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Still in Remission from Spinach/Sunflower Seeds 3 Years Later

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Posted 10/19/2012 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
Soup recipe...

Homemade Spinach soup

Ingredients:
3 quarts chicken broth (Homemade or low sodium)
1lb 90% lean ground beef or ground turkey/chicken
1lb fresh frozen chopped spinach bag or the frozen blocks (Don’t use canned)
½ lb uncooked Orzo or white rice (Orzo is best)

Prepare your meatballs and make as many as you can depending on how small or large you want them. I use salt and parsley and that’s it in the meatballs and make them small. Add chicken broth and spinach still frozen in a large soup pot. Brind to very slow slightly covered simmer. Cook your rice or orzo in a separate pot and set aside. In another separate pot bring fresh water to boil and add your meatballs to cook off most of the fat and then drain. Add the cooked and drained meatballs to the broth and spinach and allow to simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. I do not add the orzo’s or rice to the soup and add them in my bowl as much as I want. I then ladle the soup over them giving myself as many meatballs as I want. If you want and can tolerate cheese (this is what makes it really tasty) sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top of the piping hot soup in your bowl. Salt to taste.

Eat away!

Kiss, I will update again on Monday. I hope my bleeding gets better.


Steve

Post Edited (twiggs) : 10/19/2012 9:46:36 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/19/2012 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
Interesting enough spinach and sunflower seeds are both very good sources or magnesium amonst many other things. Has anyone taken a magnesuim supplement and had any luck? I have some and can't remember what made me buy them. I am afraid to take them and do this diet at the same time. From what I have been reading magnesium is hard to get your daily intake and they recommend taking a supplement and also that magnesium is one of the top three supplements we need for our bodies and is required for over 300 biochemical reactions. Here is a good link to its benefits.

http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/Magnesium-health-benefits-supplements/2011/01/20/id/369647

WOW check this link out!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/531968-magnesium-rda/

Deficiency

Magnesium is absorbed through the digestive system and, therefore, complications that impact the digestive system, such as Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome, can affect your levels. Other complications that can cause low magnesium levels include excessive intake of caffeine, saltVIEW IMAGE and alcohol as well as excessive sweating and heavy menstrual periods. Signs of magnesium deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and weakness. Numbness, tingling, muscle cramps, seizures and personality changes are signs of severe deficiency.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/531968-magnesium-rda/#ixzz29lQtLPqJ

Suggestions please.

Steve

Post Edited (twiggs) : 10/19/2012 10:43:17 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/19/2012 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not sure if I mentioned this in this thread or another one, but supplements will not work as a replacement.  The guy who figured out this diet tried to take supplements, and his symptoms returned.  He thinks it's the magnesium and beta carotene, but I always wonder if there are other factors at play. 
Posted 10/19/2012 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
It's interesting that they mention bowel diseases specifically.  I have never read any connection between the two.  Thanks for posting the info!
Posted 10/19/2012 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
Kiss one more question for you. Is two cups of cooked spinach and two tablespoons of sunflower seed butter supplying the rda of magnesuim and beta carotene? Do you know off the top of your head? and if not I can research.

Thanks, Steve
Posted 10/19/2012 5:08 PM (GMT 0)
That I don't know, sorry. 
Posted 10/19/2012 5:16 PM (GMT 0)
Ok here is some info..

Raw vs Cooked

One cup of raw spinach contains just seven calories and has no fat or cholesterol. It provides 24 mg of magnesium. Cooking spinach greatly increases the magnesium content, due to the density of the food. When cooked, spinach wilts and it takes more to fill a measuring cup. One cup of cooked spinach contains 157 mg of magnesium. The recommended daily value of magnesium for males age 31 and older is 420 mg. Women age 31 and older should get 320 mg of magnesium daily.

Recommended Dietary Allowances for magnesium for children and adults [4]
Age
(years)		Males
(mg/day)		Females
(mg/day)		Pregnancy
(mg/day)		Lactation
(mg/day)
1–38080N/AN/A
4–8130130N/AN/A
9–13240240N/AN/A
14–18410360400360
19–30400310350310
31+420320360320



Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/529629-raw-spinach-and-magnesium/#ixzz29lXj4NjW

Looks like 2 cups cooked is the recomended amount..just make it heaping to make sure :-)

Sunflower seeds although there is nothing that says how much of a spefic amount of magnesium you get per quantity.

Nutrients

Sunflower seeds provide significant amounts of potassium, magnesium and calcium in addition to small amounts of several other minerals. They also contain 20 mcg of folate, which can help to prevent birth defects and possibly even some cancers. Sunflower seeds are also a good source for vitamin A and vitamin E, and contain trace amounts of many other vitamins.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/266764-calories-in-a-tablespoon-of-raw-sunflower-seeds/#ixzz29lYSlMPL

I agree about the supplements in pill form. Nothing can replace the real food. I guess Hippocrates was famous for a reason.

Hippocrates -- "Let food be thy medicine & let thy medicine be food"

Steve

Post Edited (twiggs) : 10/19/2012 11:36:28 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/19/2012 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all the info, Steve!  This is great to know.  And you posted my favorite food quote. :-)  Words to live by!
Posted 10/20/2012 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
And Kiss520, are you sure that your remission is related to the spinach and sunflower seed? It didn't just randomly happen? Did you try to stop it to test if it's really these foods doing that? Don't get me wrong I'm happy you're in remission but I just want to make sure it works.
Posted 10/20/2012 10:46 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I'm 100% sure.  When I don't eat these foods often off, I start to have trouble again.  Then when I eat them, I go back to normal.  The guy who told me about this did the same kind of trial.  He stopped the diet, and his symptoms returned.  Then when he went back on it, they disappeared. 

Plus, there are a few people site who use this site that have tried this diet and had success.  And a friend of my parents who had been battling UC for years tried the diet, and now he's fine.  It can't be a coincidence.

 

Posted 10/20/2012 10:49 PM (GMT 0)
By the way, I totally understand why you're questioning it.  It just does not seem possible that something so simple could make everything go away.  If I hadn't been so absolutely desperate, I might not have tried it myself. 
Posted 10/20/2012 11:01 PM (GMT 0)

Kiss520 said...

By the way, I ate 1-2 cups of cooked spinach and a few tablespoons of Sunbutter every day. It's a lot at first, but you won't always have to eat that much. Now I eat these foods maybe once a week to stay healthy.


Are those 2 measurement cups or real cups? How many are a few tablespoons? How did you gradually lower it and over what time span? How much spinach and sunflower seeds are you eating today?
Posted 10/20/2012 11:31 PM (GMT 0)
Andrina - 1-2 measurement cups of cooked spinach and maybe 3-4 tablespoons of Sunbutter a day.  If you eat the seeds, you should probably eat a couple handfuls; but I would stick with Sunbutter in the beginning, because it's much more gentle.  I ate that much until my symptoms were completely gone. 

After that I decreased by eating it every other day for a couple weeks and then maybe every third day.  I would also decrease the actual amount of the spinach and Sunbutter little by little.  Sorry I can't be more specific - I wish I would have written it down at the time.

Now I eat spinach and Sunbutter once every week or two.  When I make a recipe with spinach in it, I probably eat it (and the leftovers) for a couple days.  I like having the cooked spinach with pasta or rice to make it more palatable.  I've never really liked it just on it's own.  The Sunbutter tastes great, so I'll have it on sliced apples or on a sandwich with jam or sliced banana.

The important thing to do when you're decreasing your intake of spinach and Sunbutter is simply to pay attention to your body.  If you decrease your intake and start feeling bad, go back to the amount you had been eating for a few more days.  Depending on your UC, you may be able to eat less of these foods or go for longer periods of time without them.  My UC came on hard and fast and spread like wildfire within a few months.  It didn't respond to any medication at all.  If yours isn't as severe, you may not need to eat as much of these foods as often as I do. 

Posted 10/21/2012 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
No more prednisone come Tuesday, currently at 5 mg per day.

I was eating Rocky Mountain roasted unsalted and no benefit.

The I got a bag of Go Raw 100% organic sprouted sunflower seeds and they taste really good and along with stepped up p-seed powder and ALA things have changed, no more orangy blood color from dropping 5mg every week. 1-2 bm's per day and quality is improving.

Going to remain on this diet as I transition to no prednisone.

Eggs ( minus yolks )
Harvest seeded bread ( using 1 slice cut in half for sandwiches )
ALA
salmon
chicken
Sunflower seeds
P-seed powder
Sulfasalazine
Librax
Chobani
Pure green protein
Spinach canned or in salad ( just have not been including this lately but will start again )
Almond butter + honey sandwhich
ON Natural Whey vanilla protein + lemon flavored cod liver oil + 1 spoon of p-seed powder - great tasting
Water water water

Post Edited (aguywithuc) : 10/20/2012 8:17:20 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/21/2012 2:59 AM (GMT 0)
Kiss520, thank you so much for patiently explaining this to me. I know you have explained it a couple of times already but I just wanted to make sure I got it all correct. I should just try it. I have nothing to lose and it doesn't sound that hard. In addition I should reduce sugar and cut out milk but I have been failing with this lately.
Posted 10/21/2012 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
There is all kinds of antioxidants in spinach,especially ones that reduce ROS/peroxides/free radical scavengers, they have reducing power.

This is of course related to the radial induction theory.

Old Mike

http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/17185/PDF

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45038192/ns/health-aging/t/beyond-blueberries-unexpected-antioxidants/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9868185

Oregano

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2010/02/is_that_right_oregano_has_more.html

Sunflower seeds.

http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1018-1806/2010/1018-18061052075Z.pdf

Spinach is also high in nitrate,and sunflower seeds high in arginine,both NO substrates.

Posted 10/21/2012 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
Old mike- just to clarify- you did say and are still suggesting that nitrate and arginine are bad for UC, right? Anyway, have tried spinach and sf seed diet and it had no benefit whatsoever. Sunbutter actually worsened symptoms, though it tasted delicious - positively heavenly- wished it helped. Never tried sf seeds raw. I still eat spinach a little bit- several times a week sometimes though not as a staple.
Posted 10/21/2012 4:55 PM (GMT 0)
Nitrate and arginine are precursers to NO,I get worse on arginine,but that does not mean everyone will,might depend on your
antioxidant status,degree of inflammation and many other things. Who knows, the only way to find out is experiment,or not.
I have decided to add 1/2 teaspoon oregano to diet on a daily basis.
Old Mike
Posted 10/21/2012 7:25 PM (GMT 0)
Kiss- so you followed that list from helpforibs and did the sunflower seed spinach thing? So now what do you do as far as diet? And sunflower seed spinach made you sicker first?
Posted 10/21/2012 11:13 PM (GMT 0)
aguywithuc -  I'm glad you're seeing improvement.  I noticed you said you had tried the roasted unsalted seeds and saw no improvement.  If you only did that for a day or so, you wouldn't see any progress.  Whatever form of sunflower seeds you choose, you should give them (along with the spinach) at least a couple weeks and up to a month. 

Andrina - You're very welcome, and it was no trouble going over a couple times.  I hope you have success and be sure to give it time to work.

Probiotic - I'm curious how long you were on the diet.  I don't know how much of this thread you've read, but I mentioned earlier that my symptoms worsened for about two weeks before I started seeing improvement.  If you gave up on it sooner than that, you may want to give it another try for a longer period of time (maybe a full month).

ChrissySoul - I no longer follow the IBS diet.  A while after I went into remission, I became vegetarian and then later vegan.  I didn't need to do that to get into remission, but I found that cutting out meat and dairy made me feel even better.  A vegan diet makes you body (and your digestive system) work like a machine.  It's amazing.  HOWEVER, eating a super-healthy diet with lots of whole grains, beans, and whole fruits and veggies is not ideal for a person who's trying to get out of a flare.  I know that seems counterintuitive, but when you're flaring you should go for soft, cooked veggies and fruits with no peels and white breads and rice (the kind of foods they suggest on the IBS site).  Eventually, when your symptoms are gone, you can slowly introduce those super-healthy foods like whole grains, raw fruits, etc.   Does that make sense? 

And to answer your last question, yes, I got worse for about two weeks before slowly starting to see improvement. 

 

Posted 10/21/2012 11:20 PM (GMT 0)
Yes makes sense, what I'm confused about is why scd claims grains to be negative but this diet is saying to eat them. Did you feel worse eating the ibs way too? Is it made for uc too? So far the sunbutter definitely makes me sick :/. But you said give it 2 weeks etc
Posted 10/22/2012 1:01 AM (GMT 0)
I'm not sure why the SCD diet doesn't allow that stuff, but I do know that SCD didn't work for me at all.  The ibs diet was written for ibs, but the reasoning behind it sounded like it would apply to UC.  That's why I tried it. 
Posted 10/22/2012 1:14 AM (GMT 0)
I think it's worth a shot, it sure sounds more doable than some of these other diets. I'm on vacation and bought sunflower seeds and sun butter before I left and tonight ordered a spinach quesadilla in a restaurant. My challenge will be trying to incorporate enough spinach into my diet, have never been a big fan. Historically, vacation has always triggered flares, so I'm trying to do all I can to prevent that. Ive been struggling since a flare in late July. Thanks again for all the info.
Posted 10/22/2012 1:30 AM (GMT 0)

Kiss520 said...
I'm not sure why the SCD diet doesn't allow that stuff, but I do know that SCD didn't work for me at all. The ibs diet was written for ibs, but the reasoning behind it sounded like it would apply to UC. That's why I tried it.

Grains are not allowed on SCD because Dr. Haas originally designed this diet for people with celiac disease. He later applied it on people with UC the same way.
Posted 10/22/2012 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
Update: Ok I am on my 5th day of this diet and seem to be doing really well. I did although take my canasa starting Friday evening because I was having alot of blood. I did the Canasa for 3 nights last night being the last one I will do because I have not seen any blood. I actually saw an immediate improvement after using the first canasa that next morning (Saturday) with really no blood at all and a really good formed stool. I am not sure but have to assume the canasa really is what stopped the bleeding/inflammation initially. I always had alot of good results with Canasa right from the begining but was told by m doc to only use it in a "as" needed basis and to take the 4 800mg tabs of asacol daily. I never once stopped bleeding when taking asacol and haven't touched it in like 5 months. I feel that since I have a lower left side condition why treat the whole colon when only a 4cm section accoring to him which is one foot up inside. So why would I want to take a chance on sending asacol through my entire colon when this is the only place I have an issue. I plan on seeing my gastro on the 29th for a 6 month follow up and will tell him I dont want asacol anymore and will want a regular prescription for canasa for the future. Maybe thats why I have and always had great reuslts with canasa.

Otherwise I have been following the diet and eating my share of frozen fresh chopped spinach that I cook and eat my trader joe's sunbutter sandwiches. I just bought at the warehouse two 3.5 lb bags of frozen chopped spinach for 12 dollars which should last me for a bit. I don't plan on taking canasa tonight and will keep an eye on my blood and symptoms closely and if I have to will add a canasa in the evening but hope not to have to now that I seem to be stabalized. My appetite is just short of ravenous and my energy level is decent. I Really hope in a couple of weeks this will do the trick. Any feed back about my meds would be great. I do feel like I am getting close to remission with the blood being gone but it is too soon to tell. I do still have some strange sensations in my gut so maybe it the new diet..

Steve

Currently taking:

One Canasa as needed nightly
Renew life 50 billion
Lots of cooked spinach
sunflower seed butter

Diet:

 Fresh lean meats..Ocasional pasta and rice. Never raw veggies or fruit except for an occasional banana. Fish, Salmon, mussels, clams and tuna fish once a month.
Udis bread and some potatoe bread.

Eggs

Rice chex cereal (I add my own cinnamon)

Almond Milk

swiss cheese just started in small amounts.

cooked spinach 

sunflower seed butter

cooked broccolli

potatoes in moderation

Brown rice

Steve

Post Edited (twiggs) : 10/22/2012 11:21:17 AM (GMT-6)

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