Day 6- Part 1 Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet Crohns Symptoms
Crohn’s Disease is a painful and chronic infection of the gastrointestinal tract, that plagues those unfortunate enough to contract it for years and years. Today, however, some doctors and researchers feel this on-going suffering is totally unnecessary, requiring only a change in diet to eliminate most of the symptoms.
Most doctors follow the common approach of using drugs and or surgery to combat the disease, with most telling their patients that Crohn’s is not curable. Sufferers are told that the best they can hope for is an occasional remission or temporary cessation of the symptoms. During these common treatments the damage done to the intestinal tract by the disease continues unabated with the sufferer getting weaker and weaker.
Other doctors and researchers have started to look at the Western diet as the main culprit behind Crohn’s. Many doctors feel the foods consumed in the Western world or what is commonly called the American diet are just not healthy, causing more harm than good. This argument is backed up by the overwhelming numbers of people suffering life threatening illnesses such as obesity, cancer, heart disease, as well as Crohn’s Disease. To be sure, these illnesses do occur in other parts of the world, but not nearly in the numbers seen in America. It is only when American foods are introduced into a culture previously free of these problems, do you begin to see an increase in chronic illness mirroring the statistics recorded in America.
Scientists recommend immediate changes in lifestyle and diet in order to halt and then cure the damage done to the GI tract. These changes include removing all meat, dairy, eggs and other processed foods from the sufferer’s diet. Some researchers recommend moving to a raw food diet altogether, in order to remove any possibility of irritation to the body.
Proponents contend that a raw food diet will cure Crohn’s Disease completely. This way of eating is not new, having been around for hundreds of years. This diet consists of whole, raw fruits and vegetables, along with small portions of certain nuts, seeds and some fatty fruits. While it is not recommended, sufferers can proceed without doctor supervision by starting out simply, with non acidic raw fruits such as bananas, eating them as often as you feel hungry. Stick with simple fruits in the beginning because they are easiest to digest.
Vegetables, on the other hand, are difficult for the digestive system to handle, especially when it is already damaged. Early on, in fact, vegetables may bring back previous symptoms. Completely eliminate all cooked or processed foods from your regimen. Sufferers should begin to see and to feel changes in their system within one month. However it will take due diligence on this diet change for at least a year, before the symptoms abate completely. It is not uncommon to feel worse before you feel better. This is common while the body detoxes and corrects itself. Have patience that your body is healing itself and the cure is just around the corner.