot of caffeine? Do they have a diet high in sugar, carbs and fiber?

3) Does this person eat and drink substances which they are allergic to or have sensitivities to (thus worsening their condition(s)?

4) What undiagnosed medical conditions does this person have? E.g. glandular problems, hyper or hypogylcemia, leaky gut, food intolerances or allergies, problems with MOLD in their living area (which can mimic and worsen other disorders)

5) Do their levels of stress worsen their medical problem(s)?

6) Corporations and easily influenced or controlled govt regulatory agencies will put profit before people and this is not new, so despite the BS so many GI doctors spout on a lack of research into diet affecting IBS and IBD, most of them are outright lying because even with the near fully controlled fields of medicine, there are mainstream medical sources which do state that diet makes a major difference in health outcomes BUT that's ALWAYS with some kind of medication(s) which means greed and psychopathy.

NOT THAT LONG AGO, most diseases were fairly rare, but between the eighty-five thousand plus synthetic chemicals in our environment (which includes agricultural chemicals and heavy metals, how our water supply has been violated with fluoride and many other toxins, the off-gassing of persistent organic pollutants from personal care to cleaning products to clothing and all of the building materials in our dwellings, to ALL wireless networks, and microwave exposure to the horrible short and long-term side-effects of OTC and prescription drugs to the lies about cholesterol and healthy fats which has 100% led to a physical degeneration making people dumber, weaker, sicker-Vaccines, mold in living areas, the off-gassing of POPs in ALL modern buildings, and much, much more-These abominations have created the laundry list of diseases which people have been conditioned into accepting as "normal life" for not that long in our modern history: Despite the garbage you may have heard about people living longer, much of that's a lie and its due to modern plumbing among other things: Human beings, if left as close to nature as possible are pretty damned hearty and healthy and all of that has been corrupted and adulterated by a very, very corrupt system.

I ain't no dummy, but for nearly three-years I fell for what some people call "the vegan agenda" and I am positive that this and the Entyvio infusions I had have led to my current IBD flareup that's in its eighth (approximately) month.

You're smart avoiding processed SEED OILS such as grapeseed, flax (poison), sesame (poison), sunflower, soy (pure poison), chia (very high in anti-nutrients), safflower and others, but there are plenty of supplements with safer oils and I learned the hard way that its essential to have animal-based amino acids, proteins and fats in order to build and repair our bodies;The vegan diet literally is a self-cannibalizing form of "life" and I have literally listened to THOUSANDS of videos and read THOUSANDS of pages on the "health benefits" of the vegan diet from shills such as Gregor and tons of You Tube vegan influencers who parrot their cherry-picked (and usually corporate and sometimes Seventh Day Adventist influenced studies.

And since people with IBS and IBD are often anemic, it is crucial to get heme iron from red meat and other animal sources-Grass fed beef liver and free-range chicken liver IS healthy if its clean sourced.

I take a B-complex, electrolytes from Concentrace Minerals (liquid form), vitamin C from Megafood, about 25 milligrams of Iodine, fish oil, Vitamin D3 from Lanolin (Sheep's wool). I drink ginger and/or chamomile and/or mint tea. I am taking 20 Mg of Predndisone because the Entyvio 100% has made things far worse than they otherwise would be (my fault).

I have begun incorporating honey (with my tea), steamed carrots and coconut water into my diet because my fatigue from my anemia, my crohn's and the deep fatigue side-effect from the Entyvio really slowed me down: I had to incorporate some carbs back into my diet, but for now, no eggs, the only dairy is some cheese that has no or low lactose, I do use butter, I eat chicken, red meat, turkey and some fish here and there. I DO drink carbonated water, but zero caffeine, zero chocolate, no grains, seeds or nuts (which are sandpaper or razors to some people with IBS and IBD) so even though I am still in my flareup, my body handles animal products with far more ease than produce (unless well-steamed)-Minimal fiber-The fats and proteins from animal products DO form stool comprised mainly of bacteria, water, protein and fat, yet I bet that most GI doctors and their nurse practicioners do not tell people to avoid milk and go on a low residue diet.

Even potatoes are very high in anti-nutrients (most are in the skin).

I hope that some of this has been of help.

I literally have listened to a thousand or more "anti-vegan" videos which although extreme in some cases, taught me a lot about nutrition and yes, as a vegan, I did learn a lot about health but I was getting only a fraction of the truth because the vegan diet is very inflammatory. For people who are on a crap standard American diet (SAD) that go to a clean vegan diet, then they are going from a horrible diet to a much less horrible but cleaner diet which in time begins to take its toll from nutrient deficiencies, high fiber, high carbs, stress on the GI tract from eating and eliminating too many times a day, the very real damaging effects of anti-nutrients on every single system in the body.

Plus due to monocrops, poor irrigation practices, soil depletion, agrichemicals and more, the vitamin and mineral content of most modern produce is horrible.

People were never meant to be sick in such high numbers.
Its not fun (for some), but to look outside of our conditioning can be a very liberating experience.
 
I agree with you that there does seem to be an element of psychological manipulation in the way treatments are foisted on you. They get you while you’re still in shock, scare you with possibilities of what might go wrong, minimize the side effects of their therapies and pressure you to act immediately without time to really think things over or get another opinion. It does seem a tad unethical and bordering on a little fishy.

I have no knowledge of how to speed up elimination of Entyvio, you would need an expert opinion and I am certainly no expert. I guess there is no harm in trying out the things you normally do to get rid of something from your body. Like drinking lots of water and green tea (I think you are already doing that). Garlic and cruciferous veggies daily (again you are already doing that), Fresh vegetable juices especially including parsley, cilantro, celery and ginger if you can tolerate it. Saunas and steam baths might help. Anything to get your lymph moving – like light exercise, trampolining, dry skin brushing – especially under the arms and groin area. You can get a lymphatic drainage massage – or just a normal massage – that’s what I do. Epsom salt baths. I believe milk thistle cleans out the liver, though honestly, I don’t think it did anything for me – but maybe I didn’t try it out long enough.

I think you need to support your general health as well. Turmeric and gooseberry powder have anti-inflammatory properties. I read somewhere that you need to add black pepper to turmeric if you want it to be absorbed but if you just want it to hang out in your gut leave out the pepper. I do both – because I am confused as to what I want. I am a great believer in sunshine. I don’t think it’s just vitamin D only. I read somewhere that vitamin D is just a messenger that tells your body that you have made other sunshine dependent molecules – if that is true, then you need more molecules not messengers and taking vitamin D on its own might in fact be counterproductive.

There are general immunity balancing health tonics as well – “ Chyawanprash” – is some kind of Ayurvedic health tonic - Amazon recommends “Authentic Chyawanprash” - the main ingredient is gooseberry powder, also ashwagantha, raw honey and various other herbs – just makes you a little stronger if you can keep it down. I used to take it on a friend’s recommendation – it does seem to have a general immunity boosting effect and over all makes you feel better. When I used to take it regularly I would never catch colds even when everyone around me was sneezing and wheezing like Smokey the train. Really useful when you are going through a stressful time at work. It might help you with fatigue too.

Again, I am just suggesting things I have tried. I’m certainly not an expert on anything. So do your own research. :)

While you’re at it research Himalayan Shilajit also - I am told it’s good for fatigue, anemia, depression, gut health, chelating toxic substances...all things you are looking for. I have never used it , so no personal view on it.
Thank you again for your information, Hopeful Girl, and for reminding me about dry brushing for the Lymphatic system, which I have to get back into.


Whatever legitimate detox methods are out there should speed up the clearance of the Entyvio from my body: This is not a hypochondrical thing for me, the side-effects have been interfering with my body's ability to heal itself.

Shilajit is super-high in humic and/or Fulvic acid.

Before my IBD went nuts, I used to take a product called "Restore For Gut Health" which supposedly helps leaky gut and basically allows the cells to communicate again and helps seal leaky gut issues. A LOT of people have had positive results from it: https://www.amazon.com/RESTORE-Terr...&sprefix=resetore+,aps,165&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
 
Anti-Nutrients: I printed this article out a few months ago. Plants can not move as animals can, so to protect their offspring (seeds and nuts) and themselves, they evolved toxins which interfere with the digestion, protein synthesis, reproductive abilities and other functions of the insects and mammals that consume them.

MOST of the produce found in supermarkets has been hybridized to make them as sweet and/or starchy as possible-Most edible plants that are found in the wild are not available year round (ESPECIALLY in the northern climes) and do not provide enough calories for human beings to thrive on and yes, through time people have developed ways to reduce the anti-nutrient content of certain foods (e.g. Oats), but the human race did not have modern agriculture long enough to cause a major genetic change which would turn all of us into Herbivores and this is one of the brainwashed lies about Veganism that I used to accept: That we can convert certain nutrients from plants into the basic building blocks our bodies need to thrive and that is a lie: We have to have a diet high in healthy animal fats (the cholesterol hypothesis is yet another of many lies) in order to absorb certain nutrients so that we can function at our best.

The vegan diet essentially causes a person to "feed off" of their own tissues in order to live. Some get IBD or IBS in time, some get Candida, SIBO, hair loss, muscle atrophy, premature aging, thyroid problems, OCD, depression, panic attacks, osteopenia or osteoporosis and on and on.

Vegans are not saving the planet, animals or themselves. It is literally a form of brainwashing and mind control as the lack of B-vitamins, Omega 3 fatty acids and other macro and micro nutrients literally dumbs people down.

Here is a link to a great video on anti-nutrients:



One problem with the vegan diet is the high amount of carbs and fiber which DOES create gas and bloating in addition to up and down swings in blood sugar PLUS too much fiber can contribute to leaky gut and constipation (which contributes to leaky gut).

This You Tube channel and the book by its owner may sound a bit radical, but he makes a ton of sense:

and https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Menace-Constipation-Hemorrhoids-Ulcerative/product-reviews/0970679645

There is conflicting information on what works for ALL medical conditions and what does not for several reasons:

1) When you hear someone's testimony or anecdotes as to what helped or hurt them, you are usually NOT getting the entire picture, meaning: What medications are they on and what are the side-effects of those drugs which could be worsening or creating some of their medical conditions.

2) Does this person drink alcohol and/or use a lot of caffeine? Do they have a diet high in sugar, carbs and fiber?

3) Does this person eat and drink substances which they are allergic to or have sensitivities to (thus worsening their condition(s)?

4) What undiagnosed medical conditions does this person have? E.g. glandular problems, hyper or hypogylcemia, leaky gut, food intolerances or allergies, problems with MOLD in their living area (which can mimic and worsen other disorders)

5) Do their levels of stress worsen their medical problem(s)?

6) Corporations and easily influenced or controlled govt regulatory agencies will put profit before people and this is not new, so despite the BS so many GI doctors spout on a lack of research into diet affecting IBS and IBD, most of them are outright lying because even with the near fully controlled fields of medicine, there are mainstream medical sources which do state that diet makes a major difference in health outcomes BUT that's ALWAYS with some kind of medication(s) which means greed and psychopathy.

NOT THAT LONG AGO, most diseases were fairly rare, but between the eighty-five thousand plus synthetic chemicals in our environment (which includes agricultural chemicals and heavy metals, how our water supply has been violated with fluoride and many other toxins, the off-gassing of persistent organic pollutants from personal care to cleaning products to clothing and all of the building materials in our dwellings, to ALL wireless networks, and microwave exposure to the horrible short and long-term side-effects of OTC and prescription drugs to the lies about cholesterol and healthy fats which has 100% led to a physical degeneration making people dumber, weaker, sicker-Vaccines, mold in living areas, the off-gassing of POPs in ALL modern buildings, and much, much more-These abominations have created the laundry list of diseases which people have been conditioned into accepting as "normal life" for not that long in our modern history: Despite the garbage you may have heard about people living longer, much of that's a lie and its due to modern plumbing among other things: Human beings, if left as close to nature as possible are pretty damned hearty and healthy and all of that has been corrupted and adulterated by a very, very corrupt system.

I ain't no dummy, but for nearly three-years I fell for what some people call "the vegan agenda" and I am positive that this and the Entyvio infusions I had have led to my current IBD flareup that's in its eighth (approximately) month.

You're smart avoiding processed SEED OILS such as grapeseed, flax (poison), sesame (poison), sunflower, soy (pure poison), chia (very high in anti-nutrients), safflower and others, but there are plenty of supplements with safer oils and I learned the hard way that its essential to have animal-based amino acids, proteins and fats in order to build and repair our bodies;The vegan diet literally is a self-cannibalizing form of "life" and I have literally listened to THOUSANDS of videos and read THOUSANDS of pages on the "health benefits" of the vegan diet from shills such as Gregor and tons of You Tube vegan influencers who parrot their cherry-picked (and usually corporate and sometimes Seventh Day Adventist influenced studies.

And since people with IBS and IBD are often anemic, it is crucial to get heme iron from red meat and other animal sources-Grass fed beef liver and free-range chicken liver IS healthy if its clean sourced.

I take a B-complex, electrolytes from Concentrace Minerals (liquid form), vitamin C from Megafood, about 25 milligrams of Iodine, fish oil, Vitamin D3 from Lanolin (Sheep's wool). I drink ginger and/or chamomile and/or mint tea. I am taking 20 Mg of Predndisone because the Entyvio 100% has made things far worse than they otherwise would be (my fault).

I have begun incorporating honey (with my tea), steamed carrots and coconut water into my diet because my fatigue from my anemia, my crohn's and the deep fatigue side-effect from the Entyvio really slowed me down: I had to incorporate some carbs back into my diet, but for now, no eggs, the only dairy is some cheese that has no or low lactose, I do use butter, I eat chicken, red meat, turkey and some fish here and there. I DO drink carbonated water, but zero caffeine, zero chocolate, no grains, seeds or nuts (which are sandpaper or razors to some people with IBS and IBD) so even though I am still in my flareup, my body handles animal products with far more ease than produce (unless well-steamed)-Minimal fiber-The fats and proteins from animal products DO form stool comprised mainly of bacteria, water, protein and fat, yet I bet that most GI doctors and their nurse practicioners do not tell people to avoid milk and go on a low residue diet.

Even potatoes are very high in anti-nutrients (most are in the skin).

I hope that some of this has been of help.

I literally have listened to a thousand or more "anti-vegan" videos which although extreme in some cases, taught me a lot about nutrition and yes, as a vegan, I did learn a lot about health but I was getting only a fraction of the truth because the vegan diet is very inflammatory. For people who are on a crap standard American diet (SAD) that go to a clean vegan diet, then they are going from a horrible diet to a much less horrible but cleaner diet which in time begins to take its toll from nutrient deficiencies, high fiber, high carbs, stress on the GI tract from eating and eliminating too many times a day, the very real damaging effects of anti-nutrients on every single system in the body.

Plus due to monocrops, poor irrigation practices, soil depletion, agrichemicals and more, the vitamin and mineral content of most modern produce is horrible.

People were never meant to be sick in such high numbers.
Its not fun (for some), but to look outside of our conditioning can be a very liberating experience.
Thank you for your thorough reply, Snitzer. I appreciate you taking the time to post all that. I was able to review the videos you posted. I apologize for the delayed reply, but I guess the site stopped emailing me with new replies on the thread.

I have read some stuff on oxalates in the past. It was nice to get more knowledge on that topic. The video is a hodgepodge of scientific data alongside anecdotal evidence. I do object with comparing eating plants to eating asbestos. The woman in the video discusses how oxalate is an inflammatory agent, but she does not discuss how the anti-inflammatory properties of these foods might mitigate those concerns. Or perhaps this research doesn't exist. She even mentions in the video at one time that we're still learning about all of this (how the gut microbiome works, etc.). So, I have to take this as evidence for one end of the theory pool. However, it did not make me write-off the vegan argument either. Although there are a lot of warnings about the ingestion of oxalates, there has not been clear evidence that a vegan diet is worse than other diets when it comes to inflammation due to oxalates. In fact, I have seen counter-evidence presented, where vegans/vegetarians were less likely to develop kidney stones, for example.

The tricky part about food is that there is often more occurring than just one ingredient being determined as bad or good. Many bad things that we ingest are neutralized by good properties combined within them, making them either safe to eat or the good outweighs the bad.

That being said, I will be more cautious in the future not to ingest unreasonable amounts of high oxalate foods moving forward.

I don't know anything about your previous diet, but there are many low oxalate vegetables and fruits. I think it's fair to say that oxalates can cause problems, but I don't think it's a fair assessment to label fruits and vegetables as "anti-nutrient". The prevalence of oxalation poisoning is very small. I had a hard time finding numbers for the United States (where I live), but I found a statistic of 35 cases between 2008-2011 in Hong Kong (a population of 7 million). Meanwhile, IBD affects millions in the U.S.

As far as fiber is concerned, again it is hard for me to see this as a villain in inflammatory bowel diseases. Fiber intake has generally been low and constant in the United States:

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22709768
"Mean daily dietary fiber intake for 1999-2000 was 15.6 g/day, for 2001-2002 intake was 16.1g/day, for 2003-2004 intake was 15.5 g/day, for 2005-2006 intake was 15.8 g/day, and for 2007-2008 intake was 15.9 g/day. Participants with obesity (body mass index ≥30) consistently reported lower fiber intake than did individuals with normal weight or overweight (14.6 to 15.4 g/day and 15.6 to 16.8 g/day, respectively; P<0.0001)."

Yet according to the CDC: "In 2015, an estimated 1.3% of US adults (3 million) reported being diagnosed with IBD (either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis).1 This was a large increase from 1999 (0.9% or 2 million adults)."

If fiber intake hasn't increased, why has inflammatory bowel disease increased roughly 33%?

Almost all food we eat poses a health threat on some level. So, I would need to see clearer evidence linking this to inflammatory or autoimmune diseases. I'm just not seeing how the broader statistics support the theory that fiber causes problems. One thing that I don't like is that he lumps all fiber into the same category. I would not include eating cereals and other processed foods in the same discussion as fruits and vegetables.

It's the same with carbs. Most people lump carbs into the same category, but there are simple versus complex carbs. Too many complex carbs (sweets, pastas, breads) can be bad for you, whereas simple carbs (fruits, vegetables, etc.) are generally processed very easy. Obviously, many people with Crohn's have a harder time digesting properly in general, but I'm just talking average gut here.

You list a lot of things that the vegan diet supposedly causes (eating yourself, muscle atrophy, hair loss, premature aging, etc.). I have never seen peer reviewed research suggesting any of these things. When it comes to muscle, some of the largest animals in the world are herbivores and the animals that we get all our meat from are primarily herbivores. There are vegan bodybuilders, etc.

I completely agree with your list of what creates conflicts when it comes to assessing these things and that we are constantly being bombarded with all kinds of chemicals, radio waves, environmental factors, etc. This of course makes it all the harder to sift through all this. That having been said, why are you convinced that these people have the RIGHT answers, and enough so to disregard others like Dr. Gregor? I agree that there are a lot of shills out there (Mercola), but I would not agree Gregor is one of them. Perhaps he is cherry picking peer reviewed research, I dunno, but I haven't seen the ill intent.

If you are convinced that the vegan diet caused your flare up, then I can certainly understand your vitriol towards it. Anecdotally, I haven't experienced what you have, but I actually increased my fiber intake when I was diagnosed, and have been eating the equivalent of 18 dates, 8 bananas, a cup of pumpkin, and one large sweet potato per day. My oxalate consumption has likely increased as well. Making banana-date smoothies, sweet potato soups, and lots of tea/honey has been my whole diet for three months now. The result has not been an increase of symptoms, but rather almost complete elimination of symptoms and the best stools I can remember having. My own experience leads me to conclude that, for me, the culprit lies elsewhere, in more in processed foods, oils, yeast, something I'm allergic to, etc. I won't know until I start slowly adding back other foods. This high fiber diet will be my fallback if I have another flare up until it doesn't work.

Again, I appreciate you taking the time. Your videos and experiences are all noted in my own quest to achieve remission and eat as well as I possibly can.
 
Thank you for your thorough reply, Snitzer. I appreciate you taking the time to post all that. I was able to review the videos you posted. I apologize for the delayed reply, but I guess the site stopped emailing me with new replies on the thread.

I have read some stuff on oxalates in the past. It was nice to get more knowledge on that topic. The video is a hodgepodge of scientific data alongside anecdotal evidence. I do object with comparing eating plants to eating asbestos. The woman in the video discusses how oxalate is an inflammatory agent, but she does not discuss how the anti-inflammatory properties of these foods might mitigate those concerns. Or perhaps this research doesn't exist. She even mentions in the video at one time that we're still learning about all of this (how the gut microbiome works, etc.). So, I have to take this as evidence for one end of the theory pool. However, it did not make me write-off the vegan argument either. Although there are a lot of warnings about the ingestion of oxalates, there has not been clear evidence that a vegan diet is worse than other diets when it comes to inflammation due to oxalates. In fact, I have seen counter-evidence presented, where vegans/vegetarians were less likely to develop kidney stones, for example.

The tricky part about food is that there is often more occurring than just one ingredient being determined as bad or good. Many bad things that we ingest are neutralized by good properties combined within them, making them either safe to eat or the good outweighs the bad.

That being said, I will be more cautious in the future not to ingest unreasonable amounts of high oxalate foods moving forward.

I don't know anything about your previous diet, but there are many low oxalate vegetables and fruits. I think it's fair to say that oxalates can cause problems, but I don't think it's a fair assessment to label fruits and vegetables as "anti-nutrient". The prevalence of oxalation poisoning is very small. I had a hard time finding numbers for the United States (where I live), but I found a statistic of 35 cases between 2008-2011 in Hong Kong (a population of 7 million). Meanwhile, IBD affects millions in the U.S.

As far as fiber is concerned, again it is hard for me to see this as a villain in inflammatory bowel diseases. Fiber intake has generally been low and constant in the United States:

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22709768
"Mean daily dietary fiber intake for 1999-2000 was 15.6 g/day, for 2001-2002 intake was 16.1g/day, for 2003-2004 intake was 15.5 g/day, for 2005-2006 intake was 15.8 g/day, and for 2007-2008 intake was 15.9 g/day. Participants with obesity (body mass index ≥30) consistently reported lower fiber intake than did individuals with normal weight or overweight (14.6 to 15.4 g/day and 15.6 to 16.8 g/day, respectively; P<0.0001)."

Yet according to the CDC: "In 2015, an estimated 1.3% of US adults (3 million) reported being diagnosed with IBD (either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis).1 This was a large increase from 1999 (0.9% or 2 million adults)."

If fiber intake hasn't increased, why has inflammatory bowel disease increased roughly 33%?

Almost all food we eat poses a health threat on some level. So, I would need to see clearer evidence linking this to inflammatory or autoimmune diseases. I'm just not seeing how the broader statistics support the theory that fiber causes problems. One thing that I don't like is that he lumps all fiber into the same category. I would not include eating cereals and other processed foods in the same discussion as fruits and vegetables.

It's the same with carbs. Most people lump carbs into the same category, but there are simple versus complex carbs. Too many complex carbs (sweets, pastas, breads) can be bad for you, whereas simple carbs (fruits, vegetables, etc.) are generally processed very easy. Obviously, many people with Crohn's have a harder time digesting properly in general, but I'm just talking average gut here.

You list a lot of things that the vegan diet supposedly causes (eating yourself, muscle atrophy, hair loss, premature aging, etc.). I have never seen peer reviewed research suggesting any of these things. When it comes to muscle, some of the largest animals in the world are herbivores and the animals that we get all our meat from are primarily herbivores. There are vegan bodybuilders, etc.

I completely agree with your list of what creates conflicts when it comes to assessing these things and that we are constantly being bombarded with all kinds of chemicals, radio waves, environmental factors, etc. This of course makes it all the harder to sift through all this. That having been said, why are you convinced that these people have the RIGHT answers, and enough so to disregard others like Dr. Gregor? I agree that there are a lot of shills out there (Mercola), but I would not agree Gregor is one of them. Perhaps he is cherry picking peer reviewed research, I dunno, but I haven't seen the ill intent.

If you are convinced that the vegan diet caused your flare up, then I can certainly understand your vitriol towards it. Anecdotally, I haven't experienced what you have, but I actually increased my fiber intake when I was diagnosed, and have been eating the equivalent of 18 dates, 8 bananas, a cup of pumpkin, and one large sweet potato per day. My oxalate consumption has likely increased as well. Making banana-date smoothies, sweet potato soups, and lots of tea/honey has been my whole diet for three months now. The result has not been an increase of symptoms, but rather almost complete elimination of symptoms and the best stools I can remember having. My own experience leads me to conclude that, for me, the culprit lies elsewhere, in more in processed foods, oils, yeast, something I'm allergic to, etc. I won't know until I start slowly adding back other foods. This high fiber diet will be my fallback if I have another flare up until it doesn't work.

Again, I appreciate you taking the time. Your videos and experiences are all noted in my own quest to achieve remission and eat as well as I possibly can.
Grains, seeds, nuts and legumes are absolute poisons. The exceptions include properly prepared, well-fermented sour dough bread and oatmeal that has been soaked long enough to get most of the phytic acid out of it. But plants put most of their defenses in their "children" or seeds and nuts.

Dairy is actually new to the human diet (as far as we know) as are grains and most of the heavily hybridized produce that we consume;The agricultural revolution was around 10,000 years ago, no where near long enough to evolve human beings into herbivores. But some people have sworn that raw dairy helps their conditions and I believe them. I tried raw goat and cow's milk about one-month ago, but at THAT point, I was still getting some bloating, gas and cramps from it. I do eat harder cheeses which are low (or have no) lactose, but they DO have casein which IS inflammatory, but I ain't giving up cheese yet.

If you go on You Tube and use the search terms, "no longer vegan" or "ex-vegan," you will find hundreds, perhaps over one-thousand testimonires by former vegans who although speaking anecdotally, are speaking their truth as they know it. There is far too much money invested in the vegan movement by major corporations, and as we see with GI problems, there is no way in hell that we will EVER see black and white studies proving that veganism is unhealthy, that at least a large percent of people with IBS and IBD problems can heal themselves with diet and other natural modalities, that in SOME cases, cancer can be reversed naturally and that most are preventable, that nearly all mental illnesses are preventable and reversible, that things as simple as chemical sensitivities, EMF and mold sensitivities, just plain everyday exposure to volatile organic compounds, lack of clean air, sunlight-I'm rambling.


I have been on both sides of the fence so to speak, and I trusted and respected the major vegan doctors and influencers, I trusted the big YouTube vegan channels who parroted the heavily biased studies supporting the diet, and it would be annoying as hell to you were I to go on at length about the lies of the vegan diet-You sound very sharp and will have your own revelations into diet when you do.


I am very happy that fiber has helped your GI symptoms.

As far as I know, Dr. Gregor has not had much in the way of actual patients and most of his vegan cherry-picked science can be disproven.
And not to sound cruel, Gregor is anemic, he has premature aging and he basically does not look healthy at all, despite his doing interviews while on his treadmill.

Oxalate dumping can go on for months and yes, actual proven fatal poisonings from oxalates are not very common, but oxalates and other anti-nutrients slowly and subtly break the body down while creating all kinds of inflammation.

The author of the book "The Fiber Menace" has done exhaustive research on the GI system and diet.
His Russian accent is not that thick-Really, really good stuff.


A lot of my notifications from this forum do not show up in my email. Weird.

Thanks for having an open mind.
 
You can pretty well find anything on the web these days to support anything you want/believe. I believe balance is the key to everything. It can be very confusing out there. What works for one person doesn't work for another. We must be respectful of others decisions, and I doubt all doctors are out to harm us and make profit on chronic diseases. In the end, the choice is yours in what medications to take, in what diet to ingest, what supplements to include.
 
Grains, seeds, nuts and legumes are absolute poisons. The exceptions include properly prepared, well-fermented sour dough bread and oatmeal that has been soaked long enough to get most of the phytic acid out of it. But plants put most of their defenses in their "children" or seeds and nuts.

Dairy is actually new to the human diet (as far as we know) as are grains and most of the heavily hybridized produce that we consume;The agricultural revolution was around 10,000 years ago, no where near long enough to evolve human beings into herbivores. But some people have sworn that raw dairy helps their conditions and I believe them. I tried raw goat and cow's milk about one-month ago, but at THAT point, I was still getting some bloating, gas and cramps from it. I do eat harder cheeses which are low (or have no) lactose, but they DO have casein which IS inflammatory, but I ain't giving up cheese yet.

If you go on You Tube and use the search terms, "no longer vegan" or "ex-vegan," you will find hundreds, perhaps over one-thousand testimonires by former vegans who although speaking anecdotally, are speaking their truth as they know it. There is far too much money invested in the vegan movement by major corporations, and as we see with GI problems, there is no way in hell that we will EVER see black and white studies proving that veganism is unhealthy, that at least a large percent of people with IBS and IBD problems can heal themselves with diet and other natural modalities, that in SOME cases, cancer can be reversed naturally and that most are preventable, that nearly all mental illnesses are preventable and reversible, that things as simple as chemical sensitivities, EMF and mold sensitivities, just plain everyday exposure to volatile organic compounds, lack of clean air, sunlight-I'm rambling.


I have been on both sides of the fence so to speak, and I trusted and respected the major vegan doctors and influencers, I trusted the big YouTube vegan channels who parroted the heavily biased studies supporting the diet, and it would be annoying as hell to you were I to go on at length about the lies of the vegan diet-You sound very sharp and will have your own revelations into diet when you do.


I am very happy that fiber has helped your GI symptoms.

As far as I know, Dr. Gregor has not had much in the way of actual patients and most of his vegan cherry-picked science can be disproven.
And not to sound cruel, Gregor is anemic, he has premature aging and he basically does not look healthy at all, despite his doing interviews while on his treadmill.

Oxalate dumping can go on for months and yes, actual proven fatal poisonings from oxalates are not very common, but oxalates and other anti-nutrients slowly and subtly break the body down while creating all kinds of inflammation.

The author of the book "The Fiber Menace" has done exhaustive research on the GI system and diet.
His Russian accent is not that thick-Really, really good stuff.


A lot of my notifications from this forum do not show up in my email. Weird.

Thanks for having an open mind.
I have mixed feelings about the humans as herbivores argument. I have been on both sides of the fence, too. I am not a "save the planet" or "for the animals" vegan. I do a vegan diet now because it eliminated symptoms from a previous condition I had, eliminated my cholesterol and high blood pressure, and helped me lose some pounds and maintain a healthier weight. I knew I could have the occasional egg or some chicken without it causing harm, and there were a handful of times that I did over the years. But if we're talking about evolution, I'm not sure the agricultural revolution would be the place I'd begin to think about when it comes to the idea. I would start at the idea of human evolution itself. The animals we have the closest relation to do not show more carnivore than herbivore tendencies, do they? Humans are not born with any adaptive capabilities to kill for food -- no claws, no fangs, we're slow, etc. Humans had to develop thumbs and a pre-frontal cortex in order to be able to solve the problem of how to kill for food. So, what were we eating before thumbs, tools, and the pre-frontal cortex? The point is that it seems more likely that we adapted from easy to find and eat fruits/vegetables/nuts (foraging) before adapting to meat. I think we have adapted to tolerate meat well enough, but if we're talking what's the more consistent part of our dietary evolution, it seems likely that certain fruits and vegetables (and their fiber, not processed fiber) was where we started.

I do think there is weight to the argument of the agricultural revolution. But let's not lump fruits and vegetables into the same category as grains. Our herbivore adaptations did not begin there. We clearly have not been eating these as long as we have fruits and veggies.

The Russian's logic falls victim to the "Association" and "Package Deal" fallacies. Whether he's doing it on purpose or subconsciously, he consistently lumps all carbs and fibers into the same pile and does not delineate the differences in different types of fiber or carbs. When he says that carbs are the "mother of all weight gain", he is right when it comes to COMPLEX carbs (processed carbs). However, you will not gain weight or get diabetes eating bananas all day, because these are SIMPLE carbs (and low in fat). It's the same thing with his fiber argument -- he puts cereal and fruit in the same category.

Fruits have a negative relationship to diabetes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23990623

So do vegetarians/vegans: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6153574/

I appreciate that he includes research in his video, but he uses broad quotes without breaking down specifics, then uses these to make specific claims, such as fiber causes things like UC and Crohn's (which he presents no studies for). That is a leap he makes, but again, my previous message points out that there is no rise in fiber intake, yet IBD's have increased by a third. How can it be increasing without people adding more fiber?

I actually would be in agreement with him that you don't want to just drink cups of metamucil and eat cereal all day. This will not be good, but I think his fallacious way of looking at fiber and carbs - and his reluctance to view any counter-evidence - is the very definition of cherry picking.

Overall, he strikes me as militantly wedded more to his conclusions than objectivity on these subjects. He may be scaring people away from dangerous processed foods, but he's also scaring them away from whole food fiber and simple carbs. To me, this seems very irresponsible of him. But most doctors give terrible nutritional advice.

I have seen many people proclaim raw dairy as the thing that healed them. Due to my lactose intolerance, I am hesitant to try this route. However, they do make a compelling case for it when discussing fermentation and the gut micriobiome. It is certainly something I keep in the back of my mind. How many days did you try the goats milk? Just one day or did you give it a few days (or more)?

I have watched some of those vegan videos where people walk away from veganism. They are usually anecdotal. Which is fine for them, but anecdotes from the people who've had success cancel out anecdotes from those who didn't -- it's all a wash in the world of anecdotes, unless the anecdote has something else behind it. There are just as many videos and blogs out there about positives of becoming vegan. Yes, there are big businesses involved in the vegan movement, but what movement doesn't have a big business involved? Again, that argument washes itself away. And if you really wanted to go down that road, I'd be stunned if there was as many big businesses, special interests, and government subsidies involved in vegan foods as there are involved in the meat and dairy industry.

I do think veganism has become a "trendy" thing and people often do it for the trend, but once the social currency runs thin, most people will go back to what is comfortable. Just like they needed justification to go vegan ("for the planet", "for the animals") they need a justification to go back to their previous diet (or hop on another bandwagon). I am suspicious of people saying the vegan did this or that to them -- for most people, diet is an emotional thing and they will always justify going back to the comfort zone. And most people who didn't know how to eat properly on a standard american diet are going to not know how to eat on a vegan diet. All diets have junk food. You have to have knowledge to eat appropriately on any diet. And I certainly believe that a modest omnivore diet can be very healthy.

Making fun of Dr. Gregor's appearance is subjective and not an argument for or against anything, so I can't really address anything there.
 

cmack

Moderator
Staff member
Grains, seeds, nuts and legumes are absolute poisons. The exceptions include properly prepared, well-fermented sour dough bread and oatmeal that has been soaked long enough to get most of the phytic acid out of it. But plants put most of their defenses in their "children" or seeds and nuts.

Dairy is actually new to the human diet (as far as we know) as are grains and most of the heavily hybridized produce that we consume;The agricultural revolution was around 10,000 years ago, no where near long enough to evolve human beings into herbivores. But some people have sworn that raw dairy helps their conditions and I believe them. I tried raw goat and cow's milk about one-month ago, but at THAT point, I was still getting some bloating, gas and cramps from it. I do eat harder cheeses which are low (or have no) lactose, but they DO have casein which IS inflammatory, but I ain't giving up cheese yet.

If you go on You Tube and use the search terms, "no longer vegan" or "ex-vegan," you will find hundreds, perhaps over one-thousand testimonires by former vegans who although speaking anecdotally, are speaking their truth as they know it. There is far too much money invested in the vegan movement by major corporations, and as we see with GI problems, there is no way in hell that we will EVER see black and white studies proving that veganism is unhealthy, that at least a large percent of people with IBS and IBD problems can heal themselves with diet and other natural modalities, that in SOME cases, cancer can be reversed naturally and that most are preventable, that nearly all mental illnesses are preventable and reversible, that things as simple as chemical sensitivities, EMF and mold sensitivities, just plain everyday exposure to volatile organic compounds, lack of clean air, sunlight-I'm rambling.


I have been on both sides of the fence so to speak, and I trusted and respected the major vegan doctors and influencers, I trusted the big YouTube vegan channels who parroted the heavily biased studies supporting the diet, and it would be annoying as hell to you were I to go on at length about the lies of the vegan diet-You sound very sharp and will have your own revelations into diet when you do.


I am very happy that fiber has helped your GI symptoms.

As far as I know, Dr. Gregor has not had much in the way of actual patients and most of his vegan cherry-picked science can be disproven.
And not to sound cruel, Gregor is anemic, he has premature aging and he basically does not look healthy at all, despite his doing interviews while on his treadmill.

Oxalate dumping can go on for months and yes, actual proven fatal poisonings from oxalates are not very common, but oxalates and other anti-nutrients slowly and subtly break the body down while creating all kinds of inflammation.

The author of the book "The Fiber Menace" has done exhaustive research on the GI system and diet.
His Russian accent is not that thick-Really, really good stuff.


A lot of my notifications from this forum do not show up in my email. Weird.

Thanks for having an open mind.
Please back up your claims with links to legitimate science. I appreciate your contributions... but you need not engage in, "Quackery." Look it up please! ...Please post with all relevant references as well. Good morning, good evening and goodnight.
 
Thinking aloud here but maybe success can be attributed to the very low residue diet rather than lack of anti nutrients? I find it hard to believe that our bodies have not adapted to the plant toxins that were traditionally eaten by our ancestors. It may be harder for most of us to adapt to say tomatoes or potatoes from the new world but carrots, cabbage, spinach have been around for a long time in the old world. People whose ancestos are from Northern Europe can probably tolerate a lot more meat than people whose ancestors never had to live through cold plantless winters. There is an interesting thread on this forum with the theory that Crohns is initiated by an infection (which has probably cleared up ) in a person with immune deficiency. As the person macrophages are not able to clear the infection, the secondary immunevsystem causes inflammation and that the best way to treat it is to divert the faecal stream ...I don’t know if that is accurate or not...but if it was then eating only meat would certainly reduce the faecal stream".....
 
Tastemaker, thank you for sharing this interesting post. I am familiar with many of the good properties the foods/teas/supplements you have chosen. Please keep us up to date on how things continue for you.
A few weeks ago I promised I was going to get updated blood work this month on how my diet was impacting my condition (a diet of which I went into great detail on my July 1st post in this thread). Here, I have included images of my last blood test back in November 2018 and my latest blood test results of today. I am happy to report that after three months of this (very) restrictive diet that I am showing no signs of inflammation in my blood, nor do I exhibit any physical symptoms (and my stool is the best I've ever seen it).

As you can see, my sedimentation rate was at 33 back in November, and is now at a 2.
And my C-reactive protein in November was 23.9, and is now <1
The only thing that is out of normal ranges at this point is my WBC, which is just slightly low.

I have achieved my key goals: improve my well being without meds and show my doctor that diet can make an impact on this.

My goal now is to slowly begin reintroducing foods back into my diet and see what reactions I might have. However, I am going to move very slow with this and still largely avoid foods that are obviously unhealthy and inflammatory. Since I've also been blending all my food, I will also move slowly at reintroducing solid foods again.

Regarding the conversation of fiber, oxalates, anti-nutrients, and inflammation occurring within the thread: My experience here of using a high fruit fiber diet does not gel with the thesis that large amounts of fruit fiber is inflammatory, and I remain as skeptical as ever now that I have personal evidence to the contrary.
 

Attachments

Tastemaker, this is really good. Did you also have a fecal cal proctectin test completed? This would also be very helpful in indicating if there are inflammatory markers.
I have not. It's a good thought, though. I should ask my doctor about it. I did some fecal work last year, but I don't think this was among the testing. Is there something the proctectin test would be able to show me that the blood results might miss when it comes to inflammatory markers?
 

Scipio

Well-known member
Location
San Diego
I have not. It's a good thought, though. I should ask my doctor about it. I did some fecal work last year, but I don't think this was among the testing. Is there something the proctectin test would be able to show me that the blood results might miss when it comes to inflammatory markers?
Yes, fecal calprotectin (FCP) is a measure of inflammation in the gut, which for IBD patients is usually directly related to the state of their IBD, whereas sed rate and CRP are more general markers of inflammation that can be occurring anywhere in the body and may or may not be related to the IBD. Plus FCP is generally more sensitive to detecting IBD inflammation in the first place. A fair percentage of IBD patients never test positive for CRP no matter how sick they get.

So testing negative for inflammation by CRP and sed rate tests is certainly good news. but testing negative by FCP is even better news.
 
Yes, fecal calprotectin (FCP) is a measure of inflammation in the gut, which for IBD patients is usually directly related to the state of their IBD, whereas sed rate and CRP are more general markers of inflammation that can be occurring anywhere in the body and may or may not be related to the IBD. Plus FCP is generally more sensitive to detecting IBD inflammation in the first place. A fair percentage of IBD patients never test positive for CRP no matter how sick they get.

So testing negative for inflammation by CRP and sed rate tests is certainly good news. but testing negative by FCP is even better news.
Thank you for the information. I will look into this.
 

cmack

Moderator
Staff member
A few weeks ago I promised I was going to get updated blood work this month on how my diet was impacting my condition (a diet of which I went into great detail on my July 1st post in this thread). Here, I have included images of my last blood test back in November 2018 and my latest blood test results of today. I am happy to report that after three months of this (very) restrictive diet that I am showing no signs of inflammation in my blood, nor do I exhibit any physical symptoms (and my stool is the best I've ever seen it).

As you can see, my sedimentation rate was at 33 back in November, and is now at a 2.
And my C-reactive protein in November was 23.9, and is now <1
The only thing that is out of normal ranges at this point is my WBC, which is just slightly low.

I have achieved my key goals: improve my well being without meds and show my doctor that diet can make an impact on this.

My goal now is to slowly begin reintroducing foods back into my diet and see what reactions I might have. However, I am going to move very slow with this and still largely avoid foods that are obviously unhealthy and inflammatory. Since I've also been blending all my food, I will also move slowly at reintroducing solid foods again.

Regarding the conversation of fiber, oxalates, anti-nutrients, and inflammation occurring within the thread: My experience here of using a high fruit fiber diet does not gel with the thesis that large amounts of fruit fiber is inflammatory, and I remain as skeptical as ever now that I have personal evidence to the contrary.
Thank you very much for sharing your information, Tastemaker! I appreciate it. I wish you the very best and want to let you know you're always welcome here. I hope you stick around... I like your style. Your info will help countless people to understand the science behind these tests. :)

Cheers!
 
Thank you very much for sharing your information, Tastemaker! I appreciate it. I wish you the very best and want to let you know you're always welcome here. I hope you stick around... I like your style. Your info will help countless people to understand the science behind these tests. :)

Cheers!
Thank you, cmack! My journey isn't over because of a positive blood test, so I'll be around. The next step is a slow reintegration of foods back into my diet to see what may or may not work for me. That will take a long time. This forum has been extremely valuable and any small contribution I can make is the least I can do in exchange for the wealth of information accumulated here. :giggle:
 
Tastemaker, this is really good. Did you also have a fecal cal proctectin test completed? This would also be very helpful in indicating if there are inflammatory markers.
UPDATE: Based on the discussion here, I decided to get the Calprotectin test (as well as some further blood tests) as an extra measure before getting too excited about my results. Well, I am happy to report that my CP result was a <15.6 (I've attached an image for proof). So, all my previous inflammation markers are now really low and well within normal ranges.

From what I'm reading online, it appears that this - combined with being symptom free - would put me into the "remission" classification, which is quite a relief.

A couple of notes that I will make about my diet and blood tests in retrospect:

As you can read where I explain it in detail above, the diet was extremely restrictive. Perhaps I took things to a bit more extreme level than I should have, because I did lose a good deal of weight and my recent blood tests did show a few anomalies (my liver markers were a bit off, my blood cell counts a bit low, and I was found to be deficient in copper). Otherwise, everything was in normal ranges.

I suspect that some of this could have been caused by lack of variety and protein deficiency. Even though my protein levels were fine in the blood test, it was such a low protein diet that I was only getting about a third of the protein I should have been for my body weight and feel that this may have led to the oddities in my liver bloodwork (these numbers were fine when my symptoms were at their worst last year, and the only thing that changed was my diet).

If I could go back and do it again (or if I have to again someday), one big thing I would change is to put a protein supplement into my smoothies. For the past week, I have begun supplementing with a hypoallergenic pea protein isolate powder (w/zero additional ingredients) and eating peas with my soup as a way of tripling my protein intake back to my previous levels (after some research, peas seemed like the safest, easiest to digest protein option to begin with). I have also begun supplementing copper in order to hopefully rebalance my copper levels. I will get more blood tests in a month or two to see where I'm at.

Anyway, just recording my journey for anyone it might be helpful for (as well as myself, should I forget each step I took). I will continue my experimentation by adding foods back into the diet from here while crossing my fingers for continued remission.
 

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Tastemaker - this is really great! Thank you for sharing. Do you think adding nut butters to your smoothie might help with the protein front - like almond butter for example? Interesting about your copper levels being low. Are you taking zinc supplements or eating foods high in zinc. From what I understand, if your body is taking high amounts of zinc, then copper is necessary to balance it. It's like calcium needs magnesium, and iron needs Vitamin C - all a balancing act.

Good luck with your continued success. :)
 
Tastemaker - this is really great! Thank you for sharing. Do you think adding nut butters to your smoothie might help with the protein front - like almond butter for example? Interesting about your copper levels being low. Are you taking zinc supplements or eating foods high in zinc. From what I understand, if your body is taking high amounts of zinc, then copper is necessary to balance it. It's like calcium needs magnesium, and iron needs Vitamin C - all a balancing act.

Good luck with your continued success. :)
Thank you, Jo-mom. I have thought about adding nut butters as well. I was hesitant about doing it yet because of the added oils. But perhaps there are pure nut butters out there. Just looking to keep oil intake to a minimum for awhile.

Yes, I have been supplementing Zinc with the Copper. Even though my zinc levels were in normal ranges, according to my food diary, my diet was deficient in zinc for the past few months (but not in copper, strangely enough). So, the copper was an odd result that I can only make guesses at. But I do appreciate you mentioning the symbiotic relationship of these nutrients. Definitely something everyone needs to be aware of.
 
Eggs and dairy are beneficial in my opinion. They offer good protein, are easy to digest and have probiotic characteristics. I even met with a Nutritionist in the hospital and they agreed. I wouldn’t believe in the no eggs or dairy hype.
 
Hey Tastemaker,

I'm glad to hear you have reached clinical remission. :) I always put chick peas in my soup for extra protein too! I find it helps a lot. Congrats on your progress.
Thanks, CMack! I'm in month two now and food reintroduction is going well (so far). But I'm taking it really slow (one new item per week). So far I've been able to re-add these foods on top of my previously listed diet plan foods without any issues:

peas, leafy greens, potatoes, pure nut butters, quinoa
Also been munching on a few whole nuts here and there (walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts)

I'm also no longer blending my soups and am eating all these foods in their whole form.

Eating a lot sweet peas right now for added protein, but looking to get chickpeas into the mix very soon :)
 

cmack

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Right on! Good luck, and keep us updated. You eat a similar diet to me. Feel free to ask (or mention) any pointers you come across or want to know. I like to learn too, so if I don't know, I better know.
 
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Right on! Good luck, and keep us updated. You eat a similar diet to me. Feel free to ask (or mention) any pointers you come across or want to know. I like to learn too, so if I don't know, I better know.
Cool. What's your current diet? Are you in remission or using diet for management?
 

cmack

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My current diet is mainly whole food plant based. It is used to keep myself in remission without conventional meds. I'm also being closely monitored by my doctor. This is not intended to substitute pharmaceuticals. Although I have done well personally, it's not safe to do this without proper consultation with your GI or IBD specialist first. I avoid meat and most dairy, I eat around 60/40 veggies to fruit ratio in a smoothie form. This is lunch and my main meal. I like to try different mixtures, however, my main staples are banana, a couple walnuts, ginger root, kale, mixed greens, baby spinach, turmeric, ground brown flax seed, fresh ground black pepper, carrots, and garlic. I also like to change things up with mint leaves, pears, apples.... as well as frozen blueberries, peaches, melon, strawberry etc. This has filtered water added and makes about 1500 ml or so. You can scale it up or down. I'm basically a vegetarian that's allowed to cheat 5 percent. I eat vegetable soup with chickpeas, or mixed beans quite often as well for dinner. I go for organic whenever feasible and I'm always sure to drink at least 2 litres of water a day. If you can't get organic, European foods tend to have less pesticides in general, (such as glyphosate). I hope this is useful to you. feel free to ask away. Best wishes
 
Thank you for sharing that. I'm very happy to hear that you've been doing well and it's very interesting that we're both doing such similar diets. I also see filtered water as extremely important. I'm currently a teacher and only drink filtered water brought from home (I have not had any outside water since beginning this diet). I also buy primarily organic (especially with foods I'll be eating the outside of or ones that I know are heavy GMO foods).

I do have more questions, if you don't mind me asking:

Was this diet selected by your GI or something you tried on your own?
How long have you been doing it (and been in remission)?
Do you have any vegetarian options you know you're sensitive to?
What do you "cheat" with?

I've been experimenting with grains, but I see they're not on your list. Is there a reason you avoid them? I'd also like to try and eventually work in a basic ingredients sourdough bread if my body will accept it (selected because it is free of yeast, dairy, and gluten). And at some point I wouldn't mind having a meal occasionally that might have a tiny bit of oil in it, but I do worry about doing oils.
 

cmack

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My doc suggested this diet and life change about four years ago. I chose to quit smoking cigarettes and smarten up with diet. I have been mostly healthy during this new diet. I don't do well with prunes or coconuts although I can have coconut oil. When I, "cheat" it's usually a sample sized cheese or maybe a small piece of smoked salmon. I've been eating sourdough bread my whole life in moderation and it's fine with me. I avoid whole grains for the most part because they can get stuck inside where there are irregularities due to former fistulas and abnormal pitting of my colon ( I do have raisin bran once in while and it's okay). Oil doesn't bother me unless it's from a GMO source.I hope this helps, keep in touch.
 
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cmack

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It's not just whole grain, it's seeds in certain fruits too. I think it's because they have a husk and are small and harder to digest. Blackberry seeds are the worst for me as well as popcorn and peanuts... not eating those any time soon (like never). A friend of mine was off work for 2 years because a peanut caused an infection due to being stuck somewhere in the intestine. He required extensive surgery for that one. It's the whole grain that's the issue. It would seem as if it's pulverized it's just fine. My blender won't break the seeds up enough and may be part of the issue. I have a decent blender but no dice for me. It's more the breads with whole grains that I avoid. I call it bird seed bread. ;)
 
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Yikes! Did your friend have Crohn's or was this just an unrelated incident?

Is it just peanuts or all nuts? It seems they all have the same general consistency (and I am careful to masticate as much as possible when eating them),
 

cmack

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Hey Tastemaker,

I think my friend was just unlucky regarding the peanut. As far as I know he has no history of crohn's or IBD. That doesn't mean he doesn't have one or the other and is undiagnosed. Some people are very secretive regarding weaknesses. He isn't the type to complain or talk about health issues. I got all the info from his wife for the most part. True story though. Best Regards.
 
Both my Gastroenterologist and his nurse practicioneer who have been in practice for decades refuse to believe that diet and nutrition plays a role in the treatment of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.

Just the fact that so many people have vitamin and mineral deficiencies, food allergies, food sensitivities and food intolerances ALONE should be on the radar of all GI doctors.

Then you have who knows how many patients are on a high junk food with a lot of refined sugar and/or alcohol which are of course inflammatory.

I get it. Its far more profitable to prescribe medications than to alleviate suffering via simple dietary changes, but I refuse to believe that most GI doctors are "psychopaths."


Why do you think that nearly all GI doctors do not tell their patient's to make adjustments in their diet?
There is NO PROFIT in getting you to address dietary issues and LOTS of Money to be Made HAWKING you Biologics with is ALLL the attendant Side effects. FOLLOW the MONEY! MY GI is absolutely MILITANT about Biologics and SWEARS Diet and Excercise has NO bearing on Crohn's or UC whatsover!!! Guess WHO is getting a NEW GI Doc? Again...its BIG BIG Money!!! Just think about it. God Bless.
 

cmack

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Staff member
Sometimes serious medicines are needed to combat disease. The fight must be fought. Going without proper treatment can lead to surgery or worse. See a qualified doctor routinely or this can escalate to warrant major surgery in some cases. Diet is a big factor for me. Best Regards to all.
 
Both my Gastroenterologist and his nurse practicioneer who have been in practice for decades refuse to believe that diet and nutrition plays a role in the treatment of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.

Just the fact that so many people have vitamin and mineral deficiencies, food allergies, food sensitivities and food intolerances ALONE should be on the radar of all GI doctors.

Then you have who knows how many patients are on a high junk food with a lot of refined sugar and/or alcohol which are of course inflammatory.

I get it. Its far more profitable to prescribe medications than to alleviate suffering via simple dietary changes, but I refuse to believe that most GI doctors are "psychopaths."


Why do you think that nearly all GI doctors do not tell their patient's to make adjustments in their diet?
Because they are not trained to think diet has anything to do with this illness. Which is why you need to be aware of that when you talk to these people, and not let them pressure you into going on a cocktail of drugs until you've exhausted all other natural options.
 
My doctor referred me to their in-house dietician who pushed FODMAPS on me.

FODMAPS does not work for me, I've tried it before, and I strictly adhered to it during the time I was consulting with her and got increasingly ill. ( I was actually increasing my diversity, per her advice, in fact slower than she wanted, within the strict rules of the diet).

My diet does not match any of the suggested Crohn's diets.

I cannot eat rice (brown, white, quinoa, doesn't matter), potatoes or bananas as they suggest. Pretty much all grains including soy are bad for me.

I can eat a lot of oats, and coffee, and refined sugar and candy.

I can eat strawberries, blueberries and pineapple, seeds and all in the strawberries / pineapples.

Meat comes and goes, including fish and eggs.

Shellfish is safe and shrimp is my emergency food.

Leafy greens have been out for the past 2 years and IDK why cause they used to be just fine. I miss kayle.

How do I explain any of that?
 
I would recite exactly what you just said. I would write it down and tell your doc that you know your body best. I hope things get easier for you soon.
Oh he knows, and agrees with me, but that doesn't help me. He doesn't know what to do with this information other than observe.

I want to know why I react to certain foods so I can understand how to tailor my diet, because I keep having to exclude / include new foods as my sensitivity keeps changing, which makes zero sense to me.

Today I can have sugar and no meat.

3 months from now I may be able to have meat and no sugar.

3 months later I may be able to have leafy greens again.

IDK anymore, there's two things that can explain this: bacteria load and enzyme production.

But how do I get a doctor to do anything about it?
 

Scipio

Well-known member
Location
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Before doctors will do anything about it they need to have some understanding of what is going on. Your doc is probably just as confused by your curious and variable dietary symptoms as you are. Until a pattern emerges that makes sense, most docs would rather continue to watch and wait rather than do something that might well make matters worse.
 
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