Test Results

[charliemudcat]

I just received my Enterolab results and I am sensitive to the standard offenders: gluten, dairy and soy and had a 1+ immunological reaction to oats, tuna and almonds. This makes my recovery diet pretty clear, but I have a few questions:

My cow's milk IgA was 19 units. Do I have to avoid butter too? What about goat's or sheep's milk cheese?

I am avoiding raw vegetables, but need some guidance on whether I can eat cooked carrots, peas, green beans, broccoli.

What is a RECOMMENDED meal plan? I am striving to avoid foods with sugar, processed foods and obviously, the offenders mentioned above.

I'm on a full course (9mg daily) of budesonide and plan to stay on it for two months, then reduce for two months to 6 and finally to 3. Does this sound like a decent plan?

I'm confused about the reference to nightshades--I am not reactive to white potato, but does that also mean I have to avoid tomatoes? I am an avid vegetable gardener and even wondering whether to plant tomatoes next year...

I of course have tons of questions, but am just struggling to find my way forward. Yesterday, my husband baked homemade French bread and a lovely chocolate cake from scratch. Life is going to be tough in my household because we are both avid cooks. I need advice on how to alter my cooking to suit my healing process.

Thanks in advance for your support and advice!

[tex]

Hi Katie,

People who react to dairy products can safely drink milk from the cameloids (camels, llamas, guanacos, alpacas, and vicuñas), but they cannot safely drink the milk from sheep and goats. Using almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, or rice milk is usually a more practical substitution. Butter is loaded with casein — all dairy products contain casein.

Carrots, green beans, squash (peeled) are usually OK. Broccoli is safe, but it may cause gas problems. Peas are legumes and most people who are sensitive to soy are also sensitive to most legumes Remember though, we're all different, so that recommendation is not chiseled in stone. But because of that, we all have to develop our own menu/diet. For recommendations, look here:

Guidelines for Recovery

I'm on a full course (9mg daily) of budesonide and plan to stay on it for two months, then reduce for two months to 6 and finally to 3. Does this sound like a decent plan?

Yes, except that you'll probably need to taper the dose to way below 3 mg/day to prevent a relapse.

Ignore the warning about potatoes, unless you have a positive rheumatiod factor (RF). Avoid tomatoes until after you are in remission because they are a citrus fruit, and we tend to react to citric acid when MC is active. By next year they should be OK.

Regarding utensils when converting for GF use: to eliminate the biggest risks, all utensils made of porous materials (such as wood) and cracked, deeply scratched, or grooved items should be replaced and then never used for gluten-containing foods. Cast iron pots should be thoroughly cleaned and reseasoned. Baking pans should be thoroughly cleaned (to remove baked-on residues), or replaced. If you use a toaster, you need a new one that has never been used to toast wheat bread. If your husband continues to cook with gluten, You need your own set of utensils, and your own space. Otherwise I'll guarantee that your food will be cross-contaminated with gluten from flour. Preferably, you would be way ahead if you can set up your own dedicated GF kitchen. Flour is probably the most prevalent contaminant in the world — some of it becomes airborne when you open the bag or pour it, and it settles out everywhere. Even in cabinets and drawers, so your utensils/food will always be contaminated if there is any wheat flour in the kitchen.

At least, that's my opinion.

Tex

[charliemudcat]

Not sure I understand what you mean re budesonide—do you mean the following:

After having tapered to 3mg after 4 months and staying on 3mg for 2 months, I would need to continue the taper to 1 3mg cap every other day for a while and then every 3rd day for a while? I do get that I need to do this all very slowly.

Also, since I had a 1+ for almonds, would I be able to drink almond milk? I can always switch to coconut milk, but I happen to have a bunch in my fridge so would prefer not to throw it out.

Thank you for your patience with me.

[tex]

Yes, most members are most successful tapering the dose that way.

I can't eat almonds without getting sick, but I can handle almond milk just fine. That's true for most of us who are sensitive to almonds. However, since we are all different, that doesn't guarantee that it will work for you.

You're very welcome.

Tex

[charliemudcat]

Thanks, Tex. Tomorrow I head to the co-op for some GF DF foods. What an adventure...

[Gabes-Apg]

Katie
breathe - it can be overwhelming at first.

as per the posts and discussions in the Guidelines to Recovery section I suggest the following;
- take it a meal at a time, dont aim to have every meal '100%' perfect from word go. Sort out your safe breakfast options, get settled with that. then sort out dinner options that will work for you and husbands eating style/plan/lifestyle. once settled with that work on lunch and snacks etc.

- go cautiously with commercial DF DF processed foods. they can be high in sugar and flour types that are not ideal for the first stages of healing.
we have lots of receipe ideas that use minimal ingredients

- an article about goats milk/sheeps milk and why it is not a good idea if you react to Dairy
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8646/th ... dairy.html

this article is also part of the Stage 1 eating plan in Guidelines to Recovery section.

for now, it may be tough to embrace what we are suggesting with the minimal amount of ingredients eating plan. In time with healing you can embrace lots of awesome cooking.
I have adjusted alot of my long term receipes to suit my GF, DF, SF eating plan. including chocolate cakes, mud cakes and other yummy treats etc using pure ingredients like coconut oil, pure cocoa butter, safe flours, DF/SF butters and the like.

the bland eating plan doesnt have to be boring - there are loads of way to have yummy meals, that both you and your husband can enjoy.
hope this helps

[charliemudcat]

Thanks, Tex. I almost think my husband is more overwhelmed (and suspicious about my choices at this point) than I am. I have suspected the diet issues were a problem for a long time and underwent the testing with an inkling as to what the outcome would be.

He is very suspicious of my leading my own treatment instead of just following the advice of my gastro guy. And this gluten free dairy free diet change is something that, in his mind, will disrupt his life as well as mine, if only because when he cooks and bakes it has obviously been for both of us. I have to figure out a way to co-exist very peacefully with his glutinous milky world while cheerfully maintaining my own road to good (or at least) better health. A bit of a challenge.

He is a really smart guy who reveres science and especially doctors, and I need him on board. He might be a bigger challenge than the diet change itself. I would welcome any suggestions from this forum on coping with this situation.

Thanks again.

[Pam V]

Hi Katie,
My husband and son (15 yrs old) are supportive of my need to eat differently, but certainly aren’t ready to join me with my eating plan. I have found that it works well for me to cook up a big pot of white rice and cook some type of protein (ground beef, turkey, etc). I mix the protein and rice together and freeze single serving portions. I’ve started making broth and have that frozen as well. I still love to cook, so I continue to make them the meals that they like and I warm up my safe food for my dinner. It was a little painful at first to see, smell, and serve food that I can’t eat but I have to say that it doesn’t bother me too much anymore. I think my taste buds have changed and as my body has started to heal, I am motivated to stay with my safe foods. I have always been an avid baker and haven’t wanted to stop making birthday cakes for my husband and children. I know that I risk cross contamination but I have continued to bake but am very careful about cleaning work surfaces and not whisking flour so that it is airborne. It’s not easy as you start out ~ as you start to feel better, it will motivate you. Some of my coworkers have started eating food like me!!!

Hang in there!

Love,
Pam

[tex]

Katie,

Pam is right, these changes might seem radical at first (to anyone), but as time goes on and you start to feel so much better, your perceptions change and the justification for the changes becomes more obvious while the disadvantages slowly lose their legitimacy. Yes, getting your husband on board with your treatment program/lifestyle change is vital not only for the long-term success of your treatment, but for the happiness, satisfaction, and enjoyment of life in general for both of you for the rest of your lives. It might be helpful to share this with your husband.

This is a huge step for both of you and no one wants to make such drastic changes unless they have a very good reason. You have a very good reason or course (your health and quality of life), and he probably realizes that so does he, because from here on forward, this will impact every part of your lives. But he may not see the immediate need for the changes because he's not the one with the health issues. Ask him if he eats differently when he has the flu, and then point out that having MC is very much like having a severe case of the flu, forever.

And I can understand his respect and reverence for science and medicine, because I'm a fan of those disciplines myself, and I've spent an enormous amount of my life studying them. But one thing I've learned is that doctors are shackled by the rules of the establishment — for the most part, they're only allowed to utilize the skills they're taught in med school. If they stray from those policies and anything goes wrong, they get sued. So they learn early on not to stray. And sadly, they're only taught in medical school how to temporarily control IBDs using drugs. Medical science does not understand IBDs in general and they especially don't understand MC. That's why we have to innovate our own methods if we want a long-term solution that doesn't require the use of risky drugs.

From our accumulated experiences in the school of hard knocks, we've learned that the correct way to treat MC is to change our diets so that the inflammation is no longer regenerated each time we eat a meal. We can control the disease indefinitely (usually without any drugs) simply by changing our diets. What could be more elegant?

Tex