what are your go-to foods?

Proteins: Scrambled eggs and turkey sausage or smoky pork bacon breakfast sausage (purchased at whole foods market "WFM", sauteed and fat drained off), smoked turkey, smoked salmon, chicken (usually grilled)

Veggies and Fruits: Apples with fresh ground almond butter, edamame, butternut squash, brussel sprouts (raw shredded and cooked), dried figs & fresh fruit (pineapple, mango, papaya and the kiwi/berry mix available at WFM).

Coffee at breakfast only (Tully's Italian Roast- dark roast).

Because I have chronic pouchitis I avoid bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and all sugary foods and desserts. I gave up cereal and only eat scrambled eggs & sausage for breakfast, although if I go out I might order an omelette with veggies and sausage. The only processed food I eat is the WFM sausage which is minimally processed. The smoked meats I buy are the natural smoked varieties.

So far I only had desserts 3 times in calendar year 2013, my birthday party in April, a friend's birthday party in August and our bookkeeper's birthday party in October when she asked me to "pretty please" try a piece of chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting that was special ordered from a local cake bakery.

I don't have any jpouch issues, other than the normal one, higher frequency. My diet is high in fresh fruits and vegetables and dairy. Yes, my way of eating causes frequency to be higher but I don't care; I choose to eat healthy, period.

Sue

quote:

I don't have any jpouch issues, other than the normal one, higher frequency. My diet is high in fresh fruits and vegetables and dairy. Yes, my way of eating causes frequency to be higher but I don't care; I choose to eat healthy, period.

With all the sleep you lose running to the restroom what benefits you believe you're receiving are eliminated by less sleep.

My pouch really does not tolerate veggies well at all. I love them and it's so sad to not get to each big salads like I used to eat every day. I tried the "I don't care" approach this week, and I ate veggies and fruits all week long (which I normally avoid). I was in the bathroom for two days feel absolutely miserable. The most gentle foods for me are meat, eggs, oatmeal, bananas, and wheat bread.

Peace,

Why do you assume I'm not sleeping?

Sue

CTBarrister - so do those foods tend to yield better results? Or, even with that limited diet, do you still experience chronic pouchitis?

I can eat most everything. The only thing I have a real issue with is tomato sauce. It bothered me in the beginning after takedown, then I was fine with it for the past two years but now for some reason it really bugs me again....frequency and bad butt burn So I've been staying away from it. (No pizza for me ) I'll try again down the road.

quote:

CTBarrister - so do those foods tend to yield better results? Or, even with that limited diet, do you still experience chronic pouchitis?

I would say I have better results, and I base this conclusion on my scope in 2012 vs. my scope in 2013 after I improved my diet. However, the pouchitis has not gone away, and I am still treating it. I believe that by reducing bacterial overgrowth I am going to have an easier time treating my pouchitis. It can take a full year for the bacterial levels to be corrected per Dr. Shen and his disciples.

What you should know is that my pouchitis and my scopes were consistent from 1995-2010. In the period 2010-2012, a 2 year period when I had no scopes, things got very bad, as far as the appearance of the pouch on scope in June 2012. During that same period of time I joined a Dinner Club (to which I was recruited by an important client) and my natural propensity as a Foodie took over me. My diet was to eat everything all the time. I have learned that as a pouchitis patient I cannot do this. I have learned that eating sugars and carbs certainly do not help reduce a bacterial overgrowth situation. Also, as a matter of general health outside of the pouch, I feel better. My blood labs are the best they have ever been. My PCP is ecstatic. Although I am still treating pouchitis, I am doing so with vastly reduced levels of antibiotics compared to what I was taking in 2011 and 2012.

I also dropped some serious weight. I was over 200 pounds at my peak and I now weigh in the high 150s. This likely improved my overall health. I also found that I can still enjoy myself eating this kind of diet. Some discipline is required but honestly I do not think it is that hard. I keep pics of my 2012 scope on my phone to remind me. Check it out:

Thanks to you all...This information is very helpful!

quote:

Peace,

Why do you assume I'm not sleeping?

Sue

I know what I've been through and am well aware of which foods disturb my sleep. Fruit such as bananas are one of the few fruits or vegetables that doesn't disturb my sleep. Most greens I wish I could say the same for.

Since I've cut back on carbs/sugars, and added homemade 24-hr. yogurt (SCD) to my daily diet, I rarely get up during the night to poop, and the daytime frequency has decreased considerably as well. I am no longer on antibiotics.

This is a huge deal - I'd been getting up 4-5-6+ times/night, had regular pm accidents, and went way too much during the day.

If you take imodium at bedtime frequency can be counteracted and slowed. I am taking Lactulose this week and it does make me a little runny, but I counteract that laxative effect with 2 imodiums at bedtime. You just have to use common sense and counteract laxatives with constipators to achieve a good balance of frequency. Learn your body and what stimulates and destimulates your bowels. After 21 years with a J Pouch you have to know.

n/a,
I think you are really on to something there. Sugar is a bad culprit for frequency. I need to cut way back....I have a horrible sweet tooth.

For the past two years my favorite food is Vietnamese pho. I like it because I can have a bowl of it (with everything but the kitchen sink in it) around 4 p.m. and I'm good to go until the next morning. I put everything in it including the jalapeño peppers and Asian hot sauce, as well as all the fresh veggies which come with the pho. Fortunately, my J-pouch doesn't mind hot, spicy foods or veggies. My J-pouch is over ten years old and has really never had digestive issues of any consequence. One of the pho restaurants I go to makes the most wonderful oxtail pho. They also make a "killer" vegetarian pho with a myriad of fresh veggies. At other times I will have the beef, seafood or chicken pho. I could eat it three times a day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho

Pho is really good, especially with beef. It's one of those soups that you can try at 3 different restaurants, never tasting the same at any of them, and yet being equally good at all 3 places. My friend has this whole ritual of putting various sauces in Pho until it gets to the point where the soup begins to taste different. He actually had me try the Pho pre and post his myriad sauce and other ingredient additions.

It's a meal in which different flavors can be explored mid-meal.

interestingly, the least amount of times i've ever had to go, and the most satiated i've ever felt, was when i was on the paleo idet. pretty counterintuitive as i didn't realize the effect carbs were having on my output. i tired of the diet though as i found there wasn't much to eat.

My favorite comfort food for when my pouch and I are miserable....home made mashed potatoes with olive oil (and sometimes a bit of parmesan cheese)....satisfies my heart, soul and pouch...and is just about the only thing that I can eat (except for rice done the same way) when really 'pouchy'.
Sharon
By the way...the full blown protien/veggie diet is what is the best for my pouch but like killcolitis says, you feel a bit left out and get bored in the 'plate' after a while.
Sharon

CTBarrister - this notion of bacterial overgrowth is very fascinating to me. I believe we discussed it a few months ago when I first began experimenting with the paleo diet.

If I could just eat beans and chickpeas I'd be good to go. That would give me enough variety to stay off the carbs/sugar. But beans/chickpeas increase my frequency. Isn't there a way to denature the enzyme that causes the problem?

Beans (edamame) and chick peas are a big part of my diet. They are called legumes. Basically, they are a healthy source of complex carbs. I am not sure what problem you are having with them. Maybe if you try the organic varieties you will have better success?????

and how about potatoes (mashed or baked potato)..? would that contribute to bacterial overgrowth?

I have not eaten potatoes in over a year. No potatoes, no rice, no bread. A registered dietician suggested to me that butternut squash is an adequate starchy vegetable substitute for potatoes. I eat butternut squash in small portions daily.

what is it about the organic that would make a difference? lack of preservatives?

IHC,

Honestly, apart from the lack of preservatives, I am not sure if there would be a difference, but it could be worth trying. I was told by some people that I would not have problems drinking organic red wines, which has to do with the tannins in regular red wine that give me problems, but I just never cared enough about it to try organic red wine. There is a lot of trial and error in a lot of these things.

Peanut butter is a food where organic and natural make a HUGE difference, and this is due to the monounsaturated oils. A registered dietician told me that the difference between processed peanut butter with additives, like Jif or Skippy, and organic fresh grind peanut butter is like the difference between ingesting poison and medicine. Her words, not mine.

Baked chicken with the skin removed and mashed potatoes with gravy is my favorite dinner. I look forward to my protein fruit smoothie each morning for breakfast. I love Greek yogurt, toasted English muffins with melted cheese, whole wheat ritz crackers, cheese, honey graham crackers, rice krispie treats, and chex mix. I've replaced cookies with the graham crackers and while I know they and the rice krispie treats have sugar in them they agree with me and satisfy my sweet tooth, plus the marshmallows help thicken my stool, lol. I no longer drink alcohol and my vice these days is chocolate ice cream.

My husband makes our own peanut butter in our Vitamix blender with canola oil and honey roasted peanuts. The peanuts have sugar in them but it is delicious! We keep it in the refrigerator - now preservatives. It tastes great in my protein smoothies too.

How about cheese?

I eat yogurt everyday, any kind, and a fiber bar daily. I eat string cheese and bananas daily also for the most part.

Basically, I eat almost everything, except for gluten. I have a sensitivity to it, and my gut stays more happy without it .