What can I eat that will boost my cycling, I'm on a Low Fibre Diet..

tonysj

Hi All,

I have Crohns diesese and the condition is getting worse so yesterday I had the Old Camera Snake up the jacksie and things don't look very good.
I've been put on steroids to control the inflammation in my intestines and they have put me on a LOW FIBRE DIET ( LFD ).
I used to eat plenty of fruit, oats, seeds and nuts but this LFD is going to be hard work by the looks of it as what I tend to eat is a lot of fibre rich foods.

Is there anyone who can advise me of what they eat LF that helps fuel their cycling?

As an example, on rides I eat Home made flapjack which contains Oats, a variety of seed, dates etc. These are the foods I need to avoid which is going to be a problem.

My pre-ride drink/breakfast is a GCN Banoffee drink made the night before. This contains, Oats and sliced banana mainly with sugar and milk/yogurt. I have to avoid the Oats and banana again.

Any recipes or advice on what I can eat/make pre-ride and eat during a ride.

Thanks.
Tony.

ugo.santalucia

Rice crackers?

I know a lady who has cleared Crohn's disease with diet... but I don't think it was a low fibre diet, started liquid, then slowly introduced solids.
The imperative is to get rid of dairy from your diet.

The NHS approach to auto immune diseases is quite poor, it's not aimed at curing, but managing. I am surprised you developed Crohn's with a healthy diet, did you take many drugs like antibiotics or NSAIDs in the past?

svetty

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Rice crackers?

I know a lady who has cleared Crohn's disease with diet... but I don't think it was a low fibre diet, started liquid, then slowly introduced solids.
The imperative is to get rid of dairy from your diet.

The NHS approach to auto immune diseases is quite poor, it's not aimed at curing, but managing. I am surprised you developed Crohn's with a healthy diet, did you take many drugs like antibiotics or NSAIDs in the past?

This is so far off as to be disturbing. I suggest you leave medicine to Drs.

ugo.santalucia

Svetty wrote:

This is so far off as to be disturbing. I suggest you leave medicine to Drs.

FYI

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11743245

imposter2.0

ugo.santalucia wrote:

The NHS approach to auto immune diseases is quite poor, it's not aimed at curing, but managing.

It's hardly the NHS' fault that there is no known cure for Crohn's - and nor is it an 'auto-immune' disease. Stick to topics about wheelbuilding..

svetty

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Svetty wrote:

This is so far off as to be disturbing. I suggest you leave medicine to Drs.

FYI

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11743245

One 17 yr old paper that suggests that a minority of patients with Crohn's are also more likely to have a degree of lactulose intolerance. IOW not relevant to the majority of Crohns pts and of minor benefit to the minority it does apply to.

Please stop peddling quack notions to real people with real conditions - they need proper medical help from real Drs.

ugo.santalucia

Rice crackers seem to be a popular snack at stage races, where maintaining a healthy gut is essential to vitamins and nutrients absorption and ultimately to perform well.
During the activity, you can probably allow yourself isotonic sugary drinks in moderation.

I would avoid recovery protein drinks as the plague, if I were you

sloppyschleckonds

TonySJ wrote:

GCN Banoffee drink

Ingredients:
90g quick oats (about a cup)
A pinch of salt
Few drops of vanilla essence
30g muscovado sugar (2 tablespoons)
1 espresso (about 50ml)
200ml skimmed milk
1 medium sized ripe banana (100g when peeled)
150g natural low-fat greek style yogurt
10g (1 square) of dark chocolate

Can see much wrong with this type of 'food'.........

Can you take a couple of cooked potatoes with you when riding?

photonic69

I'm afraid I too have recently developed IBD-U (Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unclassified). It developed over a year or so and became worse about 7 months ago. I too had a Colonoscopy which detected a very inflamed Colon along its entire length. I'm currently on Salofalk, a 5-ASA treatment and a Low Residue Diet.

Low residue or low fiber really sucks! Being vegetarian really doesn't help having been used to eating a lot of fresh fruit and veg, wholegrains, nuts, pulses, etc etc for the last 30 years. I'm now on pappy white bread, cornflakes for breakfast, well cooked veg, no pulses, no nuts, no wholemeal bread, no musili, no porridge, NADA... It's rubbish. Feel constantly hungry all the time and have to fill up on plain rich tea biscuits as a snack, nibbled really slowly. On the plus side - Crisps are now considered a 'vegetable' on the list of foods I got from the NHS!!!

I too cut down on Lactose (lactose free milk/cheese/dairy free marge etc) but that has made little change. The consultant confirmed this for me that is has little effect.

As for riding I fill up on cornflakes and a couple of pieces of white bread toast with seedless jams. Cafe stop halfway and have a bland cake such as Victoria sponge or danish pastries of whatever has the least fiber and no nuts. Also drink sugar solution in one bidon and water in the other. That and Jelly Babies and glucose tablets give me enough to get a 60-80 ride in with lots of climbing. Always neck a couple of immodium in the morning of a ride 'just in case'

IBD is sh!t. Quite literally!

ugo.santalucia

PhotoNic69 wrote:

I too cut down on Lactose (lactose free milk/cheese/dairy free marge etc) but that has made little change. The consultant confirmed this for me that is has little effect.

Have you tried alternatives, as in not derived from milk, as opposed to lactose free? Although if you can't eat nuts, pulses and oats, then you are left with no real options

svetty

PhotoNic69 wrote:

IBD is sh!t, blood and mucus. Quite literally!

FIFY

photonic69

ugo.santalucia wrote:

PhotoNic69 wrote:

I too cut down on Lactose (lactose free milk/cheese/dairy free marge etc) but that has made little change. The consultant confirmed this for me that is has little effect.

Have you tried alternatives, as in not derived from milk, as opposed to lactose free? Although if you can't eat nuts, pulses and oats, then you are left with no real options

Yup, the wife and kids take soya milk but it doesn't agree with me and is worse than lactose free milk. I might try Oat milk - it's not the oats/nuts/pulses that are the problem i.e. any chemical they contain rather the fact they are not very digestible and irritate the gut further

ugo.santalucia

PhotoNic69 wrote:

Yup, the wife and kids take soya milk but it doesn't agree with me and is worse than lactose free milk. I might try Oat milk - it's not the oats/nuts/pulses that are the problem i.e. any chemical they contain rather the fact they are not very digestible and irritate the gut further

Oatly is nice, in a cup of tea you hardly notice it's not dairy... I've even made ice cream with it

chris_bass

I was having digestive issues (i'll spare you the details!) and switched to a low FODMAP diet - it is to do with where the food is digested - low fodmap is higher in the intestine and so cause fewer issues (i think! i'm no dietitian!). This has really helped me, not entirely but i'm a lot better than i was.

However, i was also listening to something about the placebo effect and the cases where it "works" the best are among IBS treatments where the placebo works in about 42% of the trials. So it may well be all in my mind! But it works so i don't care why it does!

svetty

There is a world of difference between IBS and IBD........

chris_bass

Svetty wrote:

There is a world of difference between IBS and IBD........

I wasn't suggesting they were the same

tonysj

Thanks for all the replies guys.
What really P*isses me off is that about 1 year ago I decided to up my Healthy intake of Fibre, as recommended , so Ive got used to eating Nice healthy nutritional food and now I just feel very low about it all.
I reduced my red meat ate more fruit and veg loads of seeds, nuts and wholewheat foods rather than the whites only to be kicked in the teeth after the colonoscopy result/probe.
Ive always managed my Crohns without any Meds in the past, as I'm allegic to most of the Immuno-suppressant stuff.
Breakfast used to be - 2 wheat biscuits, Mixed berries, red and black currants, raspberries, black berries and strawberries with milled seeds and nuts on top with semi skimmed milk. Out of that lot there's only Strawberries and milk I can have on this F***king LFD....
I went for a ride today of 38 miles and can still put a good effort in but I just cant see that lasting much longer..
Regards.
T.

tonysj

Chris Bass wrote:

I was having digestive issues (i'll spare you the details!) and switched to a low FODMAP diet - it is to do with where the food is digested - low fodmap is higher in the intestine and so cause fewer issues (i think! i'm no dietitian!). This has really helped me, not entirely but i'm a lot better than i was.

However, i was also listening to something about the placebo effect and the cases where it "works" the best are among IBS treatments where the placebo works in about 42% of the trials. So it may well be all in my mind! But it works so i don't care why it does!

CB thanks for posting but I've had a look at the FODMAP list of foods and there's a lot of foods on the "Good" list that I've been told to avoid so I will have to find some foods that are ok for my cycling days.
I had a gel on a ride as I've got lots but never take them preferring real food, but it gave me horrendous heartburn almost instantly.
White pasta seems the obvious evening before a ride meal and I may have to substitute my HM flapjack and go over to HM rice bars/cakes so If anyone has a decent recipe could they post it up please.
Regards.
T

Ben6899

There's certainly some autoimmune phenomena where IBD is concerned. CD and UC do come about slightly differently though.

OP, some good tips so far on here - rice cakes and jam sandwiches being two! PowerBar do a _during_ bar that is chewy and a bit more artificial than the other bars. I've used them before and found them effective in terms of performance and in terms of not loading my gut with fibre.

I can't find a link, but that look like yellow Wham bars!

Those and Clif Shot Bloks.

Best of luck - let us know how you get on!

twotoebenny

I also suffer with CD. Can I ask why they have you on low fibre diet? I've never been on a specific diet although I also have coeliac disease so no gluten. I've heard that there are people who have controlled IBD via diet but everyone is different.

ugo.santalucia

TwoToeBenny wrote:

I've heard that there are people who have controlled IBD via diet but everyone is different.

True, but the common denominator is that they are inflammatory processes. Dairy is known to promote inflammation (nothing clears acne as going dairy free), so best avoided in all cases... not that we ever evolved to eat other animals' milk, so it seems pretty pointless to consume it anyway

svetty

ugo.santalucia wrote:

TwoToeBenny wrote:

I've heard that there are people who have controlled IBD via diet but everyone is different.

True, but the common denominator is that they are inflammatory processes. Dairy is known to promote inflammation (nothing clears acne as going dairy free), so best avoided in all cases... not that we ever evolved to eat other animals' milk, so it seems pretty pointless to consume it anyway

Give it a rest FFS! You are just plain wrong and peddling mumbo-jumbo - although quite why you feel the need to do so is perhaps another question.

ugo.santalucia

Svetty wrote:

although quite why you feel the need to do so is perhaps another question.

... because I want to replace every bottle of milk in the land with a pair of handbuilt wheels, clearly... just in the same way as I want to replace every closed road sportive with an Audax run by octogenarians in sandals, every Pinarello with a Dolan... this is my ambition, my legacy...

If you want to patrol the forum for unwarranted opinions and put a lid to anything that is not the official version of the story of which you are the custodian, I suggest you contact Josh and get added to the list of moderators, there is always a need for volunteers.
Alternatively, you can report any such comment...

Otherwise, just let people speak, the OP sounds perfectly capable of making up his own mind, without your intervention

sloppyschleckonds

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Svetty wrote:

although quite why you feel the need to do so is perhaps another question.

... because I want to replace every bottle of milk in the land with a pair of handbuilt wheels, clearly... just in the same way as I want to replace every closed road sportive with an Audax run by octogenarians in sandals, every Pinarello with a Dolan... this is my ambition, my legacy...

If you want to patrol the forum for unwarranted opinions and put a lid to anything that is not the official version of the story of which you are the custodian, I suggest you contact Josh and get added to the list of moderators, there is always a need for volunteers.
Alternatively, you can report any such comment...

Otherwise, just let people speak, the OP sounds perfectly capable of making up his own mind, without your intervention

shirley_basso

That is a smackdown and 1/2.

ugo.santalucia

Shirley Basso wrote:

That is a smackdown and 1/2.

Wrong, no animosity on my part, but there are rules on this forum and most of us do our best to adhere. There is no rule that prevents an individual to express an opinion, no matter how outrageous that might sound, as long as it doesn't offend other users. I could say that the Earth is flat and I would not be breaking any rule.
There is however a rule that prevents users to harass other users, and the latter is often overlooked, as the perception of harassment is different among different users.

shazzz

I had to eat low fibre during flare ups of ulcerative colitis. Home made rice cakes for long rides - the Team Sky bacon and egg recipe was good. Bananas were also OK for me, and white bread sandwiches.
Unfortunately trial and error is the best way to work out what is best for you - it seems to be a very individual thing.

svetty

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Shirley Basso wrote:

That is a smackdown and 1/2.

Wrong, no animosity on my part, but there are rules on this forum and most of us do our best to adhere. There is no rule that prevents an individual to express an opinion, no matter how outrageous that might sound, as long as it doesn't offend other users. I could say that the Earth is flat and I would not be breaking any rule.
There is however a rule that prevents users to harass other users, and the latter is often overlooked, as the perception of harassment is different among different users.

Expressing opinion is one thing. Disseminating wrong and potentially harmful medical advice is quite another.

ugo.santalucia

Svetty wrote:

Expressing opinion is one thing. Disseminating wrong and potentially harmful medical advice is quite another.

No medical advice given, only dietary advice. Plenty of dietary advice on the WWW, some good, some bad, some you just can't say until you try for yourself.
Medical advice would be saying: ditch the steroids and try glucosamine instead... I didn't do that, I would never do that.

Many find moving away from dairy beneficial to reduce inflammation and in my opinion it is worth trying, regardless of the official guidelines on nutrition. There is no harm in doing so for a period of time, if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work, if it works then alternative sources of protein and calcium are available.

shirley_basso

Telling someone to go dairy free, with justifiable rationale (health and environmental), or trying nut milk doesn't seem too bad to me?

sloppyschleckonds

TonySJ wrote:

I went for a ride today of 38 miles and can still put a good effort in but I just cant see that lasting much longer..
Regards.
T.

Whut