Hi Everyone,

I have had my working J-pouch for 4 months now. I have been told that I can eat anything I like, but fruits, veggies, nuts etc. are really making me feel aweful. They make me constantly uncomfortable and often give me sharp pains. They also make passing stool difficult and painful. Does anyone else have this problem? Do you have any suggestions for healthy foods that won't make me feel yucky? I really don't want to live on just white starchy foods.

Thank-you for your help!

Try checking the "dietary guidelines" at the top of this site.

Also sweet potatoes are a good alternative.

What were you told you couldn't eat? It may only be temporary since you just got your j-pouch.

Try the softer fruits and veggies like cooked potatos, green beans, peas, cooked carrots, pears, peaches and bananas. Raw veggies are hard on many pouchers, you may find from now on you have to chew them very very well. I eat a lot of applesauce (Motts even has flavored ones w/out added sugar) and natural fruit bars which are kind like fruit leather. Target has some good ones of those. You can also make smoothies with fruit, milk and yogurt. Also V8 has this juice, called fusion which is 100% (no added sugar) veggie and fruit. Its actually pretty good. Give yourself some time, don't over do it and keep trying.

good luck!

--
katie

I was thinking of getting a juicer for Christmas to help with the fruit/veggie intake. I wonder if that would help or not.
David
PS - had my j-pouch for 4 weeks now...fried foods and spices are what really kill me.

It took me a while to be able to tolerate raw fruits and veggies but now (18 months post TD) I can honestly say that I can eat pretty much anything in moderation!

I agree with Kaybird that you should try to have softer fruits and cooked veggies as they are easier on the system.

There are many wonderful juices out these days that don't have any extra added sugar and a cup or two during the day will give you a lot of your daily requirements.

You won't be stuck on a bland starchy diet long, luckly for me I love rice and potatos so it didn't bother me too much.

Canned peaches and pears are quite soft and I also use to eat a lot the flavoured applesauces for variety.

Fried foods still bother me, I can only have a handful of french fries from restaurants so I have started asking for a half order of fries and a half order of salad and that seems to sit fairly well now.

I have also tried the dried fruit bars and most of them are quite tasty, also seem like a dessert or 'treat' so you get your nutrition and sweet tooth fix all at once

I'm of the opinion that a juicer would be a wonderful idea. It is a great way to get nutrients naturally and is easily absorbed for those of us with histories of IBD. I was about to buy a Jack Lalanne Juicer when I received a Champion Juicer three years ago. There are differences in how the juices are processed, but I never, and still don't, pay much attention to that. I'm of the opinion that fresh juice, regardless of how the juicer processes it is always hands down better than anything you'll but at the store. The components for my juicer require me to hand wash them, but I've become so accustomed to it that I don't mind the clean up. However, I would recommend that you purchase whichever juicer you think you'll be most able to live with (ex. Jack's juicer components can be put in the dishwasher). It wouldn't make any sense to spend the money on a juicer only not to use it cause you dread clean-up. Good luck.

Give yourself more time and in the meanwhile eat canned fruits and vegetables. My diet today is pretty close to 80% fresh fruits and vegetables. I remember it took me about 6 months of recovery to be able to comfortably introduce these foods into my diet. I remember the white starch food days and am please to have them gone!

Sue

Thanks for all your ideas and reassurance! I think I'll try a 'soft' diet for a few weeks and then see if I can introduce a few of the things I enjoy more.



Any other advice is welcome!

I've got a juicer at home and it removes most of the insoluble fibre, so I can eat a wide variety of fruits and veggies.

If you want to give fresh juices a go, watermelon with cucumber is a good one to try first. Carrots with lettuce is also easy on the j-pouch.