Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis Support Group
Crohn's disease is a systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) of unknown cause, that results in chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract. It can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, and can also cause complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract. There is no known medical or surgical cure for Crohn's disease, but there are many medical...
Since I stirred up a hornest's nest a while ago regarding David Kleins' book "Self Healing Crohns and Colitis" I thought I should give the group some honest feedback.
I feel the program has brought me to a very good place. The one downside was I was losing weight as I am very active. My wife said I was almost skeletal. Since I still play squash 3 times a week the weight issue was daunting. A friend told me he read that it takes more energy to convert natural uncooked food so this makes sense. So I have continued the program with a few exceptions.
1) I do have either a few eggs or some smoked salmon on alternating days to keep the protein up.
2) I supplement with a high quality food supplement called Vega which I buy in a health food store.
3) I treat myself to one glass of white wine a day.
I did find the limited diet very challenging but not impossible. Suey's point was well taken regarding tradeoffs and the intinsic joy of sharing a common meal with friends and family.
I believe the program is fundamentally sound, however the more serious your condition the more stingent and lengthy you will have to adhere to the program. Generally speaking compared to others on this site my condition is fairly mild.
I'm very interested in hearing how others have progressed or not who have tried this method.
Kind Regards
Steve
I feel the program has brought me to a very good place. The one downside was I was losing weight as I am very active. My wife said I was almost skeletal. Since I still play squash 3 times a week the weight issue was daunting. A friend told me he read that it takes more energy to convert natural uncooked food so this makes sense. So I have continued the program with a few exceptions.
1) I do have either a few eggs or some smoked salmon on alternating days to keep the protein up.
2) I supplement with a high quality food supplement called Vega which I buy in a health food store.
3) I treat myself to one glass of white wine a day.
I did find the limited diet very challenging but not impossible. Suey's point was well taken regarding tradeoffs and the intinsic joy of sharing a common meal with friends and family.
I believe the program is fundamentally sound, however the more serious your condition the more stingent and lengthy you will have to adhere to the program. Generally speaking compared to others on this site my condition is fairly mild.
I'm very interested in hearing how others have progressed or not who have tried this method.
Kind Regards
Steve
I was diagnosed with Colitis in July this year, I thought my symptoms were mild, as there was urgency, blood and mucus no pain and I was having 5-6BM's per day, i thought this was a mild case. anyway consultant prescribed pred foam enema's and symptoms seemed to go away they came back again and was then prescribed Asacol as well which i was really upset about because I hate taking tablets, anyway found DK's book, read it, read it again, then slowly transitioned off meat, then dairy then no cooked food and now I have been only juicing and eating fruit for about 10 days. I came off the asacol, and started reducing predfoam, I have lost weight but am prepared to stick with it if means I will 'heal' my BM's are down to 2-3 per day sometimes theres no mucus and blood and sometimes theres a bit, my BM's are very very moist and loose so put this down to the fact I'm not having much solid food. To be honest I can't wait for my symptoms to stablize to I can move to the post healing diet because I really want to eat something. I have read some people were on the juicing diet for 40 days, i suppose everyone responds diffrently and there's no way of telling.
I'm thrilled for anyone who can find a workable way to get rid of horrible symptoms like ours,
Well done for sticking to it and finding a way through.
Thanks for the update.
Well ...into fifth month since starting Klein diet.However after fourth - fifth week ..I was in cured state and than went back to near normal diet (vegetarian)..including all cooked meals...but no Milk and eggs.
Also avoid all processed meals...as i think was contributing factor in me getting UC in first place.
Breakfast however now consists of Juice and fruit as opposed to cereals,tea and toast as before.
Overall have not had any return of symptoms in any way accept on one ocassion... after eating very hot and spicy restaurant meal....stomach felt awful... but luckily..no other symptoms ...all was fine,next morning.
After losing over a stone and half in weight during UC period ...have put some of it back on..but that was the good part as was excess weight in the first place....however not a method I would recommend for weight loss :)
To maintain ...still have 1-2 daily juices...
But have to say previously never appreciated the benefit of balanced healthy diet and exercise ..but since following routine... now undestand why health has been the best in years...
I guess like me you are able to tolerate other foods after your symptoms had improved...
Take care....
Regards
Indi
Reading that book and following the diet significantly changed my life - for the better!!! I feel so passionately about the process of self healing and using food (and only food - no supplements or meds) to achieve excellent health that I am considering opening a health food store! This self healing process is well known and is every where - this isn't unique to Dave Klein or IBD.
I don't necessarily consider my healed, but as long as I eat what works for me I am symptom free. I have some back and joint pain that I think is just from general inflammation that will get worse if I eat something that I shouldn't. But my b.m.'s are totally normal and pain free! I am hopeful as time goes on I will be able to eat more foods, but I will never go back to the kind of food I was eating before. Good nutrition can not be understated.
My typical day is fruit first thing in the morning, Followed by fresh apple juice. This usually gets me through until lunch. For lunch I usually have a great big salad with avocado spread in a rice wrap or on some spelt toast. Then mid-afternoon I have veggie juice. Dinner is usually some sort of cooked vegetable, with a baked potato, or soup, and more salad. I can eat meat and it doesn't effect my colitis symptoms, but I do feel "off" the next day, so I avoid it. I can also eat eggs, and oatmeal, and cheese, but do so in moderation.
Oh, and the other thing - about the trade off with eating with friends and family. I have found that it doesn't bother me nearly as much to watch people eat stuff that I can't eat if I actually prepare the meal. First off all it feels good to do something nice for loved ones, and also I feel like I am a part of the meal, rather than a spectator. I put a lot of effort into making it good with healthy delicious ingredients and I thoroughly enjoy watching others eat and enjoy and marvel at my cooking - maybe they are just being polite, I don't know, because it's not like I can test it, but it still makes me feel good! :)
Oh, and I am considering starting a blog about all of this....if I do will you join me?:?
Well done for finding something that works so well for you