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Starch diet?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/29/2012 7:23 AM (GMT 0)
So, I was in Barnes & Noble tonight and saw this book about a starch diet. I think the book was The Starch Solution by McDougall. Any thoughts on starches being the way to go? From what I could tell the book was written by a vegan. Of course, this seems to be the antithesis of SCD.
Posted 12/29/2012 2:31 PM (GMT 0)
In my daughter's case this would be the worst diet ever for her. While the scd/paleo diet make some sense, this one really does not at all imho.
Posted 12/29/2012 2:32 PM (GMT 0)
Are you talking about UC or just a diet in general? I think almost all diets are a crock. People are trying to take the easy way out. There are only three reasons to go on a diet:

1. to lose weight

2. an attempt to be healthy

3. trying to help a medical condition

Most diets are about someone writing a book and trying to make money and millions of people fall for it. One expert says we should eat all meats, one expert says we should eat all veggies, one expert says low carbs, another expert says high carbs and they all have evidence to prove their points. That should tell you something right there - they are all a crock. I'm not saying that diets can't help but I think people are fooling themselves if they think any one particular diet is the bible.
Posted 12/29/2012 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
I've been through almost every diet mod. there is and my opinion is don't buy the book. We always want there to be a "logical" diet solution that is simple and sounds good. It's clear from this forum that there is no single solution and no simple name you can attach to what works except what works for your gut. Some people achieve remission through diet modification (me and others) and other people see no benefits. And we got to remission through many different diet modifications. Paleo seems the closest fit to most peoples successes and SCD is popular and close in food choices. Neither one of them emphasize starch IIRC.

I feel the way about supplements the way garylou feels about diets. Supplements just don't work for me except VSL#3 probiotic. Some supplements work for others just like some alternative treatments work for others.

Starch turns into sugar after our bodies digest it. Sugar is generally not good in large amounts for anyone, even healthy people. Would I go on a predominantly starch-based diet. No.

But if you've tried the "popular" successful UC diet mods. and nothing good happened then you could try this one. It's your gut, maybe it's different than everyone elses.

I don't think people trying diet mod. are "trying to take the easy way out". It was hard as h*ll as anyone doing it can tell you. Very hard to change the habits of a lifetime and against the Standard American Diet (SAD) that pervades our culture. I think I deserve a medal for making the food choices I made, guess I'll have to settle for remission lol.
Posted 12/29/2012 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
I will add that my daughter was eating a very high starch, whole grain based vegetarian diet from birth until her diagnosis. Starch is very difficult to digest and so it doesn't make sense to me that someone with an inflammed gut would do well on it. But then, everyone's different. As I said, like Imagardener, she does do best with paleo/low carb.
Posted 12/29/2012 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
oh yeah. i know all about this diet. when i was a vegan, i even thought it was nuts. this guy thinks it's totally fine to eat 10 pieces of bread a day along with 10 white potatoes. it was on one of his sample menus i saw years ago. the goal of the diet is weight loss and not generally health in my opinion.
Posted 12/29/2012 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
Tried this diet and it made my symptoms worse. Would not recommend it, as it's strong in foods that irritate the colon -> lentils, vegetables, fruits, etc. On top of all of this, the author is known for promoting a vegan agenda. He's part of the vegan circle that includes Neal Barnard, Joel Fuhrman, T. Colin Cambell and Caldwell Esselstyn.

Yes, bananagirl, there was even a chapter mentioning a diet with nothing but potatoes and saying that it wasn't unhealthy.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 12/29/2012 12:03:12 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/29/2012 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
vegan's are fine people -

a little stiff for my tastes tho -
Posted 12/29/2012 9:47 PM (GMT 0)
stealthguardian, i couldn't imagine just eating potatoes! i feel like they always need some sort of fat/topping to even be edible. i don't know where these gurus come up with some of these strange ideas.
Posted 12/30/2012 9:05 AM (GMT 0)
^^ because they know someone "out there" will try it.

q
Posted 12/30/2012 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
Most people are pretty much idiots when it comes to diets. All diets (for losing weight) have basically been proven to not work long term. Weight watchers is the only diet I have ever heard of that actually has proven to be successful. People try these diets, they don't work, so, what's the answer? Try another diet and see if that works. Diets are a multibillion dollar business. I think I'm going to invent a pizza diet and write a book about it and get rich. I actually know a girl who once did a candy bar diet. She would not eat food and every time she felt hungry she would have one bite size candy bar. It worked for her and she lost weight. Unfortunately, she passed away.
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