Crohn's Disease Relief

Can people with Crohn's eat Broccoli Sprouts?

There is a new study out of Japan touting the health benefits of Broccoli Sprouts.  Check out this US News and World Report short article about how sulforaphane found in fresh broccoli sprouts may help guard against H. pylori the  bacteria that is linked to ulcers, gastritis, and cancers of the stomach.

The study participants consumed 2½ ounces of broccoli sprouts per day.

The only thing I would worry about is that many Crohn's sufferers can't eat cruciferous vegetables such as broccoili.  I do not know how well the sprouts would be tolerated as opposed to the full grown veggie.  I love broccoli and I find that it does not cause my Crohn's to act up.  I steam it quite a bit though, usually in the microwave using veggie steamer bags.  Depending on the state of your Crohn's (flaring or not) and your particular digestive system and what it can tolerate, you might consider trying sprouts.  I would try just a few and monitor how things go.  I wonder if the health benefits would be as good if you lightly steamed the sprouts or cooked them in a broth?

 

Thumbs up for Mix1 - Mix1 Review

I recently blogged about how the folks at Mix1 sent me a free case of their protein and antioxidant drinks.  Well... I have figured out their method.  Just like drug dealers - the first case is free and then you are hooked!  Even my kids are drinking it. (4 and 5 year old boys who are very picky eaters, nonetheless)

The stuff is delicious and very handy to have around for a protein supplement.  My favorite flavor is definitely the Mix 1 Tangerine .  It is light and frothy, and very orangy.  Kind of like an Orange Julius but not as sweet or icy.

I like the regular Protein and Antioxidant drink varieties better than the High Antioxidant Fiber drink ones because the regular ones are frothier.  But they are both good.  If you were looking to add more fiber to your diet I would go with the ones with fiber, but for Crohn's disease sufferers with any type of flaring going on go with the regular ones to avoid the extra fiber.

The ones with fiber and 9 servings of fruits and vegetables are a sneaky way for me to get my boys to have their daily veggie and fruit antioxidants, though.  Sneaky.

Can a Protien Drink Help People with Crohn's?

Let's face it, there are a lot of times when you need to eat something but don't have time for a meal and reach for a smoothie or protein drink.  For me, breakfast is the perfect time.  When I am running out the door to get one kid ready for the bus, drop the other off at daycare, then race to work on time, a convenient and tasty drink is just perfect.

There are of course also times for a "Crohnie" that you just can't eat regular food.  Flaring up is no fun and protein drinks and supplements come in handy to get the nutrition you need.  We've all been there and had one too many bowls of broth, Gatorade, and jello to last a lifetime.  No offense to broth, but simply refuse to drink it after my hospitalization where I couldn't eat solid food for something like 8 days.  Broth is totally off my list. Had too much of it.

Anyway, the nice people at Mix1 emailed me and asked me if I would like to try their Protein and Antioxidant drink.  (If you want to try it too, join their Facebook group and they will contact you to send a sample)  Mix1 Group on Facebook  Of course being a freebie-loving American I said sure send me some tasty drinks!  I will blog about them.

I got a big box delivered by FedEx just now, and since I had just got back from the grocery store and was hungry I cracked open a bottle of the Blueberry Vanilla.  It was really tasty!  Very blueberry flavored, and very fresh tasting.  It is a light frothy drink with a good taste.

According to the literature they sent along, Mix1 has been reported to help people with Crohn's so they were actively searching out Crohn's bloggers to try it.  Because it has anti-inflammatory ingrednients such as green tea (like 4 cups worth per serving), heart healthy fat from olive oil, and whey protien isolate, it is designed to be easy to digest and healthy.

Mix1 is also free from a lot of the things that many Crohn's disease sufferers can't tolerate such as lactose, gluten, soy, casein, and caffeine. 

It's available at Kroger, and other retailers.  A great Nutritional Supplement for Crohn's.

Study Shows Promise of Curcumin as a Disease Fighter

I have previously written about Curcumin, the active ingredient in Turmeric, and how it appears to have some anti-inflammatory properties.

Try Some Tumeric

Now, a new study done at the University of Western Ontario in Canada has shown results that  "the key ingredient in tumeric prevented diabetes-related damage to kidneys in rats"  See more here from The National Post.

To get your minds working on how to incorporate Turmeric into your meals here is an idea:

Curried Chicken Salad from Epicurious

(Crohnie's who require mild spices should go easy on the Curry powder.  Buy a mild curry powder and use just a little.)

Curried chicken salad:

• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat coarsely shredded (3 to 4 cups)
• 1 cup red grapes, halved

To Prepare: 

Cook onion, garlic, and ginger in oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry, cumin, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in yogurt, cilantro, and chicken. Cool to room temperature.

Herbal Tea for Crohn's

I just watched a very entertaining youtube video from a guy named Mihangel, (Welsh for Michael) His Youtube handle is NaboorusNikNaks and he does a video cast all about herbalism, with a hippy flair.

The video is here - LuLu Tea.  While the production quality is low, I thought the tea sounded delicious and soothing.  Here is the recipe, written out by me.

1 part dried peppermint
1 part dried chamomile
1 part dried lemon balm
1 part dried fennel

Mix together in a bottle about four teaspoons of each herb to make a batch.

To brew allow a teaspoon per cup of tea and brew in almost boiling water for 3 to 20 minutes depending on how strong a taste you like.

He claims that this is very soothing to his fiancee's Crohn's.

Creative Flavorful Low Residue Recipes

Some of the ladies on the Ravelry boards and I have been chatting about the dilemma of what to eat with Crohn's, IBS, and Colitis.  The problem is that a lot of the low residue foods are not particularly healthy.  And a lot of the "healthy" foods are not particularly good for people with a sore tummy and digestive system.

We are all looking for creative, flavorful, low residue recipies.

I googled this term and came up with the following cookbook which looks interesting.  I am planning on checking it out so I can review it here, as well as coming up with some recpies on my own.

Tips from Dr. Weil (and Mariane)

Andrew Weill is an MD who has been an influential proponent of holistic medicine and the health benefits of good nutrition.  He has a stellar reputation and in known for straddling the divide between traditional western medicine and alternative medicine.

In reading through his article Anti-Inflammatory Diet info from Dr. Weil I have some takeaway points especially for foods that do not bother my Crohn's.  Of course each person is going to have different trigger foods that set them off, so this is just my suggestions for anti-inflammatory foods that are easy on the gut.

1.  Cook with extra virgin olive oil.  If you need an oil that will go to high heat or a tasteless oil use  expeller-pressed, organic canola oil.

2. Eat fishes high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon (preferably fresh or frozen wild or canned sockeye), sardines, herring, and black cod.

3.  Go light on protien.  Weil advises that your daily servings of protein should be between 80 and 120 grams but to eat less protein if you have autoimmune disease.  That's us, folks!  My doctor advises I eat light protien and avoid fatty meats.  She also advises agains lunch meats that may be higher in fat.  I know from experience that hot dogs are an iffy proposition. (Even if they were light kosher dogs)   Don't ask me how I know this.

4.  Eat protein from beans.  For Crohn's disease, beans can be difficult to digest in many forms.  But tofu and other soy protiens may work fine for you.  Miso soup with little cubes of tofu in it is a delicious and light broth for those days when you have a sorry tummy.

5.  Try to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms.

6.  Choose organic produce whenever possible.

7. Eat cruciferous vegetables.  Many Crohn's patients are going to have a really hard time with this one.  I find cabbage to be indigestable, and the same goes with brussels sprouts.  I can however eat broccoli with no problem.  I make sure it is very well steamed.

8.  Drink tea instead of coffee.

9.  Weill advises that if you drink alcohol, red wine is preferable.  Red wine irritates my GERD so that's out for me.  My poison of choice these days if I drink is a cup of rooibos tea, honey, and a shot of Courvisier.  Snicker. No I don't think there is any health benefit to this, but it helps me sleep.

10. Dr Weil says to enjoy plain dark chocolate in moderation.  Oh man this is a tough one.  Chocolate is probably the #1 bad food to my digestive system.  It gives me acid reflux, irritates my Crohn's and is just BAD BAD BAD.  But I love it and I have been known to sneak a piece or two.  My trick is to eat it earlier in the day.  If I eat it in the evening the gastric reflux is not a pretty picture.

11.  This anti-inflammatory diet should include  to drink 6-8 glasses of pure water a day, or drinks that are mostly water such as tea, diluted juice, or sparkling water with lemon.

12.  Weil also recommends vitimin supplements.  Check with your doctor on these.  I take a plain old regular daily vitamin.  Since Crohn's causes malabsorbtion of nutrients I feel this is prudent.  The onyl mega-doses I take are when I drink a 5 hour energy every once in a while.  These are actually not bad for you - they have a lot of niacin, b vitamins, and about 1 cup of coffe's woth of caffeine.  I think it does have artificial sweetener though, which I generally avoid.  I think they aggravate my Crohn's for some reason.

Here is the Dr. Weil's book that I read and own - 8 Weeks to Optimal Health.  It is  a very good book but a crohnie will have to evaluate the food choices based on their own digestive system's individual quirks.  It is very heavy on fiber, nuts, and other stuff that can irritate an inflamed colon.

Canned Wild Salmon - Ant-Inflammatory, Easy, Cheap, and Good

One of the top 10 anti-inflammatory foods I talked about earlier is wild salmon.  One easy and economical way to use wild salmon is to buy it in the canned form.  You don't have to worry about cooking it right away, as with fresh fish, you can avoid paying 10.00 a pound at the gourmet market, and the preparation is so easy with this already cooked and cleaned product.

My grandmother used to serve canned pink salmon room temperature on a hot day along with a bottle of beet borcht served with sour cream and boiled potatoes.  In my days of harried mom style cooking I have made Tuna Helper with canned salmon instead of tuna.  (My family liked it a lot better that way - they are not fans of hot tuna casserole.  If I make it I find that I am the only one eating it!)

I know that wild salmon may have up to four times more omega-3s than farm raised.  (The omega-3 fatty acids are what makes salmon so heart healthy and also anti-inflammatory.  Although I also read that changes in the diet of farm raised salmon have improved the amount of healthy Omega-3s in farm raised salmon as well.  Personally I think the wild canned salmon has a better taste.  Same goes for fresh salmon, too. 

Here is a nice recipe for Salmon Patties that looks easy and light. Personally I would omit the peppers - they do tend to be an irritating food for a lot of Crohnies.  A traditional Brittish way to serve these would be with mashed potatoes and green peas. 

Salmon Patties from About.com

Salmon Patties

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. can salmon, drained
• 3/4 cup saltine cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• more olive oil
• butter

Preparation:

In large bowl, place salmon and cracker crumbs; set aside. In heavy skillet, cook onion and red bell pepper in olive oil until tender. Add to salmon in bowl and mix gently. Add dill weed, egg, and lemon juice and mix gently. Form into four patties. Add more olive oil and a bit of butter to the same skillet. Add patties to skillet when butter melts. Cook patties for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and hot. Serves 4

Crohn's Diet Tips

It's January and everywhere you look people are trying to quit smoking, exercise, and eat healthier.  For the IBD sufferer, the question of diet is always going to be dependent on your individual tolerances, level of disease, as well as what you like to eat.

It can be useful, however, to hear from other people about what foods sooth their tummies during a flare, and don't cause problems.  I found a wonderful list of recipes on a site called "Teens With Crohn's Disease."

For those who rely on nutritional supplements to get what they need listen to this one:  Ensure Ice Cream.  What a clever idea for teens feeling under the weather.

Most of the recipes seem to be lactose free.  There is a great looking recipe for Lactose Free White Pizza that looks good.  I know that tomato sauce bothers a lot of Crohnies.  I can tolerate it in small amounts.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

I came across a really interesting blog today as I was surfing and dropping "Entrecards."  (Entrecards are a way for bloggers to advertise on each others sites and increase traffic to their blogs)

The blog I found is called Kitchen Table Medicine and is written by Nicole Sundene a Naturopath.  It covers all sorts of articles on healing foods.

The one that struck my eye was the page on Anti-Inflammatory Diet.  Since Crohn's disease is defines as an Inflammatory Bowel Disease, I was wondering if certain foods might increase cell inflammation and others decrease it.  That's basically what this article is about.

I am sure that each Crohnie would have to evaluate these recommendations for themselves, as we all seem to have different foods that help or irritate our systems.  But it might be an interesting read.  Some of the advice, such as avoiding fatty foods, matched what my doctor has advised to me.

Others, such as eating Wild Alaskan Salmon, just sounded good in general. 

I am sure that the advice to eat a cup of blueberries will not work for anyone in the middle of a flare of the disease as they are supposed to avoid seedy berries, but if you are not in a flare, it could be acceptable. 

Anyway, I am not recommending anyone follow this site without a lot of talking it over with your doctor, but it seemed worth a look.