nogutsnoglory
Moderator
Many here will know that for months I was gung-ho about my paleo diet and truly believed it might be the answer. Years back I was a vegan for many years. Having tried two "radical" diets I want to comment on my experience. I am by no means saying these diets don't help people but often you only see positive testimonials and I wanted to share how these diets did not work for me.
The Paleo Diet:
I think that as a result of cutting out dairy that my bones and joint pain has gotten very bad. I did not have much trouble in this area prior to this diet. Cutting out dairy and wheat forced me to seek out carbs for energy from higher fiber foods which further irritated my gut lining. I lost nearly 50 pounds on this diet in a few short months and have severe diarrhea, bone pain and fatigue. I did not have a good experience with this diet.
The Vegan diet:
I was vegan for many years, prior to even having crohn's. I was not a healthy vegan per se because I opted for lots of processed foods like soy burgers, tofurkey, etc and think the diet shift may have kicked in any predisposition I had to crohn's disease. I think a vegan diet high in beans, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds is incredibly healthy but again worry about the amount of fiber and it's impact on a diseased gut. There are also areas of caution as there is no plant source of vit b12 and it is more challenging to obtain adequate amounts of protein, vit D, calcium, iron, zinc, and other vitamins & nutrients.
I truly support those embarking on these dietary changes. I more than anyone want to see a natural alternative to medicine. I just also want it to be known that I got into a really bad place by going this route. I am open to trying diets in the future but probably nothing that is so radical to cut out entire food groups.
The Paleo Diet:
I think that as a result of cutting out dairy that my bones and joint pain has gotten very bad. I did not have much trouble in this area prior to this diet. Cutting out dairy and wheat forced me to seek out carbs for energy from higher fiber foods which further irritated my gut lining. I lost nearly 50 pounds on this diet in a few short months and have severe diarrhea, bone pain and fatigue. I did not have a good experience with this diet.
The Vegan diet:
I was vegan for many years, prior to even having crohn's. I was not a healthy vegan per se because I opted for lots of processed foods like soy burgers, tofurkey, etc and think the diet shift may have kicked in any predisposition I had to crohn's disease. I think a vegan diet high in beans, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds is incredibly healthy but again worry about the amount of fiber and it's impact on a diseased gut. There are also areas of caution as there is no plant source of vit b12 and it is more challenging to obtain adequate amounts of protein, vit D, calcium, iron, zinc, and other vitamins & nutrients.
I truly support those embarking on these dietary changes. I more than anyone want to see a natural alternative to medicine. I just also want it to be known that I got into a really bad place by going this route. I am open to trying diets in the future but probably nothing that is so radical to cut out entire food groups.