Too much fiber?

Hello all! I Just want to start by saying happy new year and a healthy one too!!

I am tapering from pred, down to 20 mg twice a day. Happy about that. Also started with the rowasa enemas. Those seemed to stop the left side gurgling and some of the pain that has been lingering.

about two days ago I noticed some constipation, so I increased my fiber. Flax seed fiber bread, 1 child fiber gummy, chex cereal with fiber.
And some other gluten free food with fiber. ( before this flare I always ate a lot of fiber so I am used to it)

New Year's Eve and day I was able to enjoy some good food!

Today I felt well, took a ride in the am to get my nails done. During the manicure I started to feel cramping in my belly. ( Thought, oh god not now. Wet nails and going to the bathroom has to be tricky, LOL )

Instead of running errands afterwards, i rushed home as the cramps continued. Got home had a normal, good size bowel movement. Felt well after that. Ate more during the day. Salad for lunch, reg meat dinner with vegetables.

Now at night, the cramps are back but no bowel movements.

Am I over doing it with fiber? Don't want constipation! Or could the flare start back up? Don't know what kind of diet to be on at this time of healing?? So hungry on pred, but trying to eat healthy.

I read so much about flares starting again after pred. Is rowasa enemas enough? Have not heard back from GI office and won't until Monday. Maybe i should go back to soup and rice ?

Thanks Laura

You should avoid high fiber diets when flaring. I tried Metamucil while flaring and had discomfort when the poo hit the inflammation, and a painful bm. Lol won't do that again.

Hopefully rowasa is enough, only time and symptoms will let you know for sure. Diet while flaring should be bland foods only, no spicy foods, no caffeine, no alcohol, no high fiber.

Yes... one can eat too much fiber. What you want more of is fermentable fiber like resistant starch - potatoes, plantains, rice, etc. These are starches that promote healing in the colon via butyrate production. They are also used up as an energy source.

Soluble fiber and insoluble fiber like inulin, psyllium just bulk stools up and make you go more, making it counter-productive for UC patients.

There's an interesting book called Fiber Menace that talks about this. Yes we are mislead on fiber and more is not better.

zengrrl said...
Forgive me, I'm new to learning about treatment for UC, but as far as I can tell so far, I disagree with G7. Inulin and psyllium husk do far more than "just bulk up stools and make you go more" which is partially true during a flare. But once stable and out of flare, in remission, insoluble fiber in the colon acts as a pre-biotic to help colonize the colon with "good" bacteria due to the production of short chain fatty acids (including butyrate). see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16633129 and many others. Now that I'm off Pred and asymptomatic I'm taking both a probiotic and insoluble fiber psyllium and inulin. So far, no discomfort.

AND to counter the fallacious book Fiber Menace, please read the many 1-3 star reviews on Amazon, along with author's sarcastic replies to those who criticize the book. Keep in mind he is also selling supplements. See http://theness.com/roguesgallery/index.php/science-and-medicine/fiber-menace-part-ii/

may we all find good health

I am mistaken on inulin, as it acts as a prebiotic fiber. What I meant to say that the distinction between fermentable fiber (such as those found in resistant starches) and insoluble/soluble fiber needs to be highlighted - as taking too much of the latter isn't of much benefit to the colon other than for bowel mass (though there is some evidence that it feeds bacteria).

Psyllium husk in small quantities might be beneficial, but people also need to know about the data on resistant starches in terms of the function on the microbiome. While doctors may suggest a quick fix like taking loads of psyllium, it isn't as therapeutic as most of it is not fermented by the bacteria. The same would apply to insoluble fibers.

There are over 1600 publications on the benefits of resistant starches on pubmed, with 51 of them being recent. A wholesome diet rich in resistant starches is not just healthier for the microbiome, but also provides adequate nutrition for the body.

These good bacteria “feed” on RS and produce short chain fatty acids (through fermentation), the most significant of which are acetate, butyrate, and propionate. Of these three short chain fatty acids (SCFA), butyrate is of particular importance due to its beneficial effects on the colon and overall health, and RS appears to increase butyrate production more when compared with other soluble fibers (8).

more here

I have to admit folks - I eat FIBER ! there, it's out !

like Judy, I always ate fruits and veggies (what I consider real fiber) - the only time I didn't was when I ate absolutely nothing - flares would do that to me - but ya, I ate fiber less often sometimes, and maybe for a week at a time, but that was rare indeed -

I have never been on board with the whole abrasive brillo brush thing - I mean I guess it makes sense, but then again, I have never been bloodied or bruised when attacked by a piece of lettuce or celery

I truly think it's rubbish - but hey, I'm a dumb ex cowboy/vegan - what do you expect