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Spring has sprung!! What UC-friendly produce do you grow in your garden?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/6/2015 2:41 PM (GMT 0)

Hey, All. I'm new to UC (maybe Crohn's) as of 2014. I'm also Type 1 diabetic and a vegetarian, so finding things to eat has been a chore! Balancing carbohydrates and food items was challenging with diabetes, alone. Now I'm delaing with fluctuating bloodsugars and a bland, boring diet. How much oatmeal and rice can one person eat?!?! And mushy veg cooked til the life is gone is just no fun. I miss my previous, super-colorful and varied diet! Ingredients, spices, colors. Now everything is bland and colorless.

Additionally, now that Spring is here, I'm wondering what I can grow in my garden that I can actually eat. Many of my favorite food items are not, apparently, compatible with UC - tomatoes, eggplants, popcorn, carrots, cabbages and turnips, to name a few. In years past, I've grown most of my produce for the year in my own backyard and, as a vegetarian, my diet has for over a decade contained a healthy dose of fiber. My understanding is that I really need to stay away from fibrous foods, which includes most of my favorite fruit and veg.

Must I really only plant cucumbers and squash and baby lettuces? What are your favorite UC-friendly foods and what do you grow in your garden?

Posted 4/6/2015 2:49 PM (GMT 0)
What you can eat with uc is a very personalized thing, and varies a lot person-to-person. What does your gut tolerate?

I can and do eat all of those things without issue.
Posted 4/6/2015 2:55 PM (GMT 0)
My garden season in Florida is the opposite of yours and I've been growing all winter: red kale, collards, green beans. Also have 2 mulberry bushes in high production right now.

I make greens juice from the kale/collards, do a big batch about once a month and freeze in both ice cube trays (for daily use) and little 2 oz. jello shot plastic containers (with top). I add carrot juice (from store) plus water and a little red grape juice.

Really wish my garden would grow spinach but tried several times and failed so I stick with green beans and kale/collards. You should try well-cooked spinach and see if your gut agrees, if so then that's a good one to grow.

My gut does not like tomatoes so don't grow those any more. Love yellow squash but that gets mold for me (organic garden so no chemicals used).

Maybe your problem with cabbage and carrots is the amount of fiber. That's why I make green juice, all the goodness and none of the gut problems.

Try adding curcumin/turmeric to your cooked veggies (assuming you can eat any) along with coconut milk and ginger. Makes my gut happy. I'm also taking C3 turmeric pills daily, so far so good after 3 weeks.
Posted 4/6/2015 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks a ton, iPoop.
Right now: I've found tomatoes and eggplant really set my gut on fire. Popcorn feels like it's scraping my insides out. Carrots must be shaved and cooked, or I experience pain and dramatic ... umm .. blowouts. Similarly, beans (previously my primary protein source) are a definite no-go. It just seems my options are so limited these days. I'm constantly hungry, but I just don't want to eat because I never know what to expect. I'm really struggling with what to eat and how to prepare it, which plays a very direct role in how I determin what I'll grow in the garden this year.

Does this makes sense or sound familiar to anyone? Am I the only one?

Could it be the way I'm preparing my meals? I understand it's all very individual, but surely there are folks who have ideas or things they do to make it all work? I'm open to trying new ideas.
Posted 4/6/2015 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, imagardener2!
I'm embarrassed juicing is actually something I hadn't considered. What a great idea!

In the last 2mos, I have gone bonkers over ginger, turmeric and coconut water (not so much the milk) and have found they not only cool my insides, but WOW! I'd forgotten how wonderful a normal bm feels! I've also been drinking prickly pear water for about a week and that seems to be helping, as long as I don't ingest a problem food item. I was not actually aware curcumin tabs were available, but will consider them as well. I add turmeric to my rice and prepare turmeric tea by slicing the fresh turmeric rhizomes in thin slivers and adding them to hot water. I drink a lot of turmeric tea these days.

Thank you so much for the ideas!
Posted 4/6/2015 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
C3 Curcumin is the supplement to try because it is higher dose and includes black pepper which was shown in tests to make the curcumin more bio-available and stays in body longer.

C3 curcumin pills are more expensive than other curcumin but I think it's worth $25 to try it out for 3 weeks. (120 tabs in a bottle/6 tabs a day is equal 3,000 mg daily which is the amount taken that showed improvement in tests.) Some people have taken more than that with no problems.
Posted 4/6/2015 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
What uc/crohn's medications are you on? What are your current symptoms (number of bms a day, frequency, consistency)?
Posted 4/6/2015 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
iPoop,
I've been taking asacol since early November, along with omeprizole. The asacol seemed to knock-out the bleeding I was noticing, but the diarrhea (3-4x/day) and cramping have continued, UNLESS... I drink turmeric tea, which makes all the symptoms disappear completely. The asacol has not resolved my symptoms, but it has made me feel like death warmed over. I've spoken to my doc a number of times about it and he's told me he has the experience and this is what I should take (I've made appt with a new doc.). He also told me to run an experiment. Taper off the asacol, while continuing to drink the turmeric tea, and his suggestion was that I would find I still feel the same. But he's wrong. I'm drinking turmeric tea, along with prickly pear water, on a daily basis and symptoms have not returned one week later. And the ENERGY I suddenly have is through the roof! Joints no longer hurt, I can focus at work and I'm doing things again. I have the will to live again!!
My current doc tells me I must have been making it all up. Needless to say, I'm anxious to see my new doctor and get more advice. I know it's not commonly advised that one take nothing, so I'm open to my new doc's guidance as long as he's willing to include me and my personal, daily experience in determining a therapy plan.

Post Edited (NatureCalls) : 4/6/2015 3:01:19 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/6/2015 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
As long as I keep drinking the turmeric tea, I've found I have a very regular bm in the morning and sometimes one in the evening. Again, as long as I keep drinking the turmeric tea, my bm's are solid and I have no pain or grumbling or gasiness. When I stopped the turmeric and treated with the prescribed asacol and omeprizole, the diarrhea and cramping came back with a vengeance.
Posted 4/6/2015 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like a placebo affect to me, on the tea. A week isn't long enough. You could have a meslamine allergy.
Posted 4/7/2015 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
I grow all kinds of veggies, green beans, broccoli, kale, squash, and lettuces. We also grow black beans and garbanzos. I am thinking of growing navy beans this year as well.
Posted 4/7/2015 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, iPoop, but I'm really asking a question about foods and gardening. Thanks for your thoughts, though. As a scientist in the pharma industry, I understand how and have run the experiment. I've been drinking the tea for over 2mos now, after having tested early on to ensure the effects were real. While it may not work for everyone, the effects have been consistent and true for over 2mos in my case. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

momto2boys: do you prepare your beans any differently than you might have pre-UC? I'm now wondering if I could enjoy beans and get the protein my body needs if I were to prepare them a different way. What has your experience been in this regard?

Thanks to all for sharing comments and thoughts!!
Posted 4/7/2015 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
"My understanding is that I really need to stay away from fibrous foods, which includes most of my favorite fruit and veg."


what you need to stay away from NC, are foods that bother YOU -

i do much better eating fibrous foods - you just have to figure out what your body likes and needs -

does you body really like and need a vegetarian diet ? i'm asking because i'm a former vegan -

how long have you been a vegetarian ?
Posted 4/7/2015 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hey, juststud.

I've been vegetarian for over 10yrs. It's always agreed with me and has been wonderful for helping me manage bloodsugars, which is also key given I'm Type 1 diabetic. My experience as a vegetarian has been one that includes having tons of energy, easy, restful sleep and no cravings at all. What can I say, I really enjoy my fruits and veg! Ha!

I've incorporated some salmon since my UC diagnosis in Nov 2014, because I noticed my body was telling me it needed protein. Eggs weren't enough to cover and I started having issues with beans (some legumes are fine and I'm a quinoa and chia addict, these days). I can't say I really like the salmon, though. No digestive issues assoc'd with eating meat, I just don't really like it, nor am I convinced our meat in the US is actually a healthy option. I'm not even taking that tangent here, though!

I'll try a bit of fiber (just a tiny bit; I'll go easy.) and see how my system reacts. I think I need to experiment a bit more, but I admit I've been hesitant given horror stories. I'm trying to "avoid" system backlash, but maybe I'm making it too difficult? I'm completely amazed by how individual UC is, though it's entirely logical it would be so. Our bodies couldn't hit us with something easy to treat, could they?! Merdi!

Thanks for your thoughts.
Posted 4/7/2015 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't tolerate beans well when flaring, unless pureed. We use a pressure cooker to soften beans because I am a terrible meal planner. I often have no idea what to cook until late in the day. We have always used the pressure cooker, I don't touch canned beans.
Posted 4/7/2015 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, momto2boys! Thank you, ALL, actually!
So many ideas to try. I'm realizing I've gotten into a bit of a rut. Preparing the same things the same way over and over. Like I said in my opener, how much rice and oatmeal can one person eat?!?! I've been so overwhelmed with this new diagnosis and the effects of the meds, and absolutely terrified of potential flares that I guess I failed to even use my brain on this issue of food items and food prep.

So, I'll juice my greens, pears, carrots, etc. I'll puree my beans (HUMMUS! That's terrific and, by default, already pureed.), and I'm planting my garden this weekend without the tomatoes and eggplant (at least for this year). I'm going to substitute them with more greens, including spinach. I'll also plant a greater variety of squashes, I think, as they are packed with vitamins and are generally best eaten when cooked mushy, anyway. Spaghetti squash will be great in late Summer and the others will tide me over through the winter months. Pureed squash with a bit of ginger and coconut milk for soup. YUM! I'll go ahead and plant the popcorn, as I'm somewhat addicted. I just love popcorn! It will serve as an experiment to test my system's reaction to the extra bit of fiber. Spiced popcorn is amazing, so I'll try spicing it with turmeric powder!

I'm feeling encouraged! THANK YOU!
Posted 4/8/2015 1:43 PM (GMT 0)
Also consider adding potatoes (resistant starch) to your diet. Can be gotten many ways: potato starch (not potato flour) dissolved in water and drunk, boil potatoes and cool, then to make potato salad. I have also read that fried potatoes are a great source of RS which is great because I LOVE french fries. Potatoes have been such a great addition to my diet even though my gut hates most fiber, so guessing potato fiber is minimal.

Search this forum for "resistant starch" threads. It's a good thing :-)
Posted 4/8/2015 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
"I have also read that fried potatoes are a great source of RS which is great because I LOVE french fries."

The world is definitely a happier place because of french fries, right?!  hahahaha   

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