Diet Information

Specific Carbohydrate Diet

This diet has had A LOT of success. So much so I'm dedicating separate page to the diet here: https://sites.google.com/site/ibdinfogroup/home/specific-carbohydrate-diet-scd

The Rest of the Story:

Diet is HUGE in controlling IBD. The problem is that EVERYBODY reacts differently to diet! No two people tell the same story as far as how they react to diet and how diet affects their IBD symptoms. About the only common theme is lactose intolerance. I don't know the exact number, but probably close to 90% of IBD patients are lactose intolerant. After that, there are few, if any, consistencies.

However, especially in the case of Crohn's but also for UC, diet can make a big, big difference. There is evidence that for some people, the disease can be COMPLETELY controlled by diet! The problem is finding that diet that works for you AND sticking to it. Some of these diets are EXTREMELY difficult to follow! For example, one such diet is "Breaking The Vicious Cycle” (go to http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.org/ for details). This diet eliminates all complex sugars, which includes pasta, bread, candy, etc. BUT, if it works and your symptoms are gone or reduced, then it is probably worth it!

Start by keeping a food journal. Write down EVERYTHING you eat and the write down you feel day to day. Soon, you will begin to see patterns of certain food that bother you. You might notice that every time you have raw vegetables, wham, it hits you hard. Or each time you eat beef, you have problems. Sometimes it can be very subtle and it's important to know what is inside of the food you eat. I eat far too many dishes with milk in them and I don't think about it until it is too late (for example, scrambled eggs in a buffet line - look out!!!).

Dietitians:

Most Registered Dietitians (RD) work for health systems and would need referrals by a physician in that health system. The following link is to the American Dietetics Association website dietitian finder: http://www.eatright.org/public/fard.aspx. It is a great resource and very user friendly. The user can list geographic area as well as the specialty of interest (Gastrointestinal Diseases/Disorders is one of the options as well as Digestive Disorders, Allergies/Intolerances, etc) and a list of private practice RD's in the area will populate along with their contact information. I recommend choosing the "Only Registered Dietitians" option to ensure the person is qualified and a fairly wide mile radius to get more options. The private practice RDs seem to know the others in the area fairly well, so the ones listed may be able to give additional referrals. The eatright website (eatright.org) also has great nutrition info that is available to the public.

Fish Oils:

In our meetings, we’ve talked a lot about the benefits of fish oils, Omega-3. I have been taking the following daily for quite some time now: http://www.strongerfasterhealthier.com/products/omega_3-oil

To take 3 teaspoons a day or so, it costs me about $50/month. But it’s well worth it. The benefits are many. If you have been thinking about taking fish oils, then you really should take the best. Just compare how much you get in mg’s of EPA an DHA in other brands, they just don’t compare. Just an FYI. I don’t have stock in the company. J

Books:

Here are some other resources on diet:

• Breaking The Vicious Cycle”. Go to http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.org/ for details.
• http://www.ccfa.org/info/diet
  • Maker's Diet (http://www.amazon.com/Makers-Diet-Health-Experience-Forever/dp/0884199487)
  • Patient Heal Thyself (http://www.amazon.com/Patient-Heal-Thyself-Remarkable-Groundbreaking/dp/1893910245)
  • Crohn's Cookbooks (http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=crohn%27s+cookbook&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4362313979&ref=pd_sl_3yoi2zul60_b)
  • Margaret Oppenheimer [margaretoppenheimer@verizon.net] is a CCFA member and author of a recently published book about a rarely used dietary treatment for Crohn's disease. Patients drink special liquid formulas for a few weeks, instead of using steroids to stop a flare. Alternately they take smaller amounts of the formulas alongside regular food and beverages to help maintain remission. The therapy is clinically tested, and is valued in Europe and Canada, but has fallen out of use in the US. If you’d like to know more, you can find some comments by doctors and patients, the table of contents, and an excerpt from the first chapter at this URL: www.solutionsbooks.us/ibdbook.html. The title of the book is "Beat Crohn’s! Getting to Remission with Enteral Nutrition".
  • "Listen to Your Gut" - How To Heal Yourself Through Diet.... http://www.listen2yourgut.com/
• Paleo Diet - This diet has been discussed for 30 years (but is really 7 million years old!!!!), but it has really been gaining momentum of late. You should read the whole thing, it’s not very long:
• http://www.earth360.com/diet_paleodiet_balzer.html
• This really caught my eye: “Lectins break down the surface of the small intestine, stripping it of mucus and causing the cells to become irregular and leaky. Some lectins make cells act as if they have been stimulated by insulin. Others cause the pancreas to release insulin. Others cause immune cells to divide in the wrong way, causing growth of some white blood cells and breaking down the control of the immune system. Others cause cells to present the wrong codes (HLA's) on their surface, tricking the immune system into thinking that intruders have been found and activating the immune system inappropriately- thus leading to "autoimmune disease" where the body's tissues are attacked by its own immune system.”
• It’s a very difficult diet to follow:
• · No dairy (except for butter, I think)

· No sugar

· No bread

· No pasta

· …

But, you get to eat lots of:

· Meats

· Eggs

· Vegetables

· Nuts

So it’s not all bad. But it might be worth trying for a month or two to see if it makes you feel better!!!

Salt Is Bad?

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11868.html#/access

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11984.html