Crohns Disease
Somebody help me please, I am at a loss, my boyfriend has chrons disease and my head isint what it used to be for ideas, and i have to restrict his diet of wheat, dairy and sugar and the guy loves his food. he is lucky i like to cook or he wouldn't eat basically. I let some things slide a little when it comes to ingredients but i could do with some help.If anyone has Any ideas, please let me know.
Lisa
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I have crohns since i was about 12 years old , im now 45 ,
Gotta tell you guys its a horrable problim to have ,I love drinking coke a cola or pepsi
I hardly drink water, my wife tells me all the time to stop drinking coke or pepsi
Is drinking these sodas bas for crohns?›1 Reply -
My husband was diagnosed about a year ago, and we're gradually working out what triggers flare ups. In the beginning, all he ate was salmon and white rice (brown had too much fiber and didn't agree with him at all), and then gradually added back in different vegetables and grains.
I have to make sure to peel all vegetables and cook them very well, this is the only way he can tolerate them. This lends itself very well to soups. Butternut squash and apple soup, potato soup, rice noodle soups.... I make a lot of soups.
I try to make darker heavier fish twice a week (tuna, salmon... not white fish), he doesn't eat any other meat than fish.
We eat a lot of pasta, with different vegetable based sauces (gluten free doesn't apply to us, but there is gluten free pasta available).
We avoid nuts and seeds, unless they're ground very finely (creamy nut butters), and then only use in very small amounts.As other people have said, there's no specific diet for Crohn's and Colitis, my husband doesn't have a problem with dairy, wheat, or sugar, but does have a lot of problems with fat, raw vegetables, anything with seeds or skins, and nuts.
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re: JCap
Oh curries are a big no, no, i thin thats what got him to A7E, cos he had them two nites in a row, he does like the spelt bread n i try to keep it baked, potatoes, and he is ok with all meats, and im surprised he isint bad with tomatoes and lettuce, yes i keep him away from the very fibrous greens, i make up for it with the others- peppers, carrots, parsnip, turnip, green beans r ok for him...i have found a few websites. The doc said keep goin with the wheat-free, drair and sugar-free foods, cane sugar and dark choc hes ok with so he can hav a few luxuries...its variety i need for him.
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thanks rockycat, i think the bromelain isint too bad cos its all natural, ive asked in the health shop and they say its ok to take it, i know what you mean tho.Does anyone have any recipes that are wheat, dairy and sugar-free that i can try out on him, i know its trial and error, i just hate givin him the same thing every few days.And i love cooking so.....i really could do with cuttin out the wheat and dairy myself but i love it too much, still i could just have potatoes...ha!
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re: Lisaleathers
TheSnowpea
Feb 7, 2009 05:55 AM
So, start by telling us what you have been cooking, what has been working for him, and we go from there?
Maybe the packed lunches you give him aren't easy to eat out of hand, so I'm wondering what you've been making. Maybe we can come up with things that could easily be eaten while on the run. Here I'm thinking things like asian-style spring rolls made with rice paper and a tasty filling: that might induce him to eat his packed meals?
For eating at home, I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but I'm thinking you could use other grains, like barley and millet to get away from gluten. It's fairly easy to stay away from dairy in ordinary cooking, it seems to me (so no cheese, no cream sauces, etc.). How do you guys feel about curries, for example?
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re: TheSnowpea
If he does have Crohn's the "other grains" might be as bad, if not worse, than wheat. As Rockycat says, it's trial and error as to what is tolerated, but in general "low residue" is the recommendation for active Crohn's. Avoid whole grains and fiberous vegis. I know it doesn't sound like what you'd want to feed a sick bartender, but meat sandwiches on white bread might be just the thing. Much of his "unhealthy diet" might be what he can handle right now...meat, potatoes, white bread. Unless his doctor told him to avoid wheat, dairy and sugar, let him have them--if they make him feel worse, he'll stop eating them.
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http://www.crohns.net/page/C/PROD/GOT...
This book has been very helpful to someone I know.
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Thanks everyone, well my BF hasnt been fully diagnosed yet, he is going for more tests in a few weeks but they said its more than likely Chrons. I had him on green tea and manuka honey for the first few weeks while him being on wheat, dairy and dugar-free foods. He runs a bar so is very bust and it annoys me when i slave away over special foods and i see it in the fridge at the bar the following day and he says he doesnt have time to eat it. He has lost alot of weight since last August, he has lost 25 kilos, but he isnt too bad because he was a bit over-weight and had a very unhealth diet.I am trying to replace evrything in his diet, nutrient-wise that he is missing out on.He hasnt been prescribed any medications yet but i will be checking them out before he does as i hear that something they give him, mite dameage other parts of his body, we still have to see if he has to get any of his intestines removed yet, fingers crossed he doesnt. I have him on Bromelain for the inflamation and siberian ginseng just to help him out with the energy and stuff.I like my natural remedies.I'm gonna put him on iron and vitimin c supplements soon. He also used to eat about 3 peoples dinners in the one sitting, which didnt used to help him either!Thankfully he did not look overweight, he is tall. Anyway, he doesnt seem to be overly sensitive to alot of foods thank god. But i need ideas, i know its trial and error but because i am not on the same diet , it is hard for me to substitute sometimes and think of alternatives....All ideas or recipes or advice i am grateful for, i live in Ireland you see and our health system sucks.
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re: Lisaleathers
Please be careful about giving him anit-inflammatories. They could actually cause even more damage. Aspirin, NSAID's, and their kin are absolutely forbidden as are most meds that come with warnings about possibly causing stomach damage. The only OTC painkiller I can take is Tylenol, specifically for that reason. PLEASE wait on the doctor's recommendation there.
I don't know what the standard prescriptions for Crohn's are in places other than the US but, other than prednsione and other steroid-based meds, Crohn's drugs are a pretty safe lot. The "entry level" drugs do not have side effects. Prednisone, on the other hand, is amazingly nasty stuff and can have terrible side effects (I know. I've had them all.). Fortunately, there are substitutes for it. Very expensive but if you need it, you need it. If your BF is prescribed a prednisone-type med it will only be because he really needs it.
As far as adjusting lifestyle and diet goes, it will happen. Being constantly sick from the Crohn's really, really sucks and it doesn't take long to realize that if there are some small changes you can make to make your life easier, you'll do it.
Hang in there. It will all work out.
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re: rockycat
The Chowhound Team
Feb 6, 2009 07:34 AM
Hey Everybody, Please confine your replies here to cooking tips for Lisaleathers. Thanks very much!
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mwpaez
Feb 4, 2009 07:31 AM
My husband has MS which is under the same "autoimmune" disease category as Chron's. Our research, so far, has led us to looking into anti-inflammatory diets as a way to control symptoms. Certain foods trigger inflammatory responses within the body, such as red meat, and thereby exacerbates my husband's symptoms. Crohn's is also an inflammatory disease so it is worth looking into this kind of a diet.
Here's a link and best to you and your boyfriend.
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It's been nearly 15 years since my positive diagnosis of Crohn's and about 20 years since I've actually been sick with it. While the symptoms for many patients will be about the same, the triggers will be individual to each person. When I was diagnosed, my mother-in-law, a retired nurse, said, "Oh, no. The only thing you'll be able to eat now is boiled chicken!" This reflected the common thinking when she was actively practicing. When asked about diet, my GI at Mt. Sinai in NY (a student of Dr. Crohn at the premier Crohn's research hospital in the country) said, "If it bothers you, don't eat it." His research had found no connection between the foods eaten and the symptoms suffered.
This is a long-winded way of saying that you BF should make sure that those foods really do give him problems rather than just reacting to a lot of dubious "information" floating around on the net. There are a lot of nutritionally idiotic crackpot diets out there that claim to "cure" Crohn's. Forget it. There is no known cure currently. And since we tend to lose weight rapidly when we're having flareups, proper nutrition is absolutely vital. A balanced diet is still the best way to do that.
For me, the only food problem is excess fats. For many people, raw fruits and vegetables will be a problem point. Every Crohn's patient has there own individual food issues. There is no one-size-fits-all diet. Be sure your BF's doctor does not think he is unnecessarily restricting his diet. It's bad enough having Crohn's when you don't care about your food. Being a foodie with Crohn's can just plain suck.
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leek
Feb 4, 2009 04:53 AM
My mom has Crohn's. Not every food is bad for every person, and when not during a flare-up your boyfriend may be able to eat normally. My mom only seems to have trouble with deep green leafy veggies. Like zuriga mentions, there are medications that can help, tremendously, which your boyfriend should discuss with his doctor. Another thing your boyfriend should discuss with his doctor is taking probiotics and eating more prebiotic foods (they feed the probiotics). This can increase healthy organisms in the gut and support normal gastrointestinal function.
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There are some gluten-free, dairy-free cookbooks: The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brien, and The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen by Donna Klein, among others. My husband and I are vegan (no diary) and I'm gluten-free. I also have a niece with galactosemia so no dairy allowed for her. Consider almond mylk or hemp mylk to replace milk in recipes. Are xylitol and or stevia allowed? What about agave nectar or maple syrup? Earth Balance can be substituted for butter in recipes.
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MMRuth
Feb 4, 2009 02:46 AM
I did this quick search, which might help:
http://chowhound.chow.com/search?sear...
You might also try searching for title:"gluten free" and see if that comes up with anything.
Good luck!
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zuriga1
Feb 4, 2009 01:30 AM
First off, I hope your boyfriend is on the medication that is very helpful for people who have Crohn's Disease. Many can eat just about anything when on the right regimen of drugs (my daughter-in-law is one of them).
I found this website with things that look fairly tasty. If you Google - Crohn's, maybe you can find even more to perk things up.
