Cook Books & General Guides for IBS / Crohn's?

Lady_Clarington

Afternoon all.

I'm currently under going tests for Crohn's Disease (kidney & liver troubles and a whole host of other things) but have been told by my GP that it's "probably just IBS" and that I could educate myself to "learn to live with it". I've had "probably IBS" for a few years now but most of the symptoms were put down to side effects of the pain killers I was on so its never really been taken all that seriously but recently (now drug free) it has been worsening to the point that I nearly passed out on Saturday due to the pain of the bloating.

I've got to eat normally this week (in case they need more blood as they *really* struggled to get the 6 vials out of me) but then to "try around with some diets" to see "what suits you best". Erm... useful (they've given me peppermint oil capsules to try for a month to see if it helps).

I've been reading about process elimination to narrow down what does and doesn't set things off but I'm really struggling to understand enough to work out nice suggestions for meal times (I also have a partner to cook for at the same time and don't really want to have to be preparing two meals). I get both diarrhoea and constipation and the diets I've found so far only seem to work if you've one OR the other. Not both (sometimes at the same time - how is that even possible??)

Are there such things as IBS type cook books or recipe books for specialist diets that might "idiots guide to" my way through this? I'd be really grateful if you could help me find websites or books. I want to create a two week menu at a time planner (so I'm not just eating the same thing but at the same time not letting food go rotten in the fridge due to poor planning) with full ingredients and measurements listed so that when my partner tries to "be helpful" and cook I have a little more faith that he wont be throwing in things I'm trying to avoid especially during the initial getting used to it period.

Thank you!

tchell99

So sorry to hear this - this is a club for which we would be thrilled to stop accepting new members.

I wish I could offer a magical solution, but as someone with Crohn's for 15+ years I haven't found one yet, even after reading several different approaches and trying them out. The only thing that provided sustained relief was removal of 6ft of hole-riddled intestine and giving my digestive system a rest with an ostomy for several months.

Now my main strategy is to stay away from fried foods and limit foods that cause gas. That said, during a flare-up it just seem to matter what I ingest (lean protein, simple carbs, or just broth) - it's just ugly all around. Unfortunately, I think it's trial and error for most of us.

You could try keeping notes on what you eat (and when) and noting the time, duration, and pain level of negative reactions. I would recommend the MPF food log, but not sure the notes are easily downloadable for later assessment over time.

Good luck, OP. Wish I could be more helpful, but neither IBS nor Crohn's have simple answers. :flowerforyou:

Lady_Clarington

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Because my reactions seem most random (can eat toast for instance fine one day but the next day I try I'm doubled over in pain) I think I need to find some kind of sensible elimination diet so that I go a month without i.e. gluten and see how I react. I tried to keep a log whilst eating normally but as I said it all appeared random. So I guess if I start finding a cook book that excludes gluten that will at least give me a starting point rather than a "IBS / crohns" specific book.

Thank goodness for the internet! I'm not sure what my sanity would have done without an easy way of researching things!

Jeannie_SP

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Because my reactions seem most random (can eat toast for instance fine one day but the next day I try I'm doubled over in pain) I think I need to find some kind of sensible elimination diet so that I go a month without i.e. gluten and see how I react. I tried to keep a log whilst eating normally but as I said it all appeared random. So I guess if I start finding a cook book that excludes gluten that will at least give me a starting point rather than a "IBS / crohns" specific book.

Thank goodness for the internet! I'm not sure what my sanity would have done without an easy way of researching things!

Hello! I can recommend two books for you to have a look at if you haven't seen them already.

The first is "Living with Crohn's & Colitis: A Comprehensive Naturopathic Guide for Complete Digestive Wellness" by Black & Cummings (2010). It includes some recipes but it is mostly a guide to help you learn more about IBS, traditional and alternative treatments, and it does include a 3-month "wellness plan" and 25 "delicious" (you be the judge!) recipes for people with IBD. Of course, everyone has different foods or food groups that trigger a reaction, so it's hard to follow a plan. At any rate, this is an informative book with insights from a dr. of naturopathic medicine and a woman who has lived with Crohn's for years.

Second, you might look at "Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health through Diet" by Elaine Gottschall. The diet, if you choose to follow it closely, eliminates lots of stuff and looks like a lot of effort. It's not something for me but it may give you ideas about how to go about figuring out if/whether you have some trigger foods.

I also found a website that might be useful for you:

http://www.hcplive.com/articles/Top-5-iPhone-and-iPad-Apps-for-Patients-with-Irritable-Bowel-Syndrome-

I don't know if any of this will be helpful. I discovered only by chance that I had Crohn's after my symptoms had subsided from (I guess) a flare. I eliminated most gluten and have found that - unfortunately- sugar causes me the most problems. I do seem to be pretty stable with the foods that are harder for me to digest. I basically did a 3 week detox and eliminated slowly all meat, dairy, grains, and even legumes until I was only eating fruits, veggies, olive oil, some spices. Then I very slowly started adding stuff back in to see how my body would react. But since IBS sufferers cannot always tolerate a lot of fiber, you need to be careful to cook veggies and possibly avoid fruits with peels or peel the skins and certain fruits/veggies might affect you more, like tomatoes. It's a pain but seemed to help!

Good luck!

Lady_Clarington

Thanks ever so much!