Let's talk about candy

I had been diagnosed with Crohn's when I was about 7 y/o. I went on a very strict diet and relieved my inflammation for about a year then I stopped paying attention to my symptoms and went back to eating everything I could get my hands on. at my worst
i was fully bloated and couldn't see my toes even though I've always been zero percent body fat. I used to have 5 to 10 bm's a day that were small dry slow and painful or one big one every 2 or 3 days it got to the point where i have multiple hemroids from straining. now I've been back on my diet on almost a year and my symptoms are better than ever! I have one solid bm once a day no deadly gas and when i slip up and eat something i shouldn't i get a day or two of bloating discomfort and a little gas in the form of burping usually. but i only allow myself to eat fish, chicken breast or other white meat, potatoes of any kind without skins, canned fruits, rice but not whole grain and i stay away from most spices I cut out wheat which was the hardest thing to quit. i still smoke cigarettes which i think makes my bloating worse. the point is I'm slowly getting better however, I am lacking something from my diet and I don't enjoy life because i have to eat the same meals over and over to avoid flare ups i can have honey and sweet potatoes but i still crave sweets i want chocolate all of the time but i can't eat it i did find chocolate cashew milk and almond milk that doesn't upset my gut and i think i may be ok with skittles in moderation I want to know what candies are ok for crohn's? what ingredients in candy should i look out for to stay away from? soy milk upsets my stomach should avoid soy lechitin? or all soy products? I see theres wheat in liquorice do you all know of a liquorice that doesn't have wheat? also what can i eat to gain weight? i already eat a lot of protein but idk where to get my fat from i need more carbs more fat more flavor and more variety I don't want to choose between having a flat stomach or enjoying good foods I want both! I also want to gain muscle mass and or fat

dates are very sweet. Its very easy to create nice deserts with dates and nuts in the food processor for instance. A date by itself is so sweet it can replace any candy and I would encourage you to eat that anytime over commercial candies. I havent touched a commercial candy in over 4 years and I hope never again to eat that.

I eat a lot of almond butter (raw). It is very good on a banana for instance. Very filling, full of proteins and calcium. It helped me gain weight.

I personally think we should be careful of additives that are in candy. I love candy as much as anybody.

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Hey I also have Crohn's disease, I eat lollipops and fox's glacier mints and they don't really affect me - have a go and see how it goes. Wish u all the best

Hi, love your user name! Isn't the main problem with sweets the fact they contain sugar and that is so inflammatory to the bowel? I started a massive, terrifying, flare about three or four months ago (currently being investigated for Crohns and on steroids) and cut out sweets, chocolate and cake overnight along with most other foods. I've practically lived on sweets and chocolate all my life and giving up was incredibly hard but the only way was to go completely cold turkey. It's easier than eating a tiny bit of this and that because the only way to get rid of the urge for sugar is to forget how gorgeous it tastes instead of torturing yourself with longing for it. Though when I feel down I do think life might not be worth living without the stuff. Sorry, I'm not sure how this helps with your quest for "safe" sweets but it's just an alternative way of coping with the addiction.

Lizzie said:

Hi, love your user name! Isn't the main problem with sweets the fact they contain sugar and that is so inflammatory to the bowel? I started a massive, terrifying, flare about three or four months ago (currently being investigated for Crohns and on steroids) and cut out sweets, chocolate and cake overnight along with most other foods. I've practically lived on sweets and chocolate all my life and giving up was incredibly hard but the only way was to go completely cold turkey. It's easier than eating a tiny bit of this and that because the only way to get rid of the urge for sugar is to forget how gorgeous it tastes instead of torturing yourself with longing for it. Though when I feel down I do think life might not be worth living without the stuff. Sorry, I'm not sure how this helps with your quest for "safe" sweets but it's just an alternative way of coping with the addiction.

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As far as chocolate is concerned, years ago, I found out that caffeine aggravated my Crohn's Disease. Chocolate has caffeine in it. Everyone is a little different.

Yes, you're right, I have trouble with caffeine too. At least there's decaf tea though - sadly, I don't think there's a virtuous type of sweet that's ok for people who are sensitive to the normal type (indulgent sweeties that is), but I'd gladly be proved wrong!

I would love to have some candy corn. Haven't had any for a while.

I'm not sure what candy corn is, either we don't have it in England or it goes under a different name!

Hi i dont want to make you all feel bad as you struggle with sweets n stuff. I have crohns which is in remission but i eat chocolate, sweets of most kinds ,popcorn on occasions, cakes etc, with no issues re sugar. I also have no issues with caffine. For which im truly thankful as i have a real sweet tooth. I was told on a diet sheet tho that i cud eat chocolate , but i guess we all vary so much its hard to say who can tolorate what n when we can or cant eat something. Best wishes to all

That's an excellent question, I'm still figuring that out what's OK to eat after spending a few weeks on what has essentially been the pre-colonoscopy prep diet. This is frustrating as cooking is one of my biggest passion in life.

As well as enjoying a borderline Haribo addiction for most of my life (lol) I love cooking everything from Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Thai, German. So many foods I miss at the moment, am starting to introduce things that aren't high fibre, red or processed meat back into my diet now so will see how it goes, including the candy

Hi funkybob. Aint it awful when u love good food n you get this blighter of a disease to bugger it up for you
you will find that u will have make adjustments according to how you feel n your guts behave. It will become easier with time, trail n error get u there eventualy. I eat what i want n see what happens,if i suffer a bit i only have it now n again if its something i really like.if its not il not eat it for a long while then try again as things can change on what u can n cant eat ?? Love n support to you

we should be careful when we eat some candies

ronroush7 said:

As far as chocolate is concerned, years ago, I found out that caffeine aggravated my Crohn's Disease. Chocolate has caffeine in it. Everyone is a little different.

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For an alternative chemical viewpoint, see:

http://www.xocoatl.org/caffeine.htm

I also struggle with having such a sweet tooth, and when my Crohn's is flaring I notice sugar does aggravate my symptoms a little bit, although not as bad as other things (greasy foods, spice, fiber, etc. are much much worse). I just try to use moderation and enjoy more simple desserts.

Sometimes I try to think back to being in the hospital as when I was there they had me on pretty strict diet/you just don't have access to all the foods of the outside world and how much I would look forward to simple desserts like a popsicle or pudding and make the best of those. My favorite in the hospital is the lemon Italian ice, which is really not too much sugar.

Rice Krispy Treats I also love, and they are just rice cereal, marshmallows, and butter if you make them at home. As long as you don't eat too many at once I don't find this too bothersome!

Some other milder sweets that come to mind (everything in moderation is key!!): lowfat soft serve or frozen yogurt (obviously depends on your dairy tolerance), Nilla wafers, Lorna Doones or other shortbread, Teddy Grahams (they come in chocolate too!) or the Annie's Bunny Graham Friends, banana or any kind of smoothie you like (frozen REALLY RIPE bananas, almond milk, almonds or almond butter if you can tolerate it, cacao powder, sweeten with dates)