Hi all! I’ve just been lurking on here, reading as much as I can, looking for answers to my questions that may have already been answered, and have found a lot! Sometimes I feel like I’m back in high school studying for finals, with the sheer volume of information that I’m trying to take in and retain. Actually, I think high school was easier, including finals! Anyone else ever feel that way? I have felt a bit overwhelmed by it a few times, but it seems that repetition helps. Anyway, I have found a lot of helpful information which I am extremely grateful for. Without a resource such as this I would very likely be thinking that I should be getting better faster, that something else is wrong but not know what, and be placing blind faith in doing whatever my doctor says with regard to trying medications which I might not want to go on.
One area that I’m still feeling overwhelmed by, as I’m sure many of you have also, is trying to decide whether to go GF and DF to start with, or to just go right into the elimination diet and get it over with. I do feel that my symptoms are not as severe as what some others experience. Before diagnosis, I was having WD an average of 5-6 times a day with major urgency, which has reduced to 2-4 times a day, and more like sixes and sometimes fives on the Bristol Scale without the urgency. I even had a few fours, but that didn’t last. I’m pretty sure the fours happened when I ate a much more bland diet, albeit still including gluten and dairy. Then I thought I was improving and got a little complacent with what I ate (spicier food, spaghetti sauce, a little vegetable, etc.), and regressed a bit. So, no more complacency for me! I’m just wondering if anyone went GF/DF and wished they started with the elimination diet, or vice versa? I know it’s a very individual thing, but I’m just looking for more input. I’ve flip-flopped in my mind so many times about which to do, and feel like I have analysis paralysis. First I think I’ll do the elimination diet, but then think my symptoms are not as severe as many others, so I change my mind and think I’ll just do GF/DF because it might be easier and it might be enough. Then I think there could be other intolerances, and in order to minimize damage and jump start the healing, I really should just do the elimination diet. Then I read Kim’s post a few days ago describing her very rough time with beginning the elimination diet. So now I’m thinking maybe elimination diet, but with a few more things than just chicken, rice and bananas for solid foods. At this point I’m sick of arguing with myself – and losing! Has anyone done a slightly less limited elimination diet and felt they had good results? Has anyone else felt like their decision making skills have gone right into the crapper?! I would greatly appreciate hearing anyone’s input. Heck, if you’re still reading this, I’m appreciative of that too!
Analysis paralysis: GF/DF or elimination diet?
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
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PhoenixRising
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:50 pm
Analysis paralysis: GF/DF or elimination diet?
Sertraline 2001- November 2015
Symptoms started October 2010
CC diagnosed by biopsy October 2015
Currently taking Lialda, B12, D3, fish oil, loratadine on & off
Symptoms started October 2010
CC diagnosed by biopsy October 2015
Currently taking Lialda, B12, D3, fish oil, loratadine on & off
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
mmmm not sure where the 'or' aspect comes into thisis trying to decide whether to go GF and DF to start with, or to just go right into the elimination diet
an elimination diet in MC world should definitely involve going Gluten and Dairy Free
Did you see this post from last week?
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=22044
Gluten and Dairy are highly inflammatory items for EVERYBODY - and the main aim for wellness in MC world is minimising Inflammation...
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Hi
I wondered the same thing. That is whether to cut out the common intolerances (at least gf,df) and see how I go or just go headlong into the full elimination diet? I have decided to do the former only because I am taking Budesonide and I may not react to some foods that I would react to if not on the meds. So I am just monitoring things but if I don't achieve remission it will be the elimination diet eventually.
Sorry this is no help to you at all in your decision but I just wanted say hello, that I related to what you were saying and I was still reading at the end lol
I wondered the same thing. That is whether to cut out the common intolerances (at least gf,df) and see how I go or just go headlong into the full elimination diet? I have decided to do the former only because I am taking Budesonide and I may not react to some foods that I would react to if not on the meds. So I am just monitoring things but if I don't achieve remission it will be the elimination diet eventually.
Sorry this is no help to you at all in your decision but I just wanted say hello, that I related to what you were saying and I was still reading at the end lol
Hi Phoenix,
Yes, this disease definitely messes with our mind and can make decision-making a very foreboding challenge. There are obvious advantages and disadvantages to both options, but the primary differences are that simply avoiding gluten and dairy is much easier than adopting an elimination diet, and this is balanced against a much lower chance of successfully achieving remission.
Either method can be successfully used however, as long as you don't become discouraged when various dietary approaches fail. The biggest problem with avoiding only gluten and dairy is to make the major mistake of assuming that since avoiding those 2 foods for a few weeks didn't bring remission, then you must not be sensitive to them. Avoid falling into that trap, because you will never achieve remission if you allow yourself to make that mistake. It's OK to begin your diet that way, but once you start avoiding a food, never, ever add it back into your diet, or it will confound your efforts from there on out, if you happen to be sensitive to it. Remember that we can only achieve stable remission if we remove all foods from our diet that cause our immune system to produce antibodies.
So if you choose to go that route, until remission is achieved you must continue to remove foods from your diet, but never add any back in. After you are in remission, then you can retest the foods that you eliminated to see if you are actually sensitive to them. That makes the elimination diet a much faster route to remission of course, since it bypasses all or most of the experimentation.
If you read my book then you will know that if you start with a diet that that only avoids gluten and dairy and it brings remission, you can expect a relapse of symptoms a few weeks later as your immune system discovers other problems with your diet that it had previously ignored because it tends to focus on the most serious threat at any given moment in time. That's when it's time to cut soy and/or maybe eggs out of your diet, to see if they are also a problem. However, healing of the damage caused by gluten progresses relatively slowly compared with the healing process for other food sensitivities. That means that after you have been avoiding gluten for a few months you should be able to see benefits relatively quickly after cutting out other food sensitivities.
The bottom line is that either approach will work, as long as you follow through correctly and don't give up in your search for remission.
Tex
Yes, this disease definitely messes with our mind and can make decision-making a very foreboding challenge. There are obvious advantages and disadvantages to both options, but the primary differences are that simply avoiding gluten and dairy is much easier than adopting an elimination diet, and this is balanced against a much lower chance of successfully achieving remission.
Either method can be successfully used however, as long as you don't become discouraged when various dietary approaches fail. The biggest problem with avoiding only gluten and dairy is to make the major mistake of assuming that since avoiding those 2 foods for a few weeks didn't bring remission, then you must not be sensitive to them. Avoid falling into that trap, because you will never achieve remission if you allow yourself to make that mistake. It's OK to begin your diet that way, but once you start avoiding a food, never, ever add it back into your diet, or it will confound your efforts from there on out, if you happen to be sensitive to it. Remember that we can only achieve stable remission if we remove all foods from our diet that cause our immune system to produce antibodies.
So if you choose to go that route, until remission is achieved you must continue to remove foods from your diet, but never add any back in. After you are in remission, then you can retest the foods that you eliminated to see if you are actually sensitive to them. That makes the elimination diet a much faster route to remission of course, since it bypasses all or most of the experimentation.
If you read my book then you will know that if you start with a diet that that only avoids gluten and dairy and it brings remission, you can expect a relapse of symptoms a few weeks later as your immune system discovers other problems with your diet that it had previously ignored because it tends to focus on the most serious threat at any given moment in time. That's when it's time to cut soy and/or maybe eggs out of your diet, to see if they are also a problem. However, healing of the damage caused by gluten progresses relatively slowly compared with the healing process for other food sensitivities. That means that after you have been avoiding gluten for a few months you should be able to see benefits relatively quickly after cutting out other food sensitivities.
The bottom line is that either approach will work, as long as you follow through correctly and don't give up in your search for remission.
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.
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PhoenixRising
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:50 pm
Hi everyone, and thank you for your responses.
Gabes, I did read the entire thread and the entire article you posted last week regarding gluten and dairy. It was one of very many which I have found to be extremely enlightening, informative, and helpful. What I meant was that I’m trying to decide whether I should only go GF/DF in the beginning, or start with the elimination diet, i.e., eliminate everything in the beginning.
Linda, thank you for your response! I was thinking the same thing, about just cutting out gluten and dairy initially, and then, as you said, eliminating other things later if I don’t achieve remission. It is always helpful when others can relate, so thank you for saying hello and for reading until the end.
Tex, it’s funny because sometimes I feel very with it and sharp, and other times I catch myself forgetting things or not picking up on details that I normally would.
On top of having MC and not being gluten free yet, I’ve also got a fair amount of stress that’s been adding to the whole picture for a few years, with no definite end in sight, which is the worst part. Prolonged and/or intense stress has always negatively affected my mental acuity, in spite of my efforts to fight it. I still fight it, though! It’s a process.
The information you gave me was very helpful and gave me a lot to think about. I’ll have to decide which will be the best fit, and make sure that either way I’m getting proper nutrition the best I can. I work and am on my feet all day (which I like), and am pretty physically active in general, so I need to consume enough calories, preferably in appropriate ratios of protein, fats, and carbs.
Thank you all for taking the time to respond!
Gabes, I did read the entire thread and the entire article you posted last week regarding gluten and dairy. It was one of very many which I have found to be extremely enlightening, informative, and helpful. What I meant was that I’m trying to decide whether I should only go GF/DF in the beginning, or start with the elimination diet, i.e., eliminate everything in the beginning.
Linda, thank you for your response! I was thinking the same thing, about just cutting out gluten and dairy initially, and then, as you said, eliminating other things later if I don’t achieve remission. It is always helpful when others can relate, so thank you for saying hello and for reading until the end.
Tex, it’s funny because sometimes I feel very with it and sharp, and other times I catch myself forgetting things or not picking up on details that I normally would.
On top of having MC and not being gluten free yet, I’ve also got a fair amount of stress that’s been adding to the whole picture for a few years, with no definite end in sight, which is the worst part. Prolonged and/or intense stress has always negatively affected my mental acuity, in spite of my efforts to fight it. I still fight it, though! It’s a process. The information you gave me was very helpful and gave me a lot to think about. I’ll have to decide which will be the best fit, and make sure that either way I’m getting proper nutrition the best I can. I work and am on my feet all day (which I like), and am pretty physically active in general, so I need to consume enough calories, preferably in appropriate ratios of protein, fats, and carbs.
Thank you all for taking the time to respond!
Sertraline 2001- November 2015
Symptoms started October 2010
CC diagnosed by biopsy October 2015
Currently taking Lialda, B12, D3, fish oil, loratadine on & off
Symptoms started October 2010
CC diagnosed by biopsy October 2015
Currently taking Lialda, B12, D3, fish oil, loratadine on & off
Everyone seems to want to focus on nutrition while they are recovering, but the truth is, until we have been in remission for a while, so that our intestines have done a significant amount of healing, trying to maintain some sort of nutrition goals is an exercise in futility. Why? Because our malabsorption problems make it impossible to know how much of any specific foods are actually being absorbed.
We do ourselves a big favor if we just ignore nutrition for a while and do whatever we have to do to get to remission ASAP, and then try to balance our diet after we are able to properly digest food again. It's important to eat plenty of safe protein, because healing the gut requires large amounts of protein. Ideally, energy should come from healthy (safe) fats. Despite widespread (misguided) beliefs, unlike protein and fats, carbs are definitely not essential in the human diet. That said, I realize that it's tough to wean off them, once addicted, so I'm not suggesting going cold turkey on carbs, but while our MC is active, we are unable to properly digest most carbs because of corrupted enzyme production resulting from the inflammation.
Tex
We do ourselves a big favor if we just ignore nutrition for a while and do whatever we have to do to get to remission ASAP, and then try to balance our diet after we are able to properly digest food again. It's important to eat plenty of safe protein, because healing the gut requires large amounts of protein. Ideally, energy should come from healthy (safe) fats. Despite widespread (misguided) beliefs, unlike protein and fats, carbs are definitely not essential in the human diet. That said, I realize that it's tough to wean off them, once addicted, so I'm not suggesting going cold turkey on carbs, but while our MC is active, we are unable to properly digest most carbs because of corrupted enzyme production resulting from the inflammation.
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.