3 Quick Things

Hi Everyone! 

Improve your health with this week’s three simple IBD tips and takeaways.

Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Little changes lead to big results. We challenge you to take one small action today to benefit your future tomorrows.

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Reader's Question

My son who has Crohn's struggles to gain weight and would like to start a protein supplement. Any suggestions of what would be best?

Colleen says: 

This question deserves its own blog post. It's on our list of topics to cover this year, so stay tuned!

For now, here are a few of the better products on the market (in my opinion):

• Owyn (ready to drink)
• Orgain (ready to drink or powder)
• Absorb Plus (powder) - the founder has IBD
• Vital Protein Collagen Peptides (powder)

NOTE: Shelf-stable ready-to-drink nutrition supplements will include one or more additives (e.g. guar gum, lecithin) to improve texture and shelf life. I like Orgain and Owyn because they have a short list of these additives. Compare their ingredients to competitors’ ingredients (e.g. Muscle Milk) and you’ll see what I mean. 

For extra calories and nutrition, put these products in homemade smoothies. 

Use liquid ready-to-drink products as some or all of your liquid base and add powders to your existing favorite recipes. Smoothies are a tasty and nutritious way to promote weight gain. 

Beyond protein powder, here’s another tip for promoting weight gain in people with IBD: Don’t rely on sugary foods, like ice cream, cookies, and cakes, to gain weight. These foods might add calories, but they also weaken our immune system, lead to inflammation, and foster an unbalanced gut microbiome. Plus, they rarely result in desired weight gain.

Instead of highly processed junk and sweets, choose foods high in healthy fats and protein. Eat avocados, nut butters (e.g. almond butter), olives, olive oil, coconut oil, plain coconut yogurt, chicken, salmon and other fatty fish.

Scott says: For years, I struggled to gain weight and was particularly interested in how protein powders, shakes and smoothies could help. Made for people with IBD, Absorb Plus was a great option when I felt sick and struggled to eat. When I started to feel better, I used 4-5 ounces of full-fat canned coconut milk in my smoothies to help me gain weight.

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A Fun Food Find

We don’t like to demonize foods, but there are some highly processed foods that make us cringe. One of them is coffee creamer. 

Here’s the list of ingredients from a popular liquid coffee creamer (original): Water, Corn Syrup Solids, Vegetable Oil (High Oleic Soybean and/or High Oleic Canola), less than 2% of Micellar Casien (a milk derivative), Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Carrageenan. 

Not exactly the breakfast of champions. And don’t get us started on the “sugar-free” varieties! Those have all the above ingredients PLUS maltodextrin, artificial flavor, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium. Ick. 

Read this if you need a refresher on why ultra-processed foods are bad for your gut. 

Now, for some good news: MALK, a well-liked nut milk company, now offers two plant-based creamers without additives, like gums, thickeners, artificial sweeteners, or emulsifiers. Its only ingredients are filtered water, organic gluten-free rolled oats, organic European almonds, natural vanilla flavor derived from vanilla beans, and Himalayan sat.

We’ll admit that we haven’t tried it, but we wanted to let you know ASAP. If you try it before we do, then please shoot us a note with your feedback, so we can share with the WBF community. 

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Braised Chicken Legs

Why not cook up something special this long weekend? Maybe Cal Peternell’s Braised Chicken Legs? Colleen loves this dish so much that she now hosts an annual “Braised Chicken” night for her family. 

The recipe is simple but do put aside extra time for browning the chicken.

The veggies cook up super soft, which works well for those of you on a low-fiber diet. If you’re gluten-free then dredge the chicken in a gluten-free flour or omit altogether.

Let us know what you think!

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Remember, there’s no one perfect diet for everyone with IBD. If you or anyone you know struggles with what to eat with Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis, then check out our new ebook, Eating with IBD: The Essentials.Do you have a question about these topics, or something else? Just reply with your question to this email and it may appear in an upcoming newsletter.

In good health,

Colleen, Bertina & Scott

This newsletter is for informational purposes only and is in no way intended as medical counseling or medical advice. Results may vary.