nogutsnoglory
Moderator
I am in a lot of pain but don't want to be totally liquid. Right now my diet consists of ensure and ice cream and a soft corn snack that dissolves on the tongue. What else can I eat?
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What should I eat with severe stricture?
- Thread starter nogutsnoglory
- Start date
Cat-a-Tonic
Super Moderator
Do you have a juicer? I find that fresh homemade juice is always easy on my tummy, and you can add ingredients like ginger to be extra tummy-friendly. For soft foods, my go-to is mashed potatoes. You could try mashed sweet potatoes or parsnips if you want to avoid potatoes for any particular reason or if you're just looking to try something different. There was a recipe on the forum awhile back for baked bananas, if you can handle bananas that might be a good one to try. I haven't tried it myself (I can't do bananas anymore 
) but I would imagine that baking it would make it extra mushy and soft, so hopefully that'd be pretty easy to get through the stricture. Maybe if you boiled some pasta and got it over-done so it was really soft? Pasta with a bit of butter is another one of my go-to foods in a flare, but I don't have a stricture so that one might be a bit of a gamble for you. I hope that helped a little bit anyway. Good luck!
) but I would imagine that baking it would make it extra mushy and soft, so hopefully that'd be pretty easy to get through the stricture. Maybe if you boiled some pasta and got it over-done so it was really soft? Pasta with a bit of butter is another one of my go-to foods in a flare, but I don't have a stricture so that one might be a bit of a gamble for you. I hope that helped a little bit anyway. Good luck!
nogutsnoglory
Moderator
Yes I have been juicing.
I have macaroni in the fridge but was kind of scared since enriched wheat has little to no fiber it is a bit heavy to digest and I don't know if it could clog.
Maybe eggs would be ok. I think mashed potatoes are probably ok.
I have macaroni in the fridge but was kind of scared since enriched wheat has little to no fiber it is a bit heavy to digest and I don't know if it could clog.
Maybe eggs would be ok. I think mashed potatoes are probably ok.
When I was diagnosed with crohn's last fall, I was told I have a long segment of stricturing in my small bowel. I used to have bad stomach aches daily, off and on nausea and vomiting (I'm sure from the stricture), weight loss, loss of appetite, fatigue, night sweats, etc.
My doctor put me on a low residue diet and Asacol and about six weeks of that diet and medication, ALL symptoms have pretty much disappeared. I follow that diet completely and feel great, have regular 'normal' BM's and no more pain!! So I'm sticking with this diet.
When I was feeling really sick (I'm sure flaring), I mostly had liquids and soft food and definitely helped the symptoms, especially the stomach aches and nausea/vomiting. I would drink protein drinks with lactose-free milk and banana), milkshakes, Boost and eat food like mac 'n cheese, clear broth soup (chicken noodle or chicken & rice), mashed potatoes (NO skin!) with butter ... any soft foods on the low residue diet is fine for me and helps get rid of the crohn's symptoms.
I hope this helps! :rosette1:
nogutsnoglory
Moderator
Thanks I think ill have mashed potatoes today. I wasn't only concerned with fiber but also the density of a heavy mush like mashed potatoes going through.
I'm surprised Asacol worked for you. I thought it's for UC and inflammation in the colon only.
I'm surprised Asacol worked for you. I thought it's for UC and inflammation in the colon only.
Potatoes and macaroni & cheese are not only low in fiber, they are very easy to digest. The low residue diet is totally opposite of what I used to eat before I got crohn's but I have followed it and only had one flare up for about a week - 100% brought on by stress!!
I lived on soup, mashed potatoes, mac 'n cheese and protein drinks, milkshakes when I was really sick so you should be ok... hopefully, but you know how that goes... everyone seems to be different on what bothers them.
My doctor told me that my crohn's was at the Terminal Ileum. Regarding Asacol, this is what I found when I googled it with crohn's:
TARGETED RELEASE
One benefit of Asacol is that this formulation of mesalamine is designed to be released specifically in the ileum, the part of the small intestine most commonly affected in Crohn's disease, the Johns Hopkins University Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology reports. Because Asacol and other mesalamine-containing drugs act at the specific location where they are released, it is crucial that the drugs are released in the correct part of the digestive tract.
Anti-Inflammatory Effect
The primary beneficial effect of Asacol is to reduce inflammation of the digestive tract, explains the Johns Hopkins University Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Asacol also reduces the production of free radicals, highly reactive chemicals that can damage tissue in the digestive tract. Overactive cells of the immune response are also reduced by Asacol, including lymphocytes, plasma cells and monocytes. For patients whose Crohn's disease is primarily affecting the ileum region of the small intestine, Asacol is effective in reducing symptoms and inducing remission, reports an article published in the August 2003 issue of American Family Physician.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/2...s-of-asacol-for-crohns-disease/#ixzz2MUzEMs2t
Just wanted to add that I KNOW the low residue diet works for me and is recommended when you have strictures. One day I ate something not on the low res diet, and ate too much of it - that's all I had all day - and I had a bad stomach ache that night and most of the next day. When I got back on the diet completely, all pain went away. I know others strongly recommend the SCD diet or Paleo... but those are waaaaaaaaay too restrictive for me and so far, I'm doing great on the low res diet. I'm glad I can eat my junk food now and then and not have a problem! I HATE being too restricted and the low res diet isn't too restrictive at all. I recently added cantaloupe, butter leaf lettuce and English cucumbers (no skin and they have no seeds) and no problem!!
Anyway, try those soft foods and see how you do. I hope it works for you!
I just reread your first post Nogutsnoglory, and noticed the 'corn' food you eat that dissolves on your tongue. I'm not saying it's causing a problem but my dietitian told me not to eat any corn products... I don't know if it's because of the fiber content or "residue" that can also cause digestive problems. Maybe try stopping that food and just eat the other liquids and soft food and see what happens??? Just a thought.
By the way, I also eat ice cream when sick and not sick (LOL!!!) ... just make sure there are no seeds and no chunks of fruit.. but you probably know this.
By the way, I also eat ice cream when sick and not sick (LOL!!!) ... just make sure there are no seeds and no chunks of fruit.. but you probably know this.
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- Location
- Michigan
I have a large stricture as well and was told to follow the low-residue diet. I tend to get strictures so was advised to always follow the no skins, no fresh fruit/veggie rule. However I was also told to avoid all lettuce type material as it can block a stricture area as well. If I have rice I have to cook it VERY well so that there is no hardness to it whatsoever as it would have the same effect as seeds if caught in an area with strictures. The diet is hard as it seems to be the opposite of how I ate before getting strictures but it does bring me relief! I never would have eaten white bread before! I read somewhere that making mashed potatoes with potato flakes is good because it is the easiest to digest - anyone hear that? And oh how I love me some ice cream! Probably not the best but seems to settle okay and actually has flavor oh, and I can't do corn either....
oh, and I can't do corn either....I know that most low res diets say no lettuce but I saw it listed on someone's low res diet and looked up the fiber content of different lettuce and took it to my dietician to ask if it was 'ok' to try. I used to eat salads all the time and that was the one thing I was really missing on the low res diet!!! The dietician agreed that "butterleaf lettuce" was low in fiber and it's 'soft'... so she thought it would be ok for me to try it. Cucumber (no skin or seeds) was listed on some low res diets, as well as mushrooms.... so I included these in my 'test' salad....and I was fine. I really miss tomatoes in the salad so I'm going to actually try 'blanching' them to remove the 'skin' and see if I can remove most seeds and see how it goes......LOL!!! These little things make me happy and God knows us crohnies need things to make us happy!! :lol:I have a large stricture as well and was told to follow the low-residue diet. I tend to get strictures so was advised to always follow the no skins, no fresh fruit/veggie rule. However I was also told to avoid all lettuce type material as it can block a stricture area as well. If I have rice I have to cook it VERY well so that there is no hardness to it whatsoever as it would have the same effect as seeds if caught in an area with strictures. The diet is hard as it seems to be the opposite of how I ate before getting strictures but it does bring me relief! I never would have eaten white bread before! I read somewhere that making mashed potatoes with potato flakes is good because it is the easiest to digest - anyone hear that? And oh how I love me some ice cream! Probably not the best but seems to settle okay and actually has flavor
I'm glad to hear the low residue diet is working well for you, too!
- Location
- Michigan
Glad to hear Cucumber is an option (no skin/seeds of course) I love cucumbers! Good luck with tomatoes, hope it works for you. I'm also glad you can have the lettuce, yay! for salads. Unfortunately the reason I can't have any lettuce doesn't have anything to do with the fiber content but with the fact that lettuce could stick to the walls of my small intestine (where I tend to get strictures) contributing to blockage so I don't think salads are in my future :thumbdown: After re-reading the posts above I'm getting hungry for mashed potoates right now
Ohhh......so were you told lettuce leaves are not broken down and digested?? Because I have a stricture and want to prevent any surgery, if possible.... so I'm staying on the low residue diet. I asked my dietician about lettuce and she thought 'butterleaf' would be fine since it's soft.. easier to digest?? But if you know other facts about lettuce, please share. I'm not eating them daily like I used to before Crohns... just sparadocally.Glad to hear Cucumber is an option (no skin/seeds of course) I love cucumbers! Good luck with tomatoes, hope it works for you. I'm also glad you can have the lettuce, yay! for salads. Unfortunately the reason I can't have any lettuce doesn't have anything to do with the fiber content but with the fact that lettuce could stick to the walls of my small intestine (where I tend to get strictures) contributing to blockage so I don't think salads are in my future :thumbdown: After re-reading the posts above I'm getting hungry for mashed potoates right now
nogutsnoglory
Moderator
I was told no raw veggies at all and only some very well cooked ones are ok. I'm not chancing it and just juicing.
- Location
- Michigan
Everyone is different with their digestion (which we all know, lol) and I'm sure your dietitian knows you and your situation. However personally, I haven't seen a lettuce I can digest :-/ so I was told to avoid. I don't have anything but personal experience and GI's opinion based on my sad digestion ability, lol. I'm just jealous :tongue:
I was told no raw veggies too in the beginning when I was in pain and flaring. But I saw some low res diets with a couple of veggies on it (raw) that were not on my sheet from my dietician... so when I was feeling better, I took the alternative list into my dietician to ask if I could have those, too! I wanted them since they were "on the list"! LOL!!! She said, yes, I could try butterleaf lettuce and "English" cucumbers since they don't have seeds and you can peel the skin. So far so good but believe me, I won't be eating huge salads everyday! I'm still very concerned about the stricture and want to stay flare-free!
I hope to some day get into juicing... I know that's the healthy way to go. I'm afraid I'll buy an expensive juicer, use 2-3 times and then not use it again. :lol:
Very true, Michelle......everyone's different what they can tolerate. I just don't want to go back to that pain, vomiting and all that other fun stuff...so I'm trying to be cautious.
I googled (my favorite thing to do... LOL) is butterleaf lettuce hard to digest and found the following:
BUTTER LEAF LETTUCE (Friday, January 18): Hey, comedian George Burns ‑‑ he was born this weekend 1896. During the last ten years of his life, when he was in Vegas or Atlantic City, he would go into casinos and ask ‑‑ when he was in the restaurant, the very first things he would ask the Chefs ‑‑ he would ask for the chef, "Chef, do you have any butter leaf in the back?" Butter leaf lettuce. As you get older, it's much harder to digest lettuce, but butter leaf lettuce is so tender, it is so easy on your digestive system. Now, when you are picking out butter leaf lettuce, here's what I want you to look for ‑‑ I want you to look for the larger ones. Because see these outer wrapper leaves? These outer wrapper leaves still are very tender and very sweet. I use these as a wrap. So if you're making a taco or you're making a burger, I can use the outer leaves as a wrap. Now, the inside leaves ‑‑ in fact, let me cut this in half for you. The inside leaves look yellow. That's why it's called butter leaf because the inside yellow is like butter and so tender. Cuts like butter.
So maybe it's okay ..... as long as I don't eat it all the time.
I have a 10cm stricture at my terminal ileum and have had multiple partial blockages. I've cut out all meat, bread, pasta, and pretty much all fruit and veggies to avoid the hospital stays but confused about avocado... Seems to be on all the low fibre and low residue 'safe' lists but elsewhere reading its very high in both insoluble and soluble fibre! Anyone find avocado good/bad for strictures? Much appreciate any feedback
My favorite on the low-residue diet was scramble egg on toast (white bread).