HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Has anyone ever tried a Juice Diet?

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/11/2011 4:24 PM (GMT 0)
I seen a documentary through netflix last night called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Really interesting and awesome documentary to watch. Wondering if anyone on here with UC has ever tried the actual diet? The narrator consumes nothing but juice for 60 days and begins to get his autoimmune disease under control. He claimed to be on prednisone and all sorts of other medication. I might give this diet a shot and along with my medication see where i wind up.
Posted 10/11/2011 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
I've never been on an all juice diet but I have supplemented with juices during flares before (namely carrot/carrot-apple). I can't say if it ever helped ease symptoms but it was definitely tasty and highly nutritious. I think an all juice diet would be extremely difficult in the case of UC, especially if you are in a flare, and if you are going to do it you need to be under the supervision of someone who knows what they are doing.
Posted 10/11/2011 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
I'm fructose intolerant. I'd be peeing poo (and perhaps blood) out my butt on a diet of only juice.
Posted 10/11/2011 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
Yikes subdued. This diet is definitely not for you. Difficult and expensive yes, but film is definitely worth a watch for those who have not seen it.
Posted 10/12/2011 12:59 AM (GMT 0)
yeah, i've tried david klein's juicing diet. i juiced for about a month and i was feeling better, but my colonoscopy showed that my colitis had gotten worse. i didn't understand why because i didn't consume anything but the allowed juices.
Posted 10/12/2011 2:26 AM (GMT 0)
I tried a juice diet with cooked veggies for a little, based on David Klein's book. Then I transitioned to the diet I am on now. My colonoscopy was much improved since last time. Now I only have a bit of colitis in the upper part of my colon, when before I had pancolitis. I think the right diet really has to do with realigning your bacteria or avoiding an allergen, both which can be tricky and take some luck.
Posted 10/12/2011 3:42 AM (GMT 0)
I tried juicing right after I saw that film and immediately had pure liquid movements. I'm not fructose intolerant, but if follows that if all you consume is liquid, then all you're going to release is liquid.

At least, go slow with it at first so your system can adjust. Those guys in the documentary didn't have intestinal issues.
Posted 10/12/2011 7:51 AM (GMT 0)
Ive been wanting to try it but still havent been able to buy a juicer :-/ I think im going to try going on a juice fast one day a week to let my intestines take a day off to see if I can go a whole year without flaring OR I will go on a juice, bananas, eggs and chicken diet as soon as I see the first sign of any symptoms to see if that prevents a flare from getting worse.
Posted 10/13/2011 10:30 AM (GMT 0)
What is the vsl 3 probiotic, my doc said it was only online and very expensive.
Posted 8/21/2012 2:46 AM (GMT 0)
I just watched this movie and I am interested to at least try. If it doesn't work, it won't hurt me. How could proper nutrition actually hurt me?
They say that the first few days of a juice fast, or hell even if you just switch your diet completely, can be very rough. Your body starts to get rid of all the junk you are feeding it currently to make room for the good stuff that is going in. The thing I see about juice fasts are that the nutrients in the veggies and fruits get into your system a lot easier because you aren't chewing and possibly not chewing enough which will take away the nutrition in the food.
I personally want to try it for 10 days to see if it can help me eat better. I have actually spoken to nutritionists who say it's a good way to train your taste buds and mind to eat good foods. This may not cure me, but at least I will be healthier or at least taking healthier steps in my life. I'm sick of meds...so very sick of it. It is merely a band-aide (said this so many times) and I just want to feel good. If it works, I will be so grateful. If it doesn't then I tried!
Posted 8/21/2012 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
VSL #3 has helped my daughter. It is expensive but sometimes you can get your doctor to write a prescription and maybe get it covered. There is some hard data proving its effectiveness.
Posted 8/21/2012 4:29 AM (GMT 0)
Great documentary! I'd definitely give it ago, but personally I can't afford to lose any weight. I would definitely consider adding it to my diet though :)

Good Juicing!
Posted 8/21/2012 5:16 AM (GMT 0)
fruit = fructose

i never use fruit in my juicing - too much sugar -

hope you all give it a try - i can't think of any downside to juicing on a regular basis - like most things, you need to start slow and let your body adapt - it is a bit of work and takes planning -

i can only speak for myself but i have great poops when i juice -

Posted 8/21/2012 5:23 AM (GMT 0)
As ucfighter suggests, weight loss is an issue. The 2 guys in the movie both lost huge amounts and said good-bye to conditions like high blood pressure and other weight-related problems. They were on the diet for a long time. Some others may juice for a week or so as as purification tool. But in any case, at first it seemed like everyone felt really bad, no energy, just curled up in bed.
Posted 8/21/2012 5:45 AM (GMT 0)
I have tried it. It lead to rapid change and onset of D and a flare, I'm not saying it's not healthy but it can rapidly detox you. So I would say ease into it. And only if you have some weight you can afford to lose. Also I would not do this unless you were able to fully rest.

Will you be off work while you try this? I'd suggest it's worth being off work while you try this at least to start with you will need to give your body a chance to adjust to the different energy levels you may experience. I was pretty tired to start with.
Posted 8/21/2012 6:03 AM (GMT 0)
I have tried juice diets or all liquid diets for a few days at a time (and actually for quite an extended period during my worst flare ever). What I've noticed is that the symptoms don't necessarily disappear, but they seem to die down during that time simply because there is no solid food traveling through the gut, which means less irritation to open ulcers, less cause for cramping/muscle spasms in order to get food through, and fewer/smaller bowel movements since there's nothing to digest or pass. So the cramping, pain, and frequency die down a lot, but the bleeding is still there. And when I start eating again, it all returns. So I have used it when symptoms are unbearable just to get some relief.

HOWEVER, what it has worked really well for is an elimination diet where I eliminate all possible trigger foods down to just veggie and fruit juices for a few days to get any/all reactions to foods out of my system. Then I slowly start reintroducing types of foods one at a time (every other day or so) to find out which ones are aggravating my colitis, and it's really obvious if you do it this way.

I did this process a couple weeks ago, actually, finishing up this weekend, and being able to find and eliminate my current trigger foods is the only reason I am able to be up and about right now. It's interesting to me how my trigger foods change or how I develop more sensitivities depending on how sick I am at the time. Found out REALLY quickly this time around that if I eat any form of dairy, even small amounts, I will be in some serious trouble. Also found meat difficult to process but eggs and soy surprisingly digestable. Right now still bleeding quite a bit but pain and gas are very manageable.
Posted 8/21/2012 11:32 AM (GMT 0)
Right before I decided to have surgery, I was under the care of Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He's pretty well known...been on tv and has many books out. His practice is in my town. He's a big believer that he can cure anyone no matter what the affliction with a juice diet. Well, he couldn't help me. He put me on a strict juicing regimen that actually landed me in the hospital! It wasn't his fault....my uc was just too severe and I was too sick at the time to handle it. I believe it works for many things but I'm not a big believer in it for IBD.
Posted 8/21/2012 12:38 PM (GMT 0)
"He's a big believer that he can cure anyone no matter what the affliction"

There so many people like this. They think they can cure anything. Why is that? It leaves me perplexed. I mean, do they think we are this stupid to believe anything...
Posted 8/21/2012 12:42 PM (GMT 0)
I personally am not actually looking for it to cure my UC but I've always had a horrible diet and have yearned to be someone who can eat healthy. I've never been able to eat veggies because I just can't stand the taste and texture. I can eat some fruits but most make me gag in their solid form. I don't like seeds in my food so I get really icked out when I eat things like strawberries or watermelon. Both which I can drink in a smoothie and absolutely LOVE!
I can stand to lose a few pounds as I just came off of a prednisone taper and if I can get 15-20lbs off I will be happy. I'm having solid bowel movements but am having more problems with tenesmus. Not a lot of blood, very little if that and I feel the pain right at my rectum. (I have mild distal colitis, it only goes 30cm up). I have no intent of stopping my meds at all but I just want to see if this juice will help me adjust to the tastes and then maybe the texture of the foods will not be as big of a deal. We shall see! I'm saving up for a juicer so hopefully I'll start on it soon!
Also, I am a stay at home mom so I am not working. Just hanging out with my son on the days he's not in school so will be on the DL for a few days while doing the juice. I've also actually got my husband wanting to try so that will be motivation. He is NOT a healthy person as far as eating goes. Lots of starches...he's a meat and potatoes guy. And he LOVES fast food. So I think it will benefit us both!
Posted 8/21/2012 12:48 PM (GMT 0)

Somedude said...
"He's a big believer that he can cure anyone no matter what the affliction"

There so many people like this. They think they can cure anything. Why is that? It leaves me perplexed. I mean, do they think we are this stupid to believe anything...

I know...but I was desperate at the time. I really did try everything!
Posted 8/21/2012 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
I scored a nice juicer off craigslist a couple of years ago.  I had read the Klein book and decided what the heck, I'd give it  a try.  So I did a juice diet for maybe 3 or 4 days, then very slowly added some cooked veggies, and went pretty slow for a couple of weeks.  As it is, I was already pretty thin, and I lost about 10 pounds doing this (and it was the first time people commented that I looked ill), BUT at the same time, my bleeding stopped.  My poo didn't come out liquid, but was greatly diminished, soft, once or twice a day. 

As I added more foods, I added meat, fats (coconut oil - yum!), raw fruits and veggies, and several months later some "grains" like sweet potato.

So after this experience, if I had to do it again, I probably would, but somehow have to figure out a way not to loose so much weight so fast.  That was kinda scary. 

The other thing to note was that drinking only fresh juice for several days, my energy level was very very low, so you'd want to do it when you didn't have much else going on in your life.

 

Posted 8/21/2012 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
I'd love to start adding juice to my diet. It won't be for another 2 or 3 years until I can tolerate a juice diet no way no how. But maybe in about 1 year I would like to have a couple of juices a week.

I saw that movie and I loved it. It will probably work, but with people who have UC it is very hard to recommend since we do so poorly with: fiber, roughage, vegetables and fructose.
Posted 8/21/2012 1:45 PM (GMT 0)
every time I've tried juicing, my symptoms get worse. It seems to me that my colon needs fiber to sort of "buffer" the inflammation. With just juice going through my system, the immune attack is much worse and the resulting bleeding sometimes out of control.
That being said, juice is OK when in remission as long as I'm eating food as well.
A friend of mine recommended ensure and the same thing happened. In my case going without food is not a good strategy.
Posted 8/21/2012 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
" but with people who have UC it is very hard to recommend since we do so poorly with: fiber, roughage, vegetables and fructose."

i do great with fiber, roughage, and vegetables - i try to stay away from sugar as much as possible -

Posted 10/10/2012 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
I juice every day, AMAZING, sometimes two or three times a day. It's like the nutrients go straight into my blood stream and cells. I do feel funny tossing so much pulp/fiber daily, thinking about giving to the neighbors for their garden, maybe store in the freezer and make muffins.

What do you guys do with the pulp?
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply