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Found out I don't tolerate bananas!

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Posted 7/21/2011 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I believe that my symptoms are finally a lot more stable than they have been in the past year or so - finally off prednisone as well!

Just like most UCers, bananas used to be my go to food these past few months that I have dealt with UC. But recently I noticed that when I eat bananas, I get gassy, and have a mucusy stool in a few hours or the next morning. This is so weird since bananas are considered one of the safest foods for us.

Anyone else have issues, or developed issues to bananas? Oh and bananas are SCD approved! so there's another reason why NO diets work perfectly for UC :\
Posted 7/21/2011 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
If you're familiar with SCD, you know it advises bananas be very ripe with brown spots before eating.

Some people have problems with bananas because they have a higher sugar content than some other fruits. If you have gut dysbiosis - particularly candida overgrowth - eating bananas can certainly cause gas. That's why they're usually not allowed on the strictest level of anti-candida diets.

Of course, we all have our individual food allergies and intolerances, so yes, any helpful diet for UC will have to be tailored to YOUR needs.
Posted 7/21/2011 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
dAetomeN,
that SAME thing happens to me, usually within a few hours. And otherwise my UC symptoms are pretty great right now.
Posted 7/21/2011 5:38 PM (GMT 0)
"If you're familiar with SCD, you know it advises bananas be very ripe with brown spots before eating."

Here is another randomly unfounded claim of the SCD. If the sugar in bananas do indeed cause gut problems, then the more ripe a banana is the worse it is. Sorry, but for me personally, the SCD has a lot of contradictions.

"If you have gut dysbiosis - particularly candida overgrowth - eating bananas can certainly cause gas."

All UCers have gut dysbiosis, which is why the CCFA is currently researching the gut microbiome. But I will look inro candida over-growth. Thanks for the info!
Posted 7/21/2011 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
hekela,

Thanks! oddly enough that's a relief to hear! Although now I have to find another go to food for easy to digest calories...
Posted 7/21/2011 5:50 PM (GMT 0)
According to the SCD, the reasoning is unripe fruit may contain starch that's difficult to digest. Unripe bananas contain a lot of starch and would be considered problematic. The diet calls for bananas to not have any visible green on their stem or peel and to be liberally covered with spots.

I try not to make all or nothing statements and I also try to be diplomatic in my posts; but yes, most, if not all, people with IBD have some degree of dysbiosis.
Posted 7/21/2011 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
I am an SCD'er (modified) that does not eat bananas. When I last ate them they seemed to cause C for me, no gas or other symptoms. I even tried plantains, nope. Yes I ate well-ripe bananas as SCD says, but nope. Lots of other fruits cause me issues also (mostly D with other fruits) only a few are OK for me.

I've given up trying to find a common thread to all my food intolerances (is it fructose? is it starch? whothehellknows) and just put those foods aside for the future and try again later.
My policy is if I'm gonna eat a food I know disagrees with my gut it will be something I love like ice cream or chocolate. Not bananas. :-)
Posted 7/21/2011 6:08 PM (GMT 0)
I'd like to clear up a common misconception..

The SCD is not about what a person with digestive problems *should* eat. It is about what should not be eaten.
Just because a food is allowed on the SCD, doesn't mean you have to eat it - especially if it causes you problems.

To truly be able to say that you're on the SCD, you must NEVER ingest any of the foods/substances on the illegal list. Everything else (the 'allowed' stuff) is optional, according to your taste and tolerance.

I hope this helps bring some clarity and understanding.

Happy eating!
Posted 7/21/2011 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
I also do the SCD and avoid bananas. They always gave me gas (well ripened or not) since i was a child.

I agree with Ladi-V and Imagardnerer2 on all things they said.

about the principles that found the SCD, well, i too have some questions about them (they are based on information 50 years old), but i see this diet (modified for my needs&gut response) as a way to change my bowel's bacterial flora in a natural way. And so far so good, it works.
Posted 7/21/2011 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
It doesn't sound like the original poster is on the SCD, is that right?

For calories, what about natural peanut butter (just nuts and salt)?
If you're not on the SCD, you could use nut butter to make some kind of a home made protein bar. I make one with ground up oats, flax meal, chia seeds, walnuts (ground semi-fine), peanut butter and honey. I make them into a cookie shape and "cook" them in the dehydrator, but you could bake in the oven as well. This is what I eat for lunch a LOT because they're really easy to take with me and I make a large batch at one time so I always have some in the freezer.
Posted 7/21/2011 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
hekela,

Nope I am not on SCD. I've always had trouble putting on weight, but with UC thrown into the mix I've lose about 20 lbs in 6 mo. I think I would probably disintegrate if I dropped my carb intake down too much more.

I do eat some peanuts, but they tend to make me gassy also. One of the reasons why I'm bummed about not being able to eat bananas any more :(
Posted 7/21/2011 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
dAetomeN,

I am on a modified SCD.

But I have never tolerated bananas - they give me gas, and frankly I find them way too sweet.

When I used to eat them, they had to be light green/yellow - never ripe. When they ripen it makes them sweeter.

Perhaps you should consider doing a food journal and seeing if there are any correlations that come to light for you, no?

Posted 7/22/2011 7:12 AM (GMT 0)
Bananas are a part of the BRATTY diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, tea, toast, and yogurt). They are also one of the few foods I can eat even when I'm in a bad flare. The others are rice, chicken, spinach, ginger teas, bread,... I don't know about yogurt. I don't particularly like the taste.

I find the riper the bananas the better.

The fact that you can't tolerate bananas just goes to show how individual this disease is. I can't eat applesauce, which is also part of the BRATTY diet.
Posted 7/22/2011 11:36 AM (GMT 0)
subdued,

BRATTY diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, tea, toast, and yogurt

Can't eat any of those foods...Glad you can.

Posted 4/26/2012 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
I have had colitis for 5 years and have had my ups and downs with it.  I recently discovered that bananas cause me to be bloated and gassy which triggers colitis spasms.  I was eating one banana a day and as soon as I stopped, so did the bloating, gas, and spasms.  I'm gonna stay away from bananas for now. 
Posted 4/26/2012 1:40 PM (GMT 0)
payson,

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, bananas are problematic for many - and many aren't aware of it.

Feel free to contact me, and I'll share what's helped me into remission.

[email protected]

Posted 4/26/2012 1:50 PM (GMT 0)
I'm on SCD for around 3 months now and bananas don't give me any problem. I rather have a problem with apples although I like them alot. I let the bananas be ripe very much. As it was already mentioned, when they still have green on them, they contain a lot of starch still. During the riping process it is converted into fruitsugar which makes it SCD legal. Elaine said when you don't tolerate a fruit or veggie, leave it out for a while and try again later. If you still cannot take on it, leave it out for good. That's why it's good to keep a food journal and write down what you ate, drank and how you feel. It helps me to cut out things even when they are SCD legal. Not everyone is the same.
Posted 12/11/2012 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
I don't tolerate bananas as well, I think. On a couple of occasions when I ate (very ripe) bananas I had spasms within 30 min, where of course I had to rush to the loo. I haven't tried them since then.
Posted 12/11/2012 12:55 PM (GMT 0)
Alienka,

Welcome to the forum.

I, too don't tolerate bananas at all.

Any other foods that are problematic for you?

Posted 12/11/2012 1:47 PM (GMT 0)
Bananas are very high in histamines, as are several other foods. I have recently discovered that I am histamine inolerant because many UC'rs are low on the digestive enzyme diamine oxidase, which breaks down food histamines in the body. Since taking the digestive enzyme DAO (diamine oxidase) I have been able to eat these foods again with absolutely no problem.
Posted 12/11/2012 1:51 PM (GMT 0)
Gary, can you post a link of the supplement you use the DAO one...thanks
Posted 12/11/2012 2:06 PM (GMT 0)
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-daosin-300-mcg-30-caps
Posted 12/11/2012 5:06 PM (GMT 0)
Bananas = GERD (for me)
Posted 12/11/2012 5:59 PM (GMT 0)

Gary,

Last year I purchased this, L-Histidine HCL powder,

http://nutrabio.com/Products/histidine.htm

for the exact purpose you stated with food intolerances. But forgot about it in my pantry, so I haven't tried it yet.

I wonder how it differs from the DAO product you use successfully?

Posted 12/11/2012 7:08 PM (GMT 0)
That sounds a little scary, at least in my case anyway. It looks like the exact opposite of what I am doing. This actually increases histamine whereas I am trying to decrease histamine.
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