Hi, everyone,
My husband is starting his Phase 1 diet. I understand from the collective wisdom here that low fat is best to heal MC. But what does that really mean?
Does low fat simply mean no fried, deep fried, or sautéed foods?
Does it simply mean no fatty cuts of meat, lamb, chicken?
Does it mean stop foods that have high fat like avocado and eggs?
And my biggest question -- does it mean stop adding organic olive oil to the plate of food after it is cooked? (Which, as I understand it, is very different from adding it to the pan at the beginning of cooking).
I am eager to learn about this because my husband is low on EFAs, judging from his Genova stool test. And he has lost so much weight, he's down to 107 lbs. But if it is wisest to cut out all of the above to heal, he will do it!
Thank you.
Lydia
Fat in Phase One of the diet
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi Lydia,
It just dawned on me that I'm a radical on this issue. Most people who are knowledgeable about MC will probably disagree with me, but here's my opinion:
From a nutrition standpoint, the human body has to have protein and fat in the diet in order to thrive —carbohydrates and fiber are definitely not required for optimum health. Humans can survive on meat only, since it contains all the essential amino acids for good health. But with a meat-only diet, some fat is required in order to prevent what's known as protein poisoning or rabbit starvation. With lean meat only, the body will develop diarrhea and begin to lose weight.
A man by the name of Vilhjalmur Stefansson proved once and for all back in the 1930s (to the surprise and consternation of all his doctors), that (animal) protein and fat are the only diet requirements for good health. Here's a link to an article about his adventure as he went about proving it. He knew that it could be done, because the Eskimos have been doing it for thousands of years (eating only fatty meat and staying healthy and disease free).
Eskimos Prove An All-Meat Diet Provides Excellent Health
We tend to malabsorb fat when MC is active (those iridescent rings on the surface of the water in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement prove it). So the natural inclination is to limit fat intake, because fat remaining in the stool in the colon will encourage diarrhea. MC patients look in the bowl of their toilet and see evidence of unabsorbed fat and they logically conclude, "Hey, I'd better cut way down on fat because I'm not digesting it right — it's probably causing my diarrhea." And their doctor almost surely will agree. And fat malabsorption is the main reason why some of us lose so much weight when our MC is active
But my own personal opinion is that the fat is mostly an innocent bystander, not the primary cause of the diarrhea — like all the other food being eaten, it's not being digested properly and it can't be absorbed properly. The inflammation (causing incomplete digestion) is the primary cause of the diarrhea. The fat just happens to be caught up in the whole mess so it's indited based on circumstantial evidence, not proven fact.
I never stopped eating fried foods (fried in healthy fats, such as refined coconut oil) and other fatty foods when I was recovering. Why? Because I didn't realize that I was supposed to avoid fat. I was an ignorant old country boy who had never heard of MC, and I didn't have anyone to tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing when I was recovering. I remember eating fried catfish for breakfast a few times, for example. That's probably about as inappropriate as I could get, according to conventional rules. But it worked, and I recovered just fine. Olive oil should be safe also, but it has a much lower smoke point than refined coconut oil, so it's not great for deep frying at 360–375 degrees F.
So the bottom line is that it might be prudent to cut down on the amount of fat consumed somewhat, in case it has a bigger negative effect than I believe (and remember that we're all different), but this is probably a personal choice situation where we have to sort of "play it by ear". IOW, if the fat really seems to be a significant problem, cut back on it, but especially if he needs certain fatty acids, I wouldn't cut back severely, because that will just contribute to weight loss.
Note that I'm not suggesting an all-meat diet (although several members here have proven that it works well). I cited Stefansson's article to illustrate what's essential for health, and what's not. Feel free to select any foods that you deem safe and appropriate.
Tex
It just dawned on me that I'm a radical on this issue. Most people who are knowledgeable about MC will probably disagree with me, but here's my opinion:
From a nutrition standpoint, the human body has to have protein and fat in the diet in order to thrive —carbohydrates and fiber are definitely not required for optimum health. Humans can survive on meat only, since it contains all the essential amino acids for good health. But with a meat-only diet, some fat is required in order to prevent what's known as protein poisoning or rabbit starvation. With lean meat only, the body will develop diarrhea and begin to lose weight.
A man by the name of Vilhjalmur Stefansson proved once and for all back in the 1930s (to the surprise and consternation of all his doctors), that (animal) protein and fat are the only diet requirements for good health. Here's a link to an article about his adventure as he went about proving it. He knew that it could be done, because the Eskimos have been doing it for thousands of years (eating only fatty meat and staying healthy and disease free).
Eskimos Prove An All-Meat Diet Provides Excellent Health
We tend to malabsorb fat when MC is active (those iridescent rings on the surface of the water in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement prove it). So the natural inclination is to limit fat intake, because fat remaining in the stool in the colon will encourage diarrhea. MC patients look in the bowl of their toilet and see evidence of unabsorbed fat and they logically conclude, "Hey, I'd better cut way down on fat because I'm not digesting it right — it's probably causing my diarrhea." And their doctor almost surely will agree. And fat malabsorption is the main reason why some of us lose so much weight when our MC is active
But my own personal opinion is that the fat is mostly an innocent bystander, not the primary cause of the diarrhea — like all the other food being eaten, it's not being digested properly and it can't be absorbed properly. The inflammation (causing incomplete digestion) is the primary cause of the diarrhea. The fat just happens to be caught up in the whole mess so it's indited based on circumstantial evidence, not proven fact.
I never stopped eating fried foods (fried in healthy fats, such as refined coconut oil) and other fatty foods when I was recovering. Why? Because I didn't realize that I was supposed to avoid fat. I was an ignorant old country boy who had never heard of MC, and I didn't have anyone to tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing when I was recovering. I remember eating fried catfish for breakfast a few times, for example. That's probably about as inappropriate as I could get, according to conventional rules. But it worked, and I recovered just fine. Olive oil should be safe also, but it has a much lower smoke point than refined coconut oil, so it's not great for deep frying at 360–375 degrees F.
So the bottom line is that it might be prudent to cut down on the amount of fat consumed somewhat, in case it has a bigger negative effect than I believe (and remember that we're all different), but this is probably a personal choice situation where we have to sort of "play it by ear". IOW, if the fat really seems to be a significant problem, cut back on it, but especially if he needs certain fatty acids, I wouldn't cut back severely, because that will just contribute to weight loss.
Note that I'm not suggesting an all-meat diet (although several members here have proven that it works well). I cited Stefansson's article to illustrate what's essential for health, and what's not. Feel free to select any foods that you deem safe and appropriate.
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.
Thank you, Tex. (I am sorry -- I must have been mistakenly calling you Wayne).
I am happy to hear this and will give my husband olive oil added to the plate. We stopped using oils for frying after his heart attack. He's got extensive artherosclerosis. All rooted in inflammation, as you suggested above as the cause of MC.
Curious -- are you familiar with the work of Samuel Yanuck? He has a whole autoimmune protocol through Pure Encapsulations and is big on removing the causes of inflammation.
Lydia
I am happy to hear this and will give my husband olive oil added to the plate. We stopped using oils for frying after his heart attack. He's got extensive artherosclerosis. All rooted in inflammation, as you suggested above as the cause of MC.
Curious -- are you familiar with the work of Samuel Yanuck? He has a whole autoimmune protocol through Pure Encapsulations and is big on removing the causes of inflammation.
Lydia
Hi Lydia,
Call me whatever you're comfortable with. It machts nicht to me.
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with Samuel Yanuck's work, but I can tell you that when they finally get rid of their intestinal inflammation, virtually all of the members here with other autoimmune issues (allergies, arthritis, psoriasis, etc.,) find that their other issues are either much better or resolved completely as their gut heals.
Tex
Call me whatever you're comfortable with. It machts nicht to me.
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with Samuel Yanuck's work, but I can tell you that when they finally get rid of their intestinal inflammation, virtually all of the members here with other autoimmune issues (allergies, arthritis, psoriasis, etc.,) find that their other issues are either much better or resolved completely as their gut heals.
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.