Isn't fiber BAD?

High fiber can be irritating in a severe or very active flare. That's why doctors will often initially prescribe the "low residue" diet. However, if tolerated, fiber can help regulate the gut and will help both constipation and diarrhea. I take Citrucel and psyillum husk caps.

Even though fibrous foods (salad, beans etc) can exacerbate symptoms, taking a fiber supplement such as psyllium husk has been incredibly beneficial for many of us.

You must start slowly, with a very small amount, and work up to a higher dose. But it really does help.

As songlady said, it is a great idea to keep a food/meds/supplements journal to try and identify irritating things. Maybe a small amount of psyllium won't have any benefit, a medium dose does benefit, and a high dose causes problems... the only way to find out is try it and keep track of it.

bbc said...
There's two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble, soluble helps absorb fluids and is not harsh...

First informed response in this thread so far.

Yes, there are two types, and one should be duly avoided while flaring (insoluble), while the other helps greatly in significant quantities (soluble).

Furthermore, beans are actually very, very useful for maintaining general colon health, as the resistant starches are digested by friendly bacteria to produce butyrate, one of the essential fatty acids needed for proper colon health and repair. There's a member on this forum (the name escapes me) who has managed to keep his UC under control by eating a diet high in beans and the right fibers. I've since employed a similar approach, and find it works well.

The colossal mistake a lot of people make when discussing fiber is failing to realize, or simply not being told, that there are two types of fibers, each with their own particular function.

For UCers, insoluble fiber = bad, soluble fiber = good.

Do your research!

Dr-A said...
I never had a doc tell me how I needed to do fiber. No one ever said "Hey, if you take a butload of soluble fiber your frequency and urgency will go down."

I really can't constantly eat a bunch of broccoli, brussel sprouts, salads.... that will irritate me.

I've never had a GI even ask me about my diet in general, let alone the specific topic of fiber. Sigh.

Salads, broccoli etc are all good sources of insoluble fiber. They hurt me too, and I avoid them.

Insoluble also absorbs liquids/fluids...it just doesn't become mucilage or gelatinous or dissolve.

Both are needed for good digestion process, to help bulk/soften stools, to help prevent constipation by taking up space, for colonic exercise, food for probiotics, etc

q

princesa said
High fiber can be irritating in a severe or very active flare. That's why doctors will often initially prescribe the "low residue" diet. However, if tolerated, fiber can help regulate the gut and will help both constipation and diarrhea. I take Citrucel and psyillum husk caps.


And I agree with her. When my colon was badly inflamed with all kinds of bad symptoms (D, urgency) fiber was a bad idea. After going gluten-free and my colon started healing a little fiber was useful but too much and everything clogged into C. And it was a seesaw for a while, D-C-D-C. For me it took some time dedicated to keeping notes and figuring out what foods and how much fiber was good for me.

My diet is high fiber now, partially because those are the types of food my colon can handle (along with protein): green beans, carrots, snow peas, spinach, broccoli, nuts, nut flour baked goods, not much fruit (intolerant) but Bosc pears are OK. Plus I take Citrucel in the AM. Have experimented with psyllium seed and Metamucil but the jury's not in yet on either. Coconut oil is also great to take with fiber, they seem to balance one another out.

Drinking a lot of water is also very important with fiber. Whenever I start to feel run-down or just blah drinking 8 oz. of water really does the trick. Constantly amazes me how simple that is.

I just need to add that all fibrous foods have different effects and not all agrees. If one kind of fibrous food bothers during a flare or whenever...just don't eat it.

Just because we suggest fibre, it doesn't mean all fibre. One has to learn what works and what it does for/to help/hinder, etc.

Many fibre foods I don't eat because of discomfort, others I eat with no problems...if it was suggested to eat them because they're high in fibre, I'd suffer endlessly out of stupidity. Beans...not my friend, but I do eat them and only for supper, never during the day.

q

The OP's question was using fiber during a flare

When in a flare and you wish to add fiber to your diet, soluble is a better bet as it's much gentler on your fragile GI tract than insoluable fiber...

ilovefood said...
badslinke, can I follow up with you about the beans?

I was excited reading your post because I love beans and hate the idea of cutting them out. Actually, the thing that drives me most crazy about UC is the idea of NOT eating things that are healthy which I actually love (whole grains, broccoli rabe-- my favorite vegetable!). I'd be happy to cut out junk food, but cutting out those sorts of things just seems wrong.

Do you take Beano or anything to help with the gas? I'd always heard beans have a ton of mostly insoluble fiber. Are black beans esp. good for the butyrate, or will any beans do?

Yes, beans are often misunderstood. They are incredibly good for your colon, and very necessary. It seems contradictory to have UC and eat something like beans though, which are famous for their gas production.

The truth is, once a) your gut has adjusted to the bean fibers, and b) you've made your beans at home, and presoaked the hell out of them to reduce some of that gassiness, then ya, they're great. I can eat a full serving a day without gas or issues. I don't take any Beano or supplements similar to it to control gas. I've had 3 BMs today since 8am, which is unheard of for me, and no gas to speak of except for some during the movements themsevles. My gut feels surprisingly well settled after I eat my beans/rice combo on a daily basis.

Just make sure you go slow with them at first, because the gut does need time to adjust. If you are already accustomed to eating beans, then continuing them should be no problem. The SCD asks you to wait to eat beans until diarrhea itself has ceased, but I started mine in the midst of lots of D and have seen nothing but improvement.

I've looked for research that shows which beans produce the most butyrate and other beneficial fatty acids, but haven't found any clear answers. I do black beans because they seem to settle the best and taste the baste, as far as I'm concerned. That's more personal preference than anything.

I would also like to add the importance of psyllium seed in my treatment program: the difference between taking 1tbsp a day vs 2 is incredible. I will have half as many movements the day after taking 2 tbsp than the day after taking just 1. Psyllium seed is largely soluble fiber, and basically bacteria food.

Black beans are mostly composed of soluble fibers as well (they absorb water). The outer skin is where the insoluble fibers are found, like most fruits and vegetables. Nature does a brilliant job of giving you a good balance of soluble and insoluble in a single item. Lentils and broccoli, for example, are mostly insoluble fibers and ought to be avoided while flaring.

Are we talking about beans from a can here? I'm looking at recipes. I may try some.

Both Metamucil and Citrucel are soluble. I favor Citrucel, but I have good results from both.