When you have a disease like IBD that is flaring up, it is impossible to know what foods will help or harm. There are some obvious guidelines, like staying away from nuts, seeds, fibrous fruits and vegetables, but your body might react well to one food during one flare and extremely poorly during the next.
For instance, sometimes my body craves Orange Juice. Doesn't make sense right? The acidity alone should be enough to send shooting pains through my whole system, but every few flares, that is exactly what I need.
I have been lucky over the past few years and have only had mild-moderate activity and blood related to my Crohn's and Pouchitis, so I got out of a few habits.
In my experience, when I am particularly ill, just reading the name of a food on the menu will give me a good indication of how my body will respond. If the word "pasta" makes my stomach turn (like it did just now when I wrote it) then that is a very good sign that I should steer clear.
I have had lots of weird food choices that have gotten me through the worst of flare-ups.
Booster Juice smoothies is a fairly frequent one. It allows me to get the freshness I crave without the pain of too much fibre, plus keeps me up to a good calorie count, plus some protein and high in vitamins. Is it considered 'healthy'? Definitely not. But when your intestines are basically skinned from the inside, healthy is not a priority. Foods that will actually be absorbed by a pissed-off intestine that virtually has third degree burns in it is crucial - no matter WHAT that food might be.
This time has been some bread, but not overloaded, peanut butter for energy and protein, and, for whatever reason, homemade French Toast. All day I have been rocking back and forth and fantasizing about sticking a knife in my stomach to help the pain and burning and scratching and aching... but sitting here now with some French Toast and it is pretty settled down.
Eggs alone usually make me MORE nauseous, bread is not always a good thing, but together, along with a generous helping of cinnamon, and presto - some short-term relief.
This time has got me more frustrated because my usual go-to foods are not really working. The last few days even chocolate doesn't sound appetizing. I literally have chocolate spoons sitting in the fridge that have been there for 6 days now because they I am not craving them (which is highly unusual). Soymilk seems to be making it worse, fruit smoothies just sound like more and more burning, but I am also craving freshness. Luckily, stewed pears and apples become soft enough to give me that fresh kick without the fibre. I also add a whole boatload of cinnamon to those too.
But even tea is not really helping. The ONLY thing I am craving right now is water. And a ton of it. I mean, a massive amount of water. I have had probably ten 12oz glasses today and I could still drink more.
If this continues for a couple more weeks I may go in and get rehydrated via IV just in case it is a bad spell of dehydration caused by the Crohn's flare...
We are kind of thinking that I caught a bug of some sort that is keeping everything flared up. It has been nearly 3 weeks of this...
Fingers crossed that this is not a long-term change into a new realm of 'normal' for me. Or an old realm. From way back when. Gotta be honest, that would be pretty devastating.
Anyways - moral here: listen to your body's cravings, especially when you have digestive issues. Their voices get louder and much more clear when you learn to listen to them and follow them - no matter how insane it seems (like craving orange juice).
So I will enjoy my French Toast until it passes to the really ticked off parts of my intestine... then I will cry and moan and wish I had never eaten anything at all... but right now it feels nice and I am at least getting SOME nutrients in.