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Hello,
I discovered UC about 14 years ago and had cirgury 6 years ago, and I was wondering if the ED is right for me. I don't take any medication but still have UC symptoms and really want to try the diet.
Also, I have noticed your list of foods allowed and not allowed to eat differs from the list I saw on the Breaking the Vicious Cicle website. Is it a different diet?
Thank you.
Hi Mel,
An Elimination diet could possibly help you if you think foods are affecting your symptoms. As I mentioned, before embarking on an ED do discuss with your GI or a nutritionist, just to be sure it's okay for you.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is not an Elimination diet. But, that doesn't mean it isn't also something to try. Ten year ago, the SCD was the first diet I tried, then an ED, which really helped me to find the foods that, at that time, were problems for me.
You may want to ask your GI to do a blood test to see if you have Celiac disease, which is an allergy to wheat. Even if the test comes back negative, you then may want to try eating gluten-free for at least 2 months and see how that affects your symptoms. There is a lot of news out there these days that going gluten-free is helping quite a few of us IBDers.
But, only embark on one new eating regime at a time and do it under the supervision of your doctor.
Best of luck to you,
Elizabeth
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I found your article to be very intersting. I have suffered all my life with chronic bowel problems, but didn't know about the ED. Two days ago, a colonoscopy turned up severly diseases bowels, and I am waiting on the biopsies until next week. Meanwhile, I can't sleep well, endure pain and diarrhea, nausea, etc. I don't know what to eat. No recommendations were given for diet and I've been searching the web for answers. Whatever the result, I hope that a nutritional plan will be part of my treatment. Do "traditional / standard" GI physicians agree with ED? I have only just now began my research so I don't know if my gastroenterologist would be agreeable to begin such a trial. Thanks for your information. It gave me hope, while I'm still waiting on the news of my tests.
Hi Big Sky,
In recent years, say the last 4-5, more GI's are acknowledging that diet can play a role in many people who have Inflammatory Bowel Disease. That said, whether or not your GI will subscribe to these ideas remains to be seen until you talk to him or her. If they don't seem particularly "on board" with the idea of diet and GI issues you may want to seek out a nutritionist who works with IBD patients.
In the meantime, while your gut is angry and inflammed you may want to eat what I call "white and light" foods. These are foods that are easy to digest thus giving your your gut a chance to heal if even just bit. Think of foods like scrambled eggs, white toast, white rice, yogurt (natural not ones like Yoplait loaded with sugar), bananas,appesauce, baked white fish, baked chicken breast, etc. Foods to avoid while your gut is in a flare would be things like soda pop, caffeine, spicy foods, greasy foods, fast food, pre-package/prepared foods, acidic fruits, raw or undercooked vegetables, leafy greens, etc.
You sound like you're started on the right path and a few test results will help you to see what you are dealing with.
Best of luck and feel free to come back anytime.
Elizabeth