MC elimination diet, with no appetite

[jzing]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum. I've had diarrhea on-and-off for about 5 years and was recently diagnosed with MC. I'm also hypothyroid, and struggling to get stabilized on my meds.

I lost my appetite a little more than a year ago and have a really hard time getting enough calories to maintain my weight. I've been using Very High Calorie Boost (2x 530 calories daily), and supplement with 'real' food as much as possible (maybe 200-300 calories a day) -- but I'm not able to eat or drink the volumes of food or smoothies that would allow me to maintain my weight.

I'm looking to begin an elimination diet but I'm panicky about replacing the Boost calories (Boost has dairy and soy, but gluten-free). Does anyone else on the forum have this problem and so might have some advice for me? Is there a high-calorie medical food that might help?

thanks in advance!
judy

[jzing]

I've found Kate Farms Peptide drink, it looks better than Boost but still has ingredients I'll need to avoid (seed oils, brown rice syrup):

Purified Water, Organic Hydrolyzed Pea Protein,
Organic Brown Rice Syrup Solids, Organic Agave
Syrup, Organic High Linoleic Sunflower Oil, Organic
MCT Oil, Vitamin and Mineral Blend†, Organic
Flaxseed Oil, Organic Agave Inulin, Organic Pea
Starch, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Organic Locust
Bean Gum, Organic Rosemary Extract, Organic
Spectra™ Phytonutrient Blend‡.

†Vitamin and Mineral Blend: Potassium Citrate,
Magnesium Chloride, Choline Bitartrate, Tricalcium
Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Ascorbate,
L-Cysteine, L-Carnitine, Sodium Molybdate, Taurine,
DL-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Beta Carotene,
Ferric Pyrophosphate, Niacinamide, Vitamin A
Palmitate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganese
Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Chromium Picolinate,
Tripotassium Phosphate, Calcium Pantothenate,
Biotin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride,
Phytonadione, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine
Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Cyanocobalamin
(Vitamin B12), Lichen (Vitamin D3).

‡Organic Spectra™ Phytonutrient Blend:
Extracts and Concentrates from: Organic Broccoli,
Organic CoffeeBerry®, Organic Green Tea, Organic
Turmeric, Organic Kale, Organic Broccoli Sprout,
Organic Acai, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Garlic,
Organic Tomato, Organic Blueberry, Organic
Carrot, Organic Beet, Organic Raspberry, Organic
Spinach, Organic Tart Cherry, Organic Blackberry.

[Gabes-Apg]

Given the amount of ingredients in the products and that they have soy
I am not sure how successful an elimination diet would be if you are having any of these items.

in the early stages of healing we find small amount of ingredients works best. any product with more than 4 ingredients should be avoided.

[jzing]

Thanks for the reply, Gabe-Apg. Since I've lost my appetite it's very difficult for me to get all the daily calories I need, I physically can't eat a lot of food. I have to use very high calorie medical food drinks (500 calories each), and the manufacturers add all those ingredients. I add a small amount of food each day. I can't make a smoothie or other drink myself, with such a low volume and high calorie content. It will be a compromise for me but I don't know how else to maintain my weight while trying to heal.

I was wondering if anyone else on the forum is in the same situation and how they handle it?

[tex]

You're wasting your time trying to maintain your weight while your MC is active, because it's very unlikely that you will ever be able to reach remission while on a cross contaminated diet. Everyone else here gets their disease into remission, and then they worry about gaining weight back, after their digestion improves.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

the other thought I have - how long have you had reduced appetite? did it happen after covid?

a good approach for long term wellness is to fix the root cause - in this case resolve the reduced appetite issue
(rather than try and find products to work around it and risk keeping the MC inflamed)

[Paula17]

Also new to this site. My issue is similar, weight loss, reduced appetite. I’m trying to figure out where to be seen next as I feel like I’ve had no change with current medical care. Wondering about ‘teaching hospital’ like Duke, John’s Hopkins, Mayo Clinic and how to find out what services for MC they have.

[cfleury95@gmail.com]

That Kate Farms drink has way too many chemicals. The magnesium chloride in particular has a side effect of diarrhea. I would go with natural foods even if you have to force yourself to eat. Organic meats, fruits and vegetables will be a better choice.