Tag Archives: diet

The Time I Ate A Big Mac (And My Doctor Paid For It)

1 Reply

My first gastroenterologist came to me by circumstance. I was referred to a different physician in the same practice, but when I needed to get in sooner, he was the one that had room in his schedule to do my colonoscopy. He was the one that diagnosed me with ulcerative colitis, and sweated over my case in those early days when I was struggling to hold on to my colon.

Big Mac

It might not be everyone’s favorite, and it’s certainly not health food, but I still love them.
Image © The D
http://www.freeimages.com/photographer/TheD-29809

At some point after we’d managed to turn things around and I finally stopped bleeding, I came in for a follow-up to his office. I’d been on a low-fiber diet for quite some time, because that’s how treatment went in those days. I’m sure I felt deprived at times but I remember mostly being grateful that I could eat at all. In the hospital I received nutrition through an IV and could eat no food, so even soft low-fiber foods were a step up. I’m sure I wanted a green salad, but a steady diet of turkey and mashed potatoes was the thing that was going to put the 20 pounds I needed back on my body. Continue reading →

Did Your Diet Give You IBD?

Leave a reply
Vegetables

When my ulcerative colitis was at its worst, raw fruits and vegetables were not in the picture.
Image © Tanya Hall

Diet has become a major topic of discussion for many people in the Western world. Most of us are overweight. We develop diseases from being too heavy, and yet many people spend a lot of time and energy dieting or thinking about how to lose weight. Since getting a j-pouch, having 2 children, and turning 40, I find myself amongst those that have to pay close attention to diet in order to avoid gaining weight.

In the IBD community, diet is discussed a lot, but there is no real conclusion. People with IBD can be anywhere on the spectrum of “diet has no effect on my symptoms” to “diet is how I keep symptoms from coming back.” The biggest problem is that you don’t know where you fall on this spectrum until you try different diets. And there are so many to choose from: no milk, no carbs, no meat, no animal products, no cooked foods, no gluten. Which one, or which combination, will have benefit for you?

Continue reading →