I saw the news report on that earthquake. That was a lot of stress, especially since it lasted for so long. I hope there wasn't major damage in your area.
FWIW, many of us find that the vegetables most likely to be tolerated are squash, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans. Note however that broccoli can cause gas that can be a problem at times, and some of us (especially some of those who are sensitive to soy) cannot tolerate green beans. Anyone who is sensitive to soy cannot tolerate most types of dry beans and peas (or most other legumes).
You mentioned dizziness and Imodium. Are you sure that the dizziness isn't being caused by the Imodium? The reason I ask is because dizziness associated with Imodium is apparently somewhat rare, but even half a tablet makes me uncomfortably dizzy, and a whole tablet is enough to put me on the sidelines until it wears off. I believe someone else here also mentioned that Imodium makes them dizzy. It's very uncommon, but it happens.
And regarding MS, are you taking plenty of vitamin D? There's a lot of research being published these days about the benefits of relatively high vitamin D daily doses for treating MS.
Vitamin D could repair nerve damage in multiple sclerosis, study suggests
and here's a link to an abstract of the original article:
Vitamin D receptor–retinoid X receptor heterodimer signaling regulates oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation
also in that issue of the Journal of Cell Biology:
A vitamin supplement for remyelination
And note this research report:
High-dose vitamin D supplementation may help treat multiple sclerosis
Here's a link to an abstract of the original article, which was published less than a month ago.
Safety and immunologic effects of high- vs low-dose cholecalciferol in multiple sclerosis
Eventually they will get around to recommending vitamin D as a treatment after a few more years of research, but if I had MC I doubt that I would wait for the official recommendation to be published.
Tex
Elimination Diet
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh, mbeezie
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michelleneujahr
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2016 7:21 pm
Re: Elimination Diet
Wow, Jean! This is amazing. Thank you!!!Jean wrote:The Elimination Diet
Good luck trying the elimination diet. Please keep us informed about your progress. This board is a tremendous place to get information and support.
Love, Jean
I am confused about the elimination diet. Have been taking supplements, enzymes, probiotics, etc. and still have not been able to get rid of the latest bout of LC. My holistic practitioner told me to avoid nightshade veggies and fruits, which include potatoes, yet the elimination diet says to eat potatoes. I read somewhere (maybe on this website) that the skins are the main problem with potatoes, while the flesh is safe to eat. Does that make it OK to eat potatoes , which I love?
Also, I can't imagine eating potatoes without butter, or fried potatoes without ketchup. I have dry mouth (mostly from meds for fibromyalgia) and it is very difficult for me to eat potatoes without butter and meats without sauce or sauteed mushrooms so I have some moisture to help get it down. Any suggestions for me?
Thank you very much.
Sylvia
Also, I can't imagine eating potatoes without butter, or fried potatoes without ketchup. I have dry mouth (mostly from meds for fibromyalgia) and it is very difficult for me to eat potatoes without butter and meats without sauce or sauteed mushrooms so I have some moisture to help get it down. Any suggestions for me?
Thank you very much.
Sylvia
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Sylvia
some people here do react to white potatoes - but most can tolerate things like sweet potato (yam)
I avoid skin of all vegetables
so far as adding MC safe moisture when eating vegetables - coconut oil, ghee, or boil them in home made bone broth are tasty options
the dry mouth issues will improve once you resolve things like magnesium deficiency (of note , medications can deplete magnesium)
I would avoid all dairy and sauces for now if you want to resolve symptoms. Dairy is highly inflammatory to everybody (not just MC'ers) and sauce wise, tomatos can be an issue for some in the early stages of healing.
some people here do react to white potatoes - but most can tolerate things like sweet potato (yam)
I avoid skin of all vegetables
so far as adding MC safe moisture when eating vegetables - coconut oil, ghee, or boil them in home made bone broth are tasty options
the dry mouth issues will improve once you resolve things like magnesium deficiency (of note , medications can deplete magnesium)
I would avoid all dairy and sauces for now if you want to resolve symptoms. Dairy is highly inflammatory to everybody (not just MC'ers) and sauce wise, tomatos can be an issue for some in the early stages of healing.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Sylvia,
Gabes posted while I was writing this, so please ignore the redundant parts. I agree with what Gabes wrote.
Yes, very, very few of us are sensitive to potatoes. Never eat the skins though. Not only is fiber contraindicated for LC, but the skins and sometimes the first few mm under the skin can contain the glycoalkaloid poison solanine, which is not good for anyone's health. This is also true for tomatoes and other nightshades. Never eat the peel. They aren't all toxic, but you can't necessarily tell by looking. If they have a greenish color in spots, be highly suspicious that they may contain solanine.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis (IOW, if your rheumatoid factor test result is positive), then it would probably be helpful to avoid nightshades (for your arthritis, not for LC). But the arthritis symptoms associated with LC are usually not due to potatoes.
I never stopped eating potatoes during my recovery, and I still eat potatoes almost every day.
Some members here put bone broth, olive oil, or coconut oil on their potatoes, meat, veggies, etc. In fact, many cook their veggies and other foods in bone broth. Earth Balance makes a soy-free spread that most members seem to be able to tolerate well as a butter substitute. If you absolutely can't live without butter, use a good quality brand of Ghee, instead. Ghee is clarified butter (in liquid form at room temp). It contains all of the flavor of butter without the casein.
Being a lazy (minimal) cook by nature, I just put sea salt on mashed potatoes and garlic salt on baked potatoes.
You're very welcome.
Tex
Gabes posted while I was writing this, so please ignore the redundant parts. I agree with what Gabes wrote.
Yes, very, very few of us are sensitive to potatoes. Never eat the skins though. Not only is fiber contraindicated for LC, but the skins and sometimes the first few mm under the skin can contain the glycoalkaloid poison solanine, which is not good for anyone's health. This is also true for tomatoes and other nightshades. Never eat the peel. They aren't all toxic, but you can't necessarily tell by looking. If they have a greenish color in spots, be highly suspicious that they may contain solanine.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis (IOW, if your rheumatoid factor test result is positive), then it would probably be helpful to avoid nightshades (for your arthritis, not for LC). But the arthritis symptoms associated with LC are usually not due to potatoes.
I never stopped eating potatoes during my recovery, and I still eat potatoes almost every day.
Some members here put bone broth, olive oil, or coconut oil on their potatoes, meat, veggies, etc. In fact, many cook their veggies and other foods in bone broth. Earth Balance makes a soy-free spread that most members seem to be able to tolerate well as a butter substitute. If you absolutely can't live without butter, use a good quality brand of Ghee, instead. Ghee is clarified butter (in liquid form at room temp). It contains all of the flavor of butter without the casein.
Being a lazy (minimal) cook by nature, I just put sea salt on mashed potatoes and garlic salt on baked potatoes.
You're very welcome.
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.
Thanks for your quick reply! I am from Idaho and have eaten potatoes all my life! But I can't stand sweet potatoes or yams. Do you know how to make homemade ghee? Coconut oil doesn't have much flavor, and even it it did (like unrefined) I hate the taste and smell of coconut! Unfortunately, I am a very picky eater and especially don't like some of the things that are supposed to be good for you - like avocados.
Is there some sort of guidelines or suggestions on how to implement the elimination diet? I can't quite wrap my head around just eating those 4 foods.
Thanks for being so helpful, you are much appreciated!!
Sylvia
Is there some sort of guidelines or suggestions on how to implement the elimination diet? I can't quite wrap my head around just eating those 4 foods.
Thanks for being so helpful, you are much appreciated!!
Sylvia
I'm still getting the hang of how posting on this site works. My previous comment was meant for Gabe, but it could also apply to the comments from Tex.
Tex, I do not have RA, just some osteoarthritis, and degenerative disc disease of the lower lumbar spine and sacroiliac facet joints.
I never heard of bone broth - is that something you can get at Whole Foods or some place like that?
Just curious, how do you make mashed potatoes without milk?
Thanks for your suggestions, Tex, you are a wealth of information!
Sylvia
Tex, I do not have RA, just some osteoarthritis, and degenerative disc disease of the lower lumbar spine and sacroiliac facet joints.
I never heard of bone broth - is that something you can get at Whole Foods or some place like that?
Just curious, how do you make mashed potatoes without milk?
Thanks for your suggestions, Tex, you are a wealth of information!
Sylvia
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Sylvia
it can take at least 5 tastes of an ingredient to adjust to it - especially in situations like this where you are giving up slightly addictive ingredients like gluten, dairy, sugar etc.
one of the aspects of life with MC is the mental and emotional aspects - acceptance of change, changing our mindset regarding food and eating, and embracing ingredients that in the past we have not always enjoyed.
Most of us here have had to give up items that we consumed daily before MC came into our lives...
so far as how do you make the elimination diet work -
- adjust cooking methods to make the ingredients taste good, cooking the vegetables in home made bone broth (with some of the natural fat that is in home made bone broth) and
then dont strain all the liquid when cooked, use some of it to do the mashing.
- cook with fattier cuts of meat
- look forward to the meal so your body produces the saliva and acids needed for the digestion process
- do the mental and emotional work of the changes you are making - these changes will be for life per say.
it can take at least 5 tastes of an ingredient to adjust to it - especially in situations like this where you are giving up slightly addictive ingredients like gluten, dairy, sugar etc.
one of the aspects of life with MC is the mental and emotional aspects - acceptance of change, changing our mindset regarding food and eating, and embracing ingredients that in the past we have not always enjoyed.
Most of us here have had to give up items that we consumed daily before MC came into our lives...
so far as how do you make the elimination diet work -
- adjust cooking methods to make the ingredients taste good, cooking the vegetables in home made bone broth (with some of the natural fat that is in home made bone broth) and
then dont strain all the liquid when cooked, use some of it to do the mashing.
- cook with fattier cuts of meat
- look forward to the meal so your body produces the saliva and acids needed for the digestion process
- do the mental and emotional work of the changes you are making - these changes will be for life per say.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Sylvia
If you can tolerate sugar(not everyone can) my DW would cut up sweet potato and boil it with water and A pinch of brown sugar or local maple syrup.
You can fry your potatoes with coconut oil no skins and do not brown the potatoes (browned potatoes caused me pain in the early stages)
I use Earth Balance Soy free butter(its non dairy)as Gabes pointed out coconut oil (I use it all the time) home made bone broth(it always calms my gut)
Terry
If you can tolerate sugar(not everyone can) my DW would cut up sweet potato and boil it with water and A pinch of brown sugar or local maple syrup.
You can fry your potatoes with coconut oil no skins and do not brown the potatoes (browned potatoes caused me pain in the early stages)
I use Earth Balance Soy free butter(its non dairy)as Gabes pointed out coconut oil (I use it all the time) home made bone broth(it always calms my gut)
Terry
Here's how to make Ghee:
Making ghee
The point of the elimination diet is to absolutely avoid all traces of all of the common food sensitivities so that you can reach remission in as short a time as possible. It's not meant to be a gourmet delight — it's a treatment program to allow you to pinpoint all your food sensitivities. After you have been in stable remission for a while, then you can consider experimenting with adding back in (one at a time) some of the foods and seasonings that you have been avoiding in order to reach remission.
Experience shows that the simpler (fewer foods) and blander (salt or salt and a little pepper only) we make the diet, the faster we recover. Attempting to make your food a gourmet experience while using the elimination diet can only delay recovery, because experience shows that many of us react to many seasonings when our LC is active, especially spicy seasoning. Commercial seasoning mixes and sauces are typically loaded with ingredients that cause problems. And tests show that many/most herb products are loaded with relatively high percentages of contaminants. It's much more efficient to eat to live for a few weeks while following an elimination diet so that you can live to eat later.
Tex
Making ghee
The point of the elimination diet is to absolutely avoid all traces of all of the common food sensitivities so that you can reach remission in as short a time as possible. It's not meant to be a gourmet delight — it's a treatment program to allow you to pinpoint all your food sensitivities. After you have been in stable remission for a while, then you can consider experimenting with adding back in (one at a time) some of the foods and seasonings that you have been avoiding in order to reach remission.
Experience shows that the simpler (fewer foods) and blander (salt or salt and a little pepper only) we make the diet, the faster we recover. Attempting to make your food a gourmet experience while using the elimination diet can only delay recovery, because experience shows that many of us react to many seasonings when our LC is active, especially spicy seasoning. Commercial seasoning mixes and sauces are typically loaded with ingredients that cause problems. And tests show that many/most herb products are loaded with relatively high percentages of contaminants. It's much more efficient to eat to live for a few weeks while following an elimination diet so that you can live to eat later.
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.
Sylvia,
I never eat avocados either. Give me meat and potatoes and I'm a happy camper. Here's a good thread on making bone broth:
Bone broth
And as Gabes posted, even if you cook your potatoes in water (rather than bone broth), just leave enough liquid for mashing, when you drain them. Or add some olive oil or bone broth (or ghee).
If you can tolerate tomatoes, bearing in mind that many of us cannot tolerate citric acid while we are reacting/recovering, then you may be able to tolerate ketchup with minimal (safe) ingredients.
But please remember that any and every condiment, seasoning, spice, etc., or anything else that you add to your "exclusion" diet may be the ingredient that prevents you from ever reaching remission. We only have to slip up on one ingredient in order to make our recovery diet worthless. If we corrupt the diet right out of the chute, all of our efforts are wasted because of that bad choice.
Why do I harp on this? Because some of us are lucky and we can tolerate a larger margin of error than others. But for many of us, if any margin of error exists, it's mighty slim. Being overly cautious can only make our recovery easier. Not being cautious enough can prevent our recovery. That's why we have to weight the risks so carefully.
Tex
I never eat avocados either. Give me meat and potatoes and I'm a happy camper. Here's a good thread on making bone broth:
Bone broth
And as Gabes posted, even if you cook your potatoes in water (rather than bone broth), just leave enough liquid for mashing, when you drain them. Or add some olive oil or bone broth (or ghee).
If you can tolerate tomatoes, bearing in mind that many of us cannot tolerate citric acid while we are reacting/recovering, then you may be able to tolerate ketchup with minimal (safe) ingredients.
But please remember that any and every condiment, seasoning, spice, etc., or anything else that you add to your "exclusion" diet may be the ingredient that prevents you from ever reaching remission. We only have to slip up on one ingredient in order to make our recovery diet worthless. If we corrupt the diet right out of the chute, all of our efforts are wasted because of that bad choice.
Why do I harp on this? Because some of us are lucky and we can tolerate a larger margin of error than others. But for many of us, if any margin of error exists, it's mighty slim. Being overly cautious can only make our recovery easier. Not being cautious enough can prevent our recovery. That's why we have to weight the risks so carefully.
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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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
to expand on Tex's reply above - yes - just a little bit of dairy or little bit of sauce can have big impact on our digestion in the early stages of healing.
even after years of healing, I have to be super careful to avoid any contamination by soy products be it tongs or cooking plate with vegetable oil on it, touching my food can cause a reaction...
even after years of healing, I have to be super careful to avoid any contamination by soy products be it tongs or cooking plate with vegetable oil on it, touching my food can cause a reaction...
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
I am new to this forum, & have had a bad recurrence of MC after no flare-ups for several years. This has been going on for about 3 months now. I was doing much better last week & have now had a very bad spell in the last few days. The information on certain foods that may cause flare-ups is very interesting to me. I think I'm going to get prepared & go on the diet. Thanks everyone for all the great info.
Sandie
Sandie
Sandie Heifetz