Re: Not sure this is going well...

[Guest guest]

Hi Liz!

> Hi, I'm Liz. My son is 14 and was diagnosed with UC on July 31st. He's 5'

11 " and weighs 174 right now. He was 196 at the end of school. He's built like

a football player, so he's skinny. We did the intro diet fanatically for 2

days. (Also - he's been gluten free for 3 years and was dairy free for most of

his life. He's dairy free again because any milk products definitely make his

symptoms worse.)

Great!

What are his symptoms as of now??

I was dairy free for quite a while too.

> For breakfast he eats small quantities of eggs (he's been saying for a few

months that they upset his stomach), 2-3 cups of chicken soup with mushed

carrots and lots of chicken, a can of pears (BTVC says they're legal if packed

in their own juice), and some diluted apple or grape juice. Lunch is more

chicken soup or 2-3 turkey patties, more pears, juice and maybe a banana.

Dinner is ots of grilled chicken or turkey kabobs (ground turkey with pureed

onion, garlic, salt and pepper), cooked carrots (one day he had green beans

cooked to mush), more pears, more juice. For dessert he's had baked peaches or

apples with cinnamon and honey. Snacks are chicken soup, bananas, turkey

patties. I tried making meringues and they turned out like salt water taffy -

that's the only really sweet thing he's had. He's had a smoothie and some

almond flour pancakes and that's what he's eaten all week.

If eggs are bothering him either try cooking them another way, if it still

bothers him leave it out for now. I notoriously was forcing soft boiled eggs on

myself and it kept me sick.. Meanwhile it was one of Marilyn's staple foods.

I think he is eating quite a bit of fruit. I would try using some steamed

zucchinis in his diet too.

How many bananas a day?

Does he like fish? You can steam fish.

The pears are legal (I don't know what made me say they weren't total mistake on

my behalf- sorry) I guess what I was trying to say is maybe you can make your

own apple or pear sauce if he's eating so much of it?

Lots of mini meals consisting of protein can be a lot better than 3 big meals.

Something to also think about and tweak.

> I read on another website that canned coconut milk is okay as long as there is

no sugar or guar gum added. We normally have a lot of coconut milk since we

don't cook/bake with milk. There is a definite difference in the consistency in

the cans with and without the guar gum, so I believe the label when it says

that the only ingredients are coconut milk and water.

Even if there were a legal canned coconut milk this is an extremely advanced

food and should not be consumed now. Peanut butter and using coconut too soon

are major reasons why people fail on the diet.

Also, being on the SCD we learn there is something called the %2 rule. Where a

manufacturer does not have to reveal 2% of the ingredients. There are also 3rd

parties to the manufacturing process etc..

In order for a commercial product to be legal we must get a letterhead from the

company stating this. You would not want your son's healing derailed due to a

can of coconut milk that you " believe " is ok. Even if it is ok, it is a very

very very advanced food.

I know it is a bummer but once you get the swing of it, it gets a lot easier.

Many of us heal and get our lives back due to this diet!

> " Canned pears are not legal as well. "

> Why? Even BTVC says they are if in their own juice.

My bad, sorry. I read this differently for some reason.

> " How are you cooking the soup? "

> Boiling a whole chicken for 12 hours and adding carrots and onions, salt to

taste. Debone the chicken, mash the carrots and toss it back into the broth.

Which type of carrots are you using?

> " Have you guys done the into diet and slowly added foods back in? " Yep

>

> " Down the line you can add bone broth, Ghee, avocado, half and half yogurt

(proceed very slowly unless he has a true dairy allergy) There is plenty of

nourishment and calorie rich food on the diet!! "

>

> He hasn't done well with dairy his whole life. It definitely makes his

symptoms worse, so there's no way we're doing any of it now.

>

Ok, Understood. I would think about SLOWLY trying to intro avocado, coconut

oil.

> " Hang in there.. you guys are gonna get the hang of it! "

>

> Thanks - I'm just feeling a little frustrated right now.

It's frustrating. Trust me, we have all been there! This is coming from a

person that finally was doing better on the diet and then I ate contaminated

meat.. so I had to figure out intro and foods all over again and start from

scratch (I started from scratch 3 times!)

> Argghh - I see that the " rich text editor " doesn't work on my computer. I

tried to make all the questions in italic and the answers in bold.

Argh indeed. Just put in a bunch of space between replies- that makes it easy

enough.

Jodi

[Guest guest]

Hi Liz!

> Hi, I'm Liz. My son is 14 and was diagnosed with UC on July 31st. He's 5'

11 " and weighs 174 right now. He was 196 at the end of school. He's built like

a football player, so he's skinny. We did the intro diet fanatically for 2

days. (Also - he's been gluten free for 3 years and was dairy free for most of

his life. He's dairy free again because any milk products definitely make his

symptoms worse.)

Great!

What are his symptoms as of now??

I was dairy free for quite a while too.

> For breakfast he eats small quantities of eggs (he's been saying for a few

months that they upset his stomach), 2-3 cups of chicken soup with mushed

carrots and lots of chicken, a can of pears (BTVC says they're legal if packed

in their own juice), and some diluted apple or grape juice. Lunch is more

chicken soup or 2-3 turkey patties, more pears, juice and maybe a banana.

Dinner is ots of grilled chicken or turkey kabobs (ground turkey with pureed

onion, garlic, salt and pepper), cooked carrots (one day he had green beans

cooked to mush), more pears, more juice. For dessert he's had baked peaches or

apples with cinnamon and honey. Snacks are chicken soup, bananas, turkey

patties. I tried making meringues and they turned out like salt water taffy -

that's the only really sweet thing he's had. He's had a smoothie and some

almond flour pancakes and that's what he's eaten all week.

If eggs are bothering him either try cooking them another way, if it still

bothers him leave it out for now. I notoriously was forcing soft boiled eggs on

myself and it kept me sick.. Meanwhile it was one of Marilyn's staple foods.

I think he is eating quite a bit of fruit. I would try using some steamed

zucchinis in his diet too.

How many bananas a day?

Does he like fish? You can steam fish.

The pears are legal (I don't know what made me say they weren't total mistake on

my behalf- sorry) I guess what I was trying to say is maybe you can make your

own apple or pear sauce if he's eating so much of it?

Lots of mini meals consisting of protein can be a lot better than 3 big meals.

Something to also think about and tweak.

> I read on another website that canned coconut milk is okay as long as there is

no sugar or guar gum added. We normally have a lot of coconut milk since we

don't cook/bake with milk. There is a definite difference in the consistency in

the cans with and without the guar gum, so I believe the label when it says

that the only ingredients are coconut milk and water.

Even if there were a legal canned coconut milk this is an extremely advanced

food and should not be consumed now. Peanut butter and using coconut too soon

are major reasons why people fail on the diet.

Also, being on the SCD we learn there is something called the %2 rule. Where a

manufacturer does not have to reveal 2% of the ingredients. There are also 3rd

parties to the manufacturing process etc..

In order for a commercial product to be legal we must get a letterhead from the

company stating this. You would not want your son's healing derailed due to a

can of coconut milk that you " believe " is ok. Even if it is ok, it is a very

very very advanced food.

I know it is a bummer but once you get the swing of it, it gets a lot easier.

Many of us heal and get our lives back due to this diet!

> " Canned pears are not legal as well. "

> Why? Even BTVC says they are if in their own juice.

My bad, sorry. I read this differently for some reason.

> " How are you cooking the soup? "

> Boiling a whole chicken for 12 hours and adding carrots and onions, salt to

taste. Debone the chicken, mash the carrots and toss it back into the broth.

Which type of carrots are you using?

> " Have you guys done the into diet and slowly added foods back in? " Yep

>

> " Down the line you can add bone broth, Ghee, avocado, half and half yogurt

(proceed very slowly unless he has a true dairy allergy) There is plenty of

nourishment and calorie rich food on the diet!! "

>

> He hasn't done well with dairy his whole life. It definitely makes his

symptoms worse, so there's no way we're doing any of it now.

>

Ok, Understood. I would think about SLOWLY trying to intro avocado, coconut

oil.

> " Hang in there.. you guys are gonna get the hang of it! "

>

> Thanks - I'm just feeling a little frustrated right now.

It's frustrating. Trust me, we have all been there! This is coming from a

person that finally was doing better on the diet and then I ate contaminated

meat.. so I had to figure out intro and foods all over again and start from

scratch (I started from scratch 3 times!)

> Argghh - I see that the " rich text editor " doesn't work on my computer. I

tried to make all the questions in italic and the answers in bold.

Argh indeed. Just put in a bunch of space between replies- that makes it easy

enough.

Jodi

[Guest guest]

I haven't made these in ages (I used squash too)

Need to find the recipe.

Jodi

>

> " Pumpkin brownies. "

>

> Hold on! How do you make pumpkin brownies?

>

[Guest guest]

" Have you read over the beginning recipes on pecanbread? "

I've read a few - time to go back, I guess. They all looked " weird " when I was

just doing research. Now, anything edible will do.

" What about lemon meringue pie? (personally one of my favorites) "

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM - yes! I have lemons and eggs and honey. Who cares about the

crust! We're having a late dessert tonight! I didn't think he could do citrus

yet.

" Have you bought any cookbooks yet - that helps as well.

You can see them all listed here. "

Not yet, I need to find a good one. Thanks for the link!

Thank you!

Liz

[Guest guest]

That's for sure! Major bummer for you guys, I guess. A ton of recipes

have pureed squash or zucchini in them, like pancakes, muffins,

meatloaf, etc..Zucchini especially doesn't have a strong flavor in

these things. So maybe you could try something like that? "

He'll eat squash and stuff pureed and put into meatloaf or muffins. I've been

doing that since all my kids were little to get more veggies in them. He just

won't eat them straight up. On the other hand, I grilled zucchini for dinner

tonight and my 12 year old son and I gobbled it up.

[Guest guest]

That's for sure! Major bummer for you guys, I guess. A ton of recipes

have pureed squash or zucchini in them, like pancakes, muffins,

meatloaf, etc..Zucchini especially doesn't have a strong flavor in

these things. So maybe you could try something like that? "

He'll eat squash and stuff pureed and put into meatloaf or muffins. I've been

doing that since all my kids were little to get more veggies in them. He just

won't eat them straight up. On the other hand, I grilled zucchini for dinner

tonight and my 12 year old son and I gobbled it up.

[Guest guest]

" When I started SCD, I didn't like zucchini either. But, since you just can't

afford to be picky during the early stages, I ate it anyway. Can you believe

that it's now one of my favorite foods? I like it with lots of butter and a

little salt, or cooked in olive oil with a little Parmesan cheese. "

Interesting how your tastes change. I eat a whole lot more now than I did

before going gluten free and having to find new foods to eat. I think my son

will get there too. He's still in denial a bit and maybe a bit angry too. He

already wasn't happy about being gluten free and this is a lot harder.

Thank you EVERYONE who has chimed in with ideas! I definitely need the support!

Liz

[Guest guest]

That's so true Alyssa! Life is not just about food. I eat practically the same

ol' thing everyday, and it really doesn't bother me. And since I had a bowel

obstruction last week, I'm not eating much beyond intro. I know someday I'll be

able to expand my food choices, so for now, I just " suck it up " !

I also have the joy of a rare side effect from my allergy med (Zyrtec), I'm

hungry ALL the time. This is certainly a different feeling, because I spent most

of my life with very little appetite. So it's 11:30 at night, and I'm highly

looking forward to breakfast already ;-). I'll probably dream of ice cream

sundaes all night long (and really, who can complain about ice cream sundae

dreams?)

Holly

Crohn's

SCD 12/01/08

>

> > THIS IS WHY IT'S SO HARD! He's getting to the point where he'd

> > rather just not eat. How do other teenagers do this?

>

> Well, I've never really been allowed to be a picky eater so it may be

> harder for your son if he is, but I sort of just deal with it. I mean,

> sometimes I'll get really frustrated and upset, but then I step back

> and look at what I'm getting upset about: food. And just the TASTE of

> food, really. COnvenience I guess too. But still, I figure life

> shouldn't be all about food, to where life isn't good anymore because

> of your diet. Other things should matter more. So I just suck it up

> and hope I'll be able to eat more things soon.

>

>

>

> Pour Dieu, pour terre,

> Alyssa 15

> UC April 2008, diagnosed Sept 2008

> SCD June 2009 (restarted)

> No meds =)

>

[Guest guest]

It's really true, my tastes have changed a lot since starting SCD. I didn't use

to like to try new foods, but now I'm game for about anything. So far, the only

thing I still don't care for are peppers. Maybe they'll grow on me eventually.

Butternut squash is another food I didn't use to like. Now, I eat it everyday

either in squash pie filling (I use the pumpkin pie recipe from BTVC), squash

brownies (I think the recipe is at pecanbread), or just baked and slathered with

butter. And beet brownies? Sounds incredibly gross, but it's one of my

favorites.

The killer for me would be no dairy. It's one of my staples. I had a bowel

obstruction a week ago, and have lived on yogurt, frozen yogurt (my favorite

recipe is the Vanilla Ice Cream at http://nomorecrohns.com/desserts.aspx), and

cheesecake this last week (as well as scrambled eggs and grape juice). All high

calorie, so I didn't have to eat much to keep my body going.

Holly

Crohn's

SCD 12/01/08

> Interesting how your tastes change. I eat a whole lot more now than I did

before going gluten free and having to find new foods to eat. I think my son

will get there too. He's still in denial a bit and maybe a bit angry too. He

already wasn't happy about being gluten free and this is a lot harder.

>

> Thank you EVERYONE who has chimed in with ideas! I definitely need the

support!

>

> Liz

>

[Guest guest]

It's really true, my tastes have changed a lot since starting SCD. I didn't use

to like to try new foods, but now I'm game for about anything. So far, the only

thing I still don't care for are peppers. Maybe they'll grow on me eventually.

Butternut squash is another food I didn't use to like. Now, I eat it everyday

either in squash pie filling (I use the pumpkin pie recipe from BTVC), squash

brownies (I think the recipe is at pecanbread), or just baked and slathered with

butter. And beet brownies? Sounds incredibly gross, but it's one of my

favorites.

The killer for me would be no dairy. It's one of my staples. I had a bowel

obstruction a week ago, and have lived on yogurt, frozen yogurt (my favorite

recipe is the Vanilla Ice Cream at http://nomorecrohns.com/desserts.aspx), and

cheesecake this last week (as well as scrambled eggs and grape juice). All high

calorie, so I didn't have to eat much to keep my body going.

Holly

Crohn's

SCD 12/01/08

> Interesting how your tastes change. I eat a whole lot more now than I did

before going gluten free and having to find new foods to eat. I think my son

will get there too. He's still in denial a bit and maybe a bit angry too. He

already wasn't happy about being gluten free and this is a lot harder.

>

> Thank you EVERYONE who has chimed in with ideas! I definitely need the

support!

>

> Liz

>

[Guest guest]

It's really true, my tastes have changed a lot since starting SCD. I didn't use

to like to try new foods, but now I'm game for about anything. So far, the only

thing I still don't care for are peppers. Maybe they'll grow on me eventually.

Butternut squash is another food I didn't use to like. Now, I eat it everyday

either in squash pie filling (I use the pumpkin pie recipe from BTVC), squash

brownies (I think the recipe is at pecanbread), or just baked and slathered with

butter. And beet brownies? Sounds incredibly gross, but it's one of my

favorites.

The killer for me would be no dairy. It's one of my staples. I had a bowel

obstruction a week ago, and have lived on yogurt, frozen yogurt (my favorite

recipe is the Vanilla Ice Cream at http://nomorecrohns.com/desserts.aspx), and

cheesecake this last week (as well as scrambled eggs and grape juice). All high

calorie, so I didn't have to eat much to keep my body going.

Holly

Crohn's

SCD 12/01/08

> Interesting how your tastes change. I eat a whole lot more now than I did

before going gluten free and having to find new foods to eat. I think my son

will get there too. He's still in denial a bit and maybe a bit angry too. He

already wasn't happy about being gluten free and this is a lot harder.

>

> Thank you EVERYONE who has chimed in with ideas! I definitely need the

support!

>

> Liz

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Carol. He is a bit angry and I have to admit, I am too. The realy

frustrating thing is that we have never eaten the Standard American Diet. No

fast food (3 of us are gluten free), I make homemade everything and have always

been very careful about how much sugar all my kids were eating. My kids

consider me a health food fanatic. A " normal " dinner for us in the summer is

grilled chicken or salmon with 5-6 large red, yellow and orange peppers or

zucchini (grilled also), a pot of rice and a bowl of salad. Dessert might be

homemade cookies or a berry cobbler, only sweetened as much as needed. Eating

out normally means going to the health food store for salad bar in their deli or

someplace like Chipotle, where we would all get chicken or steak salads or

burrito bols, water to drink - no pop. This son, however, has a sweet tooth and

can put away tons of ice cream (that my husband insisted on buying) and manages

to get candy at school and over does it. That has stopped. He's scared and

realizes that he can't do that anymore. He has spent some time online looking

up UC and is scared to death of the thought of surgery and all that involves.

He remembers when I had to go on prednisone and how awful it was, so he doesn't

want that either. He loves football and doesn't want anything to interfere with

him being able to play.

Thanks for letting me vent! I had honestly thought I was protecting my family

from the typical American diseases by being so careful with what I fed them.

Obviously, it wasn't enough!

Liz

Carol

>