Diabetes, Ulcerative Colitis, and the LCHF Diet

Winnie53

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Well, I'm almost 5 weeks into the LCHF diet, and I'm beginning to see signs that my colon is not tolerating fats well. This happened once before when I went to work for a restaurant known for its fish and chips - (I ate fries (chips) with my food 5 days a week, and developed the beginnings of ulcerative colitis within 6 months). The problem is the fat, not the carbs or protein. And I've been gluten-free for 3 or 4 years.

Does anyone else here have both conditions? I'm most interested in learning if it's possible to make adjustments so I can stay on the diet for life, not just 6 months. I read last night in Drs. Michael and Mary Eades book, The Protein Power LifePlan (2000), that supplementation with glutamine is helpful for healing the inflamed colon.

[Edit: I no longer believe fat is contributing to the symptoms I'm having, though there's a possibility my body doesn't tolerate well the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in flaxseed. The fish and chip restaurant I worked at in 2000 used oil high in PUFA in their deep fryers.]
 
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nikkid

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Hi Winnie- I also have both conditions *sighs* but do not follow a low carb diet currently. I am on a FODMAP diet which is a nutshell cuts out gluten and various other common triggers such as onions/mushrooms/garlic. It has a traffic light system for foods to definitely avoid etc and I find it really helps to control my flares.
Are you on any medication currently? Might be worth consulting with a dietician also if you haven't already? Mine was really really helpful.
 
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Ian DP

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My brother-in-law has Ulcerative Colitis (very badly), but is not diabetic. He has found a diet that helps him, and it is similar to my LCHF and we often compare notes. They are in Australia, but whenever we get together meals are never a problem because they know about carbs and fat. Before I started on Dr Bernstein's diet, he forwarded his guidelines as below:-

Ulcerative Colitis, Specific Carbohydrate Diet - SCD

The Science behind this diet is pretty simple. I’ll try to explain it to you in simple terms. “Bad bacteria” in the colon are triggering the immune system to fight. And, that bad bacteria we create from certain foods we eat that isn’t fully digested(certain breads, wheat products, certain sugars for example, corn).

So, when we eliminate those “bad” foods that cause “bad bacteria growth” our immune systems don’t have to keep killing off invaders and attacking. That’s the idea.

It’s Pretty Simple

Below is a list of some Good and Bad Foods:

Good Foods:

Chicken (baked, broiled, even off the BBQ if that’s all you have)
Chicken soup (without noodles)
Hamburger meat, along with most other meats (baked, broiled, off the grill)
Fish
Eggs (many people can tolerate eggs very well, some people cannot, so don’t freak out if that’s you)
Vegetables (a common misunderstanding is that vegetables are bad for people with UC. I eat veggies everyday and have for years since my diagnosis. There are times however, like if you are in an active flare where you may want to limit and/or cook veggies more than usual to easy the digestion process)
Fruits (many people can handle some fruit in their diet, especially when symptoms have calmed down)
Bad Foods:

Grains
Soda
Beer and most Alcohol
Cereals
Milk and most milk products
Most processed foods (often there are all sorts of unknown ingredients/additives)
Ever since starting this website, I’ve been amazed how many people have joined me in changing their diets to treat UC.

Much of what I do in terms of diet is based on the “Specific Carbohydrate Diet” or SCD. And its been a pretty incredible journey to say the least. After 5 years of success, I’m happy as ever and how my body has come back to life and hopefully you’ll feel the same very soon too!

SCD has actually been around for several decades, but to most people it’s previously unknown. (It’s almost never talked about in the doctor’s office…big mistake number 1 doc!)

I’d never heard of it either. Not a single doctor ever told me about treating my UC with diet. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet has actually been tested out for well over 45 years by two pretty spectacular people. Both Elaine Gottschall and Dr. Hass spent thousands of hours figuring out what works well and what does not in terms of foods. And I’m very grateful for all their hard work.



May be worth considering
 
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Winnie53

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Thanks Ian. When I was first diagnosed with a pre-ulcerative colitis condition by a gastroenterologist, he told me about the diet. I spent a lot of time studying the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), stopped eating french fries and spent a summer eating a soup rich in a variety of vegetables daily. The symptoms completely remitted. I didn't follow the complete diet though. Perhaps I was successful because I caught the problem so early. I don't know.

My father and his sister both had ulcerative colitis, and I eventually lost them both to cancer. I now believe a gluten sensitivity was at the heart of their illness. I'll take another look at the SCD this weekend. I'm well familiar with the website... http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ It's an excellent, well documented diet. I'll look at the "legal and illegal food list" this weekend. For those who are curious, here's the list... http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/legal/listing/

nikkid, I have had no gastro-intestinal problems since 2000, which is why a return of early symptoms is so surprising.

I'm familiar with the term FODMAP, but don't know much of anything about it. Any links you can provide or books would be most appreciated.

I've been completely off gluten for 3 or 4 years. And am now off all grains and processed foods since starting the LCHF diet. Interestingly, I've been eating mushrooms every day since I started this diet and for the last week, I've been eating 4 - 6 garlic stuffed olives daily or every other day. Maybe it's not the fat. I need to learn more about this.
 
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Carlaj

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Hi all,

I was diagnosed with type one diabetes and ulcerative colitis on the same day. Just out of hospital after 27 days.

Can anyone help me with a diet? I am on steroids at the moment which completely throw my readings out. This was to be expected but I am really struggling. I live on rice, white bread, potato, swede, carrots, chicken, eggs and fish. With a sugar free jelly as a treat!
Every day I try to have something new but as I am still very sick I am frightened!!
It's all very new to me and I just want to get well and hopefully avoid surgery.

Was given booklets on both the diets but I am stuck on carbs. They said to follow the colitis diet. Just want to lower my carb intake and not end up having a hyper!

Whilst in hospital it was a hypo in the middle of the night when the nurses woke me and later on in the day a hyper!

Help!

Kind regards
 
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Winnie53

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Carlaj, I strongly encourage you to learn about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). Here's the website... http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ I spent a lot of time reading this website in 2000, and it was recommended to me by my gastroenterologist. I'm thinking you'll need to stabilize the Ulcerative Colitis first, and many people have done it with the SCD, but perhaps this question would best be asked of other Type 1's.

Rice, wheat, and potato are "illegal" on the SCD, (also on LCHF diet). Swede, carrots, chicken, eggs, and fish (so long as nothing is added) are all legal on the SCD, and for the LCHF, except the carrots. Don't know what swede is though. My father had extensive surgeries throughout his childhood. Hope you don't have to have any surgeries.

As for the LCHF diet, the best reference I've seen for Type 1's written by a Type 1 is Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution (2011). I also encourage you to try to find a local support group for Type 1's, in addition to support here. I can't imagine learning to live with Type 1 without a lot of support from other Type 1's. You'll also find a tremendous amount of practical, day-to-day information for Type 1's in Dr. Bernstein's book. :)
 
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Ian DP

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Because there is a lot of common good and bad foods shared between SCD and Dr Bernstein's diet I would have thought the SCD diet would be a good start, as Winnie says. All the high carb foods are illegal with SCD, just as they are in Dr B's, so there is a lot of common ground. If SCD works for your ulcerative colitis, it will will I am sure also be a big help with controlling your BG levels.
 
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Winnie53

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Hi Winnie- I also have both conditions *sighs* but do not follow a low carb diet currently. I am on a FODMAP diet which is a nutshell cuts out gluten and various other common triggers such as onions/mushrooms/garlic. It has a traffic light system for foods to definitely avoid etc and I find it really helps to control my flares.
Are you on any medication currently? Might be worth consulting with a dietician also if you haven't already? Mine was really really helpful.

Good news! I immediately stopped eating mushrooms and olives stuffed with garlic, and my symptoms have lessened. Going to stay off those two foods for a while and see if the symptoms completely remit. I'm hoping, hoping those two foods were the problem. :)

nikkid, any reading recommendations you have on the FODMAP diet would be most appreciated.
 
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Winnie53

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Well, while I thought my symptoms were remitting, they have not. But just to be on the safe side, I will continue to not eat onions, mushrooms, or garlic for now. I've spent the morning looking at the FODMAP diet, and think I can rule that diet out because I've been free of gastro-intestinal symptoms for 14 years.

Wondering now if it's the two tablespoons of milled flaxseed that I've been eating daily for a month. I looked at the legal and illegal food list for the specific carbohydrate diet, and, interestingly, flaxseed oil is legal, but flaxseed is illegal due to it's lignin content... http://btvc.webfactional.com/knowledge_base/detail/flax-seed-and-flax-seed-oil-/

Will continue to post here until I continue to sort this out.
 
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Brunneria

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I will tag @Indy51
She has very good things to say about the FODMAP and may have some useful links for you.
 
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Winnie53

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Thanks Brunneria. More information about the FODMAP diet would be helpful here.

What's interesting about the FODMAP diet is that some people who have not been helped or gotten adequate relief from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and/or gluten-free (GF) diet are helped by the FODMAP diet. A place to start might be here on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=FODMAP or here on Amazon - (by reading book reviews)... http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ks&field-keywords=FODMAP&rh=n:283155,k:FODMAP

I know there's push back against new diets, but I think it would be helpful to hear from others here on the FODMAP diet. There is no one diet that works for everyone of course, but according to the researchers, it helps some people with diagnoses of IBS, Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease.
 
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Winnie53

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Well, after spending a lot of time learning about flax, I didn't find adequate explanation for my symptoms, so I don't think flax is the problem.

Here's a one-page overview of the many health benefits of flax from the McKinley Health Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US... http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/flax_seeds_nutritional_needs.htm

While flax has lots of health benefits, milled flaxseed is an "illegal" food on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) due to its high lignin content, though flaxseed oil is "legal". Because of my strong family history of ulcerative colitis, I've decided switch from eating milled flax daily to 2 - 3 times a week to be on the safe side.

I now think the symptoms I've been having are due to intermittent constipation resulting in irritation, which would explain the white, cloudy mucus and bright red blood in my stool. In response, I'm making sure I'm drinking water throughout the day and have upped my fiber intake by increasing the amount of lightly steamed vegetables I have with each meal. For the moment, this strategy seems to working. :)

Sustained high blood glucose levels have really taken their toll on my body. My hope is that by significantly lowering my blood glucose with the LCHF diet and exercise, in addition to taking high quality nutritional supplements, I'll be able to reverse some of the damage I've done to my body. My husband continues to remind me that I need to continue what I'm doing and give my body the time it needs to heal.
 
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Susikav

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Diabetes and ulcerative colitis.... :) Rude people... Violence.... and the amount of time I spend away from my beautiful family in the UK...
Well, I'm almost 5 weeks into the LCHF diet, and I'm beginning to see signs that my colon is not tolerating fats well. This happened once before when I went to work for a restaurant known for its fish and chips - (I ate fries (chips) with my food 5 days a week, and developed the beginnings of ulcerative colitis within 6 months). The problem is the fat, not the carbs or protein. And I've been gluten-free for 3 or 4 years.

Does anyone else here have both conditions? I'm most interested in learning if it's possible to make adjustments so I can stay on the diet for life, not just 6 months. I read last night in Drs. Michael and Mary Eades book, The Protein Power LifePlan (2000), that supplementation with glutamine is helpful for healing the inflamed colon.

[Edit: I no longer believe fat is contributing to the symptoms I'm having, though there's a possibility my body doesn't tolerate well the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in flaxseed. The fish and chip restaurant I worked at in 2000 used oil high in PUFA in their deep fryers.]
Hi Winnie... I have Ulcerative Colitis as well as diabetes - and I am hypo thyroidal... from the day I started low-carbing I have been almost free from UC - flat tummy and no outward signs... I hardly noticed at first, but when I woke up one day and realised that I wasn't rushing to the loo all the time I had to sit down and think about it!! I have only had one flare and that, I believe, was due to the microwave flax flour muffin I was eating every morning - toasted it's lovely... I ate them for about a month...my tummy started to bloat again and I saw the tell-tale signs returning... my heart sank, I was slow, no energy, almost depressed again... I could have sat and cried with disappointment... then I decided to stop the only thing I could think of that was new to me... the flax buns.... I am almost healed again now and will have to find an alternative... or just use a little flax perhaps... I have been taking Symprove every day, which is the only proven supplement containing probiotics that will put back your flora and fauna, and all in all I am back to my pre-flax bun days almost... :) I only ever use olive oil, avocado oil or sesame oil... none of the others is good for me... but fat? I am thriving on it... :) and I so enjoy my cream, cheese, bacon, sausages, chorizo... and and and.... all the veggies too of course... I hope you are well - nothing makes you feel worse than the first signs of the monster coming back to stalk you again... :) Susi...
 

Susikav

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Diabetes and ulcerative colitis.... :) Rude people... Violence.... and the amount of time I spend away from my beautiful family in the UK...
Hi Winnie- I also have both conditions *sighs* but do not follow a low carb diet currently. I am on a FODMAP diet which is a nutshell cuts out gluten and various other common triggers such as onions/mushrooms/garlic. It has a traffic light system for foods to definitely avoid etc and I find it really helps to control my flares.
Are you on any medication currently? Might be worth consulting with a dietician also if you haven't already? Mine was really really helpful.
Hi Nikkid... My triggers were also onions, mushrooms, wheat.. and and and... since I've been low-carbing for 5 months I have been symptom-free - which has never happened to me for more than a few weeks for about 50 years!! I now eat mushrooms and even onion, though I don't like them much... I am almost sure that flax is now a trigger for me, albeit a bit slower-acting than the old triggers, so I will avoid it and replace it with milled tiger nuts or something... I can tell you that I have never been so well since my teenage years... I lost the three kilos I had put on over the years and stay the same now... it seems to me that carbs are not just dangerous for diabetics.... I wonder if the two things are connected? I hope you are staying well now... Susi
 

Susikav

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Diabetes and ulcerative colitis.... :) Rude people... Violence.... and the amount of time I spend away from my beautiful family in the UK...
Thanks @Brunneria

There's quite a bit of research being done on FODMAPS in Australia. Those interested may find Monash Uni's site and app helpful:
http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/

One of my biggest triggers is sugar alcohols/artificial sweeteners.
Hi Indy... I have UC but since low-carbing have been free of it for five months now... except for one flare due, I believe, to flax... one of my worst triggers used to be alcohol on an empty stomach too... sugar and, I thought, wheat and fat... I knew that wheat is a killer, but the fat is amazing!, and I am beginning to believe that the lack of it over the years made me a lot worse... I have a glass or two of red wine most evenings and it brings my BG down too... I have never been so well since I was 17, almost 50 years ago, and I'm doing very well - my weight remains constant now too... I use Stevia, as Truvia in baking low-carb cakes and puds, and it doesn't affect me at all... I hope you stay well... Susi
 

Winnie53

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Hi Winnie... I have Ulcerative Colitis as well as diabetes - and I am hypo thyroidal... from the day I started low-carbing I have been almost free from UC - flat tummy and no outward signs... I hardly noticed at first, but when I woke up one day and realised that I wasn't rushing to the loo all the time I had to sit down and think about it!! I have only had one flare and that, I believe, was due to the microwave flax flour muffin I was eating every morning - toasted it's lovely... I ate them for about a month...my tummy started to bloat again and I saw the tell-tale signs returning... my heart sank, I was slow, no energy, almost depressed again... I could have sat and cried with disappointment... then I decided to stop the only thing I could think of that was new to me... the flax buns.... I am almost healed again now and will have to find an alternative... or just use a little flax perhaps... I have been taking Symprove every day, which is the only proven supplement containing probiotics that will put back your flora and fauna, and all in all I am back to my pre-flax bun days almost... :) I only ever use olive oil, avocado oil or sesame oil... none of the others is good for me... but fat? I am thriving on it... :) and I so enjoy my cream, cheese, bacon, sausages, chorizo... and and and.... all the veggies too of course... I hope you are well - nothing makes you feel worse than the first signs of the monster coming back to stalk you again... :) Susi...

Susi, your experience with milled flaxseed is interesting. I think because you began having symptoms after eating milled flaxseed for a month and because flaxseed is "illegal" on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet - (though flaxseed oil is "legal") - you made the right decision to stop eating it. I have done the same. Why risk it if it's an "illegal" food for us? After hours and hours of search on the internet, I was only able to find one report of milled flaxseed being a problem. She has ulcerative colitis too... http://www.ihaveuc.com/the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-is-not-always-a-freight-train/

Those who don't have gastro-intestinal issues seem to be able to enjoy the health benefits of eating milled flax without problems. I'm going to miss my 1 min flax bun, but I miss it less each day, so it's going to be okay.

Since I stopped eating milled flaxseed and added more vegetables (fiber) to each meal, my symptoms seem to be remitting too. Fingers crossed. :)
 
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Indy51

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Has anyone tried Acacia Fibre? It's meant to be beneficial for IBS, not sure about IBD though.
 
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rowan

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I haven't tried the flax seed yet so thanks for the warning! I'll proceed with great care!
I've only recently been given the diagnosis of Crohn's Disease after an endoscopy and biopsies a few weeks ago. For the 3 years before that they thought it was UC, and for the 20 or so years before that they said it was IBS, quite a common mistake apparently!
I had my colon removed 3.5 years ago so it's a bit easier with food now. Before surgery I couldn't eat fried food, onions and mushrooms were the worst probably because they soak up so much fat, spicy food was a bit dodgy, had to have mild curries etc, and chocolate was out too. But I can eat all of them now :)
The stoma has it's own problems with different foods though so I don't get off scot free ;)
 
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