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18 replies

Eating healthier

DS Daniel S.Member
Hi all! Long time J-Poucher here. 2003- got my JPouch and ended my long bout with chronic UC. My life has been absolutely turned around since then and mostly everything for the better. I'm now in my early 30s and have a concern. I have stayed away from anything that might clog the pouch as I have had some partial obstructions. Every few months or so, I get these where I am in extreme pain and nausea. They usually never last more than 12-15 hours. A few times this has happened has been by certain foods--potatoes especially. I don't know if I'm getting constipated, or lodged, or if these are adhesions or what. Pouch has been scoped, even recently, and my surgeon and my GI both say the pouch looks flawless.

I'm concerned because, due to my fear of getting these episodes, I have drastically altered my diet since about 2007 when these episodes started, and I know it isn't healthy for me. I am fortunate because I am in great shape, so eating bland and excluding veggies and fruits hasn't altered me physically. I just don't want to die early due to a poor diet of neglecting foods good for me, for bland or unhealthy foods that are easy to digest.

Some other foods that have caused (maybe not caused, I don't know) these temp. blockages or constipation, or whatever it is I have--lettuce, beans, steak, carrots. I have cut all of these out. I know many say to eat these foods anyway, and make sure to chew them up well, but these blockages hurt more than you can imagine--and make you sicker than the worst flu combined with the worst night of drinking you've ever had.

I am at a point in my life where I want to be healthy and I don't know what to do. I am deathly afraid of veggies-- they seem to clog something up and cause these episodes. I don't know what to do. How do I balance out a healthy diet with causing these mini-blockages or whatever they are.

Thanks.
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Scott FScott FMember
It's worth considering the quantity as well as selection. Since "colonic health" isn't an issue for us, we can focus mainly on the nutritional benefits of veggies - and the body is generally very good at extracting nutrients if you give it a chance. So there's nothing wrong with a fraction of a carrot or a bite or two of potato, or a leaf of lettuce - well chewed, with plenty of water. A little bit is much better than none, I think.
poucherpoucherMember
...sounds so familiar. I can only speak from personal experience. When I had this condition it kept getting worse over the years. No cause could be seen on scans. When I got to the point of only being able to eat liquids, my surgeon explored with surgery and found an internal hernia where my bowel was poking through and getting pinched. He said it looked like it had been there for a long time. I can eat ANYTHING now since the internal hernia repair surgery. I call it my gut tune-up. Everyone is different. However, I hope my experience may help and give you hope. Your condition may be fixable.
tammykathleentammykathleenMember
Daniel S,

I am in the same boat. I eat almost no veggies and few fruit. I have tried on and off for the last 7 years to incorporate them, all with bad outcomes of a mini blockage or a full out one. Even eating a small salad will cause me to be in the bathroom for the next two days. I eat tomatoes, but only if I scrape out every single seed.

I have begun to think about juicing. I also do take alot of sub-lingual supplements.

I don't know what the answer is. I also wonder what my health will look like as a broad picture without these vitaimins and nutrients.

Let me know if you get good advice.

Thanks,
~Tammy
T TSMMember
Suffered through the same problem for about 7 years before finally getting my doctor to go in laproscopically and take a look at possible adhesions. Adhesions turned out to be so extensive the doctor had to open me up and fix them. One section of the intestine had actually knotted itself up. With all of this fixed, I have not had a problem since (going on 10 years). I can eat just about anything.
I would say bug the heck out of your doctor until they agree to take a look inside.
S SKadettMember
I saw a Natural Health Practitioner a few months ago who had me brothing instead of juicing.

Basically go to the grocery store, get some beef or chicken, carrots, celery, garlic, onions, peppers, turnips, parsley, cloves and bay leaves, you can pre-roast the veggies in olive oil first and then put it all into a pot with water and simmer it on low until the liquid is reduced by half, strain the broth through a colander/strainer and discard the vegetable matter keeping the broth. This allows you to extract the nutrients from the veggies without the harsh material scraping your insides up.
SpookySpookyMember
You can still get your fruits and veggies by juicing or making soup. You can puree the soup to eliminate roughage and make it easier to digest. I have found in the past that a had a problem with potato skins, so if you are roasting potatoes, remove the skins before you eat them. Same would go for other veggies; even tomatoes. Another tip, my dietician also suggested drinking the water used to boil or stem veggies, or adding that to soups, so if there are other people in your house who boil or steam vegetables, you can reserve some of the water for yourself. Fruit can be a little trickier if you don't want to drink fruit juice all the time (it is high in sugar which can cause some issues). You can dilute the juice, though. Another option is to try some cooked fruit recipes such as applesauce or stewed fruit. There's a good recipe for apricot stew here: http://cooking-ez.com/base/rec...stewed-apricots.html
You can strain it to further remove any skins or pulp. You can also reduce the sugar used in the recipe if you prefer. I'm sure it would work with peaches or nectarines as well.
C clouseauMember
I think Sue Bear and Spooky had a great idea on juicing. With every meal at home I have ground broccoli,( for my cancer), ground coconut flakes, because someone here said it was good for inflammation, ground flaxseeds, pineapple because someone here said that was good for inflammation, all with coconut milk, all in a smoothie. Must admit it doesn't taste great but health is more important. Also I make a big patch since it is time consuming and freeze it in batches enough for my 3 drinks a day.
lovedby2lovedby2Member
Hi - I'm looking into juicing as well. Looked here for advice and found this post. I am about 6 months post op takedown and experience gas and bloating still with most everything I eat. OR I feel a partial blockage happening.

If I juice am I going to get gassy and bloated still. I'm sure with certain veggies, yes... Any non gassy, bloating recipes anyone would like to share?
poucherpoucherMember
I like to juice carrots, parsley, and apples together.


The happiest food for my digestion is Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup.
.add chicken pieces, carrots,and celery in plenty of water
.BOIL for 30 minutes.
.then SIMMER for an hour.
.add rice and squash
.BOIL 30 minutes.
.season as you like.
It is good pureed to relieve concerns about blockages. I actually eat this for breakfast as I have frozen individual portions after making a large batch.
vanessavyvanessavyMember
I juice then with the pulp in the juicer I dehydrate it and make veggie chips. I can eat the chips since when they are so dried out it sort of disintegrates into super small specks of the dried fruit/veg.

For kale/spinach and other things that just don't juice I throw in a vitamix with some coconut water and make green smoothies. There are endless combos you can toss together.

I do eat spinach and kale though cooked. I saute it in white wine and olive oil then puree it in a blender. You can be creative with veggies.

Another thing is to steam veggies and drink the water remaining to get all the nutrients in.
skn69skn69Member
I was waiting for someone to say something about juicing or pureeing or blending...when I got my pouch I bought a juicer and a really good blender (33yrs ago they were big and bulky, now there are tons of inexpensive, lightweight ones that work fine)...
I am a veggie fanatic with a k pouch so everything has to come out of a large 'straw' so to speak...my cath...fibers and chunks are a real problem that way so I use one of those hand blenders (you plunge it into the pot or bowl and in 2 mins it is blended..no mess, no fuss)...Whatever it is that I make for everyone else, I just blend my portion seperately.
I love fresh fruit salads but after the 2nd one in 2days I am a mess so I just blend them and eat them as smoothies...or as we say here...fruit soup. (very chic, very classy!) I also make frozen desserts by adding ice and blending the fruits..great in summer.
I used to juice carrots and pineapple and then use the left over pulp in a carrot cake...it was very easy and a huge time saver...same with most other veggies, the pulp goes into soups or stews (I do like Vanessa's suggestion of veggie chips, never thought of that one!)...
Do not forget to juice or blend fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro...) they are little vitamin bombs and give your juices a flavour kick.
There is absolutely no reason for us to be undernourished due to our pouches...we just need to be very creative in the kitchen to avoid problems.
Sharon
skn69skn69Member
Tumeric is even better in food!
I cook with it constantly...it mixes very well with cilantro and garlic as a marinade...just cover a meat/Fish or Fowel with it and marinate with a few drops of olive oil or balsamic vinager and then cook or grill...I get at least 1tsp a day that way...makes for great sauces for rice or pasta too.
Sharon

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