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what's really hurting our guts?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 11/26/2007 5:03 AM (GMT 0)

how do we know what is really hurting our guts when it takes so long to get from swallowing the food to the colon?

little bit of info on transit time of food...

Put simply, transit time is the time it takes food to travel from coast to coast....that is, mouth to anus. Even if you have only one bowel motion everyday or lots, depending on your intestinal transit time, was it yesterday's meal that you eliminated, or was it a meal you consumed last week?

an average person has about 8 meals throughout their gut before it comes out.  UC'ers have faster transit times, but by how much? 

For those of you who drink with your meals, the fluids you are drinking may help to make your foods easier to swallow, but you are diluting the digestive juices and slowing or possibly stopping the whole digestive process.  Then it takes time for the organs to realize there is food within them, that they need to digest it, so the body can then absorb the food.  This seriously slows your digestive process and transit times. 

and chewing.. i was advised by my dr and dietician to chew chew chew.. count it out, 32 times.  not chewing your food properly causes all sorts of digestive problems and can contribute to partially digested food hurting our guts.

i never know what it actually is that i might have eaten that causes me discomfort.  could it have been lunch or dinner. or that snack?  was it from yesterday or the day before?  i have no idea... i guess, but im not entirely sure, unless i repeat it and have the same problem, then i just assume.

how do you all know what it is that actually causes you discomfort??

what do you do to tell exactly?

check out this image...

VIEW IMAGE

Posted 11/26/2007 5:09 AM (GMT 0)
What I learned in physio class was "2 hours in the stomach, 2 days in the intestine." Of course, that's an average. If my transit time speeds up much I know it right away, because I start seeing some foods coming out essentially unchanged.

If I notice that every time I eat something, I have problems two days later, I figure that's what bothered me. Or I have a group of things that I can eat in moderation, once or twice a week, but if I eat more they bother me.
Posted 11/26/2007 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
Keeping a detailed food journal will help you spot trends. An elimination diet can also help you isolate problem foods.
Posted 11/26/2007 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
In general what ever you eat today will be completely eliminated in 3 days from now...in general...but keep in mind everyones transit time varies and with having IBD or IBS that will likely also have an impact on transit time (especially during flares)...if one eats/drinks something that doesn't agree with them at all it can be instant elimination, keeping in mind that along with the elimination of whatever didn't agree will also be stool that's already on it's way out as well, know what I mean.

:)
Posted 11/26/2007 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
Ok, and this may sound gross, but when I have corn for dinner, how come it's in my poopie the very next morning?? I'm talking less than 24 hours after eating... is that normal??
Posted 11/26/2007 11:09 PM (GMT 0)
People with IBD often have a quicker than normal transit time. And whole kernel corn is notoriously difficult to digest, so it appears to come out almost unchanged.
Posted 11/27/2007 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
The reason why chewing a hundred times before swallowing is so important, and/or even taking digestive enzymes after every meal.

:)
Posted 11/27/2007 4:24 AM (GMT 0)
this was a trivia question on the biggest loser the other night and the answer was 24-48 hours. WHen i still had UC i could tell immedtiaely if something was going to upset my stomach. It must spend most of it's time in the large intestine though, because now that i have an ostomy it comes out in the bag about an hour to two after i eat it.
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