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Posted 6/5/2008 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
I can't find a good low-res diet thread on the Crohn's forum, so I thought we may as well make one so it can be added to the meds & treatments page.

What advice and insights would you give to someone starting a low-residue diet for the first time?

Me, I think I'd advise someone to be aware that they can put on weight and feel very stodgy on this diet, so it would be a good idea to avoid sugary and white foods as much as possible. So, instead of having a chocolate milk, it might be a good idea to whiz a banana in the milk instead. And instead of having mashed potato, it might be better to have mashed carrot, or mashed sweet potato.

How's that for a start? Does anyone have any good low-res recipes or menu suggestions or tips they'd like to share?

Ivy.
Posted 6/6/2008 12:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hi When I started low residue I needed the extra weight. Foods to eat: White bread,chicken, minced meats, veggies cooked really good, pasta, white rice, I liked mashed potatoes, if it's easy to chew it's easy to digest.lol gail
Posted 6/6/2008 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
Ivy, gachrons,
I think those two posts hit on something really important when you go on something like a low residue diet it usuallly does not mean you get to forget about your other diet needs. If you need high or low calories, or if you need to watch your sodium or cholesterol-this is not an excuse to ignore those needs its another set of restrictions.
Also your low residue diet is going to be different than someone elses. Personally I love dairy and it doesn't bother me so yogurt and pudding (I choose low fat and sugar free because I don't want to gain weight) I also love sugar free jello. I find when I am not feeling well or not eating much I have a hard time drinking enough water so sugar free jello can be a good way to stay hydrated.
Someone else will come along and post that artificial sweetners and or dairy are poison for them..
Sj
Posted 6/6/2008 4:21 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry, why should we avoid white foods?
Posted 6/6/2008 9:28 AM (GMT 0)
Nah, sorry, I should clarify. I didn't mean that everyone should avoid white foods; just that if you're on a low res diet for years at a stretch and find that you're putting on too much weight and feeling revolting, then switching to less stodgy foods (eg sweet instead of white potatoes) might help a little.

Sounds obvious, but it took me more than a decade to work it out for myself. It would have helped heaps if someone had told me, which is why I mentioned it here. I don't mean to be prescriptive.

I.
Posted 6/6/2008 1:37 PM (GMT 0)
"White foods" generally refers to starchy and/or processed foods.  White bread, white rice, most pasta, potatoes, etc.  These foods are relatively high calorie/low nutrition options, so in normal circumstances their whole wheat counterparts are recommended for better health.  Unfortunately, wheat bread and brown rice aren't really compatable with a low res diet.

Posted 6/6/2008 1:51 PM (GMT 0)

Ivy I am surprised when you say a low residue diet causes people to gain weight.  I have been on a low res diet for about 1 1/2 years and my weight has not changed, in fact I have probably lost weight.  And I am a thinner Crohnie.  Maybe I am thinner too because I really don't have a very large appetite.  I eat a small quesadilla and a 1/2 banana for breakfast, usually have some raisin bread toast for a snack, 1/2 sandwich of some sort for lunch, and some light snack about 4 pm.  Then nothing else for the rest of the day.  Just not a big eater, used to be when I was younger, but not anymore.

On my low residue diet, I stay totally away from all red meat, it is just too hard for me to digest.  There are reports that I have seen that they are telling even healthy people to eat red meat no more than 1-2 times a week and it should always be lean red meat.  I only eat chicken, turkey or fish.  Being married to a wonderful Mexican man, I also eat alot of rice and beans.  And no I don't get gas from the beans.  For some reason they seem to agree with me very well. 

Posted 6/6/2008 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
Sigh.  I miss beans.  I had some hummus about six months ago, and that was a Very Bad Idea.  I'm doing a lot better now, so I could probably try again.  But I get queasy everytime I seriously consider it.

Posted 6/6/2008 4:29 PM (GMT 0)
I have spent years on not only a low residue diet but also an elemental diet and a SCDiet. With this I have been off and on a TPN feedings both at home and in the hospital. They are all good and some people can hand some of the foods within them. They also can not handle others that are included in them. I can not eat any type of bean; but, love hummus and can't eat it. Eggs are also a problem for me.

The worst is that I am malnurished and that makes it more difficult.

My only comment to people is that a low residue diet is not a low fiber diet and a good number of people do confuse them and intermingle them. If you are going to try a true low residue diet then you should really get the information of this type of diet from a dietition.
Posted 6/6/2008 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
This thread just illustrates that everyone has their own unique diets and that what works for one won't necessarily work for all. Or in my case for all time.

For me, legumes *used to* be a must have. They slowed transit speed of the food, making for more normal BMs. They don't do anything harmful or beneficial since my surgery in '05. However, brown rice in all but the smallest quantities wreaks havoc with my gut. It has since I was in my early 20s. (Between my first and second resections... '05 was my third...)

Wild Rice, on the other hand won't if it's cooked "to death" so I can have it in soups so long as I remember to add it early. And unless I'm in a flare, Indian food usually agrees well with me. (Curries and Tandoori chicken *drool* are typically heavily cooked and easy for me to digest). I've heard other Crohnnies swear that any amount of spice in their food does them in.

So Low Res or not, you know your body best, so eat healthy but in a way that works for you and the state your gut is in at the moment.
(Today if I tried eating a "normal" diet for me I would pay for it... possibly with an ER visit...)
Posted 6/6/2008 5:21 PM (GMT 0)
As for my "low res" diet. (lower than my typical)

here are some examples that work for me

For Protein:
jello, chicken, fish, or Egg Whites : No yolk (yolks will exacerbate diarrhea in me)

For Starches:
"Non" whole bran foods. (i.e. white bread, not whole wheat)
white or sweet potatoes (w/o skin)

For vegetables/other nutrients:
*heavily cooked* carrots, green beans, other veggies that cook down well.
(This excludes peas, kidney beans ...etc... they leave skins behind which
is counter to the notion of "low res")

For Fruits/snacks:
Apple Sauce, canned pears (w/o skins), canned peaches,
basically any canned fruit which mushes nicely and doesn't
have a crunchiness to it


Example Meals for a day:
Breakfast:
3 Hard boiled eggs - discard the yolks,
2 pieces of white toast with grape jelly,
A bowl of apple sauce.

Lunch:
Chicken breast cooked/baked whole or in strips (seasoned to taste/gut tolerance)
- skin and extra fat trimmed before cooking.
Jasmine rice seasoned with soy-sauce or anythign else I like that won't upset the gut.
green-beans, (thoroughly cooked! until they're nearly mushy!)

Supper:
Skinned and steamed salmon fillet, deboned!
Mashed potatoes
heavily cooked carrots (or green beans again and mashed sweet potatoes)


For dessert/snacks:
Soda crackers with peanut butter (OK I'm wierd, but I actually like this...)

or homemade apple pie w/o apple skins or cores
It takes a bit to slice 'em up right and I precook the filler
and let it cool to, this is to ensure that it's pretty well mush
once baked in the crust...
Posted 6/6/2008 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
For specific recipes, I might have a few... I just wing it... usually it's not low res when it's tasty... but here is one that I recall that should fit the low res mold.

This is also low fat as I have issues reabsorbing bile... this helps avoid restroom runs... as well I'm single so I cook for one... :-)

Lemon Tarragon Salmon
- Get a fresh (or thawed) salmon fillet. Remove the skin (personal preference.)
- Heat a covered Nonstick skillet on your stove top until a droplet will fizzel and dance about the surface.
- Place enough water in the skillet to barely cover the surface without immediately turning to steam. Reduce heat if needed.
- Place the salmon fillet in the skillet, sprinkle to your tastes with dried or fresh tarragon and black pepper and cover the skillet.
- Keep an eye on the moisture level. You want enough water present to prevent the salmon from sticking. You can gauge this by either trying to move the fillet with a spatula or by jostling the skillet. Add more water as needed.
- Once the salmon fillet is ready to be flipped douse it with a bit of lemon juice. (I also add granulated garlic at this point)
- Flip the fillet, and sprinkle more black pepper and tarrogon on it. Refresh the water if needed.
- Once the fillet is fully cooked, add a little more lemon juice, salt to taste and serve/eat.

This goes nicely with white rice, mashed potatoes or anything that you would normally serve with Salmon. :-)
Posted 6/6/2008 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
Yummy Jason, I love Salmon and they way you prepare it sounds really good. Not so sure the lemon part would agree though, but I could always leave that part out.

Just curious to those who are also on the low res diet, do you gain weight on it? My weight stays pretty stable, with an occasional slight drop, when I eat something I'm not supposed to. Oops!! You know we all cheat sometimes and pay for it;)
Posted 6/7/2008 12:47 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for challenging me on this, Nanners. You made me stop and think. You know, the weight gain could also be because I was on huge doses on steroids at the same time as I needed the low res diet. Stodge + steroids are probably a bad idea...

Typical low-res diet for me:

BREAKFAST
* semolina cooked with soy milk and honey
* a banana or some stewed fruit if I'm still hungry

LUNCH
* lean grilled meat, with boiled or steamed root vegies.
* banana pureed in soy milk

DINNER
* bowl of pureed soup & white toast, or
* poached eggs with toast
* banana or tinned peaches or stewed apples / pears (peeled, of course)

Jason, you're doing well to be able to handle beans. I haven't been able to eat them for years (and I think the dietitian would have scolded me if I tried, too).

I.
Posted 6/7/2008 12:48 AM (GMT 0)
ps. Nanners, what's a quesadilla? It sounds like some sort of animal, like an armadillo :-)
Posted 6/7/2008 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
Me gain weight on a low res diet? no... but then again I've typically only gone on them because I've had serious flares or in prep for, or after surgery. I've never been on a truly absolutely low-res diet for an extended period of time.

Compared to the average schmoe, I am on a lower-residue diet. That's because so many things send me to the restroom for hours on end if I don't avoid them. (Most fresh veggies do that to me... many fresh fruits too... although, not Mangoes...*drool*... unless I'm having a flare... ) I gain or lose weight on my diet pretty much according to how much i'm exercising versus eating... Pretty standard weight management stuff there. (If you're gaining lots, you're eating too much for your exercise level... or on prednisone... :-) )
Posted 6/7/2008 5:37 AM (GMT 0)
what's a quesadilla??!?!? *gasp* *chortle* *choke*
But... but... I thought everyone! knew that they're 3' wide furry armadillo eggs sauteed in petrol, whole!
Posted 6/8/2008 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
Ivy is from the other side of the pond from us Jason. A quesadilla is either a flour or corn tortilla with melted cheese in the middle. I use motzarella cheese, it really agrees with me and tastes good too. You heat up the tortilla till its warm then add shredded cheese to 1/2 of the tortilla (amount to your preference) and fold it in half and heat till the cheese melts. Very yummy if you can eat cheese.
Posted 6/8/2008 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
I add shredded chicken to my quesadillas and I'm famous for them. I even take them wrapped in foil in a crock pot plugged in to my car to softball games.

As far as low residue, I am one of those who keeps to white foods mostly. I like mashed potato, fish, chicken, sweet potato, pasta, eggs, rice.
Posted 6/8/2008 4:24 PM (GMT 0)
Zanne's diet sounds very similar to mine. Good idea about the chicken in your quesadilla's, never thought of that. Probably cause I eat them first thing in the morning. I like to call my low res diet, my comfort food diet.
Posted 6/9/2008 11:19 PM (GMT 0)

Hi,

When having flares, what do you think about drinking Ensure for a meal since it has lots of vitamins and is easy on the digestive tract?

Posted 6/10/2008 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hi HealthFeedback, when flaring I will drink Ensure if I am unable to keep other foods down. But with my low residue diet I don't normally drink the Ensure with it. I get enough thru my diet. JMHO
Posted 6/11/2008 1:12 AM (GMT 0)
Same. If I'm really ill I'll drink enteral feed as a meal substitute, but I'll eat if I can.
Posted 3/15/2010 2:38 AM (GMT 0)

bektold said...
Sigh.  I miss beans.  I had some hummus about six months ago, and that was a Very Bad Idea.  I'm doing a lot better now, so I could probably try again.  But I get queasy everytime I seriously consider it.

I really miss hummus, too. I just got dx'd w/ the crohn's or had a flare or whatever, but I had to stop eating hummus about a year ago, b/c I LOVE IT and I can't stop eating it and then my stomach would just be bloated and gassy and awful. I thought it was so healthy for people, it's a love of mine. So I haven't bought any from Trader Joe's in a long, long time. Now I understand why; the crohn's stuff. Now I understand why I kept getting indigestion and able to eat less and less, which was making no sense to me, and I would just stop buying/eating that item and not think much of it except that maybe I have a "food intolerance" to it, but also wondered why my food intolerances kept increasing. Now I get it, so I wonder if I can have beans or hummus ever again or what. Something I'll have to find out.


Posted 3/15/2010 2:42 AM (GMT 0)
soy milk btw (or any soy, I was mostly vegetarian back in the day) caused me to gain an immense amount of weight (despite exercise) and slowed my thyroid/metabolism to an almost stop. I love the taste of soy, but won't be doing that again, so I stick to almond/rice/coconut milks. Those seem to agree w/me. Almond milk is excellent to bake with, coconut for soups and coffee and stuff, rice milk for cereal and everything else.
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