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crohns and fruit what to do

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 1/31/2011 7:33 PM (GMT 0)
hi guys

i was wondeing how does fruit go down with crohns, because im really missing fruit i feel as if im eatting all this stuff to put back on weight but i feel so unhealthy....and what about strawberries my dad brought me some but i dont dare eat them. but there my favourite fruit what should i do...

x

Posted 1/31/2011 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
I do fine with fruit. Some people are bothered by the seeds (strawberries), but you should be able to eat fruit. With bananas wait until there are tiny brown spots on the peel - then you know the starch has turned into digestible sugar. If I'm going through a particularly rough spell, then I bake apples instead of eating them raw. A baked apple with some butter, honey, and cinnamon tastes really good. If you can peel the apple, then that's good too because the peel can be irritating.

Try a few strawberries and give it a day. See what happens. Have they bothered you in the past?
Posted 1/31/2011 7:48 PM (GMT 0)
I would wait until you are able to tolerate normal soft foods without issue before trying strawberries with seeds. Maybe slowly work your way up to strawberries. I would hate to hinder the progress you're making by eating something that isn't good after a surgery. Maybe check with your dietician first?

PV
Posted 1/31/2011 8:15 PM (GMT 0)
Even on my best days strawberries bother me. They are my favorite fruit and I do indulge when they are at their peak, but I know I will suffer for it. I would be really careful with anything with fiber. Start with cooked to a very soft consistency and work your way up. Just a few bites at a time and see how you do.

You need to realize that what is healthy for everyone else is not what is healthy for your body when it is flaring or recovering. It is so hard to wrap our heads around because society has us all programed to avoid highly processed foods and eat our fruits and veggies, but our damaged and healing guts can't handle it. You can still eat food that is nutritious, but you need to avoid things that are rough to your sensitive intestines.
Posted 1/31/2011 9:09 PM (GMT 0)
thankyou guys,
stef: no they have never bothered me in the past thats why im so eger to try them, but when i had my flare up i never tired strawberris so i dont know what will happen, and thankyou, for the tip with the apple sounds yummy!
PV: yeah i've spoken to my dietician and she says to stay away from high fibre things and things with seeds/pips/peal...but i miss my strawberries ):
Suzanne: thankyou for your comment, i think im going to have to wait a while until im feeling alot better and recovered fully from my sugery before i try strawberries...but do you have any tips on what to eat?
xxx
Posted 1/31/2011 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
You just had a bowel resection 11 days ago, right? Did they provide a diet guidance as to when you could start introducing raw fruits and vegatables like this? I would always err on the side of caution and go slow with introducing these other foods. Your digestive track needs rest to heal. And it needs time. Have patience, and you'll have plenty of time to get back into a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle activities.
Posted 1/31/2011 9:24 PM (GMT 0)
First of all I think juice is the way too go. Do you have a juicer? You could try straining them with cheese cloth, after juicing. But I would lean towards just freezing them for right now, and stick with plain juices.
Posted 1/31/2011 9:37 PM (GMT 0)
just a thought too...you could look at the baby food, esp that for very young (supported sitter) www.gerber.com/supportedsitter/products/puree_baby_food.aspx

I know it's kinda depressing (eating baby food, or not being able to eat what 98% of adult humans do)...but a thought if your taste buds get tired and you are too tired to prepare anything...

I've done this numerous times (I add salt a pepper as most of these don't have any seasonings)...but I tend to go with the baby rice cereal (and use soy milk) when I'm in rough shape...
Posted 1/31/2011 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
Trust me, when you're desperate for fruit (as I often am), babyfood fruit is reasonably satisfying--especially baby banana, baby peaches or apricots, and any babyfood with strained mango in it. As a second step, you can try canned fruits (but not apricots or grapes or cherries, or anything else that has a peel on it); since you're worried about being healthy, don't get anything with heavy syrup--just get the ones packed in juice, especially pears and peaches. Avoid pineapple forever--it has way too much fiber. Applesauce (including the applesauce varieties flavored with strawberry or peach or mango, etc.) is good, as are baked apples (and you don't even need to put butter or sugar on them, just a little cinnamon or fruit juice before you stick 'em in the microwave). As a very last resort, you can eat raw fruit, but only if you've made sure it's peeled and has no seeds. So berries, including strawberries, are pretty much out.

If you're desperate for strawberry flavor, you can eat strawberry jelly (which has no seeds), but not the jam or preserves (which have seeds). For me, a real treat is to eat some of the fruit butters--like apple butter or pumpkin butter (yum!) on toast or crackers.
Posted 1/31/2011 10:29 PM (GMT 0)
What about peeling strawberries to get those seeds off? I know it would be tedious work, but if I was really craving them I might give that a try since they're only on the surface.
Posted 1/31/2011 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
My suggestion, if you absolutely have to have them (I have terrible will power) is to cut them up and let them sit for a couple of hours so that they get soft and soupy like you would do if you were having strawberry shortcake. They may be more tolerable to your system like that.

Posted 2/1/2011 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
I puree mine if I need to. Sometimes I'm bothered, sometimes not but I do crave fruit. Cold fruit. Icy cold fruit.

Where ARE those peaches anyway??
Posted 2/1/2011 2:47 AM (GMT 0)
I've never had a problem with raw fruits and veggies, but I've never had a resection either. Why not puree the fruit, strain the seeds and make ice pops?
Posted 2/1/2011 3:05 AM (GMT 0)
oooooohhhh, that sounds like a good idea!

SB16, since everyone is different it can be an unfortunate series of trial and error.  If it bothered you before it is probably best to put on your "no fly list".  Me personally can only seem to tolerate fresh bananas and some of the fruits they put in my yogurt, including strawberries.  But strawberry jelly ruins my insides.  Fresh fruit and veggies kill me.  I try to avoid the skins on what little I do eat but the fruit in yogurt has been pretty good to me.  My 2 cents...

Posted 2/1/2011 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
How about strawberry flavored yogurt ?
Posted 2/1/2011 6:19 PM (GMT 0)
thankyou everyone (:
as to the baby food i think its a great idea if im struggling one day, but at the minute im managing most foods! which im very happy about but very scared to try new food i.e fruit it doesnt really bother me about maybe not being able to eat veg as i hate most veg but im a big fan of fruit! ive had a apple pealed and i think it went down ok, but apples are boring!!!! what about melons? there just water based arent they? and sorbet ice lollies? ohhh and i've tired jelly and that settles fine with me thank god! theres nothing better than ice cold jelly.
but what i want to know is there any food that is just a no go!? i think its gonna be trial and error! x
Posted 2/1/2011 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
I have found that since my resection (and since i have followed FODMAP) that I tolerate some fruit really well and am now enjoying strawbs, bananas and even raspberries and blueberries again - simply heaven :) still a bit wary about skins so I tend to blend the blueberries with greek yoghurt though!

I do avoid Apples, Mango, Watermelon, Apricots, Avocado, Cherries, Longon, Lychee, Nectarines, Pears , Plums, Prunes because I follow FODMAP and although some of these fruits seemed Ok at time of eating I often ended up with problems /symptoms not long afterwards.

Do think if your body is craving somethng it is usually for a reason! I have been know to push strawbs through a sieve in pre resection days and still strain sweet chilli sauce in the same way - old habits die hard!
Posted 2/1/2011 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
I find tomatoes really hard to digest. Too acidic I think. But I can eat lots of fruits as long as a don't eat the peel. Try that, and see if it works. Good luck!
Posted 2/1/2011 10:21 PM (GMT 0)

strawberry flavored kefir is delis.

curt

Posted 2/2/2011 5:38 AM (GMT 0)
Since I lost my ostomy bag and became self contained again, I've been eating all kinds of fruit and veggies(apples, grapes, bananas, carrots, raw spinach, peppers(raw weird I know) lol. I try to keep them to a bit of a minimum or maybe take the skin off the apples if I'm hacing several that day or something. It's different for everyone and trial and error is how you find out which kinda sucks lol. Also Stef, great note on the bananas I had no idea :) Thanks.
Posted 2/2/2011 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
I love, love, love melon in the summer when they are in season! Cantalope, watermelon, etc. Unfortunately, my insides HATE them! I will occasionally suffer thru them if I'm really craving and have no where to be for the rest of the day. For me, all that water content just helps them slide through faster!! Hope they work out better for you!
Posted 2/2/2011 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Bethany, I was reading your signature. You have had arthritis since 1 year old?
Posted 2/3/2011 4:10 AM (GMT 0)
I've had 3 resections and since the last one 1.5 years ago have been able to eat everything. I do not eat grains. No bread, cereal, oatmeal. You couldn't pay me to touch gluten at this point. I eat all veggies and fruits, even in their raw state. Prior to this I had not eaten any in 8+ years! I would wait till the 6 week mark to try anything too fibrous, my kids and I had a celebration the day I got to try corn on the cob at the 6 week mark (oh there's an exception to the no-grain statement, I do have fresh corn once in awhile when it's in season!) Besides that I was eating tomatoes and strawberries at the 1 week past surgery mark with no problems. You want to test out small quantities to make sure there is no obstructed areas due to scar tissue or inflammation (the reason for the 6-week mark- all swelling should be more or less done by then) Good luck! I'm hoping after battling this disease and going though 3 resections that what is going to work for me long term is low sugar and no grains. I'm also using Humira, not so brave wrt diet to abandon modern meds :)
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