Another success story with spinach and sunflower seeds!

I've re-introduced spinach into my diet 3 days ago.

I am using chopped/frozzen spinach, since it's the only one available here, except for the raw one. Off course i am boiling it a lot to make it "soft" for my colon.
I am having it in the mornings - either with eggs or with some meat/cheddar cheese.

At the moment, I am having 1-2 BM/day, normal ones. For the past weeks i've been switcing between normal BM's and diarrhea.
The pain from the rectum has dimminished for about 50 %.
But as strange as it may seem - i am experiencing a lot of pain in my ascending colon, wich i did not had for a lot of time. It's not a coincidente, it started 3 days ago.

Anyone with simmilar experiences?

Hi.
50 % of our stools are composed of bacteria, so if you can handle SCD yougurt, wich i cannot, probably it would be a good ideea for you to make it more often.

Thank you for your information, for me either it's a verry strong coincidence or it's directly related to spinach...

hi guys, first post here ever,

I've had UC for 4 years now with flare ups for most of the last two years, current one started about a month ago and is fairly bad, about 6 bm's a day all B, D and urgency.
started reading this and am now working my way through a bag of sunflower seeds beside me, going to get some spinach tomorrow.

Will keep you updated about how it works out.

Have tried various medicines, currently on
pentasa (mesalazine)
immuran 200mg daily (azariothioprine)
prednisone 40mg daily.
Also take a multivitamin daily.

Davos

I too went on vacation and my UC symptoms were the least in 10 years. Got home and D slowly increased with no change in diet, meds, anything. The only difference I can track is I was more active on vacation and I've noticed in the past that when I exercise my colon quiets down.

So here's my totally untested theory. My colon likes increased activity, increased heart rate, increased blood flow through the body and that brings increased oxygen to all parts. How about you? Were you more active in Italy than at home?

I regularly eat sunflower seeds (toasted unsalted) and spinach every day.
I've increased my activity level so hope things quiet back down.

I'm doing great. Med-free. Taking probiotics and eating spinach and sunflower/macadamia nut butters.

I love the Chicken Tandori and Spinach that Tandoor makes:

http://www.tandoorchef.com/products.php?category=nonvegetarian

Although it's name lists chicken first, the entree contains more spinach than chicken. I add turmeric powder to it. I must eat about four or five entrees of it a week. Very tasty.

davos,

Yogurt can be binding to a lot of people. I know my own mother can't go anywhere near it or she won't poop for a week. Perhaps you can try going back on your yogurt. It might just make the difference you're looking for.

Also, if you can't do the yogurt, try mashed banana with a little unsweetened carob powder mixed in. That combo can help to bind as well.

Hi everyone,
Apologies for not posting for a while. It was crazy for me at work (we're being audited) and then when i had some time at home (prepping for my latest colonoscopy) I looked for this thread but couldn't find it.

Anyway, the good news is that my latest colonoscopy showed much less inflammation than my last one which was only 10 months ago (I'm down for yearly, but I wanted to get it out of the way before xmas this year). I think the diet must be helping.

The bad news is, that I still haven't been able to shift the D. Still no B or M, and not too many BMs/day, but lots of D. I appreciate everyone taking the time to make suggestions.

IMAGARDENER - It's an interesting theory. I had been something along similar lines, although a little less positve than you. I'd been thinking that the travelling is too much for my body but that this only really starts to show its effects when I get home and try to let my body catch up. I didn't do that much activity when in Italy as I went with work, so spent most of the time in various offices. However, I did once wonder whether lots of fresh air/excercise would be beneficial and tried to do gentle sports etc. My conclusion at the time was that it didn't seem to help me. I might try it again though.

SQUATTIE - I think you might be right about the yoghurt - I'm going to try and make some more this weekend when i get a bit of time. I've never tried unsweetened carob powder, but hey, I'm willing to try quite literally anything so I'll see if I can pick some up this weekend.

I've also noticed that people are talking about psyllium powder on here. This is something that I tried many years ago, but might be worth another go.

I'll let you know how I go.

Take care all

d

quincy said...
Yeah, wow...look at all that spinach! do you order them online?
q

I buy them at Whole Foods.

I think the low residual diets help those who have very sensitive colons.

However, they don't help everyone. Plus, fiber is great for long-term colon health.

As with any diet, the spinach and sunflower seed diet is really geared for the long term.

Post Edited (subdued) : 11/17/2010 9:30:07 PM (GMT-7)

This coming Monday I'll have been on it about a month. I'd say the amount of BM's I've had has decreased slightly from about 8-10 to around 5-7. I think it's working, just very slowly, and gradually. I'm also eating a ton of both. I eat at least a CUP (which is 8 oz) of sunflower seeds daily, AT LEAST. I also eat at least a half can of spinach a day, usually a full can.

These are the things I've noticed throughout this first month.
Going slightly less
BM's are slightly more formed than they've been in awhile, still far from perfect
Sleeping a little bit better, still tired a lot though.

Bear in mind I consider myself to be on of the WORST cases of Colitis. I was first diagnosed with Crohns since I was 8 and have been on meds/surgery since then. I want this to work so bad but I'm not sure if it will ever make me 100%. I keep telling myself it's going to take some time to heal things for myself because I've been inflamed for so long but I dunno how long I should keep doing this. I'm also on Remicade at the moment, so that makes it seem like I wouldn't know if it was working at all. But I've been on Remicade the last 7 years, and the last colonoscopy I had (about 4 months ago) the doctor diagnosed me w/ chronic colitis, so it's obviously not doing what it used too, I'm still on it though and I've DEFINITELY noticed a difference in bowel habits.

I've had so many different types of BM's throughout this first month. The first thing I noticed was that it was coming out differently, so that right there was an improvement in my eyes because something actually changed. My BM's used to be so bad I'd just have urges and there would be no formation at all to the poo, literally none. Now, even though it is still unformed, it is way more "mushy", and it just feels differently, like more formed and hard when it's coming out. And it seems to all stay in one spot, depending on which type of toilet I use. It also seems to float a lot of the time. When I first started I'd have a BM and there would be so many chunks of poo just floating at the top of the surface. Eventually there would be instances when I would go where it seemed half of it would sink to the bottom, and the other half would float at the top. I've also had some instances where it would all stay at the bottom in little pellets. It seems to be pretty inconsistent. Like I just went and it was like it was when I first started, but I have been really stressed out today. Once I get that first long thin bowel movement with no mucus or water I will feel so much better. At first I said I was going to give this a month to see what happens, I think I've seen enough to give it another month. I hope I can keep improving.

So, yesterday night i've tried sunflowerseeds. Not to test anything, I've playes some cards with my friends and it was the only snack available. Since i was reading this thread a long time, i said to give it a shot.

In the morning i woke up with high urgency and of course diarrhea.
My lowerback started hurting this night again on a bigger scale than usual.

Until yesterday i was quite well.

I am on SCD diet (with exclusion nof of high sulfites foods). It appears that sunflower seeds contain a lot of resistive starch that goes into our colon undigested. They might contain high levels for vit B1 - but it seems that for me starch was meaner than B1...

So this chapter is closed for me, at least for now.

Good luck with those that have good results with this alternative diet. I do hope you will all obtain remission through it.

never heard of this diet. Love the information exchange here!

Just to be sure. A lot of you are eating Sunflower Seeds. Is this straight seeds, or ground up? ????

I've always had a problem with seeds. Even my TCM Dr. originally told me no nuts, but when I questioned the logic on the almonds, he revised his statement to say if I chew excessively(ie basically grind it up), it's okay and will digest easily

thanks for bumping! I missed your post..Sun Butter. awesome. going to buy tomorrow.

http://www.sunbutter.com/products-natural.php
ingredients:
Sunflower Seed, Dehydrated Cane Juice, Salt, and Natural Mixed Tocopherols to preserve freshness.

still doing well??