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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/7/2015 7:48 AM (GMT -5)
Have any of you used a nutritionist to figure out diet changes and supplements?  If so, did you find it helpful or mostly a rehash of what you could figure out on your own?
Posted 7/7/2015 8:37 AM (GMT -5)
My opinion is that in almost all cases a nutritionist is a nutritionist in that they know nutrition but nothing about UC. They can find out or guess what you are low on and give advice on how to get you to where you need to be nutritionally if your UC is having an impact on your absorption of certain things. They may also be able to tell you easier foods to eat for your condition. BUT, they have no idea what foods really bother you and which foods don't because everyone is different and healthy foods can actually be what is bothering you. In most all cases they can only relate to nutrition in normal people. For instance, if you are low on a particular vitamin they may suggest eating certain foods but not realize that the food they are suggesting is actually a trigger food for your UC. They may also suggest that in getting the nutrition you need from a particular vegetable that is hard to digest that you juice it so that it is easier on your digestive system BUT, again, this particular vegetable might be a UC trigger food in you and by juicing it and making it in even higher concentrations, it could make your condition much worse. In my case eating several fruits and veggies makes my UC worse (my UC makes me histamine inolerant) so eating a burger and fries is actually much better on my system than eating fruits and veggies. Show me a nutritionist that will suggest eating burgers and fries over fruits and veggies. By the way, I eat a very balanced diet of all kinds of different things including certain fruits and veggies in moderation and actually eat very few burgers and fries. Just trying to make a point. They only know nutrition and nothing about your particular trigger foods.
Posted 7/7/2015 11:32 AM (GMT -5)
My GI recommended I go see a dietitian, she's actually one of his CD patients and I found her to be helpful...I didn't even realize it but she pointed out the way I was eating was borderline eating disorder (not anorexic or anything like that) I just wasn't eating the proper amount daily of fibre, protein and healthy fats, etc...seeing her for my IBS issues has been helpful, I have more energy with eating properly now, I still have IBS but we've determined mine is stress driven not food driven, but I'm still doing some fine tuning in hopes of more improvements with frequency issues I'm still dealing with just like when my IBD was flaring only much less.

I highly recommend it, and if you can find one that specializes in gut health issues like IBD, IBS, Celiacs, etc like mine does, I think you'll find more use out of it.

I tried a lot of different food/diet approaches on my own before seeing this dietitian and never got anywhere so it was useful for me by seeing this one.
Posted 7/7/2015 1:14 PM (GMT -5)
dietitians are much more qualified than nutritionists
also i dont know how your insurance works but generally its easier to get dietitians covered than a nutritionist
Posted 7/7/2015 1:34 PM (GMT -5)
I agree that Nutritionists can help. After being diagnosed prediabetic recently I finally thought I should see someone for some help and ideas, as it can be overwhelming sometimes. I have only had one appointment with her but already I am back eating eggs which I thought I could not have, but it turns out it was the coconut oil I was cooking my eggs in that was causing me the problems, it sounds so simple, but it really never would have occurred to me without her input. I plan on having half a dozen sessions with her I think, just to give me some new ideas for food.

pb4... its a good job you saw a nutritionist as it sounds like she has helped you a lot!!
Posted 7/7/2015 5:41 PM (GMT -5)
I agree Poppie, thanks, she's a registered dietitian, I think a bit different from a nutritionist, I'm not 100% sure but I think a registered dietitian might have a bit more thorough knowledge. It might vary from country to country too.
Posted 7/7/2015 7:38 PM (GMT -5)
a nutritionist is someone who is really good for maintenance and weigh loss or gain in healthy people
registered dieticians are able to deal with diseases (they are the ones in the hospitals who determine nutritional needs) they have much more credentials
Posted 7/7/2015 9:40 PM (GMT -5)
I have to agree with garylouisville, I saw a hospital dietician after my 1st hospital stay in 2002, and she was well-meaning but pretty useless.

She kept nagging me to eat more, when I definitely wasn't ready. She kept telling me that my portion sizes were too small. I was absolutely terrified of eating at that point, so I just ignored her and did my own thing. I knew I would eventually get used to eating more and I did, but in my own time.

She also used to tell me to eat brown bread, pasta etc., which I've never been able to do as fibre is a huge trigger for me.

However, the hospital doctors had given me some leaflets about the low residue diet, which were a godsend and really helpful. I've still got them now, all these years later! I didn't have the internet back then, so I used to read my leaflets and get advice from the hospital doctors.

I've never seen a nutritionist/dietician since, they didn't offer me one after my 2nd hospital stay and I never looked into it myself as I don't think it's on the NHS.

I do want to go for food allergy testing once this flare has gone, it's about £200 as you have to go private, but worth it just to find out I think.
Posted 7/7/2015 10:25 PM (GMT -5)
My dietitian did a food tolerance diet on me with having me follow the low FODMAP and cutting the commonly offensive high FODMAP and fructose out and then having me reintroduce them again, we found I had no issues to high FODMAP or fructose, that my IBS is driven by stress which I'm working on with a therapist that specializes with IBD and other gut diseases/disorders at my GI clinic. So Dizzy, you may not have to wait until your current flare subsides to try the low FODMAP no fructose diet as that may give you some improvements with your UC as well especially if you do have any underlying food intolerance's.

Generally, fibre should not be avoided for those with IBD unless they have issues with bowel obstructions/perforations. Fibre can be hard on a healthy gut, it's a matter of your system adjusting to it and that will vary from person to person, and if you don't stick with fibre daily then it will take longer to adjust to it, the adjustment period tends to involve excess gas and bloating, I know it's not a pleasant thing to deal with on top of IBD but it's actually essential for bowel health. Which is why it's important to start with a small amount and only increase slowly and increase water intake as well.
Posted 7/7/2015 10:45 PM (GMT -5)
I can't tolerate a lot of fiber. I used to love breads, the grainier the better. Since UC I stay away from the high fiber/high grain type of stuff and stick with low to moderate fibers and grains.
Posted 7/7/2015 10:58 PM (GMT -5)
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is the most popular diet for people who have UC.

There isn't one universal UC diet though because some people can't digest certain foods, and some have trouble with fiber.

I'm on an anti-inflammatory diet.

To figure out what foods are best for you, I recommend starting a food journal. For example, this is what I did:

I started with rice because it bulks up stool (BRATTY - bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, tea, yogurt)

Day 1: white rice (some prefer non-GMO brown rice) and water.
Day 2: white rice, spinach, and water.
Day 3: white rice, spinach, bananas.
Day 4: white rice, bananas, sunflower seed butter (with no added sugar).
Day 5: white rice, bananas, sunflower seed butter (with no added sugar), milk.

Reaction to milk (excessive gas).

Day 6: white rice, spinach, fish.
Day 7: white rice, spinach, fish, applesauce.

Reaction to applesauce (diarrhea).
...
Posted 7/7/2015 11:43 PM (GMT -5)
Apples are a high FODMAP food.
Posted 7/8/2015 12:03 AM (GMT -5)
Yeah. I'm fructose intolerant. Didn't know it at the time. HFCS is the worst for me. Apples are also high in sorbitol, which I also have problems with. In fact, I have trouble digesting all the artificial sweeteners that end in -itol. I ate a bag of licorice once not knowing that it was sugar free. It literally sounded like there was a thunderstorm going on inside my abdomen for hours afterward.
Posted 7/8/2015 12:11 AM (GMT -5)
Small amounts of low FODMAP might be okay for you if you're willing to test that out, unless you have already. I was so scared when my dietitian had me start the low FODMAP no fructose diet that we were going to find that I had some intolerance's I was unaware of (besides lactose intolerance which I can at least use lactaid products for) and so relieved when we discovered I wasn't.
Posted 7/8/2015 12:34 AM (GMT -5)
Yeah. I can't have much in the way of fruit. I can eat bananas, berries, and kiwis without any issue. I seem to have mixed results with citrus and pineapple. That's about all I can have in the way of fruit.

I also can't drink American cow's milk. I can have butter, and I'll have cheese once in a while. I can also tolerate powdered skim milk imported from India. Apparently, I'm not the only one. I bumped into an article that says that it could be an issue with digesting the protein A1, which is found in milk from the high-producing Holstein cows that are favored by American and some European dairy farmers.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/a1-milk-a2-milk-america

Post Edited (subduedjoy) : 7/8/2015 2:01:52 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/8/2015 11:07 AM (GMT -5)
Yeah, pineapple is on the high FODMAP list too, wasn't allowed to have it while on the low FODMAP no fructose diet but I was allowed to have any kind of oranges/citrus....hubby gets diarrhea from any kind of oranges but does great with pineapple.

Yes, lactose intolerance can affect people anywhere from mild to severe, I'm severe but do ok with using the lactiad products but I have to read labels on everything, including sleep aids and antihistamines (the ones I occasionally take contain lactose so I have to eat a lactaid pill before ingesting those tabs) it's a pain in the butt.
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