I just made a smoothie this morning with half a banana (bananas are usually okay) and 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries, 1 tsp of honey, and ice. It made my stomach gurgle and then D.
Here are some random thoughts:
1. All of those items contain fructose. Fructose digestion is a common problem for the general population, let alone those of us with MC. It's not that it causes an autoimmune reaction, it's just that we don't digest it very well, so too much fructose can lead to problems. Even honey contains more fructose than glucose. Consider this:
Greek researchers recently undertook the first randomised investigation of incomplete carbohydrate absorption after eating honey. Twenty students and staff from Athens University were given differing amounts of honey after an overnight fast. Breath hydrogen measurements were used as a way of diagnosing whether the carbohydrate had been completely absorbed or not; subjects were also asked to report any intestinal discomfort or diarrhoea after eating the honey
When given a 100g dose (equivalent to 3 tablespoons), 65 per cent of people showed signs of incompletely absorbed carbohydrate, and 30% reported loose stools. For a 50g dose, 40% didn't fully absorb the sugars, and 15% reported loose stools. The authors cheerily conclude that honey and water, a traditional Greek remedy for constipation, should be tested on patients.
For athletes with the opposite problem, however - eg, runners' diarrhoea - it could be worth cutting out honey and seeing if there is any improvement in symptoms. If you are fructose-sensitive, cutting out sources of excess fructose should show an immediate benefit. Apples, pears, and their juices also have a high level of excess fructose
('Honey may have a laxative effect on normal subjects because of incomplete fructose absorption', Ladas et al, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition vol 62, pp1212-5)
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0044.htm
2. Thermal shock can upset the digestion process. IMO, that risk is much lower for elevated temperatures than for cold temperatures, but this may be an individual phenomenon. In my case, for example, before I healed, if I drank one of those large slurpee or slushy things, (you know, those drinks that are freezing cold, and you can feel the numbing effect at least all the way down into the stomach), it seemed to sort of shut down my digestive system, and digestion would sort of grind to a halt. As you mentioned, the gurgling would begin, and it would be followed by D.
3. Most/all of us seem to have a fiber limit, and if we exceed that limit, we get into trouble. Fruits, of course, are a prime source of fiber, and like most food ingredients, the effects are cumulative, so whether or not we react, depends on how much total fiber we ingest during any particular time span.
Soooooooo, smoothies can be a triple whammy, in some cases, since they are usually a blend of fruits, (fructose and fiber sources), and ice, (a source of thermal shock). I ingested a fair number of smoothies while I was recovering, and while I never was able to convince myself, one way or the other, I had enough reactions following them, that I eventually stopped making them.
I'm a meat and potatoes fan, myself. They were the basis of my diet while I was healing, and they still are. Eggs and bacon are my standard breakfast, (though I eat pancakes with maple syrup and bacon, now and then, for variety).
All grains contain a form of gluten, as a component of their prolamin protein, and rice is no exception. And yes, rice gluten does have adhesive qualities, similar to all the other grain glutens. However, I doubt that the adhesive characteristics of gluten enhance the ability of the colon to extract water from the lumen. On the contrary, it would seem intuitive that water extraction would be more difficult, in the presence of gluten, but maybe I'm not visualizing that process correctly. After all, gooey rice would seem likely to "stick to your ribs" better than conventionally cooked rice.
Maybe you're just getting a little too much fiber, in your daily diet.
I had to really cut it down, while I was recovering. Maybe someone else will have some better observations and suggestions.
Tex
About two days later D returned and Norman seems to have deserted me.
