I am very underweight (5'9", 106 pounds) and am having trouble gaining the weight back (I used to weigh 125 before all this). I was diagnosed with MC 6 months ago but my LC has got worse since then, according to my recent Calprotectin stool test. I have been gluten, dairy, and soy-free for 3-4 weeks now (was egg-free as well but had a little recently) and have just recently started on Budesonide 3 days ago.
My EnteroLab tests were as follows:
Quantitative Microscopic Fecal Fat Score Less than 300 Units (Normal Range is less than 300 Units)
HLA-DQB1 Molecular analysis, Allele 1* 02:01
HLA-DQB1 Molecular analysis, Allele 2* 03:02
Serologic equivalent: HLA-DQ 2,3 (Subtype 2,8)
Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA 21 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA 12 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA 12 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-soy IgA 21 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 13 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Food to which there was no significant immunological reactivity:
Beef
Chicken
Pork
Tuna
Walnut
Cashew
White potato
Food to which there was some immunological reactivity (1+):
Oat
Rice
Corn
Food to which there was moderate immunological reactivity (2+):
Almond
Food to which there was significant and/or the most immunological reactivity (3+):
None
I have mostly been eating baked chicken, ground turkey, sliced turkey, ham (a little recently), beef (a little recently), bacon (a little recently), white rice, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, occasional bananas.
For breakfast, I have been often eating GF Rice and Corn Chex and occasionally Cheerios with Coconut or Walnut Milk. I know these are processed foods but with little ingredients, I decided to take a chance since I am a little stumped about what else to have for breakfast. Any thoughts?
As a snack, I have been eating half an avocado, sometimes with GF Pecan Nut crackers (again, processed food but also with little ingredients). Also GF Snyders pretzels with cashew butter (containing safflower oil, salt, and cashews). Here's one I really don't want to give up because it gives me so many extra calories. Not sure if the pretzels are a great idea but didn't see anything in the ingredients that seemed too bad, but I don't know.
I am maybe getting in 1300-1400 calories daily at the very most. I have been to a dietician and there wasn't much she could help with but to tell me to try to make my own shakes. I have considered using Lactaid milk. I know this is real milk but without the lactose and an added lactase enzyme for better digestion. It still has the milk protein, I'm sure, which might not be great for me but it definitely adds extra calories so I am considering trying it. I also saw a nutrition shake called ENU that would be great to get in extra calories and nutrients, however, it has soy and milk (without lactose) but wondering if it might be worth the risk.
Has anyone else has any experiences with Lactaid milk or ENU nutrition drinks?
Any suggestions on how I can gain more weight? I want to keep my LC under control because I know it will be even harder for me to gain weight if it's bad but I also desperately need the calories. I am hoping the Budesonide will help with the inflammation but am worried I might not be healthy enough to last through the whole treatment.
Thank you so much for all of your help!
Help Gaining Weight!
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Here are my thoughts after reading your post:
You sound as though you're stuck in a rut, headed for starvation. You're probably just cutting foods out of your diet, but not increasing the amount of the safe foods that you can eat. For example: Eat 2 or 3 pork chops for dinner, lunch, and even breakfast, if you want. They're 500 calories each, so 6 per day would be 3000 calories. Add a large potato to each meal for a few more hundred calories per meal. You might gain some weight, even with active MC, at 3000–4000 calories per day. You'll never gain weight on 1300–1400 calories per day. That's not only a weight loss diet, it's a starvation diet.
You can't eat eggs, or Cheerios, or lactaid milk, or "nutrition shakes" if you ever expect to reach remission and gain any weight. Sticking to safe foods is mandatory.
There's nothing magic about a shake, but if you want to make a shake, use coconut milk. The type that comes in a can. Get the pure stuff, that's not diluted with anything — 100 % coconut milk. It's loaded with calories, and won't cause inflammation. Be careful that you add only safe items.
And why are you looking for some special weight-loss food such as cereal for breakfast? Many of us eat a breakfast that looks like any other meal while we're recovering. If you need calories, eat calories, not diet (weight-loss) food. If you want a more traditional (but still very nutritious and high-calorie) type breakfast, eat bacon and/or sausage with a large helping of hash browns.
Most of us lose a lot of weight before we get our health turned around, but once we start to heal, the weight comes back in a hurry, if we eat to actually gain weight. But you can't turn it around if you eat any of the foods that cause you to produce antibodies. Avoid all the foods that your EnteroLab results show are not safe. A safe diet is your ticket to remission (and weight gain). It takes patience and perseverance to make the long, hard journey back to health, but it's so worth it. It may be the hardest thing some of us have ever done, but once you reach the finish, and regain your health, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment on a level that you've never felt before.
I hope this helps.
Tex
You sound as though you're stuck in a rut, headed for starvation. You're probably just cutting foods out of your diet, but not increasing the amount of the safe foods that you can eat. For example: Eat 2 or 3 pork chops for dinner, lunch, and even breakfast, if you want. They're 500 calories each, so 6 per day would be 3000 calories. Add a large potato to each meal for a few more hundred calories per meal. You might gain some weight, even with active MC, at 3000–4000 calories per day. You'll never gain weight on 1300–1400 calories per day. That's not only a weight loss diet, it's a starvation diet.
You can't eat eggs, or Cheerios, or lactaid milk, or "nutrition shakes" if you ever expect to reach remission and gain any weight. Sticking to safe foods is mandatory.
There's nothing magic about a shake, but if you want to make a shake, use coconut milk. The type that comes in a can. Get the pure stuff, that's not diluted with anything — 100 % coconut milk. It's loaded with calories, and won't cause inflammation. Be careful that you add only safe items.
And why are you looking for some special weight-loss food such as cereal for breakfast? Many of us eat a breakfast that looks like any other meal while we're recovering. If you need calories, eat calories, not diet (weight-loss) food. If you want a more traditional (but still very nutritious and high-calorie) type breakfast, eat bacon and/or sausage with a large helping of hash browns.
Most of us lose a lot of weight before we get our health turned around, but once we start to heal, the weight comes back in a hurry, if we eat to actually gain weight. But you can't turn it around if you eat any of the foods that cause you to produce antibodies. Avoid all the foods that your EnteroLab results show are not safe. A safe diet is your ticket to remission (and weight gain). It takes patience and perseverance to make the long, hard journey back to health, but it's so worth it. It may be the hardest thing some of us have ever done, but once you reach the finish, and regain your health, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment on a level that you've never felt before.
I hope this helps.
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.
Hello Sorphal,
I have several suggestions for you.
1. Eliminate rice, cereal, and zucchini - Your tests shows reaction to grains. Even a little bit can be causing the inflammation to persist. Regarding zucchini, the skin and seeds contain lectins which could be inflammatory to the GI tract.
2. Eliminate all wheat - That includes the pretzels. There is ample evidence that those with MC should avoid all of it.
3. Eliminate all foods with vegetable oils - The cashew butter contains safflower oil, which may not be an issue, but is potentially inflammatory. Use a nut butter with no added oil. Although it's expensive, pure macadamia butter is a very good option.
4. Much More Calories - 1400 calories is way too low. You need to gain a lot of weight! I am the same height and weigh 165lbs. If I were 106lbs I'd blow away. You should be eating at least 2000 calories a day until you get your goal weight. No food limits! The easiest way to pack on the calories is fat and more fat, because fat is the most calorically dense macro-nutrient. Add olive oil (only EVOO - Kirkland or Trader Joes if available) and butter (grass fed like Kerrygold) to everything. A yam with lots of butter is delicious! There's approximately 100 calories in 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil. So all you need is 6 tablespoons throughout the day to get you to 2000 calories.
Good luck!
P.S. I just read Tex's reply, and as always his advice is perfect and well-stated.
I have several suggestions for you.
1. Eliminate rice, cereal, and zucchini - Your tests shows reaction to grains. Even a little bit can be causing the inflammation to persist. Regarding zucchini, the skin and seeds contain lectins which could be inflammatory to the GI tract.
2. Eliminate all wheat - That includes the pretzels. There is ample evidence that those with MC should avoid all of it.
3. Eliminate all foods with vegetable oils - The cashew butter contains safflower oil, which may not be an issue, but is potentially inflammatory. Use a nut butter with no added oil. Although it's expensive, pure macadamia butter is a very good option.
4. Much More Calories - 1400 calories is way too low. You need to gain a lot of weight! I am the same height and weigh 165lbs. If I were 106lbs I'd blow away. You should be eating at least 2000 calories a day until you get your goal weight. No food limits! The easiest way to pack on the calories is fat and more fat, because fat is the most calorically dense macro-nutrient. Add olive oil (only EVOO - Kirkland or Trader Joes if available) and butter (grass fed like Kerrygold) to everything. A yam with lots of butter is delicious! There's approximately 100 calories in 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil. So all you need is 6 tablespoons throughout the day to get you to 2000 calories.
Good luck!
P.S. I just read Tex's reply, and as always his advice is perfect and well-stated.
DX CC 2013
Sorphal79, My breakfast every day consists of two lightly salted rice cakes, cashew butter and sliced banana. I suits my need for "breakfast food". I need to check to see what oil my cashew butter is mixed with, I thought it was safe but after reading Cfurer's reply about safflower oil I want to double check. You show a sensitivity to rice so I'm not sure having GF rice Chex daily would be good for you. Tex mentioned to me that +1 foods, if tolerated, should only be maybe once every third day.
Cfurer, Sorphal shows a reaction to casein, shouldn't she be steering clear of butter?
Cfurer, Sorphal shows a reaction to casein, shouldn't she be steering clear of butter?
Karen
Karen,
If you find any problem with your cashew butter, try Kevalas's Cashew Butter. The only ingredient is dry roasted cashews, and it's made in a peanut-free facility. The oil in it comes from the cashew itself.
Tex
If you find any problem with your cashew butter, try Kevalas's Cashew Butter. The only ingredient is dry roasted cashews, and it's made in a peanut-free facility. The oil in it comes from the cashew itself.
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.
(other than what is on my test results) Cashews are on my safe food list but the ingredients are:Cashews, Safflower Oil, Cane Sugar, Palm Oil, Sea Salt. Thank you all so much for your help! This has been a large struggle for me and I want to do the right thing and eat the right foods but it seems so difficult to gain weight with this restricted "diet." It has also been especially hard for me since I have never been much of a cook and now I feel that I am suddenly having to cook every meal I eat. It is definitely a huge adjustment period.
The cashew butter I have been eating is Open Nature, which contains only cashews and sunflower oil (not safflower oil, as I had mistakenly said previously). I'm not sure if sunflower oil is bad but will certainly switch to Kevala, as Tex suggested, or any others that only have cashews in it, just to be on the safe side. They are all pretty much expensive and fall about into the same price.
Thank you again, Tex, for suggesting the pure coconut milk instead of the others I have been drinking. I just noticed too that my Open Nature coconut milk has gellan and locust bean gum in it. The almond milk I used to drink also has gellan gum in it. Aren't all gums naturally inflammatory, or are they safe?
I guess I have been struggling to find breakfast and snack ideas. I will replace the cereals with bacon/sausage and potatoes and increase my portions. I also wanted to be able to maybe alternate that with something else, as to not have the same thing every morning. Thank you, Karen, for your suggestion of bananas with cashew butter. This will definitely add a different breakfast option for me!
I am upset about possibly having a reaction to rice, although a small one. My antigenic score was only slightly higher than normal but rice has been a huge staple in my diet. I believe Tex had also suggested to me on another post that it may be okay if every other day or every third day? That will definitely help with variety and adding extra calories from carbs.
Cfurer, thank you for your suggestion on adding olive oil to my meals. This will definitely add more calories. I wonder if I can also add extra virgin coconut oil once in a while? It seems to only have saturated fat, while olive oil has mostly health fats, so I don't know if that would be hurting or harming me? I will also look into macadamia nut butter too. This will be a nice variety if I can tolerate it.
Thank you all for your help and suggestions! You are all, in every sense, a lifesaver for me as I struggle through this disease.
The cashew butter I have been eating is Open Nature, which contains only cashews and sunflower oil (not safflower oil, as I had mistakenly said previously). I'm not sure if sunflower oil is bad but will certainly switch to Kevala, as Tex suggested, or any others that only have cashews in it, just to be on the safe side. They are all pretty much expensive and fall about into the same price.
Thank you again, Tex, for suggesting the pure coconut milk instead of the others I have been drinking. I just noticed too that my Open Nature coconut milk has gellan and locust bean gum in it. The almond milk I used to drink also has gellan gum in it. Aren't all gums naturally inflammatory, or are they safe?
I guess I have been struggling to find breakfast and snack ideas. I will replace the cereals with bacon/sausage and potatoes and increase my portions. I also wanted to be able to maybe alternate that with something else, as to not have the same thing every morning. Thank you, Karen, for your suggestion of bananas with cashew butter. This will definitely add a different breakfast option for me!
I am upset about possibly having a reaction to rice, although a small one. My antigenic score was only slightly higher than normal but rice has been a huge staple in my diet. I believe Tex had also suggested to me on another post that it may be okay if every other day or every third day? That will definitely help with variety and adding extra calories from carbs.
Cfurer, thank you for your suggestion on adding olive oil to my meals. This will definitely add more calories. I wonder if I can also add extra virgin coconut oil once in a while? It seems to only have saturated fat, while olive oil has mostly health fats, so I don't know if that would be hurting or harming me? I will also look into macadamia nut butter too. This will be a nice variety if I can tolerate it.
Thank you all for your help and suggestions! You are all, in every sense, a lifesaver for me as I struggle through this disease.
Hi Karen,
Regarding your excellent point about the casein content in butter, it's almost entirely fat and typically doesn't affect people with casein sensitivity from what I've read. I did some research on Kerrygold butter which is grass fed, but it is from Holstein cows that produce the A1 form of casein which is associated with GI inflammation. So although I don't think butter would cause an MC related issue, in the interest of creating a strict elimination diet the proper butter would be ghee which has no protein at all, or skip the butter altogether and bathe everything in high quality olive oil. And snack as much as you want on organic pitted Kalamata olives.
Regarding sorphal's question about coconut oil, I think it's a great approach. I cook with refined organic coconut oil and also eat coconut butter (Artisana brand) as a snack 2 to 3 times a week. It contains MCT which is a different type of saturated fat that typically does not raise LDL levels when consumed in low amounts (10g to 20g per day) in adults with normal levels.
Happy Friday everyone!
Regarding your excellent point about the casein content in butter, it's almost entirely fat and typically doesn't affect people with casein sensitivity from what I've read. I did some research on Kerrygold butter which is grass fed, but it is from Holstein cows that produce the A1 form of casein which is associated with GI inflammation. So although I don't think butter would cause an MC related issue, in the interest of creating a strict elimination diet the proper butter would be ghee which has no protein at all, or skip the butter altogether and bathe everything in high quality olive oil. And snack as much as you want on organic pitted Kalamata olives.
Regarding sorphal's question about coconut oil, I think it's a great approach. I cook with refined organic coconut oil and also eat coconut butter (Artisana brand) as a snack 2 to 3 times a week. It contains MCT which is a different type of saturated fat that typically does not raise LDL levels when consumed in low amounts (10g to 20g per day) in adults with normal levels.
Happy Friday everyone!
DX CC 2013
Hi Sorphal-
I took Budesonide and it did slow my weight loss, so I hope it does the same for you.
When I needed to add calories I added olive oil to what I cooked and bought Earth Balance Soy Free buttery spread (it’s dairy free as well, but is plant based so read the labels). It’s excellent. Also, if potatoes and sunflower oil are safe look at Simply Lays w/ sea salt potato chips. Obviously these are for extra calories and not nutrition. You may have to eat 4 or more smaller meals to get enough calories in.
Like the others said stop eating Cheerios. They may say gluten free but have been recalled several times for containing gluten. In fact, Health Canada told General Mills they had to remove the gluten free label from boxes sold in Canada because Cheerios continued to fail their tests repeatedly. The gluten levels were too high to be considered safe for persons with gluten intolerance.
With all due respect to your dietician she doesn’t understand your disease. Based on your Enterolab results you have to avoid soy and dairy. It will not be worth the risk.
Initially I found having to cook so much to be problematic, even overwhelming at times, but like everything else the more you do it you get a new routine established and it becomes simpler. Your list of safe foods looks good. There are many choices there. Your focus has to be on reaching remission, no matter what it takes. You probably won’t gain weight until you heal more. My slow cooker became my best friend- a lean roast with carrots and potatoes; pork chops with green beans, etc. You get the idea. All I had to do was get organized and the slow cooker did the rest.
Hang in there and be patient with yourself. It will come together and you’ll hit on routines that work for you. It’s like any other skill, it just takes practice.
Carol
I took Budesonide and it did slow my weight loss, so I hope it does the same for you.
When I needed to add calories I added olive oil to what I cooked and bought Earth Balance Soy Free buttery spread (it’s dairy free as well, but is plant based so read the labels). It’s excellent. Also, if potatoes and sunflower oil are safe look at Simply Lays w/ sea salt potato chips. Obviously these are for extra calories and not nutrition. You may have to eat 4 or more smaller meals to get enough calories in.
Like the others said stop eating Cheerios. They may say gluten free but have been recalled several times for containing gluten. In fact, Health Canada told General Mills they had to remove the gluten free label from boxes sold in Canada because Cheerios continued to fail their tests repeatedly. The gluten levels were too high to be considered safe for persons with gluten intolerance.
With all due respect to your dietician she doesn’t understand your disease. Based on your Enterolab results you have to avoid soy and dairy. It will not be worth the risk.
Initially I found having to cook so much to be problematic, even overwhelming at times, but like everything else the more you do it you get a new routine established and it becomes simpler. Your list of safe foods looks good. There are many choices there. Your focus has to be on reaching remission, no matter what it takes. You probably won’t gain weight until you heal more. My slow cooker became my best friend- a lean roast with carrots and potatoes; pork chops with green beans, etc. You get the idea. All I had to do was get organized and the slow cooker did the rest.
Hang in there and be patient with yourself. It will come together and you’ll hit on routines that work for you. It’s like any other skill, it just takes practice.
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Cfurer, thank you for your suggestions, especially the Kalamata olives! I wasn't trying to stay away from all fruit because of the fructose and fiber but it looks like these sound pretty safe to snack on.
Carolm, thank you so much for your encouraging words and suggestions! I will definitely check out those butter spreads and will be absolutely thrilled if I can once in a while have the Simply Lays potato chips! I never even thought of that. The ingredients are few and I don't have a problem with potatoes. I'm not sure about the sunflower oil but I have been eating it so I can't say if it is hurting me or not (still in active MC so it's always hard to tell if any one thing triggers it). The Bliss ice cream also sounds like a wonderful treat. I know I should watch my sugar intake, but I had considered getting the So Delicious brand as well but the Bliss looks to have a bit fewer and simpler ingredients.
Thanks!
Carolm, thank you so much for your encouraging words and suggestions! I will definitely check out those butter spreads and will be absolutely thrilled if I can once in a while have the Simply Lays potato chips! I never even thought of that. The ingredients are few and I don't have a problem with potatoes. I'm not sure about the sunflower oil but I have been eating it so I can't say if it is hurting me or not (still in active MC so it's always hard to tell if any one thing triggers it). The Bliss ice cream also sounds like a wonderful treat. I know I should watch my sugar intake, but I had considered getting the So Delicious brand as well but the Bliss looks to have a bit fewer and simpler ingredients.
Thanks!
To add to (and help elucidate) all of the great suggestions that you've received:
Regarding ghee:
It's simply butter that's boiled until the casein precipitates out and settles to the bottom of the container. Then the liquid that's poured off (or filtered off) is called ghee. Unfortunately though, since that gives imperfect separation, all brands contain a small amount of casein. The amount usually, but not always, correlates inversely with the price. Quite a few years ago several of us tried ghee and most of us found that sometimes we could tolerate it, and sometimes we reacted to it. Most of us could tolerate it when we were in remission, but that made it seem rather risky if we were still in recovery.
The best price that I've found on Kevala's Cashew Butter is at iHerb, especially if you can take advantage of their "Loyalty Credit" offers.
Many of us (especially those of us who are sensitive to soy) have problems with virtually all of the "gums", because those gums come from plants that are legumes. Except for xanthan gum — it's a polysaccharide made from the slime left by a bacteria called Xanthomonas campestris, when they decompose glucose and sucrose (such as corn sugar). This is the same bacterium that causes black rot to form on broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Of course, many of us react to it, also. I found this warning in wikipedia:
As far as I'm aware, sunflower oil, safflower oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil etc., should be safe for most of us. A number of years ago there was a big uproar when a lot of brands of imported olive oils were found to be adulterated with soy oil, or some other cheap oil. I would hope that has been sorted out and corrected by now, but I haven't heard anything about it since the initial discovery. A lot of us (who were sensitive to soy) have been using California branded olive oils since then, because they were found to be safe.
I hope I've addressed most of your concerns.
Tex
Regarding ghee:
It's simply butter that's boiled until the casein precipitates out and settles to the bottom of the container. Then the liquid that's poured off (or filtered off) is called ghee. Unfortunately though, since that gives imperfect separation, all brands contain a small amount of casein. The amount usually, but not always, correlates inversely with the price. Quite a few years ago several of us tried ghee and most of us found that sometimes we could tolerate it, and sometimes we reacted to it. Most of us could tolerate it when we were in remission, but that made it seem rather risky if we were still in recovery.
The best price that I've found on Kevala's Cashew Butter is at iHerb, especially if you can take advantage of their "Loyalty Credit" offers.
Many of us (especially those of us who are sensitive to soy) have problems with virtually all of the "gums", because those gums come from plants that are legumes. Except for xanthan gum — it's a polysaccharide made from the slime left by a bacteria called Xanthomonas campestris, when they decompose glucose and sucrose (such as corn sugar). This is the same bacterium that causes black rot to form on broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Of course, many of us react to it, also. I found this warning in wikipedia:
That FDA warning suggests that xanthan gum may not be a great choice for intestinal health (especially for IBD patients), since it infers a risk of intestinal inflammation for patients with compromised immune systems.Evaluation of workers exposed to xanthan gum dust found evidence of a link to respiratory symptoms.[11]
On May 20, 2011, the FDA issued a press release about SimplyThick, a food-thickening additive containing xanthan gum as the active ingredient, warning parents, caregivers and health care providers not to feed SimplyThick, a thickening product, to premature infants[12] The concern is that the product may cause premature infants to suffer necrotizing enterocolitis.
As far as I'm aware, sunflower oil, safflower oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil etc., should be safe for most of us. A number of years ago there was a big uproar when a lot of brands of imported olive oils were found to be adulterated with soy oil, or some other cheap oil. I would hope that has been sorted out and corrected by now, but I haven't heard anything about it since the initial discovery. A lot of us (who were sensitive to soy) have been using California branded olive oils since then, because they were found to be safe.
I hope I've addressed most of your concerns.
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.
I am in the same situation, I am so desperate. I have no diahorrea, last flare was a month ago, but it went away after 3 days. I just keep on losing weight. I am 85 punds I used to be 120 punds. I am so sad. I am gluten, grians, lactose, free. A naturopath doctor remove all fried foods. So basically I am just eating Meat, vegetables (which surprisingly I am tolarte them super well) and steam vegatables. But I eat a lot of olive oil and nothing seems to work. Sometimes I feel misdiagnosed, nothing seems to work for me
Ingrid
Hi Ingrid,
I have a couple of thoughts to share. Regarding diet, 2000 calories is respectable, but in light of your weight I'd suggest getting it up to 3,000. If you can tolerate ice cream or chocolate without having flareups, it does make it easy to pack on the calories. Also almonds and macadamias are very calorically dense, again if you can handle them without a flareup. If those options don't work, then double the olive oil.
My bigger concern is whether you have some other medical issue at play. Have you gone to a gastroenterologist or an internist for tests? Have they ruled out parasites and any other health issue. Going from 120lbs to 85lbs is dramatic and should be treated with urgency. I do have respect for knowledgeable naturopathic doctors, but this sounds like a situation for conventional medicine.
I have a couple of thoughts to share. Regarding diet, 2000 calories is respectable, but in light of your weight I'd suggest getting it up to 3,000. If you can tolerate ice cream or chocolate without having flareups, it does make it easy to pack on the calories. Also almonds and macadamias are very calorically dense, again if you can handle them without a flareup. If those options don't work, then double the olive oil.
My bigger concern is whether you have some other medical issue at play. Have you gone to a gastroenterologist or an internist for tests? Have they ruled out parasites and any other health issue. Going from 120lbs to 85lbs is dramatic and should be treated with urgency. I do have respect for knowledgeable naturopathic doctors, but this sounds like a situation for conventional medicine.
DX CC 2013