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Best drinks?

So I'll be the first to admit that I have an addiction to diet soda. But I've gotten to thinking -- all of those carbon bubbles could be contributing to the painful gas bubbles that get trapped in my intestines...

So when I flared this time, I tried switching, and I started drinking Powerade and Gatorade all the time. But my doctor said that could actually make my diarrhea worse. (Then again, even in times of non-flare, I rarely have a formed stool. I don't know if that's just the nature of the disease, or it means that I've been in a state of minor flare for years, but the only time I ever seem to have formed stool is when I'm on 30+mg of prednisone.)

So what do you guys think the best drinks are for a person with Crohn's disease?
 

My Butt Hurts

Squeals-a-lot!
Not only the bubbles could be bothering you, but there is something about the artificial sweeteners in diet soda that leach liquid into the intestines (or something like that) and can cause diarrhea too. Sugar can add to inflammation, so basically you want something without sugar and without artificial sweeteners. Caffeine can also aggravate symptoms, and a lot of us don't get along with dairy. Apple juice makes some people crap, and orange juice may be too acidic and bother your belly. That doesn't leave too much, huh?
Water of course is good for you all around. Add some lemon or orange for interest if you want. If you like iced tea, you can make it with decaf tea bags. I make kool-aid once in a while with Stevia, a natural sugar substitute. It doesn't taste like sugar really, but it's not artificial tasting either. It's a pretty good taste. I use 6 packets for 2 quarts. Some people on here have mentioned honey to sweeten things.
 
The Gatorade is good for preventing severe dehydration when you are having excessive diarrhea, but remember it has sugar in it too and it might upset things as well. For me I go to straight water when I am flaring. Anything else upsets my tummy.

Have you tried G2? I would try lower sugar alternatives or adding low sugar flavor to your water. Tea hot or cold seems to be fine for most people. Again just watch the sugar.
 
Some drinks I can tolerate are: unsweetened grape juice, fresh carrot juice, apple juice, pineapple juice. Also maybe try some smoothies made from yoghurt, honey and some fruit like banana....
 
I do like Coke, but not the diet one.
I admit, I drink too much of it too, up to 3 cans a day. When I was younger, I drank a lot more.

I suppose, I've never really, not drank it. So I don't know if it affects me in any way.

I also know, it cannot be good for me, has anyone seen the results of the "dirty penny" test with coke?
 
I don't drink that much soda but when I do its usually fresca (no sugar, no calories lol ) or diet Dr. pepper.

But what I drink constantly on a daily basis is water and green tea sweetened wiht honey
 
Thanks for the tips, everyone.

MBH said:
I make kool-aid once in a while with Stevia, a natural sugar substitute. It doesn't taste like sugar really, but it's not artificial tasting either. It's a pretty good taste. I use 6 packets for 2 quarts.
That actually sounds somewhat tasty. Do you buy this Stevia anywhere special?

Dan said:
I do like Coke, but not the diet one.
I admit, I drink too much of it too, up to 3 cans a day. When I was younger, I drank a lot more.
I like the regular coke too. I just never really drink it because of all the calories. Not that diet soda is much better for you, even with the fact that it has zero calories. =/ But yeah, I think it must be the caffeine that I'm addicted to -- I could drink a 12 pack or more per day, if I wanted. If I drink no soda at all, I'm sleepy and my stomach hurts.
 
You can buy the stevia in the baking isle at the local market, usually.

I find tea is never a bad choice...soda can be excrutiating.
 
i've been told that fizzy drinks can leech calcium from our bones.. so i shouldn't really drink it, but i'm a real diet coke addict (caffeine free). i try not to have too much tho, and i also like Vimto (not sure if thats available outside the UK).. its a fruit cordial, really nice either hot or cold.
 
most of the main supermarkets stock it here, Dan.. tesco, sainsbury etc.. you can also get the fizzy vimto in cans but i prefer the original cordial.
 

My Butt Hurts

Squeals-a-lot!
Procyon said:
That actually sounds somewhat tasty. Do you buy this Stevia anywhere special?
I find it in the natural food section of my regular grocery store. My mom has tried many different brands, and the least bitter is Nu Naturals. It's about $10 for a box of 100, which doesn't seem too expensive because I don't use it that often.
 
dingbat said:
most of the main supermarkets stock it here, Dan.. tesco, sainsbury etc.. you can also get the fizzy vimto in cans but i prefer the original cordial.
I might have a look the next time I'm in Northern Ireland They generally have the same brands as the rest of Britain.
 
I loooove diet Pepsi..like LOVE it...but I only let myself have it once every couple of weeks...it's soo bad for me. I can't have caffeine (#1), and it makes me have MAJOR gas pains (#2)

I find that I can drink OJ pretty well most of the time, except for when I'm severely flaring. It really doesn't bother me at all. Probably should, but doesn't.

Milk really isn't good either. I use skim milk...it seems to be a bit easier on the tummy.

I hate water. I don't know why, it's a totally childish thing, but I hate the taste of it. So I don't drink it if I can help it. My main drink of choice is OJ...apple juice is bad for me as well...
 
water usually tastes watered down.

I'm one of "those" who carries the 1 gallon jug and just refill it, I used to be going through about 1 a day when I could work out, but I just shoot for about 3/4 because it's hard to down so much when you're not active.

I'm a HUGE Gatorade fan, though.....mmmmmm ...Brawndo has electrolytes, what plants crave...

http://www.brawndo.com/

Idiocracy, Luke Wilson and Dax Shepard FTW!!
 
danman said:
I do like Coke, but not the diet one.
I admit, I drink too much of it too, up to 3 cans a day. When I was younger, I drank a lot more.

I suppose, I've never really, not drank it. So I don't know if it affects me in any way.

I also know, it cannot be good for me, has anyone seen the results of the "dirty penny" test with coke?

I think the test with meat is worse. Coke can eat through a piece of meat over a few hours. Gross!

I don't like Coke, I am a Pepsi girl. Diet Pepsi anyway.
 
Ahh, but Katiesue,
If I'm going to fork out good money on a steak, I want to have wine or beer with it, not coke.
 
I'm with you, Danman. Nothing beats a nice juicy steak and a glass of red wine.
When I am on flagyl, I rarely eat steak because I can't stand the thought of not being able to have it with a glass of wine...they just go hand in hand.
 
katiesue1506 said:
So teeny... if thats true, we should all have Coke when eating Steak... that way the steak gets digested easier.... RIGHT?!?! :)
If that works then I will turn into a Coke person for sure!

Man, I miss beef!
 

fenway1971

Sports Crohnie
My 2 cents:
1. Avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup, sugar or artificial sweetners.
2. Gatorade only in moderation. High sodium isn't good for you.
3. Lots of water!
4. Tea
5. No milk.

For me it's water, freshly squeezed oj, tea and one cup of coffee a day. That and a few margaritas each week. Yup, I said it.
 
Mark33180 said:
YOUR Wong!!!!! Water is good and good for you.

I LOVE MY MOMMA!!!
WAter sucks!! it really, really sucks.
WAAAAAter sucks!!! it REALLY really suCKKSSS??!

(that was me, um, singing the water sucks song via type. k.)
 
If you're dehydrated, moderate sodium assists in rehydration fairly well, so gatorade in moderation is normally good, sodium content is around 100 mg or less I believe per 8 ounces, so 18% RDA of sodium from a 32 oz. bottle isn't bad if you're watching your sodium the rest of the day.

Brawndo has electrolytes! :D

http://www.brawndo.com/

Idiocracy rules!
 

soupdragon69

ele mental leprechaun
Definately minimal or no fizzy drinks.

Only use drinks with electrolytes in moderation as someone has already posted they can contribute to further diahorrea - keep in mind everyone's level of intake of these kind of drinks varies according to need and metabolising of the content so what may suit one may not suit another (our mantra on here isnt it? ;-) )

Water is the best but again should be balanced with other things. Too much water can flush out your electrolytes - so again its about individual need.

My gastro team recommend drinking peppermint tea or a small amount of warm diluted peppermint oil to help with any cramping and my GP was telling me that the latest research shows peppermint can have a great effect on decreasing intestinal cramping and wind and he now reaches for peppermint based meds initially for his IBS and IBD patients.

As we know with many things here it can vary according to your daily needs: taking into account how active you are (i.e are you doing a very physical job that causes you to sweat or in the gym), how severe and often are you suffering from diahorrea, is what you are eating also contributing to intestinal gas: food alone has a major impact for many crohn's sufferers.


Just thought I would through a few things into the "pot".

Hope you are getting some relief Procyon and anyone else suffering this way.
 
daisy_dueller said:
I loooove diet Pepsi..like LOVE it...but I only let myself have it once every couple of weeks...it's soo bad for me. I can't have caffeine (#1), and it makes me have MAJOR gas pains (#2)

I find that I can drink OJ pretty well most of the time, except for when I'm severely flaring. It really doesn't bother me at all. Probably should, but doesn't.

Milk really isn't good either. I use skim milk...it seems to be a bit easier on the tummy.

I hate water. I don't know why, it's a totally childish thing, but I hate the taste of it. So I don't drink it if I can help it. My main drink of choice is OJ...apple juice is bad for me as well...
You can also buy Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi. I was a Pepsi addict, first I went to Diet, then the Caffeine Free Diet, and now I havent drank it in well over a year. Occasionally, I will drink Sprite or 7UP.
There is also a water drink called Propel which is pretty good.
 

SpoonNinja

Spoonie
Location
Michigan
i drink a lot of cranberry juice i have ever since i was little i had kidney probs and my dr said cranberry juice would help now ive become addictid to the stuff lol im not sure if its good for cd or not but ive not had a prob with it yet! *knock on wood*
 
The reasons to drink soda
1. Sugar
2. Caffeine
3. Fizzy kid stuff
Why drink it if it is diet and caffeine free? I just don't get that.
My nightmare drink...Flat, diet, caffeine free soda.
 
I would think diet/caffeine free pop (what we here in the midwest call soda) is an alternative that tastes closer to the original than not drinking any. The sugar is mimicked, the caffeine is tasteless, and the carbonation is still there. Of course the "sugar" being mimicked is not always the tastiest imitation, but one can get used to it if they so desire to eliminate soda being a problem.

As for the caffeine needs, you could always try green tea or green tea supplements, as those can be anti-inflammatory in cases. If caffeine really is that detrimental to ones symptoms, they'd probably be best off looking at it as "either I feel drowsy and healthier without it, or I feel upbeat and horrid with my disease"...

In the past I personally got used to Diet Mountain Dew's taste to almost prefer it over regular. The regular tastes too heavy and syrupy now.

Jan, my one electrolyte comment is from a fictional beverage from a movie called Idiocracy :D I didn't mean to sound gung-ho about electrolytes to such a degree.
 

soupdragon69

ele mental leprechaun
Benson, I never even thought about your comments or where they came from my friend!

I just made some general basic thoughts in print thats all.

So dont worry on my account ok? Think too much of you my friend to take anything to heart. Also am pretty tired and drained to the core myself and have to work really hard on my posts. So please dont think anything of it!

((hugs))
 
Do the tea blends such as peperment tea or anything like that taste anything like regular tea, sweet or unsweet. cause i can't stand that stuff. taste horrible to me... i know being in the south thats an oddity but hey it happens.
 

soupdragon69

ele mental leprechaun
Not as far as I am concerned Mark.

Duncan tried peppermint tea and he told me it reminded him of drinking chewing gum flavour LOL

You can but try it and see eh?
 
mhmm i agree, the peppermint tea ive had tastes like gum flavor. its kinda good! it leaves your mouth with a cooling off feeling, soothing kinda.

thats interesting all the stuff you said about peppermint, Jan. a couple times in my life i have craved altoids (you know, the mints in the tin box?) like nothing else. i just ate them like candy. well....they are i guess, but seriously, i would eat a whole box at once. i would go to costco and buy the pack that had like a million boxes in it lol!
both times it was when my abcess was brewing severely and i didnt know.
maybe my body was craving the peppermint oils and such cause it knew what it wanted?
did i post this before?? as im typing i feel like i remember talking about this already.....well i hope not.

and i realize this is the drink thread, so sorry for the hijack everyone. im so curious about this though!
 
i drink red bull alot more so than i should i know, but i am so tired all the time, and im not sure if it bothers me i don't have an immediate response to it, like when i eat 10 min later i feel crappy it's weird though it's carbonated and if i drink a soda i am in agony before i can finish it, don't really understand it, but anything to keep me awake long enough to work
 
U

ubearcat

Guest
Try this...

Try drinking just water(lot's of it and all the time, be relaxed while drinking it) .. stay away from acidic foods, real salty foods... You need to let you intestines heal... Give it a couple of weeks... this has tremendously reduced the symptoms to where I feel normal again... I take no medications and have been thru surgery before and doing this has beat it all...
 
Q

quinroxanne

Guest
I don't drink too much soda. I'm lucky to have a bottle once a week.
It is because I'm acidic. It feels so bad on my stomach. Fruit juices are much better alternative for sodas.
 
Try roobois or redbush - whatever you like to call it. Its caffeine free which is a major bonus and its a hot drink which if you're a cold cell like me thats another bonus! I drink absolutely LOADS of it and water with maybe a dash of diluting squash. Might take a wee while to get used to it but I promise you will :)
 

imisspopcorn

Punctuation Impaired
Gingerale with a splash of grape or cranberry juice hits the spot for me. Nice cup of warm tea helps with the aches and pains....
 
I'm into my herbal teas. Peppermint, obviously! I have found it to be beneficial in soothing my insides. I like lemon and ginger tea too. Love the lipton iced tea range, lemon is the nicest, closely followed by mango and green tea with orange.

I love pure orange juice but daren't touch it :(
 
imisspopcorn said:
Gingerale with a splash of grape or cranberry juice hits the spot for me. Nice cup of warm tea helps with the aches and pains....
I love the gingerale for a treat too. I let it go flat for a bit before drinking it and I NEVER use a straw. I go through 4 L of water a day and can drink OJ, Lemonade minus the pulp, V8 and all that type of stuff. But for a treat at night a semi flat mug of gingerale picks me up a bit.
 
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