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Makers Diet during a flare?

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Posted 2/28/2008 11:29 AM (GMT 0)
I finally got the book for the Makers Diet and since my meds are not getting me out of my flare I want to try the diet.  I see there are alot of veggies, fruits and salads on phase 1 and wonder how everyone can handle that during a flare with diarrhea???  I am not on prednisone but entocort and pentassa.  Salad greens, cucumbers??? Do you just skip those items???

Thanks

Chris

Posted 2/28/2008 1:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Chris...I hope someone answers who has lived through the experience of actually doing the Maker's Diet while flaring. I can tell you my son had a mini flare with "D" back in early October and he settled it down by drinking a liquid diet for 10 days. It was extremely tough on him, needless to say, but it did work. An "elemental", "semi-elemental" or clear liquid diet to calm a flare has been discussed here before at length. Some folks have great tricks they've shared for what they drink during this time. My son used Crohn's Clear Elemental Shake at the time (he said it felt better in his gut than Ensure or Boost), but folks here have shared that they use clear broths, clear juices, jello, etc. I got lots of great ideas that I hope he never has to use!

A side note: It's strange. We had been doing the diet about 3-4 weeks when my son started that flare. I had been looking for true raw cheese, as the MD advocates, but hadn't found it until that week. My son ate the raw cheese and began that flare about 36 hours later. Coincidence? I don't think so. Was it the lactose? Or was it something else like MAP that made it through since raw cheese by definition is not pasteurized? I suppose we'll never know, but for this reason, he won't touch dairy. Just thought I'd share that we are not on board 100% with *every* aspect of the MD.

I hope you feel better real soon!
Posted 2/28/2008 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
The diarrhea doesn't necessarily go away when you start the makers diet, but the INFLAMMATION of the CD may settle down a bit. The diarrhea can actually get a little worse, because phase 1 and 2 are mostly detox, so your body is going to get rid of a lot of crap.

Aside from this, you'll notice a difference in your CD regardless. I can't say to what extent, though. Some people see a huge difference.

In regards to all the fruits and veggies:

If you have obstructions, try cooking and pureeing the fruits and veggies at first, don't eat the nuts or anything else that can obstruct, then slowly eat more raw ones. There are some raw fruits and veggies that won't obstruct. Do some research or use your discretion.

If you don't have obstructions, I recommend you eat whatever will go through (even if goes through fast). If it's too much, then cut back.

I eat veggies and fruits when I'm not obstructed even though they may go through fast because I want the nutrition and enzymes and whatever else they're good for.
If I don't eat them, I STILL have diarrhea anyway! LOL. I can honestly say since I've implemented even part of this diet in my own, I have WAY less obstructions now. I used to get them almost daily and was facing another surgery.

Best wishes.
Posted 2/29/2008 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
I started the makers diet the day after I came home from the hospital after 3 days there...I also started prednisone in the hospital...
Heading home from the hospital I felt pretty good...so I don't know if you would consider that "being in a flare"
anyway...salads used to not sit well with me...they pretty much turned into d. right away. I have been eating either spinach or baby field greens now 5-6 times a week as my salad greens and have had no (zero, zilch, none) diarrhea. Also, I concur with the other opinions on veggies. I steam carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, pretty much any veggie, in a sauce pan with just a 1/4 inch of water on the bottom of the pan...this is plenty to get them nice and soft, without getting mushy. With Spinach, I just put it straight into the sauce pan, no water, and heat it up for a minute or two, stirring it pretty much the whole time. I too am not on board 100% with every aspect of the makers diet, but it has proven to be a useful tool for me as I try to follow a structured, healthy diet.
Posted 3/1/2008 2:54 AM (GMT 0)
i started the maker's diet during probably my worst flare ever considering my colon had stopped working. i was scared to start it cos of all the fruits and veggies and the lack of grains - i would have to eat the opposite i had been eating for over 10 years, and eating foods i knew hurt me. but considering i was looking at a colostomy, i figured i'd give it a try. shoot, look at how bad jordan rubin was and he was able to do it and reclaim his health and avoid a colostomy so that gave me a lot of hope and faith that it could work for me. funny thing was, i was totally able to tolerate the foods no problem! i was pleasantly surprised.

any time is a good time to start the diet, flare or no flare. if in a flare, i would suggest to take it easy on the veggies, especially the leafy greens which most of us have a problem with. i'd also recommend cooking most of your veggies since that helps break down the fiber matrix. eat more lean organic meat, berries, and of course his smoothies. i know when i am flaring i normally dont eat much and do some partial fasting. also drinking plenty of filtered water couldnt hurt. and abstain from grains and sugars. i know that sounds hard, but if you have the will power this could help you through the flare and also start you on the road to wellness and incorporating more of the makers diet. when i flare or have bad abdominal pain i ratchet my diet back to phase 1 or 2 depending on how i feel until symptoms subside. this seems to work for me.
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