Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Never Ending

I continue to struggle with gastrointestinal issues. Of course being a once very obese person, I turned to the one things that has given me comfort: food. Bad idea! I reached for anything to give me the comfort I was so desperately seeking. Ice cream, marshmallows, dry sugar cereal.... Need I say more. The end result was not pleasant and I spent the remaining rest of the day in bed as close as possible to the bathroom. I am happy to report that I believe I learnedmy lesson from that experiment.
I am still under the weather and am yearning for comfort in any form. Today so far I have had my juice this morning, watermelon, 2 slices of raw goat cheese (not a great decision), almonds and homemade almond butter. But I must now rest my stomach it says no more. This is starting to aggravated me and a small partof me is concerned. My next question, how long must I wait before I contact a Doctor. The rest of the day I will plan on eating things that are easy to digest for now. Give my stomach a some time rest. I haven't quite figured out what that should include.
Anyone have any ideas? Thanks for listening...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hate drs. They never really diagnose anything, that's my opinion :)

I'm glad the foods made you realize that clean eating is where it's at!

Anonymous said...

Here's some suggestions if you want them :-).

Personally I'd limit yourself to a few choices for the next 3-4 days, and see how that works.
Note I'm saying limit choices not calories.

Certainly you need Fibre at a good level, to maintain good healthy colonic function.

It might be prudent to consider a low sugar Probiotic Yoguhrt, just incase it's relating to low
Gut Bacteria.

As you're vegetarian now, you need to really make sure you're getting your Amino Acids.

Also you would be wise to benefit from anti-oxident rich foods.

Soybeans would give you Calcium, Magnesium, and Fat soluable Vitamins and complete Proteins, plus the Phtyo-oestrogen content would help with any excess Oestrogen issues.

Plus the Catechin anti-oxidents in Beans are always a plus.

Soybeans are also good for healthy Fats and some Carbohydrate.

So I would suggest you could have those with something like a little Broccoli to boost Carbohydrate, but keep food weight down, as Broccoli is a very Carb rich Vegetable, particularly the large stalks, so you get enough Carb without much food weight.

If you wanted a little Fat from something like Nuts, go for Cashews, as they're Carb carriers,
then you can increase Carb a little from something else, but again, the mixed Macros means not having to consume as much food weight.

Plus the Nuts would help with Copper and Selenium intake.

I would definitely have at least one bowl of Whole-grain cereal, as it's good for Iron and B Vits, plus the Beta-glucan helps with Cholesterol as well.

Another suggestion would be sliced Pineapple, as the Bromelain content is a Protease,
(Protein digesting enzyme), and also useful for digestive problems.

Should be fairly light on the Stomach, and maybe you could blend it into some kind of drink, to
have with a meal. It would help with your Carb totals too, some Anti-oxident and some Vit C, which can also help boost your Iron intake.

Powdered Flax could be a good thing, especially sprinkled on the Cereal. Contains Lignans,
(Phyto-oestrogens), also healthy Fat, Protein and Carbs, so nice and light weight.

Also Brown or Wild Rice, not too much, but for the Amino Acids, Carbohydrate, and I think things like Magnesium and B Vits too.

I would suggest Parsley for the B Vits and Carbohydrate. Not too much, just a bit for flavour and variety.

I would suggest a glass of water with each meal, as it won't increase calories, but should
reduce molecular density of stomach contents, hopefully allowing for easier breakdown of
contents.

I would also suggest you simplify meals, so something like Soybeans and Broccoli, as mentioned earlier, nothing flambouyant where several things get added, and all mixed in together.

I say this, as you can then have something like 2-3 things on the plate, and eat the meal like a
2-3 course dinner.

I.E. you eat all the Soybeans, then the Broccoli in that instance, not a bit of one then the other.

I do this with my food. Have done all my life. I will eat something like Chicken, then a carb source afterwards. I like things simple, never have gone fussy really :-p.

In recent years, I have come to believe this helps, as having the Protein and Carbohydrate seperated in the Stomach, might aid digestion, by allowing the relevant Enzymes to work in
different areas of the Stomach, reducing competition, which having bits of this and that per mouthful, might not allow, when your meal is mingled in the Stomach.

This is just a theory of mine, not something I can back with science, although to my way of thinking if it's not that beneficial to do it like that, it won't be problematic, so I believe I won't get an issue eating a meal in stages like that.

Anonymous said...

So these would be my possible reccomendations, for foods you could use to limit your intake,
so it's less thinking required, and keeps your food nutrient rich, but low weight.

Soybeans

Cashews

Broccoli

Whole-grain

Low Sugar Pro-biotic Yoghurt limited to 1 or 2 a day

Coconut or Olive Oil. Healthy Fat in a low weight option

Sliced Pineapple

Powdered Flax

Brown or Wild Rice

Parsley

You've basically got 10 options here, but you're getting Fruit Veggies, Legumes, plus good Protein, Carb, Fat and Micronutrient options too, so you shouldn't be going without anything
you need on a daily basis.

Plus it should make it easier to formulate a simple plan, that meets your daily needs, and keeps your meals essentially low weight, so no possible excess loading of the Stomach.

Hopefully that gives you some ideas.

I would see how you feel after another 2-4 days, and if your GI problems persist, you may need either a Doctors help, or possibly a Gastro-enterologist.

It could turn out to be IBS, though I doubt it's anything serious like an IBD, I.E. Chrons,
Ulcerative Colitis, or Celiacs, as you've described no serious side effects, nor would I suggest it's Gastroparesis, (Gastric emptying problem, caused by Stomach muscle paralysis).

Whatever happens, good luck, stay positive, chin up, keep smiling and try not to worry to much okay.

No point stressing over something and nothing, as that's not productive.

The little food relapse you had is in the past now, so forward steps, and no self inflicted emotional hurting yeah :-) :-).

GOOD LUCK again, and as always I am feeling positive for you, and my support and understanding are with you at this slightly confusing juncture.

Keep being proud of yourself and all the best Kathi.

:-) :-).

Matt

The Spice Doc said...

eat warm cooked light foods. a congee based soup would be ideal to pass through this period. if you email me i can help more, this is what i do as a medicinal cook and a TCM practitioner.

Mom on the Run said...

I hope that you feel better soon.

I would go on a very bland diet and see if that gives you some relief.

gale said...

I hope you're feeling a little better now. You've gotten some excellent options to look at from people who care. How nice is that!

And I care...my dear friend, feel better soon. I'd even make soup for you and bring it over! :)