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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/14/2012 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
I juiced cabbage for a month ,it made me go to the bathroom much more frequently and more urgent,but I think it helped the mucus,once I stopped the cabbage juice ,my frequency was back to 1 from 4.I am sure it it the cabbage juice because I only always go once a day and it stopped as soon as I stopped drinking it.
Posted 1/14/2012 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
stereo...my integrative doctor MD who specializes in IBD recommended a juicer to me. The fiber is tough for me to digest in my smoothies, I've been starting to steam my vegetables first. Got to look into a juicer. I'd say go smaller with your quantity until your body adjusts. She, my doctor, also mentioned some quantity she drinks(8oz? I forget) and anything after that she gets upset stomach, and she doesn't have IBD!! Also check out the book "Green for Life" , may give you some ideas. good luck, I need to find room in the kitchen for a juicer or move to a new place. lol
Posted 1/14/2012 2:04 AM (GMT 0)
i usually just get it from fruits and veggies. i like avocado and eat it every so often. my body just does better when i don't include "overt" fats. if i had to guess, i'd say i get 10% of my diet from fat.
Posted 1/14/2012 1:04 PM (GMT 0)
bananagirl,

That's good. Avocados are great.

Posted 1/14/2012 1:36 PM (GMT 0)
Here is a list of ingredients for a smoothie suggested on Dr. Oz yesterday:

1 cup swiss chard
1 cup green tea (cool)
1/2 cup blueberries
2 nuts - brazil nuts
1 tbsp flaxseeds
Blend until desired consistency.

Other recipes are available at his website like almond flour scones.
Posted 1/14/2012 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
ItsAlwaysSomething,

Thanks for sharing.  I saw that yesterday. But I would probably replace flax seeds with chia seeds (personal preference, also flax seed oil is high in omega 6's, whereas chia seeds is high in omega 3's).

Posted 1/14/2012 4:28 PM (GMT 0)
Evalou, at 10mg 2 months ago I was doing perfect, 1 bowel movement a day, no gas, no stomach pain, when i went down to 7.5, after a month or so I started going 1-3 times a day... then got a little blood, then became less formed stools. =/ I started GOL: Primal Defense caps and felt awful for two weeks, brought back more symptoms with pain, so I stopped that unfortunately. And now i'm alternating between 10 and 7.5mg... My naturopath said Primal Defense could have been a little strong on the stomach (maybe some of the grass elements in it).

When I see my GI doc next month, its definitely time to find a different drug to help me out, its been about 5 months now being on prednisone, and I'm getting ancy to get off this stuff because I don't want long term side effects, but nervous about the 'worst' symptoms returning. What's great is that ever since being diagnosed, I started taking care of my body better and it recognizes it because even on my worst days I have energy.

I'm always looking for any alternatives to help me out. I'm doing everything SCD diet (+ potatoes, corn, starch and plain yogurt) -But after this week I'm completely cutting out corn, starch and potato.

I'm starting to wonder if sautéing egg whites in olive oil every morning is doing me worse than better... =/

Thanks for the input everyone
Posted 1/14/2012 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
bananagirl thats great you juice, but citrus doesnt irritate your stomach a little? Just saying citrus sounds irritating lol. How do you get your proteins also? I would love to just go vegetarian for a minute, but I'm not sure what vegetables would give me enough protein supply and a fullness factor. I also want to make sure I get all amino acids, and unfortunately Quinoa is out of the question right now because of 'ulcers'.
Posted 1/14/2012 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
sterofidelic89 - If you eat a balanced plant-based whole foods diet, you need not worry about getting enough protein. Most Americans get way more protein in their diets than they need and too much animal protein actually causes calcium to be leached out of our bones, leading to osteoporosis (it's actually a myth that the best source of calcium is dairy products for this reason). And plant-based protein is a lot healither for you. You don't have to eat quinoa to get all your amino acids. The whole food combining thing was proven to be unnecessary a long time ago. If you eat a balanced vegetarian or vegan diet, you'll get all your amino acids. Watch the movie Forks Over Knives or Google Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn or Dr. Neal Barnard for more info.

Also, why can't you eat quinoa because you have ulcers?
Posted 1/14/2012 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
Both my doctors told me just to stay away from small seeds and grains (like flax and quinoa) while suffering from ulcers/lesions in the colon. Seeds are fibrous and can get caught in ulcers.

I agree with you on committing to a plant-based whole foods diet. But I think its really important in combining high protein vegetable sources with low protein vegetable sources, this way you get the best amino acid content. But unfortunately for many of us with these intestinal issues need to be careful with gassy foods which coincidentally are all high protein vegetable sources (most beans and leafy greens). I'll look into the movie though.
Posted 1/14/2012 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
Huh, interesting, I've never heard that before and my doctors told me I could eat whatever I want if it agrees with me.
Posted 1/15/2012 1:19 AM (GMT 0)

imagardener2 said...
I juice about 2x a week but not cabbage currently. I did green cabbage juice a couple years ago and sometimes it worked well to calm my gut and at other times it was too strong for it and caused D and yes a little gas (dairy causes the most gas). I suggest you start with a small amount of cabbage juice and work up to more of it. Juice is pretty powerful stuff so more is not always better in the beginning.

I never tried red cabbage which sounds good, so now I think I'll buy some and juice some with carrots and a little apple. Also making a red cabbage slaw with carrots sounds good, my gut can handle fiber pretty well.

Don't expect overnight healing and be disappointed. Best of luck.

imagardener2, I looked at an old topic you created when you started juicing cabbage, how long was it after you started that you noticed a difference? And were you currently taking medications -as you are now? I would look up a little on red cabbage, It seems like the best cabbage to juice because of all the nutrients and minerals in it as compared to high-folate green cabbage. Coincidentally, all of my local grocery stores only carry Organic Green Cabbage... but not Organic Red. ;(
Posted 1/15/2012 2:29 AM (GMT 0)
stereo

Yes I tried juicing green cabbage juice a couple years ago and had mixed results, good and not as good. I have always been on some type of Rx med (12 years now). Bottom line for me is that juicing including cabbage is secondary to diet modification for me. I had no improvement, and I am including Rx meds, until finding the right diet, most importantly being gluten-free and dairy-free. I also eliminated grains plus no sugar except for honey and not much starch so no potatoes or other starchy veggies. I feel great now.

I like juicing quite a lot just not huge amounts. Today I bought a small red cabbage and made some carrot, red cabbage, collard juice plus a teaspoon of red grape juice for sweetness=energy all day long. Tomorrow I'm making warm sweet and sour cabbage with a some as yet undecided meat (I know pork is traditional but I'm not a pork lover except for bacon and ham).

Good luck with juicing but keep the sugar low, too much fruit is as bad as eating a candy bar IMO.
Posted 1/15/2012 2:41 AM (GMT 0)
stereo, it's basically impossible to not get enough protein unless you are starving yourself. if you eat at least 2000 calories a day, you will get enough. i learned that our bodies only need 5% of protein and yet some people get up to 30%! it's dangerous and our bodies usually end up getting too much fat from the high protein.

as for citrus, i literally drink 32-48 ounces in a sitting. it counts as a meal for me. i don't really have any digestive issues at all with fruit/veggies unless i do stupid food combinations.
Posted 1/15/2012 3:26 AM (GMT 0)
When you juice anything remember to always use a strainer to remove the pulp especially with cabbage juice. The pulp could be very irritating. When I started drinking cabbage juice it would make me go to the bathroom almost immediately. So, I decided to drink the juice before I went to sleep and used a strainer. You need a week or two to get used to it. Then it is fine. But I recommend using baby spinach to mask the flavor. Very important baby spinach. Cabbage juice has glutamine that helps the gut barrier function. And a lot of vitamin K that crowds out bad pathogens in the colon. Store bought glutamine always irritated me so I stopped using it.
Posted 4/30/2012 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
Juicing has a lot of benefits indeed. I hope doing this cabbage juice will help you. I have tried juicing vegetables but not cabbage. I might give it a try though and see the effects on my body.
Posted 4/30/2012 10:55 PM (GMT 0)
I had a colonoscopy today and unfortunately my crohns has spread throughout my colon. My last scope was a few years ago and it was only in the sigmoid. I have felt so much better in my stomach( all pain and discomfort is gone) and slightly better in the colon after juicing cabbage so I would have hated to see what the scope would have looked like a few weeks ago before the juice! I know the cholesterol drug Livalo got me sick so stay away from it if you have any GI problems! I am so ticked at my cardiologist for prescribing this to me, knowing it has bad GI effects. Anyway, juicing cabbage probably saved me and I will continue to juice as often as I can! I wish I had the nerve to use it as an enema! My colon had pus pockets throughout the entire length so if I could get the straight juice there, I would bet it would be a big help to me...
Posted 4/30/2012 11:13 PM (GMT 0)
Since so many of you are juicing...any recommendations on a good juicer?
Posted 5/1/2012 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
Oh, wow, pmedic, so sorry about the spreading! Thanks for sharing about your juicing experience!

I hope to do some juicing soon. I had started a couple of months ago and had started too fast. I had learned quickly to take it easy! I want to do it again and stick with it. It had just gotten too busy around home to get back to it yet.

Manhattanmama- Some people like the Champion Juicers. There are so many types, your question is a good one. The answer depends, sometimes, upon what you plan to juice. Some juicers do not do grass, etc. I am sure others will come along and comment!

I had a friend into juicing last summer and she had her own organic garden to juice from. She had gotten a little carried away with the juicing of greens and had a serious iron overload in her body! Moderation is key to most things in life, isn't it? Lol!

In Gratitude,
~Hopeful Heart~
Posted 5/1/2012 12:52 AM (GMT 0)
ManhattenMamma- I have an Omega and love it because it removes all the fiber. It can juice wheat grass and has attachments where you can grind your own meat plus so many other things.

Hopeful Heart- Thanks so much for the well wishes!
Posted 5/1/2012 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
pmedic and manhattanmama- I have heard great things about the Omega juicers, too! One of the local juicing bars uses those! I had forgotten this until pmedic had just mentioned this brand!

I had used a Champion just because it belongs to a friend. She had lent it to me for awhile. She had learned to do the Hallelujah Diet regimen with it when her husband had colon cancer. That program used to suggest only the Champion juicer and they had a reason for it, but I forget what it was. (It was more than thte fact that they also sell them, lol!)

I don't know if the Hallelujah Acres juicing site is helpful or not with UC, yet I am guessing they have developed their own protocol for juicing and UC, as they have so much info and so many people juicing for different reasons on their forums. This is just one resource of many for juicing, however! There are so many, it can get confusing!

Yeah, pmedic, I like to see people get better! Its good to know people are working at getting better. It's a tough condition to deal with and my heart goes out! My dad had severe colitis of some form and died in his early 30's. I had lost a brother to uncontrolled colitis, when he'd then had peritonitis and septic shock. He was not taking care of himself at all though. He did not know he was in such an advanced stage.

Enjoy Life!
~Hopeful Heart~
Posted 5/1/2012 2:54 AM (GMT 0)
pmedic,

I am so sorry to hear about your colonoscopy results.

I believe you are absolutely correct about the Livalo having make for such negative results with your colonoscopy.

If the juicing worked for you before, I'm sure it will help you again. Just go slow.

I would suggest adding separately to your regimen (not in the juicing though): slippery elm powder, L-glutamine powder, and an anti-inflammatory diet.

Also, are you using probiotics? That IMO would be very important as well.

BTW, have you checked if the Livalo affected your Vit. d3 levels negatively?

What do you think?

Posted 5/1/2012 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
I have an omega juicer and love it.

I used it a whole bunch for a while, trying to "juice my way back to health" and actually the juicing seemed to help. I did a 3 day juice fast with the intent of giving my gut a rest and starting from a baseline to which I could add solid foods one by one to see what was agreeing or disagreeing with me. I kept a detailed food journal, which was very useful as well.
Posted 5/1/2012 3:10 AM (GMT 0)
pmedic - mmm meat juice! just kidding! ha, those Omega's are nice! Pretty expensive too. I would love one for the purpose of juicing wheatgrass.

Hopeful heart - im sorry to hear about your family members not surviving with colitis, it is such a debilitating disease, I thank God for the medicine and supplements that are made available to us . . .

Here is one thing I do not know about juicing. My sister told me if I juice that I should drink it right away or at least in the first few hours after juicing because otherwise fermentation starts. I wonder if fermented juice would mean spoiled or the type of fermentation that occurs to make Kefir and other foods... I have not tried it yet, I've had my share of food poisoning and never want to go back.

Welcome back InSoFla! :)
Posted 5/1/2012 3:13 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Stereo!
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