Discouraged Newbie

[Annecz]

Hello! Like many others, I never imagined I’d find myself on such a forum; yet I’m so thankful that I found you!

I’ve been dealing with CC for the last six months. I started on the SCD diet which worked initially for about six weeks, until I relapsed. I learned that the homemade yogurt and a probiotic I was taking had Bifidobacterium which I’ve stopped. At that point, I added potato and rice and had some constipation for a week. I then ate something I shouldn’t have and have had D for two weeks. Today there appears to be slight improvement.

I’ve been determined to do this without Budesonide, but I’m starting to have some doubts. For weeks I’ve been eating homemade gelatin, bone broth, banana, rice, potato and some chicken and turkey. I’m trying slowly to add new foods in, but it’s difficult to determine if I’m having a reaction if I’m in a constant flare.

• I don’t have time to make homemade broth. Is Bonafide organic beef or chicken bone broth effective? If not, where could I find an approved recipe for this; I couldn’t access the archives.
• If I’m in a constant flare; I can’t continue eating the few foods above and I’m feeling weak and irritable. So how do I proceed, and how can I tell if I’m adversely reacting to something in this state?
• Was it the right decision to get off the SCD diet for CC and add starches like rice and potato?
• I have not had an Enterob test. I’m DF, GF, and SF, and their panels don’t appear to test a huge variety of food like a blood panel does. Am I missing something?
• If I continue the route I’m on with lack of nutrients and constant D, what other health issues might occur as a result?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for any suggestions you may be able to provide!

[tex]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum. I'll try to answer most of your questions. Yes, it's impossible to tell whether newly introduced foods are causing reactions or not, if you're already in a flare. The solution, is to eat foods that are safe for most of us, and don't try to introduce new foods. You can test new foods after you've been in remission for a while. The reason why EnteroLab only tests 11 foods, is because those are the only foods that cause most of us to react. By not wasting time and effort testing unnecessary foods, they can offer their tests at a much more reasonable cost.

If you want to reach remission without ordering the EnteroLab tests, simply avoid all of the foods that they test, until you're able to reach remission, then after you been in remission for a while, you can test foods, one at a time, by eating a small portion at the beginning, and eating a larger amount each day, for three days, and if you don't react within that time, that food should be safe for you. For protein, turkey, lamb, and any wild type meat, such as venison, rabbit, duck, goose, quail, pheasant, antelope, and most other wild meat (except for bison, bison have domestic cattle DNA), should be safe. Unless you are otherwise allergic to them, shellfish such as oysters, clams, shrimp, prawns, crabs, lobster, etc., are also safe for most of us. Some of us react to chicken, and a few of us react to rice, and potatoes. But if potatoes are a problem, most people can usually eat sweet potatoes. Carrots, green beans, and cauliflower should also be safe. Although broccoli may cause gas, if that doesn't cause any major problems, they're a safe vegetable. be sure to overcook your vegetables, to make them easier to digest. Minimize fiber and sugar. For some guidelines on food, I suggest you read the newsletter published last year by the Microscopic Colitis Foundation, that you can download by clicking on the following link:

https://www.microscopiccolitisfoundatio ... 479987.pdf

Homemade bone broth is far superior to the commercially prepared products. You can find plenty of recipe suggestions at the following link:

https://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB/viewt ... th#p206414

I hope this helps.

Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex

[Annecz]

Thank you Tex for your quick response; it's greatly appreciated. Just a few quick questions:

*I'm in a flare, so is grass-fed gelatin from beef okay with grape juice or apple cider (organic, no added sugar, not from concentrate), or is that too much sugar? Are there other suggestions for getting gelatin into the diet?
*Is my understanding correct that it's safe to test quinoa in place of rice, as I thought that had too much fiber?
*Is juicing safe if most of the fiber is extracted? The Hurom juicier has very dry pulp and extracts most fiber?

Thank you,
Anne

[tex]

I'm in a flare, so is grass-fed gelatin from beef okay with grape juice or apple cider (organic, no added sugar, not from concentrate), or is that too much sugar? Are there other suggestions for getting gelatin into the diet?

We all have different tolerance levels to sugar, fiber, etc., when we're reacting, so you'll have to listen to your body for the answer to that question. It might help to cut the juice with about 50% water. Probably the best source of collagen, or gelatin, is bone broth. But if you just want more gelatin, which is cooked collagen, you can eat plain old Jell-O.

Is my understanding correct that it's safe to test quinoa in place of rice, as I thought that had too much fiber?

Brown rice is contraindicated, because it contains high levels of fiber in the husk. That husk is removed for white rice, so it contains significantly less fiber. But yes, quinoa should be a safe option, as long as it's a certified gluten-free brand. Years ago, most quinoa was cross contaminated with gluten because South American farmers added gluten -containing grains to the quinoa in order to help dry it, and then later, processors weren't able to completely remove all the gluten. Kosher or certified gluten-free brands should be safe, however.

Is juicing safe if most of the fiber is extracted? The Hurom juicier has very dry pulp and extracts most fiber?

A lot of people seem to want to use juicing, and I did the same thing myself, when I was recovering. I'm not sure that's the best way to get those nutrients, but as far as I'm aware, I got away with it, so I suppose it's okay. Avoid using citrus fruits, though, because most of us react to significant amounts of citric acid. Tiny amounts such as in vitamins, are normally not a problem. But whether larger amounts will be tolerated, depends on our own personal tolerance level, which varies from one individual to another.

Tex

[Annecz]

Thank you Tex!

--Anne