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Gastro diet questions
Am having a lot of difficulty finding certain information. I have gastroparesis but I also have CKD and diabetes and am experiencing many roadblocks to getting detailed information.
As many of you already know, renal diets are in conflict with diabetic diets and with gastroparesis diets, therefore I have to do much compromising on a daily basis and am spending an inordinate amount of time and energy calculating nutritional values and appropriate amounts of limited foods. This is far more challenging than if was for me to create my own ovo-vegetarian renal diet which also fits with a very modified vegetarian (meat-free, low-or-no-dairy) diabetes diet.
CKD patients need to be careful about grains and so do gastroparesis patients. Everything I've read and been told about gastroparesis says to limit fiber, avoid legumes (except refried beans, of all things, and peanut butter!) as well as nuts and seeds.
Nuts and seeds are ok for vegetarians with diabetes but must be eaten sparingly on a renal diet due to mineral content and supposedly should be avoided on a gastroparesis diet.
Meat substitutes and protein veggies are ok on a vegetarian diet and even on a diabetic diet but should be limited on a gastroparesis diet.
Very frustrating!
Although I need to avoid dairy products, I can't get enough nutrition without supplementing with Boost or Ensure daily, which contain milk!
Unfortunately, the GI specialists where I live and the nutritionists don't seem to know enough to answer my questions.
1. Most if not all commercial/prepared mustard is made by soaking and grinding mustard seeds into paste then adding vinegar, salt, perhaps some oil and sugar. Since the seeds are broken down into a smooth paste and product labels indicate zero fiber, does anybody know if is it ok for a GP person to use 1/2 tbsp mustard once in awhile?
2. I also have a question about celery seeds, which are extremely tiny. I fail to see how 6 to 8 celery seeds occasionally sprinkled into egg salad or potato salad or soup could possibly contribute to bezoar formation or exacerbate diverticulosis, especially since five or six times that amount (or 1/2 tsp) contains only 0.1 grams of fiber. So, can someone tell me if consuming a few celery seeds now and then are safe?
I did check several sources and Crystal Saltrelli is the only person I found who
indicated a GP patient can try such things sparingly and see if they're tolerated.
If you or anyone else knows where I can get real answers to those and other questions besides the so-called gastroparesis diet websites burping (pun intended) of "avoid this" or "limit that" on a gastro diet, please let me know.
Thanks!
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Hi,
As for the supplementation, there is one for renal diets known as Nepro, though I am unaware of what the expense is. I have had gastropareiss for 10+ years and a master's in nutrition, though I am NOT a dietitian.
I have gastroparesis and do a modified gastro diet. I take in a moderate amount of fats and fiber. With vegetables, I try to run them through a food processor, for a minced consistency.
To note, it took a fair amount of time for my system to become acclimated to even a moderate amount of fats and fiber. I feel I had to "train" my system to tolerate this and it took a while, and tolerating some discomfort. I also supplement with a probiotic which has produced a very significant improvement in symptoms. I did this because the gastro diet in my opinion is very unsatisfying.
As for the celery seeds, I don't know how to advise other than to say I use them on rare occasions and have not had any issues with bezoars. I use stuff like mustard seeds and relish when making a tuna salad and seem to do OK. For milk, you could also try a lactose-free milk which contains a reasonable amount of protein, though I am not sure how well your kidneys can tolerate this.
I don't know if you are on a full renal dialysis diet, or if there are just certain nutrients you need to limit.
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2 ReactionsI am new to this site. My husband has gastroparesis and I get list of no/no foods and the next list I find is different. Is wheat flour a no/no. Also broccoli cauliflower?
@annabelle1245, last night I tried a half serving of cooked-to-mush-then- mashed cauliflower and tolerated it well (other than some gas a couple of hours later.) Slowly re-introducing certain well-cooked veggies in tiny amounts seems to be the key as long as it is only one new thing at a time; if something doesn't agree with me I will avoid it again and may or may not try it again later.
The vegan "chicken" nuggets I eat are from Morningstar and they do have wheat in the breading. Serving size is 4 but I usually have only one or, at the most, two. If I'm going to make "chikn" salad, I remove the breading but if I eat only 2 with the breading intact it seems to agree with me. I certainly would never suggest someone with a gluten allergy do what I do, however.
I have read that May-Wah makes gluten-free vegan chikn nuggets available for shipping at about $8 per pkg, https://www.fakemeats.com/May-Wah-Vegan-Chicken-Nuggets-Gluten-Free-p/mwi-4-718785-09008-1.htm. I have read that Dr. Praeger's vegan chicken nuggets are gluten free also but have never tried them. So many vegan "meats" have a lot of sodium, more than is good for anyone but especially so for people like me with CKD and for that reason I haven't tried many.
Haven't introduced the celery seed yet, will let you know when I get some from the store and experiment with 35 or 6 tiny seeds at a time.
Good news on the cauliflower! I can handle it in small amounts and checked this book out of the library "Cauliflower Power: 75 Feel-Good, Gluten-Free Recipes Made with the World's Most Versatile Vegetable" and loved the recipes (snippet of cover photo attached). Here is a link so you can see some recipe examples: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cauliflower-power-lindsay-grimes-freedman/1131086260 Tried the garlic naan and coffee cake and loved them. It is a bit tricky cooking with cauliflower but practice helps. I purchased a used copy.
Thanks for the info on gluten-free vegetarian chick patties - I checked Sprouts and they now carry their own brand of these! Still a little pricey but could be justified for a special dinner!
Good luck on grinding the celery seeds!
Cauliflower Power cookbook (Cauliflower-Power-cookbook.pdf)
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2 ReactionsHi @lindacampagna,
The gastroparesis mantra is low fiber low fat and I was told that I could eat canned asparagus - have you tried that? Very mushy! I couldn't imagine a diet focused on canned asparagus. Being a vegetarian, this was hard for me to digest so I experiment with small amounts of well cooked vegetables and note which I can handle. I can handle canned mushy foods like heart of palm and artichoke hearts. I definitely can't handle raw vegetables because either they get stuck in my throat (e.g., raw carrots) or cause major distress (e.g., fennel carrot diced salad). I can do well-cooked broccoli and cauliflower (see other posts on this stream for more info). I am not a health care practitioner so am not advising your husband to try any particular food but I am just sharing my personal experience.
I find that softer foods work well like tofu over tempeh. I was not able to add powdered fiber because it caused major distress. I can do small serving of well cooked oatmeal but can't do anything with gluten/wheat/seitan without major bloating. I can do 1/2 small apple. I chew my food for what seems like a ridiculously long time and drink room temperature water with my meals and throughout the day. I also do 5 to 6 very small (kid-size) meals so it seems like I am always grazing! 🙂 I try to eat nutrient dense foods like guacamole and thai peanut dip. I think the reason that I can't do store-bought tzatziki is because of the raw cucumbers but I haven't tried making my own without cukes or with the skin and seeds removed.
I found it difficult for a spouse to adapt because they have trouble understanding why I just can't eat three normal-sized meals a day but over time seeing my distress finally lead to understanding. Keeping notes helps.
Wishing you the best!
@catmomma, hi. Thanks for your input. Am planning to try a very few celery seeds next week and see how it goes.
Am not on dialysis for now but do follow a renal diet as much as I can and still follow a gastroparesis diet. I have to limit protein somewhat and watch phosphorus, potassium, sodium on a renal diet and limit fiber on a gastro diet and mostly have liquids, purees, and soft foods. It has been difficult for me to get enough nutrients without exceeding either a renal diet limit or a gastro limit and as a diabetic I have found it challenging to get the right amount of protein on a vegetarian diet without getting too much fat.
I do tolerate small amounts of dairy (it's in Boost, for instance) but otherwise avoid it.
Please share any insights or info or suggestions whenever you can and thanks again.
Hi,
Are you also trying to do gluten free, I am reading this thread and having difficulty determining that. The gastro diet does not demand gluten free, though it can help with some symptoms. You may be going too restrictive. Did a kidney specialist make recommendations as far as your diet goes-any recommendations at all. Diets as restrictive as I am seeing mentioned here are usually reserved for people on dialysis, though that is one area I am not an expert in. It is extremely difficult to eliminate certain foods without restricting the diet in other areas. What does your GI specialist say about diet? GI may be able to refer you to a dietitian who's more well-versed than I would be. Do you use Mayo? I feel reluctant to advise for this reason. I wish I know how to help.
What I hated about the standard gastro diet is that it does not feel very satisfying. I can well imagine you're running into that, depending on symptoms.
@catmomma, hello.
I do have a medical background, certain research skills and writing skills and a fairly good grounding regarding diabetic diets, so until gastroparesis came along to complicate everything, I was able to design a workable kidney-friendly, diabetic-friendly diet. But gastroparesis and inadequate nutrition have complicated things.
I'm not trying to be gluten-free but do avoid gluten foods whenever I can. (As a someone with renal disease on an ovovegetarian renal diet modified to conform as much as possible to a diabetic diet and a gastroparesis diet, I do eat soft white slider buns daily, mostly for the protein content since I cannot eat meat.)
My nephrologist suggested a vegetarian diet several years ago and I made that transition fairly easily. Unfortunately local dietitians were "behind the times" about kidney diets, especially meat free ones, so as I've indicated in other posts, I had to research and design my own renal diet and was able to improve my kidney status as a result, with a few ups & downs, including short-term dialysis now no longer needed - I'm now back to stage 4. (My nephrologists and PCP still offer their patients my recipes with my caveat that since manufacturers do change ingredients and since nutrition content labels also change it's always good to read every label every time a food is purchased.)
I'm also a type 2 diabetic and there is conflict between a diabetic diet and a renal diet. For instance, a diabetic diet encourages consumption of whole grains whereas a renal diet does not due to the extra potassium and phosphorus contents of whole grain foods. (Forget about whole grains on a gastro diet!)
Therefore, as someone with gastroparesis, that diet really conflicts with the other two.
And as I've said before, local GI people here also have been unhelpful, partly because they seem to know little about the other two diets and their food suggestions for gastro would put my only remaining partial kidney at risk as well as make my diabetes management next to impossible.
Hence my restrictive diet to try to manage three chronic illnesses. Lack of adequate dentition restricts me even further.
As for Mayo, this is as close as I can get. I no longer am able to travel and Mayo's wouldn't take my insurance even if I could travel and could afford to get there. I am so grateful for these support groups and for extremely knowledgeable nephs and PCP.
I used to be a gourmet cook and truly enjoyed food (too much!) I used to say I never met a food I didn't like. Gastroparesis has taken the joy out of eating and since I am so mobility impaired (also have Parkinsonian tremors,) I no longer can cook much or continue to experiment with recipes. Having spent a year in and out of the ER and in and out of the hospital and gagging if I even attempted to swallow anything, being able to drink juice and Boost and consume purees and soft foods is an improvement for me. In short, I have felt so awful until recently that eating was a traumatic experience!
Things have improved, though. I do enjoy mashed potatoes, soft avocados, very well-cooked carrots, spinach, beets, and cauliflower and have yet to grow tired of vegetable juice and certain fruit juices.
Any suggestions you might have will be most appreciated so I can continue to improve my nutrition status. Thanks in advance!
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2 ReactionsWhere can I find the gastro diet? When I go online the info comes up as an ad.
Hi,
The biggest things to remember are this:
Low fat (not no fat, limit)
Low fiber-fruits should be peeled, canned are a good source as well, or minced/pureed)
No seeds
No skins
I found this source online as well:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/gastroenterology-and-gi-surgery/newsfeed-post/gastroparesis-diet-guidelines-1/
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