Help appreciated for (blandly) spicing up a bland diet

[JamesEcuador]

I've been on a bland diet now for around 2 months which consists of making meals out of bananas, rice, occassional potatoes, apple sauce and boiled or oven baked chicken, carrots and pumpkin. My breakfast consists of 2 bananas with a bit of rice and apple sauce and sometimes a bit of chicken left overs. Snack time is just a banana. Lunch time and dinner time are almost the same: chicken, rice, pumpkin, carrots topped off with apple sauce. Sometimes I'll save the carrots for lunch, pumpkin for dinner or vice versa. Afternoon snack time is another banana. Oh and being British, of course I haven't given up on my black tea and drink either one or two cups most days. I've been GF (apart from a few accidents) for 6 months, DF for 3 months and SF and EF for 2 months. And just as a reminder, in January my colonoscopy biopsies found LC.

I started this diet to help the sharp abdominal pains I'd been having for about 6 weeks previously and constant very loose stools or constipation (just one BM daily, never diarrhoea), heavy nausea and brain fog in the mornings. Now 2 months into the diet, the abdominal pain is still there but feels more under control and isn't always constant. I'm still nauseas and brain foggy in the morning but it has improved since starting the diet. My maximum of one daily BM is still very loose (a 6 or 7 on the Bristol chart).

I'm worried now though as I seem to be losing weight (and I'm already too thin) and I think that could be down to this diet. I'm still happy to eat very simply as it looks like its working but I would be grateful for some more bland food tips in my life - especially for breakfast and snacks where I think I'm missing out the most. Also, any other fruits or vegetables I could add in there? Perhaps I have a wider circle of options since I don't suffer from diarrhoea?

Because I'm living on a remote island I don't have a great deal of choice, there are no allergy free products here for example. However, I can get most standard natural items in my supermarket and I'm used to cooking everything from scratch at home. Thanks everyone

[Pat]

James,

You may be eating too much fruit. Can you add some very well cooked squash? Unfortunately your tea may not be all that good for you at this time. I'm sure some others will chime in here soon. Good luck! And hang in there, this takes time.

Pat

[JamesEcuador]

Thanks Pat. My reintroduction of tea is only in the last 2 weeks or so and I've had a nagging feeling I probably shouldn't be drinking it. Squash is not always on the islands but if you recommend it I'll try my best to get it when it arrives.

[tex]

Hi James,

I'm not claiming that they're a healthy addition to anyone's diet, but if you just want to gain weight, grain is the first choice of all feedlot operators for putting weight on animals as fast and as economically as possible.

Eating more rice should cause you to gain weight, and most of us can eat corn chips or tortilla chips as long as they're not cooked in soy oil. Many brands of potato chips are safe, also, if you tolerate potatoes OK. Of course if you tolerate potatoes, then baked potatoes, or potatoes in any other form should add some weight, if you eat enough of them.

Weight (fat, at least) is pretty much a function of calorie intake. If you want to gain weight, you need to take in more calories.

Regarding tea, while Pat is correct (many members here have to avoid tea), I never had to stop drinking black tea during my recovery, even though I had to avoid coffee and I ate a very restrictive diet. I drank the tea straight, of course, but it never seemed to cause any problems for me.

Squash is an excellent, healthy, and safe food. But it's not likely to put any weight on you, unless you eat about a truckload a day. Take it from an old farmer, if you want to gain weight, meat and grain are the way to go.

Regardless of your diet options, the way to gain weight is to eat until you are full, and then eat some more. That's the way that cattle in a feedlot do it, and it keeps them gaining steadily.

The old expression, "eat like a pig", usually refers to etiquette. But the expression "pigging out" is applicable in this situation.


Tex

[Pat]

What about adding a little olive oil? Or some can tolerate coconut oil? Fat will add weight if you can tolerate it. Drizzle on your veggies.

Pat

[tex]

That's a great suggestion. Safe oils are a good way to add both calories and flavor. Refined coconut oil is great for frying, also. It has a much higher smoke point than unrefined coconut oil. To my unrefined taste buds, food fried in refined coconut oil has a superb flavor.

Tex

[UkuleleLady]

Can you eat fattier meats like beef and pork? I add avocado to my smoothie for fat cals. Coconut milk helped me gain a lot of weight back. I actually like it in tea.

Best wishes.

[Gabes-Apg]

If you can get rice protein powder online, you could mix it with coconut milk/rice milk.
this will help weight gain and give you something you can take to work or if you are going out for the day.
Mix the banana with it.

my rice protein powder costs me about $2-$3 a serve, even with postage if you have to buy it from oseas, it is still a reasonable cost meal.

[Gabes-Apg]

James
did a bit of a google search and found this blog

how to make Yuka bread / pancakes with locally available ingredients.
use coconut oil or other suitable oil to replace the vegetable oil.

http://www.expatexchange.com/expat/inde ... id=3344889

As rice is readily available, maybe try to make 'creamed rice' with rice, coconut milk, sweetened with brown sugar.

[carolm]

HI James, I found it easier to eat foods when they were more palatable. I added sage, rosemary, parsley, onion powder, and thyme to my chicken, soups and vegetables and had no trouble tolerating them. I added cinnamon to baked apples and it was a welcome change. I also agree with the others who said to add olive oil and coconut oil when you can.

take care,
Carol

[JamesEcuador]

Thanks everyone - great tips. I'm going to add olive oil and rice milk into my diet and definitely follow the farmer's advice to stuff myself with grains I also reintroduced quinoa this morning for breakfast (with apple sauce) so I'll see how I get on.

Good question UkuleleLady about meats. I've only eaten chicken so far because I thought it was the best option for people suffering from gut problems. I'd be happy to try other meats if people think its not a gamble for my recovery? My only options here are pork and beef. Fish as well. Although my BM of the day is always loose and normally delivered in an explosion, I never have more than one a day so perhaps I don't have the same risks as other forum members.

Tea I'm still not sure about. I wake up so brain foggy sometimes that I need *something* just to get me through the morning at work. Tex's words are encouraging but from a lot of what I read online it says all caffeine should be avoided for sufferers of IBS or IBDs. I was tea-less for about 3 weeks and there were no noticeable differences in my symptoms at the time and because it does bring me enjoyment I'd like to continue drinking it if I can.

Slightly off topic but I also had a moment yesterday where I realized the Listerine mouthwash I've been using every day for 2 years is perhaps not the best idea. Over on celiac.com people seem to say although the manufacturer promises no gluten ingredients are used, there is a significant risk of cross contamination. Anyone have any issues in the past?

[tex]

from a lot of what I read online it says all caffeine should be avoided for sufferers of IBS or IBDs

That's misguided advice that originated with doctors making an assumption about something they do not understand, and so it spread all over the internet. Naturally, no one ever bothered to actually verify that caffeine does cause problems for people who have GI issues. Doctors make that assumption because caffeine is classified as a secretagogue (implying that it is a substance that stimulates secretions — for example gastrin stimulates the parietal cells of the stomach to secrete gastric acid). But experience shows that such an assumption is not warranted. Caffeine probably does cause a few people to react who might not otherwise do so, even though it did not cause any problems prior to MC, but that seems to happen about as often as we win the lottery.

On this board, our combined experience shows that if coffee/caffeine always did cause someone to run to the bathroom soon after drinking it (which is common for many people), then it is certainly likely to have the same effect after those individuals develop MC. On the other hand, if caffeine was never a significant problem for them, most people find that they can tolerate it just fine after they develop MC.

I also had a moment yesterday where I realized the Listerine mouthwash I've been using every day for 2 years is perhaps not the best idea

The first commercial product I developed an allergy to was Scope mouthwash. After using it for years, it suddenly inflamed the mucosal lining of my mouth one morning. That was over 40 years ago, and I still have that bottle, a little less than half full. I never bothered to try to figure out which ingredient caused the problem, but it probably didn't contain gluten.

By the way, pork is my favorite food, so I highly recommend it (unless you happen to be sensitive to it).

Tex