"Baby Paleo" version of Polly's and artteacher's d

[gowest]

Dear Polly and artteacher,

I have been searching through a lot of the old threads and feel like my intolerances are similar to both of yours. Ideally, I'd like to be on the paleo diet similar to what you were eating in 2006 (and I think you still are): meat/fish/fowl, veggies/fruits, nuts/seeds/oils, some tubers like potatoes. In the post I just read from back then, Polly had just eliminated rice.

I've been on Entocort for 6 months now, after having MC symptoms for 2 1/2 years. I was doing pretty well on 9 mg. of Entocort per day, plus 1/2 or 1 Imodium per day, until I went abroad for a month and had to eat a lot of things I probably wasn't ready for. :-P

I think I'm getting back on track now with one or two semi-formed BM's a day (that's pretty good, right??) However, I notice a burning sensation in my intestines when I eat rice now. I eliminated it for a month because it tends to cause minor acne on my forehead. But I need to gain weight, and sometimes meat and veggies don't cut it.

I don't do well yet with much fruit or sugar (bananas and cooked, pureed strawberries are about all I can really handle right now), nor can I handle much fat or fiber, it seems. (A non-MCer would probably ask, at this point, "What the h*ll do you eat, then??")

I'm rambling a bit, but I guess I'm trying to form a "baby food" version of the Paleo or Primal diet for people who are in the beginning stages of treating MC and can't yet eat all the fruits, veggies, salads, etc.

What do you think of a diet including:

- lots of lean protein (chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish)
- eggs
- well cooked veggies (zucchini, squash, carrots)
- some easy-to-digest low sugar fruits (bananas, cooked and pureed berries)
- some fats used very sparingly (coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, nut butter)
- carbs to help gain weight (potatoes, yams, etc. Are there any well-tolerated starches to make GF/DF/SF/CF pancakes or muffins?)

Any other ideas for a Baby Paleo diet, or something I'm missing from above? Would 4 eggs per day be too many? That's how many I eat now. I wonder if I should try cutting them out for a week and see if it helps any.

I feel like I should be beyond Baby Paleo by now, but I admit I'm an impatient person and I know this takes time. :-)

Thanks a million!!!
Ashley

[mbeezie]

Ashley,

I read your email from last week and meant to respond but forgot to get back to it. I can see that you are struggling to find foods to eat. I also had numerous sensitivites when I first got sick - I still do but it has gotten better over time.

Berries have seeds and actually have quite a bit of fiber. Does fructose (fruit sugar) bother you? You could try mango, papaya, canned pears, and diluted fruit juices. The FODMAP diet also includes grapes, oranges, grapefruit (do a searc for FODMAP on this site as we have discussed it in the past). FODMAP is often used as a diet for diarrhea.

Can you tolerate lean pork, like tenderloin? What about lamb? Turkey actually is one of my intolerances, so don't think that all meats are safe just because they are paleo. We have also had members get D from seafood too.

Does sugar bother you? Do you know for sure you can't tolerate any grains? I know Gloria found out she couldn't tolerate rice but could tolerate corn - we are all different in our sensitivities. I can tolerate rice, quinoa, corn and oats, although I limit them. If you tolerate coconut and almond, those flours might work.

I think getting down to 1-2 semi-formed stools is progress. My healing went in stages, and that was one of the stages.

I don't think 4 eggs/day is necessarily a problem, however, you can develop new sensitivities, so IMO it's best to rotate. I think when alot of sensitivities are involved, rotating is best. Eggs could very well be one of your problem foods - many here have egg sensitivity.

To gain weight/calories you might need to have several mini-meals and snacks.

Keep us posted on your progress. Hopefully things will settle down soon.

Take care,

Mary Beth

[tex]

Hi Ashley,

Mary Beth covered a lot of information with her post, so I will concentrate on your comments about the neolithic food that you mentioned, namely rice.

However, I notice a burning sensation in my intestines when I eat rice now. I eliminated it for a month because it tends to cause minor acne on my forehead. But I need to gain weight, and sometimes meat and veggies don't cut it.

Any experienced farmer will tell you that just as gut bacteria matter, soil bacteria matter. This means that planting the same crop two years in a row, will usually result in a better yield, the second year, (due to a population buildup of beneficial soil bacteria). After two years, disease risk increases, and it can become a serious problem, so crop rotation is usually beneficial, after a couple of years.

The point that I am trying to make, is that if we stop eating a certain food for an extended period, a related segment of our gut bacteria may die off, or at least experience a big population reduction, because their primary food supply has suddenly disappeared. If we resume eating that food again, later, we may find that we have some difficulty properly digesting it, without those symbiotic bacteria to help us out. As you probably have read here, when I was recovering, I followed a very restrictive diet for about a year and a half, or so. As I began to reintroduce various foods back into my diet, I found it necessary to eat small amounts of them, at first, otherwise, I had digestive issues. After a few weeks, though, I was usually able to eat as much as I wanted, without any problems.

Concerning GF/DF/SF/CF pancakes, here is one of Dee's recipes"

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... t=pancakes

In the following thread she lists a couple of recipes for GF flours. Be aware that sorghum flour can cause problems for some of us who are sensitive to corn, and some of us seem to react to tapioca, also, but this will give you a place to start.

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7130

Pamela's is the best commercial pancake mix, but unfortunately it contains cultured buttermilk, and tapioca starch.

You might be able to use Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Pancake Mix. It uses rice milk powder, instead of cultured buttermilk, but it does contain tapioca flour.

Good luck with this stage of your recovery,
Tex

[Polly]

Mornin' Ashley!

It does sound as if you are getting back on track again. Remember, some here have found the need to take Entocort for a least a year (or even more) in order for diet to kick in. But it does sound as if your gut is healing.

I do mostly paleo - at times I add a little rice, but I still notice I feel better when I do no grains at all. Yes, it can be hard to feel full on the paleo diet! In general, about half of your calories should come from protein and the other half from fruits/veggies. For hi-cal snacks, often the best choice is additional meat/chicken/seafood. One of our members here (Karen) who went fully paleo had the philosopy "Always carry a porkchop in your pocketbook"! LOL. I usually carry snack foods with me when in doubt. Nuts, dried fruits, cans/foil packs of tuna/salmon, olives. I realize that your gut may have to heal more before you can tolerate nuts/dried fruits/raw veggies/seeds, but that should come with time. Have you tried any of the root veggies? They are high in starch and often well-tolerated - things like sweet potatos, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips. I know you tolerate carrots. I make a puree of them (soup) by blending after cooking them well, and it is yummy and quite filling.

Hmmmmm, eggs. Although they are considered paleo, I cannot tolerate them other than only very occasionally. Actually, I guess paleo people only really had them available in the spring, so 3/4 ths of the year they didn't eat them. You might try avoiding them for a few weeks to see what happens. I think 4 a day might be too high a protein load - if you continue to eat them, I would eat fewer and rotate them every 3-4 days, as Mary Beth indicated Some here have reported that they can tolerate eggs when they have been cooked in something, like baked goods (of course, baked goods aren't usually paleo!)

There are some recipes that use almond flour instead of grains. I have one for muffins and one for banana bread. They do use eggs but no dairy. I can't remember if I put them in the Kitchen or not. If they are not there, let me know and I'll post them. Also, "Matthew's pancakes" are grain-free and really tasty - they use a banana, eggs, and I think almond flour. They should be in Dee's Kitchen too. BTW, I have used almond flour successfully "breading" foods, like chicken, salmon cakes, etc.

There are also some good suggestions in Cordain's book "The Paleo Diet" if you haven't already checked it out.

I think you are doing extremely well with your diet. The only real concern I have is the eggs. Hang in there and ask all the questions you want. BTW, Matthew here has excellent paleo advice - if he sees your post he may jump in. But if you want to PM him, I know he'll be happy to respond.

Love,

Polly

P.S. I just thought of something because of your use of the words "baby" paleo.
I think at least one member here ate some baby food initially. Might not be such a crazy idea if you don't have time to cook. I'm sure it would be well-pureed and should not have any additives, colorings, etc. Fairly pure and easily digestible. And convenient in a pinch.

[Gabes-Apg]

I turned my meat and vegetables into 'baby food' at first, and still do this when there is evidence of inflammation

both my acupuncturist and naturopath recommended this, the basis was to retrain the digestion system and to make it easier for my body to digest the food and absorb the nutrients from it.

I sleep better and have a better BM cycle when i eat 'easy to digest meals' overcooked/gooey/mashed up meat and veges

[gowest]

Thanks for the responses!

@Mary Beth, I think I do have a problem with too much fructose. A recent trial with a large homemade fruit smoothie was not good. I think you're right in your FODMAP discussions I searched for; it does seem to have an additive effect. One banana or a few teaspoons of cooked pureed strawberry sauce seem to be okay. Any more than that, though, and I'm in the bathroom. Even though the berries have seeds, I seem to be okay with strawberries as long as I cook and puree them and eat tiny amounts. How much fruit did you eat when you were about at this stage?

I've done okay with lean pork chops. Lamb, not so well. Chicken and fish seem to be the best.

Perhaps I will try experimenting with some of the gluten-free grains, just to give me the extra calories. I know corn-on-the-cob did me in one time, but I'm guessing corn flour or meal could be different. I think rice flour is okay. Perhaps potato starch would be, too. I tried white potatoes the other day and seemed to be okay. (Yea!!) That adds another item for breakfast besides the eggs. :o) I made an almond flour pancake one time and was okay with that, too.

You're also right about the mini-meals. I definitely need to do that, it just takes some planning. You'd think I'd be good at that, having just graduated from urban planning school. :o)

@Tex, your point seems spot on. After about a week, the white rice no longer causes a burning sensation in my intestines. Makes sense that you would have to get "re-accustomed" to it. Did you basically stick to meat and potatoes during your year-or-so "limited foods" diet? I think I read that you completely eliminated fruit at that time.

I tried the Trader Joe's GF/DF mix before and did okay, until I started eating it ALL THE TIME. I think I've read somewhere that grains have chemicals that make them addictive, similar to caffeine or other drugs, and I definitely notice that once I start eating grains (even the rice), I want to eat it all the time. Polly, do you notice that when you have rice every once in a while?

@Polly, I love that quote! I might adapt mine to be "Always carry a chicken leg!" ;o) I will make a point to explore more root vegetables. I did find the SCD almond flour recipe. Thanks for the ideas!

BTW, how funny would it be to meet up with some friends at a happy hour and bust out a jar of baby food!!! LOL (Seriously though, I might look into it, hehe.)

@Gabes, I agree with the "easy-to-digest" thing. I made a whole chicken in the crock pot. So easy to make, and it fell apart and was so delicious! Definitely comfort food!

Thanks again everyone; your insight is always appreciated!
Ashley

[tex]

Did you basically stick to meat and potatoes during your year-or-so "limited foods" diet?

Yes, pretty much, except that I usually ate either boiled or poached eggs for breakfast. Occasionally, I had some rice, and once or twice a week I would eat some broccoli or green beans, but meat and potatoes were my standard main meal fare.

Tex