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Red Meat??? BAD??

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Posted 9/17/2008 1:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi  all,    Should you stay away from red meat?  Thats one I didn't know.  I notice after my son has a steak for dinner, the next day he is not to happy.   Same thing if he eats spagetti or anything with tomatoe sauce.  He won't eat anything red anymore. But I didn't know the red meat could hurt.  I just figured it was good protein. He won't touch vegetable either.  Only meat and potatoes, bread, and he loves goodies,,,cakes, cookies, ice cream...etc.

He is probably eating all wrong.   I love to read what you guys do to help then I suggest it to him.  He is waiting for the results of his 6MP blood test to see if he can take a higher dose.  Will this ever end??  sigh........

Posted 9/17/2008 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
I have never seen or heard any reputable medical advice suggesting that red meat is bad for someone with ulcerative colitis.  In fact, it is a very good source of protein and a top source of iron quite easily absorbed by the human body. It is not uncommon for persons with ulcerative colitis to be low in iron if they are bleeding from the colon. I personally would rather increase my red meat consumption (even then, I eat only moderate amounts) than take iron tablets.  If your son is in an acute flare, many foods will seem to be irritating which are otherwise fine.  If you would like him to continue to get some red meat protein and iron, you might want to try mixing pureed or strained beef from baby food into other foods, eg. mashed potato or mashed vegetables such as carrots.  

Posted 9/17/2008 2:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi! I bet it's hard enough to deal with your son having UC without his being a picky eater to boot!

I have trouble digesting red meat when I'm flaring. Steak is more difficult for me than hamburger. Also, there's been some debate whether Crohn's disease in humans is linked to Johne's disease in cows.

People with UC have trouble with different foods. People have recommended keeping a food diary to see what makes it worse. I agree that's a good idea. (Even though food isn't said to cause a flare, I think it can definately make it worse/more uncomfortable.) For me, chicken breast, bananas and white rice are safe.
Just a side note, maybe the acid in the tomato sauce bothers him?

Good luck! I hope that your son feels better soon!
Posted 9/17/2008 4:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,
My doctor told me to try to avoid red meat when in a flare as it is harder to digest, but i find it bothers me no matter when i eat it. Same with Sauces or anything tomato based which i thing is due to the acidity.
Posted 9/17/2008 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
There's nothing like a good steak! moderation for anyone is the key. Meat is as stated above...an excellent source of protein and nutrients.

I eat beef with absolutely problems.

Taking longer to digest isn't the issue....actually foods that take longer to digest are better for your colon.

There are digestive enzymes to help break down protein....invest in them.

People make food decisions based on fear.....from my perspective.

Research and knowledge is the best tool for making best decisions.

Babying the digestive tract for too long isn't in the best interests of one's system....it just creates a lazy digestive system.

quincy
Posted 9/17/2008 6:28 PM (GMT 0)
I have difficulties with red meat. I believe it is due to having IBS as well though. Red meat and greasy foods will bother me whether I am in a flare or not.

Posted 9/17/2008 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
No one, healthy or not should over-eat red meat, but in moderation it most definitely has it's place, being high in iron makes it a good source, keeping in mind too that beef is one of the hardest meats for our bodies to digest...I've known people that don't even have gastro issues that eat a steak and are soon running to the can (that doesn't even happen to me). Tread with caution and be mindful of beef in general.

:)
Posted 9/17/2008 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
I was scared to eat red meat and fat b/c symtpoms of flaring are so so so scary and inconvinient. I worked at a concession stand during summers and I ate tons of double meat hamburgers. Sometimes two an eveing and late like 10pm even. They didn't cause me much harm. I did however have to stay away from the french fries, candy, and chili dogs b/c I would get looser stools the next day. The grocery store had a sale on T-Bones and I stocked up. I have been eating them with all the fat too and It doesnt seem to affect me. I also eat digestive enzymes and tons of veggies with my meat. Good luck figuring out if your son can't digest red meat to well. I know they say protein takes way longer to digest than other things. Aslo I saw a bumper sticker once that said BEEF-It's whats rotting in your colon. EEEwwwww! But I still eat it.
Posted 9/17/2008 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
I was instructed by my doctor to not eat red meat, no dairy products, no fructose, no raw veggies, no salads, no corn or corn products i.e. cornstarch, no fructose, and if you can't see thru it you shouldn't drink it. Well, who can live like that? My flare has calmed down a bit. I actually felt good last Saturday and Sunday! On Sunday I ate 3/4ths of a homemade hamburger. It was melt in my mouth good, but Monday I paid dearly for it.

I really think that this disease is so unique to each individual. One can handle dairy the other can't. One can handle red meat the other can't. The suggestion of a food diary is good - I do the same and even write down when I go to the restroom, the time I go, and if I have a movement wether it was D or softly formed or firm. Wait did I say firm? What's that? LOL I don't remember a firm movement anymore!

I hope your son gets better soon. It has to be tough on a parent having to watch their child hurt. But praise the Lord this is not a terminal illness.

Gigi1227
Posted 9/17/2008 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
My traditional GI doctor, my holistic general physician, and a book I read (What to Eat with IBD) all said to avoid red meat when in a flare because it is hard to digest.  I can't say whether it makes me worse during a flare or not because I am really good about not having any red meat at all while I'm flaring.  I miss bacon if I smell it cooking!  Sometimes tomatoes or tomato sauce give me trouble too, but not always.  Interesting that macrobiotic diets and some other diets avoid tomatoes because they are nightshades.  Eggplant is another nightshade that gives me trouble pretty consistently.
Posted 9/17/2008 9:52 PM (GMT 0)

Gigi1227 said...
I hope your son gets better soon. It has to be tough on a parent having to watch their child hurt. But praise the Lord this is not a terminal illness.

Gigi1227

   I second that!
Posted 9/17/2008 10:04 PM (GMT 0)
One thing I noticed is that I have less problems with red meat when it is fully cooked. I have all my steaks and burgers well done. Any pink in the meat and I will pay for it the next day.
Posted 9/17/2008 10:27 PM (GMT 0)

Red meat is a good source of protien and iron, but it takes a healthy digestive system to break it down properly.  If your digestive system isnt up to par then obviously your gonna pay.

You say your son likes cakes and goodies. For two reasons i am guessing..one they are cakes and goodies and two they probably dont cause him much upset.  Well to me it sounds like your sons flora is out of balance. Its been documented if you have an over growth of bad bacteria you will actually start craving sweets. I have been here.  This is because bad bacteria feed off of sugars. And you need good bacteria to break things down like red meat, with out good bacteria its gonna be unpleasent process.

I would suggest having him try out some probiotics like acidophilus. No need to be shy with it.

Posted 9/17/2008 10:32 PM (GMT 0)
Chicken is high in protein and much easier to digest compared to beef...beef is high in iron.

:)
Posted 9/17/2008 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
mh53mike may be on to something. Look at this from Scientific American July 2008 issue:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=improving-health-by-targeting-gut-bacteria

Hopefully that link will work. The article is about research being done on gut bacteria and how it influences all sorts of illnesses. It mentions VSL-3 as a good treatment for crohn's. (I should get some of that.)

Anyway, it's up and coming research in the field.
Posted 9/17/2008 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
That was the supplemental interview. Here's the article:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=jeremy-nicholsons-gut-instincts

I don't know how to link, so if you cut and paste, it works.
Posted 9/18/2008 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
I eat all kind of meat and fish. I avoid the really fatty cuts, trim the fat off before cooking and always buy the "lite" sausage that's all or part turkey, simply because the fat in regular sausage sometimes bothers me. I drink milk, I eat wheat. I really have no specific food intolerances. When I was flaring badly, I ate a lot of red meat because I craved it - I just figured my body was asking for more iron. It never did affect me negatively.

Posted 9/18/2008 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
I notice that even healthy people can have trouble with red meat, especially if they don't eat it very often. We eat a lot of beef in this part of the country and it doesn't bother me.
Posted 9/18/2008 4:09 AM (GMT 0)
red meat is good for you. all meat is good for you. we were made to digest meat and get the necessary amino acids and proteins from it.
its why we have canine teeth. if it doesnt bother you as an individual when its on its way through you, then eat it. if it seems to bother you, then dont.
its different for everyone.
my doc said to eat it especially since i seem to get anaemic quite quick due to loss of so much blood.

but the recurring problem with this stupid disease is that there is :
no known cause = docs blame every little thing as the cause
no known cure = lots of crappy medicines that dont work or food advice that is wrong
also, every single individual is so different that different things bother them. so you can only test and measure for yourself.
dont stop or start something/food/vitamins/etc based on someone elses opinions or experiences with this disease.
Posted 9/18/2008 5:37 AM (GMT 0)
I just know that hamburger is a killer for me, but like Roast beef doesnt bother me, go figure.
Posted 9/18/2008 5:52 AM (GMT 0)
go figure LOL...you know what hamburger has in it compared to a roast beef? even a low grade cut roast beef is better than hamburger any day.

:)
Posted 9/18/2008 6:14 PM (GMT 0)

kazygirl said...
we were made to digest meat and get the necessary amino acids and proteins from it.
its why we have canine teeth..

Not trying to get off topic, but I want to point out that that is a false statement. If you want to eat meat, fine, that's a personal choice, but I don't like when meat-eaters spread rumors about how humans were "made" to eat meat, when it's simply not true.

"Biologists have established that animals who share physical characteristics also share a common diet. Comparing the anatomy of carnivores with our own clearly illustrates that we were not designed to eat meat."
More info: http://www.goveg.com/naturalhumandiet_physiology.asp

It's interesting that your doc. told you to eat lots of meat to not get anemic, b/c I am a vegetarian and I (luckily) never became anemic even when I was bleeding profusely for several weeks prior to diagnosis.
Posted 9/18/2008 6:55 PM (GMT 0)
Ya that is off topic.  I would have never guessed you where a vegetarian by your post... Throttle back on the flower power i am sure it wasnt Krazygirl's intention to upset anyone.

Anyways i read somewhere meat could have antiboitics in it too, which you know what happens to bacteria with antibiotics...

Posted 9/18/2008 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
I kinda have to agree, I don't think we were "made" to eat meat, I think it's simply a choice, we can certainly survive quite well without it.

:)
Posted 9/18/2008 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
Shame on me...Shame on me!  We went to Atlantic City for an overnight stay yesterday and what did I eat?  Grilled chicken sandwich..good...French Fries...bad.  Today we had lunch at the Tropicana....meatball sandwich...yummmmmy.  It is now 5:30 pm, we've been home for an hour and already I have had five trips to the toilet.  Just waiting for the blood to make its appearance.  Why do I never learn?
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