Feel free to discuss any topic of general interest, so long as nothing you post here is likely to be interpreted as insulting, and/or inflammatory, nor clearly designed to provoke any individual or group. Please be considerate of others feelings, and they will be considerate of yours.
I read the Paleo Diet book on the various legs of my flight up north and back again. I was horrified by the severity of the diet when I began but by the time I was finished I had to admit that the author was probably right on most issues.
It is so hard to give up the comfort of familiar food. When I think about not eating chocolate or bread or pasta ever again, it makes me really sad. However, I want to feel well. It takes some of us, the stubborn ones, a LONG time to accept the reality of these diseases. (MC & celiac) I like the idea that I can "cheat" once or twice a week and that's not the worst thing in the world. I spent a few hours just thinking how I can make the paleo diet more palatable for me and how I can customize it so it isn't offensive. I'm not a big meat eater and can't even imagine eating a steak for breakfast. But I can imagine eating a small chicken burger that has carrot and onion and parsley incorporated. So, I'm going to give it a try and thank you all for all of the thought provoking and informative help.
When I get the entero lab results back I'll know if anything has improved over this past year. I'm doing some of the other tests also and will find out what else is causing me problems. I didn't bring any of my fabulous brownies with me on the trip and now I KNOW that they are part of the problem. Goodbye sugar and chocolate.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
I haven't given up chocolate. I've just given up milk chocolate because it has casein and soy lecithin in it. I make chocolate coconut milk ice cream (the recipe may be in Dee's kitchen) that uses cocoa powder and pretty much any sweetener--honey, agave nectar, sugar, maple syrup, whatever you can handle.
Also, there are chocolate bars out there ($1.99 at Trader Joe's) that don't have soy in them. Don't buy the $10 ones at Whole Foods, lol. Read the label because only the raisin and pecan chocolate bar at Trader Joe's doesn't have soy. Or you can make your own with Baker's chocolate and sugar, if you can handle the sugar. If you make your own you can flavor it how you want. I occasionally buy a $2.99 organic mint chocolate bar at a local grocery store which is better than the Trader Joe's one. I don't remember the brand.
If you can handle chocolate, per se, Dutch cocoa powder and Baker's chocolate don't have soy in them, and on the internet there are a lot of recipes for grain-free, dairy-free brownies and other goodies that use coconut or almond flour.
This is one reason we can say that you can get your life back. We don't have to give up "comfort foods." We just have to learn to make them differently. You can probably modify your fabulous brownies recipe!
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
Thanks for the chocolate tips, Marliss. I did find one chocolate bar at Whole Foods without soy but it disappeared. We don't have a Trader Joe's on this coast and I'm almost tempted to drive to Sarasota and stock up. It would take 3+ hours so it probably won't happen.
I don't think my problem is the chocolate. I think it's the sugar. About 15 minutes after scarfing down a medium sized brownie my gut started up. It is like a switch is flipped and the first signs of a gurgle or two, a twinge or two and then the other bad guys show up. These brownies have unsweetened Baker's chocolate (7 oz) to which I add 5 T. of sugar + 3 T cocoa + 1 1/4 C sugar. That's a lot of sugar. I also put a layer of Enjoy Life chocolate chips and mix in either walnuts or pistachio nuts. These things are SO RICH and SO chocolatey. I moan when I eat one. The happy moan quickly changed to a painful moan this afternoon and I think I have pinpointed the cause for my afternoon unhappy gut. I was in denial before this and knew in my heart I shouldn't be eating these things.
It's good to know there are chocolate bars out there that I can very occasonially "cheat" with without making myself sick.
It seems there may be an issue with retesting at Enterolab because I'm taking entocort. Has anyone else run into this problem? They told me to have my doctor check IgA levels. I don't want to stop the one entocort a day because I know the D and other issues will come back. I'm pretty much on the edge as it is.
Regardless, I will start the Paleo diet, albeit slowly adding foods one at a time. I notice there are soup recipes at the end of the paleo book and I think I would tolerate soup for breakfast much better than steak for breakfast. Are homemade smoothies okay on the paleo diet?
About MRT testing. Is that basic allergy testing where you get stuck with about a hundred pin pricks on your back? When I google MRT testing I get lots of negative comments. Do you go to an allergist for this test or to a special laboratory?
Thanks everybody for the information and support.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
I've stopped because I am trying to eat a low histamine diet but I may eventually go back to it if I can. It might not be exactly what you are looking for but it isn't very sweet and it does give you a nice chocolate fix. It is soy free.
Good for you for tracking down the problem. There is a very good chance that even if you cannot tolerate dark chocolate now, you may be able to tolerate it after your gut heals, because IMO, the main reason why many of us have problems with chocolate is because of the histamine issue, and once the intestines heal, and everything else settles down, histamine may no longer be such a serious problem, which means that chocolate may no longer be a problem.
MRT stands for mediator release testing. It works by exposing a sample of blood to various allergens and chemicals, one at a time, and measuring the ratio of solids to liquids in each blood sample. The change in that ratio is associated with the degree of sensitivity to each respective allergen or chemical. Many people have no confidence in the MRT results because the test does not measure antibodies (the EnteroLab tests all measure antibody levels) and MRT test results are typically not repeatable (especially with the passage of time).
However, if the test results are used correctly, by someone who understands the principles involved, and foods are individually tested in the diet, to verify tolerance, it can be a very effective tool. Basically, it just provides an index of foods rated in order of the probability that they will cause a reaction. None of the MRT results are chiseled in stone -- they are guidelines that can be used in a controlled diet testing program and the value of those results depend on how well the individual applies that information in their food testing program.
You can do the same thing without MRT test results, of course, but without the MRT results, selecting foods to test is more difficult, since we have no way to predict their probability of causing a reaction. MRT test results provide a way to rank those probabilities prior to the dietary testing.
Good luck with the paleo diet. In the real world, almost everyone uses a modified version of the paleo diet. This is necessary, especially for someone with MC, because many of us cannot tolerate all of the paleo foods, (at least not while we are healing), so we have to develop our own personal version of the paleo diet, to fit our own needs.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Where in Florida do you live? I'm up in Gainesville. I'm kind of transitioning into going paleo ish. I recommend a slow transition into paleo if you try it. I'm probably 80% paleo. On days I'm close to 100% paleo I trend towards constipation but since I can't eat nuts yet and can eat raw fruits in moderation and perhaps 1 serving of a raw veggie per day (as well as my cooked veggies) it is not yet realistic for me to be 100% paleo.
I think if a healthy person goes paleo it is probably not too tough as they can crunch on nuts, a lot of fruits and a lot of raw veggies to fill up on. Like you I'm not a protein lover but I have protein at least 3x per day,
cooked veggies 3-5 servings per day, fruit 1-3 servings per day, some olive oil and coconut oil also some nut butter which I'm not sure if it is paleo. I've backed off of raw stuff for a little while. The problem is I'm generally still kind of hungry so my non paleo part of the regimen will typically be to have 1 cup rice per day or 2 slice GF bread per day or some white potatoes to fill in. I'm trying to have more sweet potatoes after reading Dr Cordain's book. I suggest a slow transition into the regimen. I eliminated most packaged goods first. Yup, on occasion I have some potato chips or GF crackers but those are more of a treat. Yup, I've had chicken soup for breakfast. Overall it has been positive. I don't feel "restricted." I'm kind of eating all day. I have good energy levels. I'm maintaining my weight...i.e. not losing or gaining while eating a lot of food. I can see perhaps 6 or 9 months down the road if I can ever eat nuts and more raw stuff I could probably get to around 90% paleo. Whoops, forgot to mention my occasional 1/2 glass of white wine. I work full time so try to cook a lot on the weekends and freeze stuff.
Tex is right that most people probably are doing a modified version to meet their own needs.
Best wishes, Brandy
Hi Brandy,
I'm in Palm Beach Gardens. You would think we would have a Trader Joe's with all of the snowbirds down here but we don't. I know there is one in North Florida. Is it in Gainesville?
I'm glad to hear your experiences with going paleo. I think transitioning slowly is a good idea too. God forbid I throw out those remaining brownies even though I have enough gas right now to fly to the moon and a lot of cramping pain. It is probably from the sugar and that definitely has to go.
I'm thinking fruit smoothies in the a.m. since I'm not supposed to eat eggs and/or soup for breakfast. Eggs don't seem to bother me if they are baked into bread but straight eggs I'm not too sure about. I want to have the Enterolab tests done again but that is a problem since I'm taking entocort. This disease wears you down to the point where you will do almost anything to feel normal again. Paleo here I come, but slowly. Thanks for your insight and how you are dealing with the paleo diet. The straight paleo is really very disheartening.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
Sheila
is there an online outlet that you can purchase the items from.
My chocolate treat is the Bonvita Chocolate (from Europe) and the Enjoy dark chocolate (from the US).
There is nowhere locally that sells these items so I purchase them via an online retailer - the postage might be cheaper than the petrol and the time...
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Thanks Gabes. I've been ordering on line a little more for GF items lately. Some of the stuff locally is crazy expensive and/or not the right product. It is also hard to find things that are both gluten and soy free. I haven't been diligent enough in finding hidden soy and gluten in creams, soaps etc. I've been using a cream with soy for years and wasn't aware of it. I had always used it and never thought to look at the label. It's a lot easier to find things on line and I love that. I'm going to try some of the suggestions and give up my brownies. I feel so lousy right now after having eaten two of them today. Shoot me!
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
Thanks, Gabes. It didn't occur to me to change the type of sugar I use. I read somewhere that sugar was sugar and at the end of the day, there's no difference. I have no idea if that is true or not and didn't even think about differences in processing. Makes sense. I've actually driven past the sugar fields and processing plants out in the Glades many times but have no idea how it is processed. When the cane is burned our area would be covered with big flakes of soot, smoke and stench. The sugar plants themselves always had huge plumes of smoke coming out of their stacks. This would only happen if the wind was coming from the west. That hasn't happened in a long time. Perhaps they have changed their processing methods.
I didn't buy very much sugar in the past because I wasn't baking cookies and brownies. I was enjoying chocolate candy, allowing only a small amount a day. I think because I feel so deprived with my current diet, I've been overdoing with the brownies. Very childish but what can I say? The paleo diet allows very little sugar from what I just read. I think I have to go cold turkey with sugar and chocolate for the time being. When I can have a small amount as a treat I'll be sure to use a more easily digested sugar or simply buy a good quality soy free chocolate on line.
So much to learn about this disease and how it changes over time. What makes me crazy is being able to eat a certain food one day only to get sick from it the next day.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
Sheila its not childish at all - we all make so many changes and sacrifices, with what we eat, what we do with our social time etc, we work bloody hard at this mc management thing, a treat is a treat and we all deserve them!!
i have the same frustrations, i can eat the same meals, from the same batch, cooked the same way, at the same time, one day can be diamond, the next stone...
the fact of life of our society these days is that foods are grown differently and processed differently.
The purer 'less tainted' varieties are more expensive, my experience to date is that they cause less issues digestion wise so the extra expense is justified (but it still p**sses me off some days !! )
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
I used to purchase Enjoy Life chocolate chips and melt them. Then I would pour the melted chocolate into Wilton candy molds and refrigerate them. Once they were solid, I'd put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. That way, I could eat 1-2 pieces at a time, and they weren't very expensive. Plus, I think the Enjoy Life chocolate is pretty safe.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Gabes, I've wondered about that same issue with a food causing no issues one day and pain and gas another day. Trying to figure out what is causing all of it gets so old. I had hoped to find out by retesting at Enterolab if I had improved at all but I guess the entocort I'm taking makes the test less accurate. Paleo will be the way to go. I'm dragging my feet but I will get there eventually. I'm sick and tired of waking up at 4:30-5 a.m. every morning and running to the bathroom.
Gloria, I love the way you think outside the box! I still have a partial bag of Enjoy Life chocolate chips and will try your method of making candy. That way I could add a few nuts, too.
Thanks, guys.
Sheila W
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
A person who never made a mistake never tried something new. Einstein
I can tell you from experience that if you are somewhat regularly getting even traces of gluten (or casein, or whatever) in your diet, your EnteroLab results will be higher than they were the previous time you were tested. Antibody levels are more a result of the length of time of exposure to the allergen, rather than the quantity of the allergen in the diet. IOW, if we get tiny amounts of an allergen in our diet on a weekly basis, our antibody level will continue to rise. Been there, done that.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
The happy moan quickly changed to a painful moan this afternoon and I think I have pinpointed the cause for my afternoon unhappy gut. I was in denial before this and knew in my heart I shouldn't be eating these things. .jpg){kind=avatar}
)
