Depressed but thankful; comments on vegan diet sought

Forgot to mention (and should probably include this in my sig) but the only thing that seemed to help at all was a two month trial of Uceris which I just completed...

Just curious as to how other vegans are going about treating this in regard to their diet; what foods seem to exacerbate things, what foods seem to help, although I realize that even the answers to those questions may not be the correct fit for any one individual. I consume a typical strict vegetarian diet; no meats/dairy/eggs etc. Consume mostly soy products, veggies, grains, nuts, legumes. I selfishly want to eat everything I want, because I absolutely love to eat, but I'm slowly realizing that maybe I can't. Oh, and I still want to have a martini :). Have recently been introducing more gluten-free products into my diet such as quinoa but not sure I'm realizing the ultimate benefit by not transitioning to a 100% gluten-free diet so I'm still experimenting with that. I've always supplemented with multivitamins and now supplement with folic acid which my G.I. suggested.

My perspective...you won't heal it with food, vegan, paleo or raw or anything else.

You need to be on rectal meds, and should have been from the start.

I'd suggest you start with mesalamine retention enemas nightly till you have improvement.

Regarding not tolerating mesalamine...while that might be an issue, if the rectum isn't being treated or if you're eating foods that can cause some symptoms to be confused with UC such as looser stool, constipation, cramping, gas, etc, it's more of undertreating rather than intolerance.

The only way you'll know is to get on the appropriate meds for best treatment. If your symptoms get worse, then the mesalamine intolerance could be an issue. You can switch up to a steroid topical oral/rectal (meaning both). go from there.

q

From what you've described, you have been successful with a steroid (uceris) but not so much with the oral mesalamines. I agree with quincy - stop looking at your food and start looking at your treatment approach.

Were you using Uceris as an enema? Get yourself some mesalamine enemas and do that nightly for a good while.

How far up does your inflammation go?

I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian but I don't eat meat more than once or twice a week. I do rely on dairy and legumes for a lot of my protein (I'm gluten free now and many hydrolyzed protein substitutes are made with wheat). I have gotten to a solid remission using 5-ASAs and eliminating gluten, and eat vegetables and fruit and whatever I want without consequences.

You don't mention vitamin D (which a lot of us have found helpful to check and to maintain over a level of 40) or omega-3s which may also be a useful addition to your diet (I use flax seed oil for this).

"My perspective...you won't heal it with food, vegan, paleo or raw or anything else."



so does NOT eating certain foods count ?

soystud said...
"My perspective...you won't heal it with food, vegan, paleo or raw or anything else."



so does NOT eating certain foods count ?

you very well know the importance of medications. The OP is vegan, so she doesn't eat meat i'll assume....that counts to her/him.

is that what you were wanting to know?
q

Many many years ago I chose a vegetarian lifestyle, in fact, for over ten years, but one day my body told me it needed something more, and I listened to it, and changed a few things, and that's what I believe happens, your body lets you know what you need, and so I would just like to say to you to keep an open mind, what worked for you once may not work for you now....momto2boys sums it up nicely.

Yes, I think that is the consensus. Some people cannot tolerate mesalamine and have found other approaches, but they are not easy and they most often involve immune-suppressing drugs.

Mesalamine intolerance usually presents itself quickly and debilitatingly, increasing bloody diarrhea within days of taking a dose.

i was vegan for almost 4 years when i was diagnosed and then stayed vegan for almost a year and a half after diagnosis.

i'd say the problem for me was that veganism is a high fiber diet which is terrible for you when you are inflamed (and not all that great in general, IMHO). i really couldn't eat most vegan foods and ended up relying on veggie burgers, hummus, potato chips, gluten free hamburger buns, gluten free pasta, corn tortilla chips, and protein shakes. obviously, i ended up in the hospital anyway because my body's protein levels were severely low and i was malnourished (84 lbs). i had to switch to eating animal products again just to save myself from starvation. it was an extremely hard decision for me but i immediately felt better. i brought my albumin levels up from 1.4 to 3.6 in two weeks just by eating eggs and meat.

obviously, if you are set on staying vegan, you just have to find foods that work for you. maybe keep a food diary so you know what doesn't bother you. i'd say good safe foods for you might be potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, veggie broth, smooth nut butters, plant protein shakes, pureed/cooked fruits, carrots, zucchini, and gluten free pastas.

you should definitely be on UC meds though just to control your condition.

I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but there are a few vegan foods I love that actually seem to be processed okay by my body. I also know that my body just needs medicine to control UC, but to each their own!

Foods I Like:

1. coconut oil- I love to use this stuff for cooking, but my favorite are pre-made tarts. I think the brand I buy is Hail Mary. They have a coconut one I love. Also chocolate nut butter, chocolate mint, and lime. High calorie too which can be good sometimes!

2. Kale chips- you can make your own, but I'm busy/lazy so I buy pre-made ones. They have a nice crunch to them.

3. Roasted squash/zucchini- just yummy.

4. Spinach- I put this on everything. For some reason it is one of the only greens I can really tolerate.

5. Bananas and apple sauce- feel like a kid again.

6. Peanut butter or nut butter- good protein/calorie source (for me) eat on everything- crackers, bread, fruit, veggies, plain, in cereal or whatever. You can add peanut butter to pretty much everything.

I think you should consider looking outside the mesalamine-based medications, as you seem to be intolerant to them. Perhaps you will be able to tolerate the enemas, as the absorption on them is much less. However, that leaves the upper part of your colon untreated.

Are you open to something like imuran or one of the biologic meds?

Frankly, its not just about vegan or non-vegan but there are a lot of permutations and combinations of the diet, its effect on your GI system and your immune system at play in your GI system. I quit eating all kind of meat after my diagnosis. Esp. after reading about MAP involvement in Crohn's, I quit drinking milk (but ate cheese and yogurt), otherwise no such food restrictions.

Another contributing factor is how your gut flora looks like and if the food that you eat, along with other body systems help maintaining healthy flora so as to keep UC in remission.

The point I am driving home is, not only look at food, but other factors as well. Plus, what medications you have tried, the type (as in oral/rectal etc.). If you wish, consider wellbutrin, try different formulations to get an indirect benefit.

On other board where I was discussing my gut flora result, another fella who is equally nuts about his gut flora suggested, I try milk kefir. I started without much expectation, but I will tell you, that stuff helped a lot. I used non-homogenized and pasteurized (as opposed to homogenized and ultra-high pasteurized) milk. A week ago, I hit a jackpot and got a gallon of raw milk. Jeez, kefir that I got out of it is so awesome that I can not put into words. I am assuming that raw milk kefir will be even better. I will update as I go this route, but a point to ponder (even though you are a Vegan).