Losing Weight - What can I eat?

[Bobbie]

ncmimi4 ,
Anyone who is interested in obtaining Dificid, see CDI. There is contact info. there.

I am also 73. Glad the FT helped you. I was told to eat foods containing fiber to "feed the new bacteria." I am "beaned out."

I sometimes eat things I shouldn't. Sometimes they bother me - sometimes they don't. I shouldn't eat chocolate for several reasons - one a kidney stone. Although never a chocoholic, I now would kill for a candy bar.

After years of this, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" (As Rhett Butler told Scarlett in "Gone with the Wind.") I do watch my lactose intake, however, and had a pizza the other night. Yum, yum. And no problems. I did take two LactAid first.

Rice krispy bars are a great idea altho. excess sugar is also a "no no." (Whatever tastes good is bad for you.)

I posted your suggestions in CDI - Nutrition. I haven't updated it for a long time, and we need some new ideas. Let me know if it's not OK to post, and I will remove. This forum is different. Newest posts are listed last.

[ncmimi4]

Bobbie you put anything of mine wherever you think it should go. I cannot tell you what a Godsend this group has been for me and if I can share anything that can help someone feel less scared and alone I am happy to do so.

[ncmimi4]

Bobbie I just went to the Nutrition section. How have I missed that? There is just so much help on here. Thank you for pointing me that way. I bookmarked the cooling inflammation blog, am very interested in that, I tried the SCD, bought the yogurt maker and the recipe book and the book but found almond flour to be very hard on me. Also still had cd so it was hard to distinguish what was really causing problems. Besides I really enjoy a baked potato with real butter. Use Land o'lakes blend with olive oil. Sure appreciate you.

[Bobbie]

After several years of watching what I ate (at one point I was on a 2 yr. blind study for S. boulardii - now Florastor - and had to keep a food dairy where I had to write everything and I mean everything) in it, I became tired and thought, "Everything in moderation and nothing to excess." And I started to eat everything. I do watch dairy products but had a pizza the other night without a problem (took Lactaid first) but be sure and take calcium supplements (and Vit D) because I wound up with bad osteoporosis. (Other factors were involved.) Some can't tolerate calcium but they have the "chewy" ones now.

Yes, we have a lot on the site - too much-- and it needs organizing and updating, but we don't have time.

Chicken is usually well tolerated. You can make a great chicken soup with canned chicken from Costco, low sodium chicken broth, Reames frozen noodles, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme and tarragon. Very tasty.

[hairball3]

Today, I just started adding calcium to my diet ( pill) since I haven't been taking any and of course, my hip is starting to ache……. Guess I need to do the ostepenia or however you spell it test………. Is it normal to go 2-3 - 4 times a day even if it isn't D. It is formed, i guess solid, but still very very easy to pass, if you get my meaning. Took my last Difficid Friday morning so I am cautiously watching it.. I love Pizza, but before it was diagnosed but I was having the D , just didn't know it was C Diff then, both times I ate the pizza, I had violent reaction to it, of course, not knowing why so I have stayed clear of it……………I can eat frozen turkey tetrazzini and chicken a la king…… I am the queen of easy foods these days…….. I start my day off with oatmeal - is that a probiotic too?? and the rest of the day, I just try to eat easy to digest foods. I really would like a steak but since I eat it practically mooing, I figure that isn't too good for the digestive system……… I just wish I knew if the constant urges to go were related to having or getting IBS or if it is the C Diff. I feel like if I can get through a couple of weeks without D, I would be on the right track. I do count my lucky stars for ya'll where we can ask the dumbest or most private questions sometimes feeling like it is TMI, but none the less, WE CAN……..and someone else is experiencing the same thing and just didn't want to write it………The VSL #3 is the only probiotic I am taking……. twice a day……….should I take more……….does this fight off the bad without the antibiotic??

I hope everyone has a better day than they had yesterday!!!

[Bobbie]

See CDI - Nutrition for diet tips. Most people can't tolerate dairy products for awhile after C. diff.

No, oatmeal is not a probiotic. Read some of the topics on the site, and you can answer many of your own questions.

Hope Dificid works for you - it has for many on the site.

Best of luck.

[seekingcure]

Oatmeal is a prebiotic, i. e. a thing that feeds healthy bacteria. Other foods that naturally contain prebiotics are flax, barley, other whole grains, onions, greens (especially dandelion greens, but also spinach, collard greens, chard, kale and mustard greens), berries, bananas, and other fruit, legumes (lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, navy beans, white beans, black beans, etc.)

Some foods that contain probiotics (helpful bacteria such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria) are yogurt( read label to make sure that it contains "active cultures"), buttermilk, kefir, tempeh, miso, kim chi, and sauerkraut.

[Bobbie]

Didn't know that about oatmeal, Bea. thx. I was thinking of "bottled" probiotics such as VSL3l,etc. I did know beans, fresh veggies, fruit are natural prebiotics. After a FMT, many doctors urge patients to eat lots of them to "feed" the new bacteria.

[hairball3]

Okay sorry I am dense………. are you saying that

Probiotics MAKE healthy bacteria and that

Prebiotics FEED the healthy bacteria????

[seekingcure]

Probiotics ARE healthy bacteria and prebiotics feed them. Fermented foods like kefir, buttermilk, yogurt (PRObiotic foods) naturally contain the good bacteria and other foods like whole grains and beans (PREbiotic foods) nourish the good bacteria, so it's good to include both PRObiotic and PREbiotic foods in your diet.

[hairball3]

Back to my questions, lol.. Assuming there is such a thing as mild c diff?? ( not the D, B and M), but just frequent formed but loose BM's ( off of Difficid one week), can the use of the prebiotics and the probiotics "heal or cure" this without the antibiotics - in other words, can the influx of the good stuff fight off these spores that have probably been hiding ??? Too soon to get tested, of course…………….

[Bobbie]

You are asking medical questions of a non-medical site. Ask your doctor. From what I've learned, however, yes, there are mild and more severe cases of C. diff. - there are different strains, and some are more toxic.

Some swear by prebiotics and probiotics - some don't. You'll have to try them for yourself.

I know this is a frustrating, mind-bending experience, but take it a "day at a time" and count every step forward a victory.

Again, see CDI-Nutrition for hints on what to eat and how to gain weight - added some info. from another poster lately.

[hairball3]

Thank you for always responding. We all benefit from the questions……… and the answers, since we think a lot about this and don't always verbalize what our thoughts are……… I read so many of the postings and feel so much compassion for everyone……. I count each day that I can function a blessing and hope everyone has more and more of them!!

[seekingcure]

My opinion (and it's just an opinion) is that probiotics help to control the symptoms of c-diff, perhaps by lessening the harmful effects of the toxins on the colon or competing for space on the intestinal wall, thereby crowding out some of the c-diff bacteria. I don't, however, believe that they can 'cure" c-diff by themselves. I do think they are useful as an adjunct to antibiotic treatment and following antibiotic treatment to perhaps help the good bacteria keep the upper hand on the bad bacteria. I think it's possible that continued use of high potency probiotics could eventually drive out the spores, but I don't think there's any proof of that. Further out from my Vanco, I eventually would like to have a comprehensive stool culture to determine if I've been able to "kick out" the c-diff spores and exactly what types of bacteria, good and bad, I actually have present in my colon. I would feel better about taking future antibiotics, when they become necessary for something, if I knew I didn't have spores lurking.

There is a very good book on probiotics, called Bacteria For Breakfast, by Kelly Karpa. I got the Kindle copy on Amazon. She believes that her young son was cured with VSL-3, but her opinion, if I remember correctly, is that it's unlikely to cure an adult. The book has been out awhile, but it's still worth reading and has some good information that you might find of interest. Good luck and let us know how you do.

[Bobbie]

Bacteria for Breakfast is still available on Amazon.com.