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I had to take a step back, for a few days from the group, to get my head together. I found I was thinking too much about MC... to the point of exhaustion. I questioned everything I ate, everything I read, rethought things over and over...well you get the picture. During that time, I was a little braver,said screw it, and ate some MM's, a See's chocolate, waffle fries from Chick-Filet, a few sips of a green protein drink. And I noticed very little reaction, maybe a few aches and pains, a little sinus and ear pressure and I thought, WTF? What is going on? I have been avoiding these things like the plague, and yet I don't seem to have the symptoms that most is discussed around here. So now I am even more confused! I am only taking 1/2 to 1 tablet of Imodium every other day, (decided not to take the Entocort just yet) and while I don't have the watery diarrhea anymore, I do have on an average 3 to four soft formed bms a day. Usually everything comes out the first hour or so after I wake up, then maybe once during the afternoon. After that, I'm good till the next morning. So here is my problem... I want to start anew. Wipe the slate clean, so to speak. Find out what I am allergic to and what I am not. I want to start a new diet and I don't have the time or energy to cook. Is there a list out there that shows what a MC person could eat, sans making it from scratch? I'd be willing to go to Whole Foods and pick up whatever, I just don't have the energy to study every label and then wonder if it is still gluten free! I just want to start with GF and DF. I want the KISS method! lol
Mandy
I had to take a step back
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Sorry, but the only free passes for MC are given to a certain percentage of those who have drug-induced MC, who can simply stop taking the offending drug, and immediately achieve remission without any additional intervention, and to those who are truly asymptomatic. The rest of us all have various food-sensitivities that have to be determined either by testing, or by trial and error. The most common are gluten, dairy, and soy, in that order, but many of us have many additional sensitivities, and we also have to avoid most fiber and most sugar, and most of us have to avoid all artificial sweeteners, and most commercially-processed foods with more than 5 or 6 ingredients. Until you determine your food sensitivities, the only safe diet would be a very limited, bland diet, and even then, there are no guarantees that you would be able to guess the correct safe foods. Very few people with MC are able to reach remission without doing at least a significant amount of their own cooking, and none, (except for the exceptions named above), are able to reach remission without spending many hours reading labels.
I wish it were as easy as you suggest, but unfortunately, it isn't. If it were that easy, this board probably wouldn't exist, because your doctor or your dietitian would probably be able to tell you how to reach remission in just a few easy steps. Of course, most GI docs do have a treatment plan - the only problem is that it only works successfully for a small percentage of their patients.
Tex
I wish it were as easy as you suggest, but unfortunately, it isn't. If it were that easy, this board probably wouldn't exist, because your doctor or your dietitian would probably be able to tell you how to reach remission in just a few easy steps. Of course, most GI docs do have a treatment plan - the only problem is that it only works successfully for a small percentage of their patients.
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.
"Until you determine your food sensitivities, the only safe diet would be a very limited, bland diet, and even then, there are no guarantees that you would be able to guess the correct safe foods. "
See, Tex, this is what confuses me. How does one determine food sensitivities? I mean, to what degree is a sensitivity? An all about explosion of diarrhea? A mild headache? A twinge in your gut? What is the basis for determining? Lets say I eat a pear. I know fresh fruit is not good for MC, but I eat it and experience a mild gurgling in my stomach, nothing else. Was that a sensitivity? Or just digestion because I was hungry? Should I avoid the pear? Did I just damage my inflammation more by eating it? I just don't understand what is meant by sensitivity.
Mandy
See, Tex, this is what confuses me. How does one determine food sensitivities? I mean, to what degree is a sensitivity? An all about explosion of diarrhea? A mild headache? A twinge in your gut? What is the basis for determining? Lets say I eat a pear. I know fresh fruit is not good for MC, but I eat it and experience a mild gurgling in my stomach, nothing else. Was that a sensitivity? Or just digestion because I was hungry? Should I avoid the pear? Did I just damage my inflammation more by eating it? I just don't understand what is meant by sensitivity.
Mandy
Mandy,
Places like Whole Foods do have packaged stuff that doesn't have a hundred ingredients. I think your shortcut is to eat food - not "products." You can buy a roasted chicken, or baked sweet potatoes, or a turkey soup, without gluten - either in the prepared foods section, or in a package.
In my opinion (and also in my experience, but that is only what worked for me): eat meat, cooked veg., and limited fruit, an occasional nut, and see how you do. And here's another opinion - both in "products" and for home chefs, zillions of ingredients are the enemy - not just for MC, but for good cuisine. I ate at a friend's house last night, and she is a decent cook, but just way over-complicates things.
Also - when you do cook, make enough for leftovers! My oft-cited example is meat cupcakes (meatloaf in a muffin tin) - but it holds true for a chicken or a steak or a bunch of sweet potatoes - if you get out the peeler and cutting board, make it work for more than one meal. Tonight I cooked myself duck breast and I will have lunch tomorrow, plus extras of the veg I cooked.
I know how you feel - I did really well just throwing out all gluten, dairy, and soy. I had proven gluten and dairy to myself by painful experience, but just didn't want to mess around with figure out the soy thing. So I eat no legumes, and very rare grains in small amounts.
About your specifics on the pear: I think it is possible that gurgling, with no other bad consequence, means you're a little uncomfy because you're healing, but not specifically sensitive. Typically, something like pears is more likely to be a problem because we are so inflamed while we are reacting, and not because pears cause a chemical reaction... but not all of us are 'typical' - so the real answer is that there is no absolute way to know. This is the reason to be super strict in the beginning, because you want to separate the "WOW I can't eat that" suffering from the "OK, I pushed a little far on the fresh fruits/veg" symptoms. When we are in a major flare (which is where so many of us are when we arrive here), virtually everything seems to be a problem. You have to turn down the volume on the distress to start answering your question of how to determine sensitivities.
If it makes you feel better, "normal" people have no idea how their food affects them either. I had dinner last night with two friends who have migraines, Type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves, and yes, even more autoimmune diseases. But I'm the only one with food issues. They can eat anything. Oh, yeah.
Hang in there,
Sara
Places like Whole Foods do have packaged stuff that doesn't have a hundred ingredients. I think your shortcut is to eat food - not "products." You can buy a roasted chicken, or baked sweet potatoes, or a turkey soup, without gluten - either in the prepared foods section, or in a package.
In my opinion (and also in my experience, but that is only what worked for me): eat meat, cooked veg., and limited fruit, an occasional nut, and see how you do. And here's another opinion - both in "products" and for home chefs, zillions of ingredients are the enemy - not just for MC, but for good cuisine. I ate at a friend's house last night, and she is a decent cook, but just way over-complicates things.
Also - when you do cook, make enough for leftovers! My oft-cited example is meat cupcakes (meatloaf in a muffin tin) - but it holds true for a chicken or a steak or a bunch of sweet potatoes - if you get out the peeler and cutting board, make it work for more than one meal. Tonight I cooked myself duck breast and I will have lunch tomorrow, plus extras of the veg I cooked.
I know how you feel - I did really well just throwing out all gluten, dairy, and soy. I had proven gluten and dairy to myself by painful experience, but just didn't want to mess around with figure out the soy thing. So I eat no legumes, and very rare grains in small amounts.
About your specifics on the pear: I think it is possible that gurgling, with no other bad consequence, means you're a little uncomfy because you're healing, but not specifically sensitive. Typically, something like pears is more likely to be a problem because we are so inflamed while we are reacting, and not because pears cause a chemical reaction... but not all of us are 'typical' - so the real answer is that there is no absolute way to know. This is the reason to be super strict in the beginning, because you want to separate the "WOW I can't eat that" suffering from the "OK, I pushed a little far on the fresh fruits/veg" symptoms. When we are in a major flare (which is where so many of us are when we arrive here), virtually everything seems to be a problem. You have to turn down the volume on the distress to start answering your question of how to determine sensitivities.
If it makes you feel better, "normal" people have no idea how their food affects them either. I had dinner last night with two friends who have migraines, Type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves, and yes, even more autoimmune diseases. But I'm the only one with food issues. They can eat anything. Oh, yeah.
Hang in there,
Sara
Thanks Sara. I guess what I mean by not cooking meals, is that I want something quick to eat while I am on the run. Which is always! I do make a lot in the crock pot for dinner, such as yams, organic chicken with veggies, that sort of thing. What I need are recommendations for breakfast, snacks, etc. that I can grab and go, without packing a tupperware lunch. Has anyone found kind of bars, chips, etc. that meet the requirements of GF, DF and possibly SF? Whole Foods is great, but their selection overwhelms me and I just give up cause I don't have the time to read every ingredient and then I stress out, wondering if I picked the wrong thing, so I toss it away because I'm not sure.
Mandy
Mandy
Mandy,
For most of us, if a food causes a lot of loud gurgling noises, the noises will soon be followed by bloating and D, but if that doesn't happen in your case, then your reaction is only light, which may or may not be a problem.
For most of us, eating a food that we are sensitive to, results in D, anywhere from explosive to "soft serve", depending on the level of our inflammation, and our sensitivity, and this usually occurs within roughly half a day. For some individuals, however, reactions can take as long as a day or two after ingestion of the food, before they begin to show up, especially the D phase. Each of us has our own particular pattern of reactions, and it can vary for different foods, also. It's a complex issue, and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all pattern. A food/reaction diary can help to pinpoint or define patterns.
Tex
For most of us, if a food causes a lot of loud gurgling noises, the noises will soon be followed by bloating and D, but if that doesn't happen in your case, then your reaction is only light, which may or may not be a problem.
For most of us, eating a food that we are sensitive to, results in D, anywhere from explosive to "soft serve", depending on the level of our inflammation, and our sensitivity, and this usually occurs within roughly half a day. For some individuals, however, reactions can take as long as a day or two after ingestion of the food, before they begin to show up, especially the D phase. Each of us has our own particular pattern of reactions, and it can vary for different foods, also. It's a complex issue, and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all pattern. A food/reaction diary can help to pinpoint or define patterns.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.