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cravings for "bad" foods - what do you do?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 6/4/2010 12:36 AM (GMT 0)
I have been craving a salad now for about a month.  I know that I *shouldn't* eat one b/c the lettuce will/may cause pain & problems, but darn it sometimes you just want a salad!!! 

  I finally broke down and ate one, but covered it in cucumbers to fake a salad taste.  It was SOO good!!!! And? I didn't get any pain from it, but there was upset tummy. 

  Does anyone else have a way to "fake" a salad?  Or any other food that has known to make Crohnies get sick?  Are there any tricks you've learned to get by with typical no no foods?

Posted 6/4/2010 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
Even when I was near surgery and having a lot of issues, I would give in to cravings in a very small amt. like a bite or two of someone's salad. 4-5 pieces of popcorn or nuts. Etc. Just a bite usually curbed my cravings and didn't cause any more issues than I already had.

I'll admit - after my surgery, I can eat anything and it's been nice have big salads again. I'll enjoy it while it lasts!
Posted 6/4/2010 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
I have tried eating something of a chocolate substitute... Carob.... but it tastes awful...

However.... I am lactose intolerant... and I have tried dairy substitutes for certain foods that have really tasted good...

Like coconut-based ice cream (so good and so creamy...)... And soy ice cream... (Delicious)...

When I start to have a craving, I have a mini freak-out and try to do everything in my power to hide away from the temptation... Including carefully filling myself with other foods, so that I'm too full to want to eat anything else...

It doesn't work really, but it does allow for a delay....
Posted 6/4/2010 1:06 AM (GMT 0)
What types of lettuce can you not have? All of them? I am very new to this and not sure what is "good or bad." My hubby is the one with CD, but he doesn't feed himself, haha!

Maybe you could try dandelion leaves?
Posted 6/4/2010 1:12 AM (GMT 0)
What is good or bad, tuper... is highly variable from Crohn's patient to Crohn's patient...

On a general basis... Most Crohn's disease patients have difficulty with raw fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, and spicy food...

A lot may have difficulty with lactose intolerance (due to the fact that the enzyme lactase *which helps us digest lactose* is produced by the intestines and the area its produced in can get damaged along the course of the disease)

From there, it's variable as I said... A lot of people with Crohn's disease have to go through a trial and error method... I suggest getting your husband to keep a food journal... Making sure to write what he eats everyday and how he feels afterwards... If you notice something that shows up that seems to consistently correlate with him feeling bad... Then, it's time to see if that food really is bothersome... If it is.... Eliminate it...
Posted 6/4/2010 12:46 PM (GMT 0)
speaking of things we can and cannot eat, red meat and popcorn aren't worth it for me, those are cravings I can resist. But I have friend who has been in and out of the hospital with really bad episodes, but then on his facebook he's constantly talking about eating popcorn, ice cream, raw veggies, etc. I'm like, ... no WONDER you're in the hospital all the time!
Posted 6/4/2010 1:01 PM (GMT 0)
I use to always give in to cravings, but after having so many bad responses, I have learned to just say no. Hugs!
Posted 6/4/2010 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
^I've always eaten whatever I've felt like (salad, veg, popcorn, etc.) and have never ended up in hospital. Same goes for my brother, who also has Crohn's. Even now, I still eat whatever I want - just not always as much of it because I can't eat as much as I used to without a price to pay for it. But it is not going to send me to the emergency room.

It also doesn't matter whether I fill up on bland carbs or a salad - if anything the bland carbs bloat me out and affect me the worst of all. If I'm going through a bad patch I cut back on the carbs and eat more protein. At dinner I sometimes cut out the starch (usually potatoes) entirely.

Not everybody who has Crohn's is sentenced to a lifetime of a grim and bland diet.
Posted 6/4/2010 1:37 PM (GMT 0)
For me iceburg lettuce is bad but I have found that I can eat spinach greens, so I make my salad with that. Before I figured out I could eat spinach leaves my husband would order a side salad when we would go out. It was pure torture to sit across the table and watch him eat it, I would have him ask for an extra side of ranch and dip my bread in it, Mmmmmm, atleast I got the dressing.
Posted 6/4/2010 7:40 PM (GMT 0)
I so totally miss popcorn, but I learned years ago (looooooong before realizing there was a problem) that popcorn hurts SOOOOOO bad that I will never eat it again.  I don't sweat it...........it smells good, makes me crave it, but knowing how bad it hurts me does not make it hard to not have any.
Posted 6/4/2010 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
I've learnt that my cravings usually indicate I'm deficient in some vitamin or mineral, and that I need a bit of a top up... so I've learnt to listen to mine, and give my body what it's asking for.

It's weird, actually, because when my cravings were at their worst, they were actually being corroborated by blood tests. For instance, when I was craving meat and mushroom soup and things like that, I was iron-deficient; when I was craving all sorts of fruit and veg I needed more B vitamins, etc.

I've never done myself any damage by giving in to my cravings... but then, I tend not to crave things that I know will hurt me.

If you're craving salad and you know it will hurt you, then why not try something safer that's along the same lines nutritionally... say, a vegetable juice? That might help.

Ivy.
Posted 6/4/2010 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
I can eat romaine lettuce easier than iceberg. Every now and again I'll give into my cravings. You just have to know going into it that it'll cause problems, and decide if you want to eat it knowing it'll make you feel bad.
Posted 6/5/2010 4:13 AM (GMT 0)
The warmer months are torture for me. All the fresh fruits and veggies that are in season. Watermelon, cantalope, fresh green beans, home grown tomatoes, peaches, apricots... Ahhh!

I don't deprive myself, but I try to limit myself to a few bites. I definitely pay the consequences with more pain and D though.
Posted 6/5/2010 4:49 AM (GMT 0)
I have such an issue with this too... I have such a hard time telling myself no! I try to let myself indulge a little if I have had a few good days -- but within reasoning. As in, when I want pickles, I eat 4 or 5 of the tiny dill ones... It works alright -- much better than what used to happen. I used to ignore my cravings, which I frequently get before bed, and would go to sleep. Then, I would wake up 4-5 hours later, and would raid the kitchen, half asleep.... Thus, I try to give in a bit if I think that I will be ok... It's tough though -- I saw fresh peaches yesterday, and was really wanting to make a tart, but that probably isn't the best idea....

Being a foodie and crohnie at the same time is hard! I haven't found a good substitute for salad, but anything soy or rice based definitely helps with the lactose issue. They also have lactose pills, which work for one of my crohnie friends, but never did anything for me. Plus, my no-no foods constantly change. It's irritating, but it's trial-and-error. I've been eating mashed potatoes for the last 4 days because for some reason, they seemed to work. 3 months ago I avoided them...
Posted 6/5/2010 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
I think its so funny what some of us can eat that others can't. Like I can eat iceberg lettuce, but not any of the Romaine or Leaf like lettuces. They just pass almost whole.

GrayeyedBlonde, have you tried eating the fruits without the peel? I have been able to eat things like Nectarines, Plums etc if I don't eat the peel.

Good luck!
Posted 6/5/2010 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
Yep, I take the peel off everything, even tomatoes. It just comes back out a more chewed up version of what went in. The Humira seems to be helping a little though. Just started a little over a month ago, and for the first week after the shot, I have less D and is more of a chunky pudding consistency. Just had my shot last night so I'm trying a small piece of watermelon tonight. It's been calling my name all week! :)
Posted 6/5/2010 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
Another thing that works for me is to puree possibly-gut-upsetting fruits into a smoothie. They're just liquid then, and less likely (I find) to cause pain.
Posted 6/5/2010 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, and ditto veg. These can be added to soups, either chopped finely, or pureed. You can even do this with lettuce.
Posted 6/6/2010 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
My taste buds love a good spinach salad but my stomach not so much. Doesn't matter if I'm flaring or in remission. I seem to do well with most other green leafy vegetables. I never eat popcorn anymore, even if I'm feeling 100%. I eat nuts sometimes, I just make sure to chew them really well. I don't eat icecream, I get bad cramps, bloating and diarrhea. Coffee doesn't do me any favors so I switched to green tea with ginger root. I try to avoid refined sugars and processed foods as well as starchy foods, including breads. I enjoy banana, pineapple and strawberry smoothies, oatmeal, soups, chicken, fish, rice pasta, pesto, and a variety of other good stuff. I don't consider my diet bland although it's taken a long time to eliminate the foods that don't serve me well and adjust to the changes. Now, when I do cave to a craving, I feel the worse for it and it serves as reminder that the small sacrifices are well worth it.
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