Just diagnosed last week with MC with mixed features of CC and LC. Also have Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
I have been gluten free for six weeks and dairy free for 4 days.
I feel paralyzed when I go in the kitchen now and have made trying to figure out what to eat a monumental task.
Can anyone recommend an elimination protocol and diet?
I am having a flare and from what I can gather can't have vegetables or potatoes. How long before I can introduce these back into my diet.
I have been reading this forum for 3 days now and I just seem to be confusing myself.
Any help, advice, or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Kim
This diagnosis has made scared to eat
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
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Kimelizabeth
- Little Blue Penguin
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:26 pm
- Location: Florida
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Kim,
Sorry you had to find us, albeit welcome.
Also sorry that you are overwhelmed. Mc world can be a bit full on at first....
Have you read the posts, and subsequent discussions aimed at new people?? This is good place to start as the questions asked and advice given should remove some of the confusion.
A good start is to find some basic well cooked, bland meals that settle well for you.
For some this is chicken and rice. For others it might be Turkey and sweet potato. And for others it might be beef and carrot.
Find some proteins and well cooked veges that don't cause major symptoms. Stick with this for a few weeks. When you know your safe proteins, home made bone broth is a fantastic way to settle inflammation and heal.
Good doses of Vit D3 will also help to calm inflammation, have you had your Vit D3 levels checked recently??
I would start there, get some stability and the re-read the posts and prepare for the next stages...
Hope this helps
Sorry you had to find us, albeit welcome.
Also sorry that you are overwhelmed. Mc world can be a bit full on at first....
Have you read the posts, and subsequent discussions aimed at new people?? This is good place to start as the questions asked and advice given should remove some of the confusion.
A good start is to find some basic well cooked, bland meals that settle well for you.
For some this is chicken and rice. For others it might be Turkey and sweet potato. And for others it might be beef and carrot.
Find some proteins and well cooked veges that don't cause major symptoms. Stick with this for a few weeks. When you know your safe proteins, home made bone broth is a fantastic way to settle inflammation and heal.
Good doses of Vit D3 will also help to calm inflammation, have you had your Vit D3 levels checked recently??
I would start there, get some stability and the re-read the posts and prepare for the next stages...
Hope this helps
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Hi Kim,
Early on I seemed to react to anything and everything. But after most of the gluten finally worked it's way out of my system, and the antibody levels declined somewhat, it became much easier for me to detect other foods that were causing problems. I kept a food/reaction diary so that I could refer to it and occasionally see connections between foods and reactions, because sometimes it takes a day or 2 for a food to cause a reaction in some cases. Most reactions however, will typically start about 3 hours to half a day after we eat the food that caused the problem, so those are easier to figure out.
It takes a while for most of us to see some improvement in symptoms, but the improvement will come if you stick with a bland diet that hopefully avoids any foods that cause you to react. As Gabes suggested, foods such as chicken and rice seem to work for most of us. However a few of us are sensitive to chicken, so they typically switch to turkey, because virtually none of us react to turkey. Many of us can eat potatoes, and most of us can safely eat sweet potatoes. Just be sure to avoid the peel, in order to minimize fiber intake. When I was recovering, I ate a lot of chicken and pork, because beef bothered me. It didn't cause D, but it caused body aches and pains, bloating, and a headache.
For breakfast, many of us are able to eat bacon (some prefer uncured bacon), and probably at least half of us can tolerate eggs. If you aren't sure about eggs or bacon at this point, the Chex Gluten-Free cereals (such as Corn Chex or Rice Chex), with almond milk seems to work for most of us as a quick, nourishing, and safe breakfast. There were many times early on, when I ate leftovers from dinner the day before, for breakfast. Many types of fresh fish, shrimp, clams, etc., are safe for most of us, and even sardines are safe as long as they are not packed in soy oil (for those of us who are sensitive to soy). If you crave vegetables or fruit as a side dish, well-cooked servings of squash, carrots, broccoli or green beens are usually safe for most of us, and canned peaches or pears are usually safe (because they are peeled and cooked). Just don't overdo the fruit, because it's easy to overdo the sugar while we are recovering.
Good luck working out your diet, and never hesitate to post whenever you have any questions. It's much better to ask, than to suffer in silence.
Tex
Early on I seemed to react to anything and everything. But after most of the gluten finally worked it's way out of my system, and the antibody levels declined somewhat, it became much easier for me to detect other foods that were causing problems. I kept a food/reaction diary so that I could refer to it and occasionally see connections between foods and reactions, because sometimes it takes a day or 2 for a food to cause a reaction in some cases. Most reactions however, will typically start about 3 hours to half a day after we eat the food that caused the problem, so those are easier to figure out.
It takes a while for most of us to see some improvement in symptoms, but the improvement will come if you stick with a bland diet that hopefully avoids any foods that cause you to react. As Gabes suggested, foods such as chicken and rice seem to work for most of us. However a few of us are sensitive to chicken, so they typically switch to turkey, because virtually none of us react to turkey. Many of us can eat potatoes, and most of us can safely eat sweet potatoes. Just be sure to avoid the peel, in order to minimize fiber intake. When I was recovering, I ate a lot of chicken and pork, because beef bothered me. It didn't cause D, but it caused body aches and pains, bloating, and a headache.
For breakfast, many of us are able to eat bacon (some prefer uncured bacon), and probably at least half of us can tolerate eggs. If you aren't sure about eggs or bacon at this point, the Chex Gluten-Free cereals (such as Corn Chex or Rice Chex), with almond milk seems to work for most of us as a quick, nourishing, and safe breakfast. There were many times early on, when I ate leftovers from dinner the day before, for breakfast. Many types of fresh fish, shrimp, clams, etc., are safe for most of us, and even sardines are safe as long as they are not packed in soy oil (for those of us who are sensitive to soy). If you crave vegetables or fruit as a side dish, well-cooked servings of squash, carrots, broccoli or green beens are usually safe for most of us, and canned peaches or pears are usually safe (because they are peeled and cooked). Just don't overdo the fruit, because it's easy to overdo the sugar while we are recovering.
Good luck working out your diet, and never hesitate to post whenever you have any questions. It's much better to ask, than to suffer in silence.
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.
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UkuleleLady
- Gentoo Penguin
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 4:45 pm
- Location: Texas
Hi Kim,
It's really hard at first and we've all been where you are - that is, afraid to eat.
Most of us do not react to turkey and lamb. Those might be the safest meats around. My advice is to try and include meat at every meal. It slows digestion and is nourishing. It's hard to keep your strength up with this disease. It takes a lot of effort, and patience.
Many of us could handle overcooked green beans and asparagus in the beginning too, and sweet potato is a good carb as Gabes mentions. But I would start with small servings of vegetables at first, and see what you can handle.
preservative -free canned coconut milk is a good source of calories if you find you're losing weight without the carbs.
Best wishes and try to take it one day (or one hour) at a time. It will get better.
Nancy
It's really hard at first and we've all been where you are - that is, afraid to eat.
Most of us do not react to turkey and lamb. Those might be the safest meats around. My advice is to try and include meat at every meal. It slows digestion and is nourishing. It's hard to keep your strength up with this disease. It takes a lot of effort, and patience.
Many of us could handle overcooked green beans and asparagus in the beginning too, and sweet potato is a good carb as Gabes mentions. But I would start with small servings of vegetables at first, and see what you can handle.
preservative -free canned coconut milk is a good source of calories if you find you're losing weight without the carbs.
Best wishes and try to take it one day (or one hour) at a time. It will get better.
Nancy
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~The Dalai Lama
Hi Kim:
It can be very discouraging in the beginning. I felt like it didn't matter what I ate, nothing worked, so was difficult to figure out intolerances. Agree with the meat and well cooked veg suggestions. I ate a variety of meats, chicken, turkey, pork, beef, fish, and kept the veggies to a couple and never overdid the portions on those. I never noticed a difference in the proteins, but many people do, and as Nancy said, turkey and lamb work for most, but have to find what works for you. I ate a lot of sweet potatoes, and still do. I was ok with a banana but no other fruits. I didn't use much seasoning or any sauces. Use good oils, like coconut and olive oil. Be patient, it will get better, and welcome.
Lisa
It can be very discouraging in the beginning. I felt like it didn't matter what I ate, nothing worked, so was difficult to figure out intolerances. Agree with the meat and well cooked veg suggestions. I ate a variety of meats, chicken, turkey, pork, beef, fish, and kept the veggies to a couple and never overdid the portions on those. I never noticed a difference in the proteins, but many people do, and as Nancy said, turkey and lamb work for most, but have to find what works for you. I ate a lot of sweet potatoes, and still do. I was ok with a banana but no other fruits. I didn't use much seasoning or any sauces. Use good oils, like coconut and olive oil. Be patient, it will get better, and welcome.
Lisa
Hi Kim,
I felt the same way as you do, when I first started reading on this forum.
Start out very slowly with just a few foods. A protein & a cooked peeled veggie first, and see how you feel. The suggestions above are all good. Everyone is different, so you have to see what works for your body.
Keep a journal. Write down everything you eat, and how you felt at the end of each day, so you can see patterns in food reactions.
You may want to test with Enterolab to see what proteins you are reacting to. It was very helpful for me. Also Tex's book (at the top of this page, in the upper right hand part of the page) will help you to understand what's happening in your body now.
Best of luck!
I felt the same way as you do, when I first started reading on this forum.
Start out very slowly with just a few foods. A protein & a cooked peeled veggie first, and see how you feel. The suggestions above are all good. Everyone is different, so you have to see what works for your body.
Keep a journal. Write down everything you eat, and how you felt at the end of each day, so you can see patterns in food reactions.
You may want to test with Enterolab to see what proteins you are reacting to. It was very helpful for me. Also Tex's book (at the top of this page, in the upper right hand part of the page) will help you to understand what's happening in your body now.
Best of luck!
Linda :)
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
Hi, Kim. Take heart! I have been doing the diet for 4 months - which probably seems like forever to you - but it really goes by pretty quickly when you continue to see improvements. I have eliminated 3 of my 4 prescriptions and I'm tapering off my last one (budesonide - Entecort). I'm in remission, which is such a relief. And the other auto-immune symptoms which really plagued me last winter are much diminished.
I am one who reacts to chicken. I would suggest roasting a small turkey or turkey breast and dividing it up in 4 ounce servings to freeze. Buy some ground lamb or beef or lamb or beef stew meat and cook it to have on hand. Make some rice and bake or microwave sweet potatoes and potatoes. Cook until tender green beans and carrots. If you keep this stuff handy in the fridge (for a few days only), you can make yourself combination meals several times a day. A little bone broth makes it tastier and a bit of salt and pepper. I put coconut oil or olive oil on my veggies - quite tasty.
This also works great for breakfast, surprisingly. Over the months I have slowly introduced and tolerated other foods, but take it very slowly. Chew thoroughly, enjoy each bite and, if you're like most of us here, you'll see positive changes before long. When you find you can tolerate more foods (eggs! rice spaghetti! almond butter!, homemade applesauce!) it's icing on the cake.
Ask a lot of questions, write to this forum often, and you will find a lot of ideas and support here. Good luck on your journey...
I am one who reacts to chicken. I would suggest roasting a small turkey or turkey breast and dividing it up in 4 ounce servings to freeze. Buy some ground lamb or beef or lamb or beef stew meat and cook it to have on hand. Make some rice and bake or microwave sweet potatoes and potatoes. Cook until tender green beans and carrots. If you keep this stuff handy in the fridge (for a few days only), you can make yourself combination meals several times a day. A little bone broth makes it tastier and a bit of salt and pepper. I put coconut oil or olive oil on my veggies - quite tasty.
This also works great for breakfast, surprisingly. Over the months I have slowly introduced and tolerated other foods, but take it very slowly. Chew thoroughly, enjoy each bite and, if you're like most of us here, you'll see positive changes before long. When you find you can tolerate more foods (eggs! rice spaghetti! almond butter!, homemade applesauce!) it's icing on the cake.
Ask a lot of questions, write to this forum often, and you will find a lot of ideas and support here. Good luck on your journey...
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Kimelizabeth
- Little Blue Penguin
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:26 pm
- Location: Florida
Thank you SO much for all the replies. You have given me some excellent advice and guidance for how to start this new chapter of my life. You guys are doing such valuable service to those of us out there who are just beginning to walk the long road you have been down and I have much gratitude for your willingness and time to share.
Kim
Kim
Kim
GF, DF, Egg Free, Soy Free
Hashimotos Tyroiditis
MC with mixed features of CC and LC
MTHFR gene mutation
GF, DF, Egg Free, Soy Free
Hashimotos Tyroiditis
MC with mixed features of CC and LC
MTHFR gene mutation
Hello Kim- I keep a food diary. Breakfast is rice chex, banana and almond milk. Lunch is meat from a roast , so far pork, turkey and beef along with white rice. Dinner the same. Am doing elimination diet now. Eat the same thing for 3days then add one item. Seasonings for me are salt., pepper, herbs. Read everything before you buy. Have good luck with boar's head meats. Trying ghee (clarified butter) seems ok. Also
can eat white potatoes. We are all different. Best of luck to you shopping. Sandy (diagnosed july 2014)
can eat white potatoes. We are all different. Best of luck to you shopping. Sandy (diagnosed july 2014)
Trying to heal.
Welcome Kim. We are all a bit different in what we react to and what makes us feel better, but the fewer foods you start with , the better. It took me six months to be able to add a few things to my mostly meat, rice,eggs, cooked few veggies, sweet potato, Chex cereal/almond milk diet. I am three years post Dx, and I am still gluten, dairy, and soy free BUT I have been able to add so much back into my diet! I can eat salad and popcorn again. I can drink some white wine! Some fruit and all fresh uncooked veggies! I can even have some cooked beans ( white, black, and garbonzo). I can eat out at certain ethnic restaurants! All of these foods would have sent me straight to the bathroom 2 years ago. Just know, that if you do the work now, you CAN heal your gut and life CAN get better. Then YOU will be helping the newbies :)
Leah
Leah