Diet or no Diet

Just curious how many people actually follow diets for their CD/IBD.....i have spent the last two days reading a lot on HealingWell.com and it seems a lot of people eat just whatever they want whether it causes them pain or not, just curious how many ppl here foloow diets and how many dont

I take part in the awesome world of SCD

I said yes, but truthfully I do not consider it a strict diet. It is the low residue diet, and it is not overly restrictive by any sense of the imagination (at least not for me). It basically allows everything except nuts, seeds, and the skins of fruits and vegetables. Otherwise everything else is allowed. This was recommended by a dietician and has caused me no pain. If there were foods that I was finding to cause pain, I would remove those foods from my diet, but as of now nothing causes problems.

i pretty much eat what ever as i was told and if it hurts i avoid it olny for awhile

Absolutely. It would sound complicated if I tried to explain my diet as it took me years to learn (and still learning) but, saying that, I can eat a "healthy" version of anything anyone else eats. I just have to prepare it all myself. I was suffering one of my more severe flare ups for the last couple months and stuck well to my "healthy" diet and rested A LOT. And within a month, no pain, no diarrhea, no bleeding. A bit of stodginess that'll go when I do, specifically, Iyengar yoga but I'm so proud and amazed at what I've accomplished here. (NO drugs!) Diet is definitely helpful and important.

I have the best junkfood diet and stay thin. Seriously I avoid vegetables, roughage and anything that bothers me but I do have to cheat occassionally. I also stay away from tea due to kidney stones, that's the hardest thing not to have.

I eat almost anything i want stoma permitting (nuts have to chew chew chew lol)

I usually eat whatever I'm craving at the time. No guidelines, except no spicy - I already spend enough time on the toilet...lol:joker:

I don't follow any real diet. When I am healthy nothing really bothers me but when I am sick everything does.

Mickeyg said:

I have the best junkfood diet and stay thin. Seriously I avoid vegetables, roughage and anything that bothers me but I do have to cheat occassionally. I also stay away from tea due to kidney stones, that's the hardest thing not to have.

Click to expand...

No Tea? Ive never heard that. Ive got kidney stone #4 right now, and drink tea by the bucket full... mine are calcium based, and the only thing I was ever told was to avoid foods high in calcium.. but my newest dr disagrees with that, and now I take calcium suppliments.. all a bit confusing to me.

as for the IBD.. I avoid dairy, but still love cheese every now and then. I pretty much eat whatever, but know its my own fault if I feel any pain.

no,I don't do diets either,most diets have alot of stuff on them I can't eat, so I would starve on them. I take what I like from every source and that's mine. Some of the web sites have some good recipes on them

~~~HUGS~~
ika:

i pretty much eat what I want, but there are those things I just wont have like spicy, marble meats, popcorn, and rough veggies

anything and everything for me really! vegetables and beef sometimes mess me up but other than that i have a pretty "normal" diet

Sorry, but I think anyone with this who ignores diet is like someone who drives w/o wearing a seatbelt. Is there hard, carved in stone proof that dieting works? No, the jury is still out... Like, there used to be a time when there was no 'hard' proof smoking hurt you. In the meantime, till we get the proof one way or other.. Is dieting such a challenge that you're willing to chance getting worse, whatever, by ignoring it and taking your chances? Too risky for me!!!!

I follow my own what not to eat type deals, but as far as one of those many actual "diets" that are out there, no I don't. So, the answer is no for both sides of the equation. I don't follow a strict diet per se, but I don't just eat whatever I want either. I eat what doesn't bother me and I stay away from those things that do and it's been a pretty good relationship so far.

I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree with you on this point Dan. There are lots of thing off my diet that I wouldn't have thought of w/ the guidance of a smart GI nutritionist... And a lot of food items are bad for us (even for healthy people) that do not present immediate, nasty warning signs. I mean, avoiding the things that cause one immediate problems is one thing, but there are others that stress the GI system w/o putting it into immediate revolt. Just like smoking tobacco takes time to show symptoms, putting things into a weak GI tract that is going to decrease it's capacity, or shorten its' productivity, does not make sense to me. It's like a diabetic who doesn't watch their sugar then loses their vision, or an appendage, or develops kidney issues because they didn't take it seriously. When you have a serious, life long disease, is it wise to take half measures when dealing with it. And I'm not talking about dieting on a 'monk' level, never slipping, never cheating... Just a wise precautionary diet to improve the chances that whatever GI system you have left will last as long as you do. Or am I being too anal retentive? Jeeeze, if only I could be. Seriously!!

Cool, you can disagree if you want, but I don't see a need to follow the million and one sudden IBD diets that have cropped up lately and take away what little shred of food enjoyment I have left if what I'm doing works. I never said I was doing nothing, just not following the various "official" diets that have suddenly come on the scene. At this point in my life I don't need any of them, nor do I feel that I should get on one just because someone else is. The question was do I follow a strict diet or do I eat whatever I want and the answer to both is no.

Been living with the issue for around 20 years now and only had one major surgery, back when I was young and stupid and one more minor one to remove a spot of scar tissue that developed into a stricture. I'd say whatever I'm doing seems to work for me fine.

Everyones MMV

I'm not advocating the million and one diets that have sprung up literally overnite. I stand by my recommendation that one consult with a good IBD nutritionist AND listen to their advice. One doesn't have to do that, it can be researched.. but that means weeding thru the million and one overnite wonder diets that have come up too. Dan, as for what works for you, I'm glad that it does. I don't think it proves anything... My mother is an inveterate smoker, by all statistical probabilites she should be pushing up daisies. She isn't, but that doesn't prove smoking is beneficial. Wish it did. I'm not attacking your personal choices, or questioning them. Just stating that in my opinion, using a diet from a nutritionist who specializes in IBD cases seems more logical than no diet restrictions at all, or a perhaps hit/miss diet comprised SOLELY from what it does to us that's immediately noticable/recognizable. Worked in a factory that used hi levels of lead in the production of computer related boards. Poisoning from lead is insidious, and can be extremely difficult to detect/test. I BELIEVE a lot of innocous foods can have a serious long term effect on the health of our GI tract. Think recent studies about the recurrence of colon cancer based on a colon friendly diet Vs a typical north american diet bear out my personal belief. I just trying to state that, whether ill or not, what we eat can N does affect our health over the long term... and that those of us with compromised GI systems need to keep that in mind, and consider acting accordingly. That's my belief.

True, but my thoughts on that are that an IBD nutritionist is probably going to tell me the same things I've already figured out on my own by being observant, discerning and logical about what I should and shouldn't eat (I've been to the various IBD nutrition sites and read enough books on my own to know most of the rules). They did the same studies to come to the same conclusions, but their experiments were a bit more controled. And since I couldn't afford to go to a nutritionist back when I was diagnosed (if they even had actual IBD-centric nutritionists back when I was diagnosed at 16...they were still calling it an old person's disease and treating it with mass quantities of prednisone and wondering why so young a kid got it when I was diagnosed) I learned myself what I can and can't eat that will affect me either in the short or long term. I'm not saying anyone else should follow my lead if they have the choice. I merely answered the question posed me.

Believe me, I've cut a lot of foods from my diet, things I used to love to consume in mass quantities; quite a few things I miss dearly. There are some things I still eat or drink that I know I shouldn't, but I also take them in moderation. I eat as little prepackaged foods as I can and stick with cooking my own food as much as possible. I'm not anal about it, but I do figure out what I'm consuming before I do it. I read labels...and I absolutely do not put Splenda anywhere near my guts. Anything that has me sleeping on the pot can't be good for you, no matter what the advocates say.

I'm not saying anyone should do it my way and I'm also definitely not saying that you shouldn't do whatever is right for you. If anyone has the opportunity to go and learn from a nutritionist what took me years of research, study and net surfing to learn then I say go for it.

All good by me.

You know, there are times I get carried away. A 'good' IBD trained nutritionist is not the 'end all, be all' of finding a diet that works best for one. first, what works for one may not work for the next. second, how does one tell a 'good' one versus a 'bad' one. third, can one rely on just what a nutritionist, or any professional for that matter, tells them. My personal experience tells me otherwise. for example, I was put on 5ASA. My doc told me to take it with food, my pharmasist told me to take it with food. Even the pamphlet that came with it told me to take it with food. Where did all this professional advice or opinion come from? Probably a (hopefully) recent pharmaceutical encyclopia or 'desk' reference. How recent is/was it? When's the last time the 'professional' read it or checked for revisions? What's in today is often out tomorrow, or vice versa. Where am I going with this? I got increased pain, and migraines, after taking my 5ASA as recommended. One doc suggested taking them in different combo, which helped a little with the pains... but in checking the drug maker website, the manufacturer stated the best method was to eat, wait 1 hour, then take the pills. That reduced my pain levels the most, and almost totally elminated migraines. So, should one solely rely on professionals? Not in my opinion. It's a bit of a stretch, but it is sort of diet related. (eating Vs eating for taking meds). Is there a downside? You bet. First, you have to 'speed' teach yourself all of the basics a professional already knows about nutrition and IBD diseases. And you then, if you are solely dependant upon yourself to provide this expertise, you have to commit to keeping your self taught knowledge current/up to date. It's not impossible, it just takes commitment, and again.. you have to keep pace with the ever changing "what's in today and out tomorrow" scenarios. It also means if one screws up, you have no one to blame except yourself. for a lot of folks, putting their faith in others is just perceived as too risky, too big a gamble... you know, the ones who'd rather storm the cockpit and fly the plane themselves RATHER than place their trust wholely/solely in the hands of others. I don't know if there are any black and white situations in real life, or if it all is a gray area; where the 'best' choices are a combo of many real life compromises.

Essentially, we are raised on fables like the Aesop tale of the ant and the grass hopper. In most morality stories, the key roles are always spectrum extremes. Even this poll offered only one or the other... No diet at all vs a real strict one. Faced with just those two options, I'd advise any newbie to the forum or IBD to consult a nutritionist, research for themselves, keep a diary, listen to their own body, do a little trial N error, and face the fact that a worn/damaged GI tract is not something to take for granted, or to really put a lot of pressure on. Or that continued neglect is not perhaps the "best" choice for 'good' long term health.

Or they can be the 'grasshopper' and hope for the best, perhaps some 'miracle' even. It does seem to work for some, but they dont' seem to be the majority.

No I do not follow a strict diet but I have learned there are alot of foods to avoid that causes me to hurt. It seems that any kind of rhuffage, corn, nuts, most things that I love to eat, I can't eat no longer. Sometimes I wander if there is anything I can eat that does not hurt my stomach. It really sucks.

I follow more or less a low residue diet, avoiding nuts, raw vegetables, vegetable and fruit skins..... I also try to avoid inflammatory foods like red meat, sugar and processed food, and try to incorporate anti-inflmmatory stuff like green tea, Chamomile, Fish oil etc......

Valentina said:

No Tea? Ive never heard that. Ive got kidney stone #4 right now, and drink tea by the bucket full... mine are calcium based, and the only thing I was ever told was to avoid foods high in calcium.. but my newest dr disagrees with that, and now I take calcium suppliments.. all a bit confusing to me.

as for the IBD.. I avoid dairy, but still love cheese every now and then. I pretty much eat whatever, but know its my own fault if I feel any pain.

Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. Ever since high school I've had about one kidney stone a year. Except for the last 3 years. The way the doctor explained it to me, the more calcium you consume, the more your body will want to store. Storing calcium is good, and loosing calcium is bad.

One of my stones were analyzed and they are calcium-oxylate stones. So I stay away from dark green veggies, and dark fruit skins because they have oxylate.

There's another way to force your body to store up calcium even more. Do impact sports. I run/lift weights as often as I can the past three years. Besides getting you in shape, it seems to have eliminated the Kidney stones. Which is great.

Oh and like everyone says, make cranberry juice your favorite drink. Cranberry juice ok, but not cranberries. (stay away from the dark fruit skins).

You may want to look at the mannose-D connection with regard to cranberry juice? There appears to be a risk that it will bind to the bad bugs, spread them around more... like, one of the really beneficial aspects of cran juice is helping to reduce UTI's... I guess thru this binding property... but for us N our 'bad bugs', it may work against us. Never rains but it pours, right..

I could never figure out anything that makes me better or worse, so I pretty much eat whatever.
I stay away from raw onions, popcorn, beans, and apple cider. Anything else seems okay, unless I overdo it on too much of something like spicy or cabbage.

I believe the point of this question was to find out from others if a diet, in fact, has shown signs of helping people. Not to argue against not following one. I don't follow a diet but have never liked foods that I have been told to avoid. I laughed when my doctor told me what would make it worse. I don't eat that stuff anyway.
I'm not a fan of hypocracy. So, if we are discussing all things we put in our body those who smoke should consider this:

Cigarette smoking affects all parts of the body, including the digestive system. This is especially damaging because the digestive system processes the food we eat into substances that are needed for the body to function properly.

Crohn's Disease
Smoking cigarettes has a negative effect on Crohn's disease. People who smoke, or who have smoked in the past, have been shown to have a higher risk of developing Crohn's disease than non-smokers. Crohn's disease patients who smoke have an increased number of relapses and repeat surgeries, as well as more of a need for aggressive and immunosuppressive treatment. No one knows why smoking worsens Crohn's disease. It is theorized that smoking may decrease blood flow to the intestines or trigger a response in the immune system. Even after quitting smoking, there is still a risk of Crohn's disease to the former smoker. However, people with Crohn's disease may have a milder disease course if they stop smoking for more than one year.
Heartburn
Heartburn can also be caused by smoking. A valve at the end of the esophagus (the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES) normally keeps stomach acids from coming back up into the esophagus. The LES is weakened by smoking, which results in stomach acid being able to enter the esophagus and cause heartburn. Smoking also seems to harm the esophagus directly, which hinders its ability to resist damage. Additionally, smoking interferes with the movement of bile salts. Bile salts move from the intestine to the stomach. When this does not occur (a disease called duodenogastric reflux) the stomach acid becomes more acidic and can further damage the esophagus.
Liver
Another organ in the digestive tract that is adversely affected by smoking is the liver. The liver is an important organ which filters toxins from the body. These toxins include medications and alcoholic beverages. The function of the liver may be hindered by cigarette smoke. When this happens, a different dose of medication is needed to achieve the desired effect on an illness or disease. Smoking can also aggravate existing liver disease caused by alcoholism.
Peptic Ulcer
Smokers have a higher chance of developing an ulcer. If a smoker gets an ulcer, it typically takes longer to heal and is more fatal than those of nonsmokers. No one is certain about why this is so, but it could be due to the variety of effects smoking has on the digestive tract. Smoking decreases the amount of sodium bicarbonate produced by the pancreas. Without it, stomach acid is not neutralized in the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). This could contribute to ulcers forming in the duodenum. Also, smoking may cause an increase in the amount of stomach acid that is flowing into the duodenum.
Conclusions
Smoking causes serious and sometimes irreversible damage to the digestive tract. It's estimated that 400,000 people die each year as a result of smoking cigarettes. These deaths, and the suffering that precedes them, are completely preventable.

http://ibdcrohns.about.com/cs/relatedconditions/a/smokingguts.htm

i dont follow a strict diet set or recommended by anyone, but my dietary intake is low fat, low sugar, low fibre, and i know what foods to avoid which are going to hurt me or make me ill. i've cut out 'stodge' such as bread, pasta, potatoes, rice - not completely, just have a tiny bit every so often. i've never liked red meat, so i'm semi-vegetarian, but i will eat chicken & fish. my protein mainly comes from cheese & dairy products which i'm fine with. i get my carbs from cereal, crackers (instead of sandwiches). & i make sure i drink lots of fluids each day. oh, also have cut out caffeine from my diet completely, since about 5 months ago - & have definitely felt the benefit from this.

I (try) to avoid dairy. I may have it once or twice a month.
I avoid vegetables, except for once or twice a week. I drink a lot of Ensure and Boost to help me try and keep weight on.

I can't have much meat.

I guess, generally .. I can have sugar and Ensure. Caffeine is also low on my list of things I can have. Maybe one shot of espresso a day is safe.

I can't have much at all.

Yeah, I wouldn't consider mine strict but I am a fish vegetarian and I always try to get less fiber.

I feel that anything i eat goes right through me. I have just had a packet of skips, and whoosh, there i go.

Ooh high fat and or maize could be culprits on the skips front Andy.

Have a think about it. Have you got a dietitian to support you from gastro clinic?

Nope i dont have a dietitan, although people say i should have one/get one. Do they cost? and most importantly are they effective?

Andy, as you're in the UK, you can get to see a dietitian on the NHS, but i don't know how long the waiting list would be. as far as effectiveness goes.. i did have one consultation with a dietitian soon after my diagnosis, but i don't think it was particularly helpful.. what helped more, in my opinion, was trial and error, finding out what effect different foods/drinks had on me personally, and taking tips from other Crohns sufferers. a dietitian could be very helpful getting you on the right track with nutrients and vitamins though.

strict diet. very strict.

i have to or i'll be in perpetual pain.

I found that diet can help. I wish I would have went wheat free a lot sooner. It would have save me years of terrible bloat and gas. I tried the vegan thing when I first came out of remission and while it energized me at first and helped my symptoms, it stopped working after awhile. Food is the one thing in constant contact with our diseased digestive tracts. To imply that diet cant help you is silly. I wont say its a cure but figuring out what works for us certainly makes life easier. Its definitely an individual thing.

Its like if you had an itchy rash, surely cotton would be more comfy than wool or sandpaper. Will the cotton cure the rash? probably not, but it makes it more easy to live with.