Safest foods

[Jeanemcl]

Would those of you who did the elimination diet please share with me the foods you stuck to for your healing period. I thought fish, chicken, beef, applesauce, bananas, overlooked veg., rice and potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper. I have read some people say yes on bananas, rice, chicken....some say no. I am getting confused. What are the safest to use.

[ldubois7]

Jean,

We are all different. I think most of us can eat chicken and rice and a little applesauce. That's what I was eating and not getting any better. I did the Enterolab tests and found out that I was highly reactive to beef, chicken and rice. :(

If you're doing the elimination diet start out with just 2 foods....chicken/rice, and eat it for all three meals for at least 3 days. If that goes well, then add one food at a time for three days. You can build from there. Or, have you done the Enterolab testing? It will tell you for sure what you can & can't eat.

Good luck!

[tex]

Hi Jean,

I lived on pork, occasional chicken, potatoes, white rice, and eggs. Maybe 3 or 4 times a week I would have a small to moderate serving of overcooked squash, broccoli, or green beans. Beware of brown rice (too much fiber), and too many vegetables can cause the same problem (too much fiber). Of course many of us cannot tolerate eggs. And a surprising number of us cannot tolerate chicken. It appears that most people who have trouble with chicken can eat turkey, though.

Tex

[Lesley]

It appears that most people who have trouble with chicken can eat turkey, though.

Not me.

[Jeanemcl]

Did you take supplements? Everyone is telling me I have to eat more because I am losing weight.

[DJ]

Would those of you who did the elimination diet please share with me the foods you stuck to for your healing period. I thought fish, chicken, beef, applesauce, bananas, overlooked veg., rice and potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper. I have read some people say yes on bananas, rice, chicken....some say no. I am getting confused. What are the safest to use.

I did the elimination diet after many years of gut problems. I had not been diagnosed with MC at the time. I started with four foods - rice, lamb, a non-citrus fruit (I think it was pears) and I think the 4th item may have been plain potatoes plus salt. After a week or so, I felt much better and began adding one new food every three days. If I tolerated the food it went on a list of keepers. If I didn't tolerate a food it went on a "do not eat" list. After each negative finding, it's important to wait at least three days before trying the next food.
My opinion is that fish, beef, applesauce and rice milk might be good early additions. If you have been diagnosed with Microscopic Colitis and you are having diarrhea, veggies, especially raw ones, can be very difficult so when introducing veggies, I'd recommend cooking until soft.
Hint: If you are in the early phases of MC and want a rest from feeling sick, make a list of the most frequently occurring problem foods from the participants on this site and don't eat them!!! Good luck!!

[DJ]

Hi Jean,

I lived on pork, occasional chicken, potatoes, white rice, and eggs. Maybe 3 or 4 times a week I would have a small to moderate serving of overcooked squash, broccoli, or green beans. Beware of brown rice (too much fiber), and too many vegetables can cause the same problem (too much fiber). Of course many of us cannot tolerate eggs. And a surprising number of us cannot tolerate chicken. It appears that most people who have trouble with chicken can eat turkey, though.

Tex

Thank you, Tex for the chicken tip. I've had some difficulty with chicken although it's not as problematic as my four "heavy hitters". I'm not sure if it's my imagination but I seem to do a little better with organic chicken. I can't believe how much this support forum has helped me in a very short period of time. THANK YOU!!

[DJ]

Did you take supplements? Everyone is telling me I have to eat more because I am losing weight.

I know there is a way to view your past posts but I don't know how. I'll have to assume that you are having acute problems with diarrhea at this time. When everything was "flooding" through me and I was having rapid weight loss, I ate hamburger with salt, ham, and lots of bacon and eggs. Plus, after being on a sugar and sweetener-free diet for years, I began eating lots of sugar for the calories. I had sugar in plain black tea, ginger ale, Gator Aid, and lots of lollipops. I also had gluten-free Rice Krispies and rice milk. I had to stick with just that for quite a while to calm things down.
If you are having an extreme problem with diarrhea and weight loss, I would worry so much about adding lots food right away. Are you diagnosed and on Entocort?

Note: Tootsie Pops contain wheat so don't use them.

[tex]

Did you take supplements? Everyone is telling me I have to eat more because I am losing weight.

I didn't take any supplements (except for a couple that I have taken for many years to preserve my knees — glucosamine sulphate and flax seed oil, and one I was taking for my eyes — lutein) until after I was in remission for a while. Then I added vitamin B-12 and vitamin D (this was before we realized how important vitamin D is for anyone who has an IBD — if I had known, I would have been taking vitamin D all along), and eventually (after additional healing time), I added a multivitamin and fish oil.

The reason I was taking glucosamine sulphate is because my work required a lot of repetitive load-bearing movement (stacking 50-lb. bags of corn on pallets for many hours on most days), and most people who do a lot of that kind of work eventually end up having to have their knees replaced. Mine are still fine. I take lutein because I was diagnosed with drusen (an eye problem), about 33 years ago.

Tex

[tex]

Thank you, Tex for the chicken tip. I've had some difficulty with chicken although it's not as problematic as my four "heavy hitters". I'm not sure if it's my imagination but I seem to do a little better with organic chicken. I can't believe how much this support forum has helped me in a very short period of time. THANK YOU!!

Most supermarket chickens (and some turkeys) are injected with a so-called "tenderizing and/or moisturizing solution" that consists of mostly water with various chemicals added. In some cases, gluten is even added to the mix. We have to carefully read labels to avoid injected chicken. Certain brands (Sanderson Farms comes to mind, for example) have traditionally remained free of such adulteration. Presumably, most organic chicken sould be fee of injected solutions, but it might pay to read the label carefully, anyway, just to be sure.

Incidentally, such labels describing the ingredients in the injected solutions are usually attached to the back side of the package, where they are easily overlooked, rather than on the front where the name, weight, etc., labels are attached. Obviously, they don't want consumers to notice those labels, since it amounts to selling mostly water that comprises 10 to 15 % of the total weight of the package, for the price of chicken — that's some expensive water, and we certainly don't need the chemicals that the solutions contain.

Some processors even inject certain cuts of pork and beef these days. For example, here are copies of the labels from a package of injected pork chops. The first one is the top label, and the second one is the label from the back of the package. These were photographed 6 or 7 years ago, so the prices will not be current. You can click on each label to see an enlarged view, so that the details will be clear.





And please don't be fooled by a label that says "All Natural Ingredients", because the USDA labeling laws now allow injected solutions that contain water, sodium, phosphates, etc., (and even gluten), to be called "Natural".

Tex

[ldubois7]

I can't take supplements while I am healing. They only contributed to my issues.

Tex...if I can't eat beef, and gelatin is a filler in the Vitamin D capsules on my shelf, should I be weary of it?

[tex]

Good question. Gelatin is collagen, which is the substance that holds cells together, so gelatin is used to make the capsules themselves. Can you tolerate jello?

Liquid supplements can dodge that issue, but of course liquid supplements often carry their own liabilities.

Tex

[ldubois7]

Tex,

http://products.mercola.com/vitamin-d-spray/

But, alas....check out the ingredients list at the bottom of the article..... natural flavors, as well as a gum... :(

But, what about this one?

http://www.pureformulas.com/vitamin-d3- ... SNNdR.dpbs

Can you explain the difference between D and D3? Thanks!

[JFR]

Linda,

I was just going to suggest that one to you:

http://www.professionalsupplementcenter ... Liquid.htm?

Looks safe to me.

Jean

[ldubois7]

Jean, What about the only other ingredient in the liquid?

Other ingredients: medium chain triglycerides.

MCTs are safe for most people when taken by mouth or given intravenously (by IV). They can cause diarrhea, vomiting, irritability, nausea, stomach discomfort, intestinal gas, essential fatty acid deficiency, and other side effects. Taking MCTs with food might reduce some side effects.