TASTE & FLAVOR: IS EVERYTHING BLAND AND TASTELESS?

Discussions on the details of treatment programs using either diet, medications, or a combination of the two, can take place here.

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CarlO
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TASTE & FLAVOR: IS EVERYTHING BLAND AND TASTELESS?

Post by CarlO »

I'm in the early stage of trying to sort of foods that are OK or not OK, for my lymphocytic colitis.

I'm going gluten free until I can get a better set of diet choices. Also lactose [dairy] free. I don't yet know whether I have a problem with soy.

Because the choice restrictions at present, almost everything is bland and tasteless. The only taste/flavor I truly enjoy right now is ginger ale.

Has anyone found a way to get around this issue of bland and tasteless food. Thanks.

Carl
Newbie since September, 2015. Age 89.
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mcardle3
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Post by mcardle3 »

Carl,

I am new too and finding that I can find things that taste good, it is texture that bugs the stuffin out of me!

The other day I took chicken breast strips and cooked them in a little olive oil in a skillet, just getting them cooked through, with salt and pepper. I ate them rolled in a corn tortilla.

Now, I don't know if it is that I just needed something different but by golly they tasted heavenly to me.

I go to a gluten/dairy free bakery nearby for bread and can make toast or even french toast with that bread and enjoy it a great deal, their cupcakes and cookies have a sand texture that makes me know I'll not be buying them again soon.

I'm sure there is some thread here that lists all the delicious things others have discovered in their travels along the no-no to lots of food road. Maybe someone will post a link to it for us.

(my snack of choice is rice chips with organic peanut butter on it. A little sweet, a little salty and hopefully I'll not discover later it is on the no list too :(
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tex
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Post by tex »

Hi Carl,

MC doesn't mean that food has to be tasteless. We mostly have to watch spicy stuff, and sauces and various condiments that contain a long list of ingredients, because some of those ingredients are frequently a problem. My favorite seasoning is plain old garlic salt. It is arguably the best seasoning available for pork, and it also works for many other foods.

I don't recommend spicy (or hot) seasonings during the recovery phase, but if you can't live without "hot" flavor, for example, chilis (such as jalapeño or serrano) seem to be much more easily tolerated than black or red pepper (at least that's been my experience).

Note that both garlic salt and chilis enhance the flavor of food by bringing out the natural flavor of the food, rather than by covering up the flavor of the food or adding a masking flavor. In that sense they have an effect somewhat similar to monosodium glutamate (MSG), but they do not have any of the negative attributes of MSG.

And note that some of the most common mainstream snack foods, such as Lay's Potato Chips and Fritos have ingredients that are safe for most of us. It's the highly-processed products with "enhanced" flavors that lead to problems, because they invariably have a long list of ingredients, and some of those ingredients cause problems for most of us.

Tex
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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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mcardle3
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Post by mcardle3 »

Tex,

About potato chips...I've noted that some of them are cooked in different types of oil. Is one oil preferable to another?
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tex
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Post by tex »

Most of us do fine as long as we avoid "vegetable oils" (which are almost always soy oil), or peanut oil (if we're sensitive to soy). Canola oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, etc., seem to be OK. Those of us who are sensitive to corn avoid corn oil, but that's not a common problem.

Tex
:cowboy:

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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jlbattin
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Post by jlbattin »

I love the Boulder's chips that are just potatoes, sea salt, and coconut oil. They are really good. I didn't do very well with potato chips that were fried in olive oil.
Jari


Diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis, June 29th, 2015
Gluten free, Dairy free, and Soy free since July 3rd, 2015
HappyBird
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Post by HappyBird »

My diet is very yellow and white at the moment so I understand where you are coming from. Before I got ill with this MC flare up my diet was colourful, very well spiced, chillies, Indian spices, Thai spices & loads of green herbs, fruit, flowers and vegetables - but needs must and a bland diet is called for. I do think my diet of yellow & white is very tasty though, and wholesome.

I bought several turkey breasts, deboned and skinless to keep in the freezer. I boil the turkey breast in a pot seasoned with salt, pepper, diced carrot and plenty of water for about 45 mins. At the end of cooking I make sure I have at least 1500mls of stock. The carrots at this stage are tasteless so I throw them out (no taste or nutrients left). The turkey is refridgerated in its broth in a large bowl to prevent the meat from drying out.

I make my meals as I need them or extra for the morning after. I cook up grated carrots and pre cooked sweet potato in the turkey broth and a mashed white potato for thickening, this bets simmered till the carrot is well cooked. I'll either have slices of turkey with the carrot & sweet potato on a flat plate or diced turkey swimming in the broth with the vegetables like a chunky soup. Before serving I add a teaspoon of ghee - delicious! MI find grated carrot cooks quickly and the carrot flavour is stronger than when carrots are cooked whole or chunky. My partner loves my new food, she's shared so much of the diet in support.

I'm making sweet potato crisps seasoned with sea salt and black pepper tomorrow. I'll let you know how they go and upload a photo tomorrow. If its good enough, a recipe to follow. 😊
jsstnana@gmail.com
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Post by jsstnana@gmail.com »

HappyBird wrote:My diet is very yellow and white at the moment so I understand where you are coming from. Before I got ill with this MC flare up my diet was colourful, very well spiced, chillies, Indian spices, Thai spices & loads of green herbs, fruit, flowers and vegetables - but needs must and a bland diet is called for. I do think my diet of yellow & white is very tasty though, and wholesome.

I bought several turkey breasts, deboned and skinless to keep in the freezer. I boil the turkey breast in a pot seasoned with salt, pepper, diced carrot and plenty of water for about 45 mins. At the end of cooking I make sure I have at least 1500mls of stock. The carrots at this stage are tasteless so I throw them out (no taste or nutrients left). The turkey is refridgerated in its broth in a large bowl to prevent the meat from drying out.

I make my meals as I need them or extra for the morning after. I cook up grated carrots and pre cooked sweet potato in the turkey broth and a mashed white potato for thickening, this bets simmered till the carrot is well cooked. I'll either have slices of turkey with the carrot & sweet potato on a flat plate or diced turkey swimming in the broth with the vegetables like a chunky soup. Before serving I add a teaspoon of ghee - delicious! MI find grated carrot cooks quickly and the carrot flavour is stronger than when carrots are cooked whole or chunky. My partner loves my new food, she's shared so much of the diet in support.

I'm making sweet potato crisps seasoned with sea salt and black pepper tomorrow. I'll let you know how they go and upload a photo tomorrow. If its good enough, a recipe to follow. 😊
BARB
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