Hi,
My husband has ulcerative colitis and it is difficult for him to digest certain foods (mainly vegetables). I know this is a gluten-free site but I was wondering if anyone knows if a gluten-free diet would benefit him at all. I know all people are different and may not be diet specific. Just curious if there would be any benefit in going gluten-free.
Thanks,
Lauren
I'm sorry, I can't help you with an answer.
I was wondering if you had tried a search for UC and gf diet? Maybe you can find some answers that way. Just trying to help.
My husband has crohn's disease, and we found our answer on this forum. It is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Google the diet. Buy the book. Come back to these forums to discuss it. There are also yahoo groups you can join for discussion. It works for most people with UC.
If his case is severe, he needs to read the book himself to really understand it. he needs to follow the transition instructions exactly and ease into the diet. I followed the SCD strictly for 4 months to support my husband. I am not so strict with it now, and he has treats now and then too. His case is not that bad, thankfully, and he was symptom free after 2 weeks on the SCD.
I was diagnosed with UC a year and a half ago and started the specific carbohydrate diet 2/2010. I have been symptom free (YEAH!!!) since the end of March and have a new-found respect for food. Not only did I notice my physical health improve, but my emotional health as well. It is more than gluten free, so I would definitely recommend getting the book titled "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" for specifics. You can check it out at http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info
SO WORTH IT! :)
Thanks for the information. My husband has been doing better since we started eating more Paleo style. I don't think he's officially diagnosed with UC. When he first noticed symptoms he was going 10 times a day, now he's pretty regular 3-4 times a day. If we have something heavy in tomato like pizza, spaghetti, or chili..he's regretting it the next day. I started juicing vegetables for him so that he could better digest them. He loves bread and cheese, that would be hard for him to give up but I do think cutting back would help him out a lot. Again thank you for the resources, I'm glad to hear you (Ella) are symptom free!
Hi I suffered with UC since I was a child. I had my colon removed at the age of 27 and an ileostomy created. I am now 46. I have struggled with ill health all my life as the ileostomy wasn't a cure for UC. Discovering my son was gluten sensitive (he had all the early signs of UC at the age of 12) was a cure for him and made my life so much easier, although I am immune compromised due to a lifetime of illness,surgery and a permanent medical condition. Going gluten free I believe would make all the difference to someone with UC. We incorporate tons of Elana's recipes into our diet (she has been such a blessing) and love almonds, we use the wheat free cook by Jacqueline Mallorca, we have also used paleo recipes and The Specific Carbohydrate Diet recipes, but we don't subscribe to anyone particular diet. We remain gluten free and low on the glycemic index in terms of sugar (we love agave) and I follow a yeast free diet. We avoid white rice flour replacing it with brown. We enjoy buckwheat and quinoa. I also avoid legumes and onions which bother me and I don't do much corn. I think going gluten free is the first and best thing your husband can do and I suggest reading " Dangerous Grains" which was so helpful to me explaining why gluten grains do so much damage to some many people. As his colon heals he will probably be able to reintroduce the vegetables he can't eat now. He may also discover other foods that still bother him and may want to avoid them when he can. I kept a food diary to start with to help with this. As my small intestine healed I have been able to reintroduce so many foods back into my diet. My son found he was constipated and sometimes bloated for the first three months on the gluten free diet, but as another friend had told me that might happen we didn't worry and he doesn't have any issues today. I do hope this helps. Lorna
The specific carbohydrate diet allows almond bread and some cheeses. Elana has a lot of great recipes that are made "legal" with a few minor substitutions.
We followed the SCD strictly for about 5 months, and have deviated a little bit since then. My husband was symptom free after 2 weeks. My daughter was diagnosed as gluten sensitive and did well on the SCD too. She has had some stomach problems since adding a few gluten free grains. We are going back to the strict SCD on Monday.
Hi Lisa,
I agree it is a juggling act sometimes to figure out what is bothering you and your family. I wish you all the best as you return to using the SCD and I hope your daughter feels better soon. I cannot tolerate a number of permitted foods on the SCD such as the beans and legumes. I haven't been able to consume coconut since my surgery, but I may try that again since my small intestine has healed so well when we went GF two years ago. Dried beans are out for me, although I can eat some fresh. I think everyone has to figure what works for them and what doesn't. The gluten free diet is the most important first step and sadly sometimes that isn't the only step. After healing we were able to return a raw goats milk yogurt and cheese into our diets, but I know some people aren't able to tolerate dairy products at all. I tend to incorporate recipes from a range of different places and get them to work for me. If SCD works for you,that's great. The recipes I have used from the SCD book Healing Foods have been great. I do use a lot of Elana's recipes. Best wishes, Lorna
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