Flare Up Friendly Foods

Flare Up Friendly Foods

     As I've mentioned before, I have Crohn's disease.  It's surprising how many people I run into on a daily basis that have this disease or a similar inflammatory bowel disease.  The unfortunate thing with this disease is that it is an autoimmune disease, and although there are certain foods that act as triggers to this disease, at other times it just seems to have a mind of its own and will rear its ugly head whenever it please:/.  If anyone reading this (or if you know anyone who has this or a similar disease) has this disease then you know how terrible a flare up can be.  My flare up symptoms keep me up late at night or really early in the morning with painful lower abdomen cramping as well as trips to the bathroom.  It's at these times that you want to be VERY careful what foods you put into your body.  There were times when I had a flare up and I was scared to eat anything...fearing that later when my body would try to digest it I would suffer the horrible stomach cramps.  Unfortunately, everyone is a little different when it comes to what foods trigger this disease.  Recently I had a flare up that lasted almost three weeks and I did a lot of research to figure out which foods helped during a flare up and which foods to avoid. 
When I was up at three in the morning with stomachaches I watched countless Youtube videos and read several articles on Crohn's disease and flare up friendly diets.  My fear is losing weight during a flare up.  I'm already a fairly thin person so losing eight pounds is a big deal to my body structure.  (That's how much weight I lost during this last flare up I had and I'm still working at putting it back on).  Thank God my boyfriend is patient and understanding with me and my disease!  He was such a help during my last episode.  He made trips to the health food store for me, selected calorie-dense, healthy foods for me, and asked how I was feeling around the clock.  I am blessed!  So with his help, here is the "Becky Flare Up Friendly Food List."  Please share with anyone you know who suffers from Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, and IBS.  Also note that I am NOT a physician and these are merely strategies and foods that have helped me during a flare up (please don't sue me!!:).

Flare Up Friendly Food List:

1.  Svelte Organic Protein Shakes

     These are the organic versions of Ensure or Boost.  These things rock and my favorite flavor is chocolate (because I'm a chocoholic!) but the Chai tea flavored one is delicious too.  These are almost 16 fluid ounces and have 260 calories in them and 16 grams of protein.  There are several other vitamins and minerals as well.  These shakes are digested in the small intestine (often times Crohn's affects the large intestine) and help you get your daily calories as well as protein.  They even taste pretty good! If you are allergic to soy do NOT drink these...soybeans are the main source of protein in these shakes.  They are dairy-free and gluten-free as well which is a double bonus because gluten and dairy are often times hard to digest and can be triggers for flare ups.

2. Aloe Vera Juice

     Aloe is known for its very calming and soothing qualities.  Try to get a high quality aloe vera juice with chunks of the aloe plant in it.  This made sound weird but the chunks of the plant are gel-like in consistency and coat the inside of your inflamed gastrointestinal tract and help stop the inflammation.  The texture in the juice may take some getting used to, but it's worth healing your poor insides!

3.  Nut Butters

     My best friend during times of flare ups are individual packets of almond butter (smooth, not crunchy).  You can throw them in your purse and snack on them at any moment.  Nut butters in general are great for flare ups because they have calories, healthy fats, and protein that your body needs.  You can try eating nuts as well but be sure to chew WELL because you don't want the fiber irritating your intestines.  To be safe, though, I would just stick with smooth nut butters.

4.  Rice/Rice Krispie Treats

     Now, normally I wouldn't recommend eating white rice because we all know that brown has more nutrients and fiber.  HOWEVER, during times of crisis (a.k.a. flare up time) fiber is the enemy!  At least, insoluble fiber is the enemy.  Fiber normally is a very healthy thing that cleans your innards and moves things along in the GI tract, but when you are dealing with sensitive, inflamed guts fiber must be avoided.  I have not noticed any issues when eating white rice during a flare up.  I even had a sushi roll with only salmon, white rice, avocado, and nori and it didn't cause any stomach cramping.  This may not be the case with everyone, as grains are controversial and affect people differently, but for me it was one of the few things my body could tolerate so I ate it.  I also indulged in Rice Krispie treats - which have preservatives and high fructose corn syrup (I call HFCS crack;) in them but I was desperate and ironically it didn't bother my belly.  The puffed rice was easy to digest and I was thankful for the calories (even if empty calories) it offered to me.  Since whole wheat and white flour (gluten) are very inflammatory foods, it was nice to have white rice as an option.

5.  Apple Sauce and Pear Sauce

     Apples and pears contain a chemical called pectin.  Pectin is the chemical used to stabalize foods and cause jams and jellies to gel.  Pectin can be soothing to your GI tract as it causes digested foods to gel and can help prevent diarrhea.  I would personally recommend eating applesauce or pear sauce versus fresh apples and pears because there is, again, less fiber.

6.  Salmon and Trout

     I ate a piece of fish almost everyday of my flare up once I figured out it didn't bother my body.  Salmon and trout have healthy Omega-3 fats that help your body heal and rebuild.  Fish also offers protein which your body will need especially during flare ups. 

7.  Cooked Green Beans

     I eat tons of vegetables when I'm not having a flare up, however, a lot of veggies (especially salads) aggravate my system when I am having a flare up.  One veggie that I noticed didn't bother me was cooked green beans.  I crave veggies normally, but when I can't eat them due to a flare up it's like I crave them even more!  At least cooked green beans agree with me:).

8. Turkey and Chicken without Skin

     Turkey was a food that didn't bother me either.  Even chicken didn't cause any problems as long as I was diligent about removing the skin.  The key here is lean proteins.  Anything too fatty can be hard to digest, but lean meats should be fairly easy to digest as well as keep you nourished.

 

      I hope this list of foods will help you or someone you know during times of turmoil and uncomfortable flare ups.  If you have any other suggestions please don't hesitate to comment or email me.

 

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