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Posted 11/18/2010 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
Well it's been over 10 months now on my Specific Carbohydrate Diet (with modifications) journey and it's been a real learning experience, mostly good.
In August, 8 months into SCD (w/mod), we went on a 6 week driving vacation, and at the end my UC was the quietest and colon the happiest in 10 years. Hurrah 100% remission here I come. Not quite.

After getting home and not doing anything differently regression started. I decided it must be that I was more inactive than on vacation so started being more active, tried to do something every other day that got my heart rate up. Yes that helped and once again remission looked me in the face. Even though I could eat SCD yogurt daily on vacation, now it caused problems, goodbye yogurt.

Now it's November (3 days ago) and again a regression. Now what? Examining my diet I see that for 3 days in a row I ate store-bought fried chicken wings. Duh. Fried chicken is dredged in flour then fried. Gluten is what makes my colon bleed. I DO NOT EAT any more fried chicken. Today no bleeding, no unsettled feeling, quiet colon.

WHAT have I learned? That I walk a tightrope with my diet. That I cannot "cheat".
This is a very hard process and I understand why many people can't do it.
I have to, no other choice except surgery and I want that less than diet mod.

Just thought I'd post my progress since I champion diet modification so often.
I'd like to change my "Profile" to reflect no yogurt but the darn thing wants me to remove soooo much I haven't done it yet.

Note: My SCD modifications are: I have real trouble with fruit, SCD yogurt and most dairy so they are removed.
I also continue with the 19/5 eating schedule, it suits me and have no side effects. Can't say whether it is a benefit becuase of my fried chicken regression. Will report after 30-60 days whether 19/5 eating is a keeper.
Posted 11/18/2010 5:04 PM (GMT 0)
imagardener2

It is quite a learning process, isn't it? Have you tried farmer's cheese (sometimes called friendship cheese)? This is one form of dairy that I do very well with that is SCD legal. 

Posted 11/18/2010 5:13 PM (GMT 0)
Store bought, pre-made stuff is the worst. Who knows what they put in those chicken wings. Not only that, but the quality of the chicken they use is awful. I've been eating a lot of vegetarian food lately because the meat industry grosses me out.
Posted 11/18/2010 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
napacabs
no Farmers Cheese does not do well for me either, sad to say, otherwise I would be making cheesecake in a heartbeat lol.
I made carrot almond flour cake with walnuts yesterday that is soooo good. My spouse who is non-UC raved about it and snorked it up. :-)
Yes there is SOME fun in SCD eating.
Posted 11/18/2010 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
there is one  lactose free yogurt available now, green farms or something like that, you can get it at whole foods.  do u think u could tolerate that?

Posted 11/18/2010 9:31 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for sharing your story. My impression is that most of the members here experience that food/diet does not affect their UC. That’s OK, everyone is different. But when some arbitrarily pontificate that food will also not affect UC for anybody else then I believe a line has been crossed.

Sharing your experience with food and diet can be of enormous help especially for those recently diagnosed who would not normally get this information from their GI or PCP. Probably most will find that diet has no effect on their UC. On the other hand think how much your life may have changed if you read a posting similar to yours ten years ago when you were first diagnosed.
Posted 11/18/2010 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
i love coffee
I've never tried any lactose-free foods maybe I should. I'm a fraidy cat about new foods so it might take me some time to take the plunge.

thanks for the suggestion tho.
Posted 11/18/2010 9:52 PM (GMT 0)
BabeITW

thanks for your post. Determining how food affects my colon has been enormously challenging, the hardest thing I've ever done in my life but I am the beneficiary of my work so it's all good. It is a very fine line between happy colon and inflamed colon.

Elaine Gottschall is the person I admire tremendously, developer of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet along with her doctors, in order to help her daughter. Just think of the lives she has saved including mine. The diet is being used for autistic children as well and has many possibilities (in my mind) for other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism.

Yes others may not find that food affects their UC. One size does not fit all with UC or Crohns. To each their own and I hope that everyone finds something that helps them. This disease causes tremendous loss of human potential. I am grateful it didn't come into my life sooner, I got it in my late 40's instead of in my earlier years.
Posted 11/18/2010 9:55 PM (GMT 0)
notsosickGrl
sorry-didn't mean to ignore you :-)
You are so right about store-made stuff. what was I thinking except YUM fried chicken lol.
It's hard for me to buy antibiotic-free meat but I do whenever possible (I live in the sticks-an hour away from Whole Foods)
I was a vegetarian when UC hit me so yes I love veggies. Now I need meat protein to sustain me and love a good steak.
Posted 11/18/2010 10:18 PM (GMT 0)
I'm glad the diet is working for you. I am also trying the diet. I've been on it for the last 3 weeks and I feel so much better. I have to cook alot so I get up early and make dinner before I leave for work. I use the crock pot recipes a lot. I will make that almond carrot bread you mentioned---sounds great. I thought it was my imagination, but I noticed my skin looking healthier. But today,a stranger at the gym asked me what I use on my face---oh well . Maybe this good nutrition--free of gluten and other chemicals is really helping me in other ways too. My husband likes the recipes too. Some of the ingredients are expensive, but we stopped ordering out --I'm thinking we are actually saving money by eating at home. Good luck! Share some other favorite recipes.
Posted 11/19/2010 8:52 AM (GMT 0)
Babe....try not to take it so personally.
Posted 11/19/2010 11:20 AM (GMT 0)
@imagardener2

I know how you feel, i am experiencing it myself. do not think that scd is a cure, probably for some people, like me, makes us feel better than on a high starch diet or for some it will obtain a long term remission. anyway, my belief is that some relief from a diet is better than no relief....

most of the people who do SCD or NSD for ankylosing spondylitis state that after some months on the diet wich until then was verry helpfull they hit a wall. it takes months to get through it some say.

anyway, maybe you shoudl try reading this - some information may be usefull regardin your diet, most of all about a low sulfur diet.

http://www.encognitive.com/files/Phytotherapy%20for%20Ankylosing%20Spondylitis%20and%20Inflammatory%20Bowel%20Disease.pdf

you can find a list of high/low sulfur foods here:
http://livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/food/high-sulfur-sulphur-food-list/
Posted 11/19/2010 12:18 PM (GMT 0)
Alinus

thanks for the links. the first one is dense with information but I saw many things we are already discussing here: diet modification similar to SCD, herbal treatment: boswellia, slippery elm, goldenseal, fish oil and even fecal transplant. And it mentions low-sulfur restrictions that your second link concerns.

Low-sulfur is something I've never done but it wouldn't take much to try it. Only a few things on the list are in my diet. I know some people here have trouble with eggs but I've never felt I did. I've been wrong before, notably about gluten in the beginning.

And yes, some relief from diet is better than nothing. When I hit the golden spot life is pretty normal. I've been there and know it's possible for me, I just need to lengthen the good times.

I might need to get some boswellia to try also, I see others who feel it's been good for them.
(edit: haha I just looked and I've tried boswellia in the near past and didn't see any results. I may still try it again if I can find the bottle)
Posted 11/19/2010 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the update Imagardner. My husband and I are so attuned to our diet that I went to a conference this week and even though I thought I was eating well, I have the gurgles this morning. We totally stay away from processed foods; our favorite grocery store is Whole Foods. Grass fed beef or better yet buffalo (yum!) and no HFCS. It's done wonders for us. Keep us updated Imagardner!
Posted 11/20/2010 2:40 AM (GMT 0)
Imagardener, I so appreciate you sharing your journey with us! I have learned a lot from you, and though my food sensitivities seem to be minimal, you have raised my consciousness about the possibilities, both for myself and as I try to give UC-life-training to my son (yeah, try to teach a 17 year old boy when you're the Mom......)

The carrot cake sounds delicious, and I'd love to try to make some of those almond flour muffins that keep cropping up in posts.....:-)

We each need to find our own way through this thing called UC, and the recording of your particular path is so helpful to me, even as I try to find my own way!
Posted 11/20/2010 12:50 PM (GMT 0)
Here's my very simple carrot cake recipe. Depending on what bakeware you use it can be muffins or mini-loafs or squares cut from an 8x8 pan. I never use cupcake liners, just spray oil in either glass or no-stick container.


I rarely measure now (sorry) so you be the judge of the almond flour/shredded carrot ratio. I like to keep the almond flour to a minimum because of cost and wanting more veggie.

3-4 cups shredded carrot (food processor or store bought)
2-3 cups almond flour
2-3 teaspoons baking soda (makes it rise)
1/2 to 1 cup of honey (to your taste)
1/2 stick butter and/or coconut oil
1 egg
chopped walnuts

I like to mix the almond flour, carrots and baking soda together before adding the other ingredients.
At the end it should be moist but not runny.
Now distribute it into your bakeware (see above)
Bake at 325-350 degrees for 30-60 minutes
Mini-loafs will take longer than muffin pans
You are basically just drying it out enough to hold together and a longer cooking time won't hurt.

Variations: those who can eat raisins should add some, nice addition.
You could also add bran or shredded coconut, etc.

Topping: mix some coconut oil and honey together and chill to the creamy stage. Makes a nice sweet topping. (I don't need it any sweeter so I skip topping).

Enjoy. Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted 11/20/2010 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
My GI told me diet has NOTHING to do with anything. Sure certain foods might effect people differently but he told me not to drive myself crazy over it. My my case i discovered diet hasn't helped/hurt me in any noticeable way.
Posted 11/20/2010 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
Dsm
I would pay more attention to your own feelings about food than your GI's . There is almost no medical support for what I and others are doing to achieve a remission through diet mod. that drugs have not given us. If drugs worked for me I would not be doing this, believe me.

I tried diet mod. many years ago and like you had no benefits. That was due to the simple fact that I did not remove enough problem foods (I have more than most it seems).

My diet is working for me but it is not my place to say what will work for others. To each their own.
Posted 11/20/2010 5:11 PM (GMT 0)
Well Ima, I noticed this thread when you first posted it and was going to post then but decided not to.

I fell off the scd track. Eating bread, cakes, sugar, chocolate, crisps, etc. All of it. It all started with feeling exhausted again. I felt out of it and rough. Then my tummy started. Right now I have lower left sided ab pain with bloating and explosive bm's (not D but it would go there if I had continued). Then I have the sharp rectal pain that sears up my bowel from time to time. I know some dont have pain with ibd, but I DO, big time.

I just noticed my mom is online and I need to go and do our regular vid chat so Ill get back to this thread. I wanted to sub and give an update myself...

Also, diet SO effects my ibd.
Posted 11/20/2010 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
These are great posts!

I finally went gluten free recently, and I have to say for me it's been a very good change. No more blood, more solid stool, less joint pain (which is great, because I've recently had a scary wake up call of impending arthritis, and I'm in my 30s), more energy and yes, better skin!

My doctor is great, but typically also in denial about diet and colitis. But I know when I drink a carbonated beverage, or eat crazy spicy thai food I'm going to have a blowout:) We do have to listen to our own bodies.

I'm still eating sweets, though no hfcs. I'm not a big dairy eater, though I do use butter, sometimes hard cheese, and I eat commercial yogurt. So not SCD, but not crazy amounts. I'm going to try more eliminations once I have a few more months of the gluten free, and see if they make a further difference for me.

I think I'm going to make that carrot cake though, it sounds amazing! Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted 11/21/2010 1:56 PM (GMT 0)
So Ima, do you mind if we use this thread as a general SCD and Diet mod thread?

I could use the 'accountability'. I mentioned I 'fell off the scd wagon' recently and am now back in the game. I feel really awful. Last night I had pea and ham soup, which never bothered me before, and I ended up in agony for hours. I think I am having to go RIGHT back to the beginning. I thought I could add things that I previously found I didnt have any trouble with but I guess, for me atleast, it doesnt work like that.

Im going to boil some chicken for broth and try to live on that for a few days, bc anything I eat or drink causes pain, bloating, gas and urgency. No blood yet, but I had diarreah (the beginnings of explosive D) yesterday for the first time in a few months. Im still on asacol, and rectal mesa(however you spell it).

Ok, thats it for me now. Im off to make my chicken broth. Hopefully I can have that without any problems. I had a herbal tea after church this morning and started cramping almost immediately had to rush home and lay down.

We'll see.
Posted 11/21/2010 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
genifer
you can add anything you want. It's all good to read.

I am still learning things I didn't know about my touchy colon. Co-incidence, I am also going out to buy some anti-biotic free chicken parts to make a gallon of broth. We're headed out of town for turkey-day and chicken broth is the thing that keeps things from going bad as well as keeping my energy up (we travel in a van with a small fridge). That and VSL#3 make a noticeable difference.

Herbal tea: I have had some big issues with it. Weird huh? Green tea is fine but anything with "good" stuff (chamomile, etc) upsets my colon bigtime. And I'm even picky about WHICH green tea. I was NEVER like this pre-UC.

Keep drinking lots of liquids and you'll get back to being better soon. Eat the chicken meat too you need the protein and protein is almost never a problem unless it's been adulterated (like ham or other prepared meat).
Take an Immodium and feel better soon.
Posted Yesterday 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
Well, after about 4 or 5 days of going back on the restricted diet (scd) I felt better. Stomach pain went away, I just had to eliminate the scd illegals and the bloating went, the exhaustion mostly subsided. The only problem I came up against today was when I ate nuts. Im cramping up now from that, but Im doing well otherwise. I made my first batch of yoghurt yesterday for the first time in a few months. I have a gi appt tomorrow and Ill bring all this up. So, all in all, Im doing well. Been tempted to eat cakes and treats at church do's or something like that, and the other day I licked the spoon when I made the kids a cake, only to pay for it of coarse, but its all good. Im reassured that Im on the right path and SO thankful for it!
Posted Yesterday 7:41 PM (GMT 0)
imagardener2 I would really recommend you try lactose free dairy or if you haven't already, try Lactaid tablets. I thought I couldn't tolerate dairy because of my UC until I tried lactaid and they work like a charm for me. I still don't eat much dairy but when I can't resist those tablets really work! :o)
Posted Yesterday 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
genifer
glad you're feeling better. I made it through out-of-town Thanksgiving week with no regression. yay!
you are sooo lucky to have SCD yogurt. Eliminating all dairy has been good for me but boo-hoo no yogurt.
At least I can eat nuts, love them, just would like to have dairy too (and fruit and bread, etc.)
I won't complain though, just happy that I am able to leave home without everything going to hello :-)

Jennifer
when I am feeling brave I'll try lactose free dairy or Lactaid tablets. On another thread there is an article bringing up the question that it's the sulfites in dairy that may cause the problem, not the dairy itself. I tested negative for lactose intolerance but there is something in dairy that causes my colon unhappiness. I don't notice it in hard cheeses as much as yogurt.
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