rhizo-

Thanks for the additional information.

You can control carbs and sugars if you use hi-maize resistant starch, and make your baked goods and breads with gluten-free flours like coconut flour, nut flours, and banana flour (something I've added to our diet recently), which are all fairly low-carb and high-fiber, and skip the refined grains and sugary foods entirely.

Many recipes can be sweetened with stevia, Swerve, 100% Pure Trehalose, Truvia (which is erythritol/sugar/stevia mix), just to name a few (I avoid Splenda and Nutrisweet - especially Splenda - which gives me strange sensations in my lips and tongue) . I also use coconut palm sugar (in moderation) as a sweetener because it has a low GI number (Glycemic Index), has more nutrients than white sugar, and is lower in fructose (I have to watch fructose/ fructans - from all foods, not just sugar).

Most people should aim for 25-35-grams of fiber per day, and I easily get double that amount due to my food choices without any fiber supplements.

There is a big "discussion" about how questionable nuts and seeds are for people with diverticulosis, and if they cause infection. In some reports there is NO scientific evidence to support that theory. In fact, nuts and seeds, including popcorn hulls, sesame and poppy seeds, as well as almonds, all contain fiber that may actually help people with diverticulosis. BUT....each person reacts differently to foods. If they experience bloating or pain after eating certain foods, including nuts and seeds, they may need to grind them first, or make sure they take care they thoroughly chew them before swallowing, as well as limit how much and how often they eat them.

I'd also recommend chia seeds over psyllium for insoluble fiber. With chia seeds, you not only get lots of fiber, but omega-3, antioxidants, and protein. Twenty grams of chia = 7.18 grams of insoluble fiber AND 1.07 grams of soluble fiber. Chia helps prevent diverticulitis.

Alisande,

Here is an interesting article on probiotics. I find fermented foods hard to find but they, apparently, contain a broader range of good bacteria than the supplements can provide.

I much prefer to buy Dr. Perlmutter's specially formulated blend that he has developed based on his research.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/14/gut-microbes-for-healthy-immune-system.aspx

These contain lists of foods that are prebiotics:

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/best-prebiotic-foods-for-optimal-digestive-health/

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/examples-prebiotic-foods-1516.html

On the chia seeds, be sure to grind them for the nutritional benefits. (Ground seeds are also available).

http://longevity.about.com/od/antiagingfoods/a/Chia-Seeds-Ground-Or-Whole.htm

Thanks, Snookums! I'll read all when I get home from Scrabble. (Fun is healthy too.) :-)

I'm not a baker and never will be, except on rare occasions such as holidays. I don't enjoy the process one little bit, a shame, I know. :-(

I agree that I should begin to add chia back into my diet on a regular basis. I'll start small to see how it goes. I have long known that most nuts don't do me any favors, but I do enjoy a handful here and there.

I'm making out my shopping list for my trip to the store!

Every evening my husband and I have several prunes and 2 generic brand fiber tablets. Even our peke gets a prune, he loves them...have been doing this for years.

Guacamole.

Also I thicken my protein shakes with guar gum, I don't use it as fiber I use it to make the shakes more like milkshakes.

How about a bit, tsp or T ? of canned pumpkin each day. That is a popular remedy for pets.

I fear that the recommendation I'd offer may already have been covered, so try to take in the spirit offered. My granddad has diabetes and a few other issues that I have to consider while fixing meals. One thing that has helped him is to go 'upward' on the processing charts. Of course, 'whites' (rice, breads, flours, sugars...) are right out. So the next step for him to learn was whole, or less-processed grains. You already have considered that though.

So, the one thing I would recommend not already mentioned, is whole barley - not pearled. We add it mainly to soups. It's a natural moderator of blood sugar, but it has to be the whole grain. I'm not saying they are a cure-all by any means, but adding whole barley to the diet is a long-known help for those with diabetes who need more fiber. We have to get ours from a 'health food' store. None of our local supermarkets carry the whole grain. I'm sure though, that you can also order it.

Bananas, Rice, Appelsauce, and Toast=BRAT diet. Used for diarrhea, because they're binders. Opposite of what you want. Cut out bananas and apples at all. Try another fruit instead in your smoothies.

Rhizo -- add some coconut oil to your coffee every time you have a cup. Drink coconut milk.

The canned pumpkin is a good idea, have some I need to use..along with the prunes and fiber tablets.

Thanks, rgreen....I actually picked up some barley groats the other day! It's one of the grains that I'm going to add back into my diet. I love barley.

Peke, I wish I could have prunes! They're little sugar bombs for someone like me. I used to love them, though.

I'm not going to give up my half an apple, lol.

Lindsey, I wish I could like the taste of coconut oil in coffee, tea, or anything cooked. Is there a fragrance free (taste free) version with all of the same health benefits? I use ghee in my coffee, yum.

I do use unsweetened coconut milk in my green drinks, sometimes.

I think everything I know about what to eat has been mentioned. I will add, however, that once you have all that going into your diet, long walks are very good. It's not so much total movement, but long, leg-stretching walks. I don't know if you can achieve the same effect on a treadmill, but taking a walk walking is a different motion than walking in place on the floor, or running for that matter.

We puree foods for babies because they don't have teeth and have their digestive tract are not fully developed. Nature gave us teeth and digestive tracts to handle whole foods. Drinking veggies is a step backwards. If we don't allow our digestive tracts to do the work they were intended to they become lazy. Try eating your veggies including that half apple instead of drinking them. Chewing and digesting whole foods also slows and stabilizes the entry of nutrients into the bloodstream. Sounds like a plus for a diabetic.

I do eat large volumes of veggies, almost every meal. I've chosen to increase my phytonutrient intake by incorporating the pulverized fruits and vegetables into a delicious drink several times a week.

Doing so helped me move towards my goal of being medication free, no doubt in my mind.

It's taken me about two years, but I was weaned off my last medication (for high BP) just this week. My green drinks would be the last thing I would give up.

:-)

You can get odorless and tasteless coconut oil - LouAna brand from Wal-Mart, and Barlean's Organic Gourmet (black container - not the one marked virgin in the white container) on sale now at Sam's Club. You can also choose the more expensive Carrington Farms Coconut Cooking Oil (unflavored & odorless) - also available at Wal-Mart - remains liquid at room temperature. I also use NOW MCT Oil (unflavored & odorless) and add them, or just a dollop of regular coconut oil, to my morning cup of cocoa (made with a low-sugar homemade mix) - or make my favorite salad dressings and vinaigrettes with these flavorless oils. The only fats/oils I use are Kerrygold Butter, Pure Indian Foods organic grass-fed ghee - both high in vitamin D and that's why I buy them, coconut oil, and I'll make schmaltz or render some lard occasionally. I've never liked olive oil and it just goes to waste - so I don't buy it anymore.

I'm with watchmelol about liquid calories. When you DO drink a green drink, or are into juicing, you need to masticate each mouthful in order to start digestion in the mouth. No gulping green drinks....

It's not only about having bowel movements, it's about frequency, shape, and the transition time of the food you eat, and how quickly/slowly food gets through your system. Check information about the Bristol Stool Scale - what condition your condition was in!

If you have diverticulum (small pockets in the intestine wall that develop when the intestine has to work too hard to move food through it), you may also have "leaky gut". The two seem to go hand-in-glove. There are any number of factors that affect intestinal permeability, but a low-fiber diet can contribute. Replace the bad bacteria and toxins with good bacteria. Choose resistant starches that your body doesn't absorb, instead of simple starches.

When you take a powder/pill/capsule for fiber, instead of nutrient-rich high-fiber foods, you will miss out on important oils, micronutrients, and antioxidants that will also feed your body. Back to, "let food be your medicine".

Good luck Rhizo, I don't have that problem so I can not advise you. Just hope whatever you try will help.

Sue

I can't believe you posted this. I was thinking about doing so today! I was going to ask for people's favorite probiotic. I've used Align regularly with great results, but I get confused by the different brands and their "3 billion", "20 billion", etc. I'm reading this post with great interest.

I already have the diet that should "work", but I do need the addition of a probiotic.

Good luck rhizo.

The Wikipedia article on the subject says that so-called "leaky gut" syndrome is bogus, unproven to even exist. Linked to below. (an article I came across from a discussion in another recent thread)

Leaky gut is medically unrecognized

I don't know anything, comparatively speaking, aBout nutrition and agree that juicing is not the cureall infomercials want us to believe. However there is a huge benefit nobody talks about or perhaps take 4 granted:. Juicing allows your taste buds to become familiar and eventually accepting of flavors (veggies specifically) that one wouldn't otherwise eat. I HATED sweet bell peppers but after a year of juicing with BP, I learned to loved them and much prefer to eat BP than to drink BP. Husband hated Beets and ginger. They're still not on his fave list but he can eat them w/o gagging or whining--all b/c I juiced with them often. I don't juice daily these days, more like in spurts b/c I agree that eating veggies is better than drinking veggies. But I thank juicing for altering my palate in a good way.

That's interesting, bossy....about learning to like certain things by including them in a green drink. ;-)

This thread has been an incredible accumulation of healthful, thoughtful, and informed suggestions.

I cannot thank you all enough.

Rhizo, the coconut oil we use the most is made by Tropical Traditions, and it's their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. We buy the 32oz glass jars, especially when they do their two-for-one sales. Recently they had a sale on the 16oz glass jars of it -- buy two, get two free, and I bought four and got four free. :-)

We also use the Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. Sometimes I buy it from Amazon, but we also buy it in Whole Foods.

Both of those brands do not smell or taste like coconut. Coconut oil is liquid above about 75 degrees; below that it is solid. It has a shelf life of at least two years, and does not need to be refrigerated.

For the best benefits, you should consume about 3 to 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil a day, but not all at once. If you drink several cups of coffee a day, just put a teaspoonful into each cup. You won't even taste it. Or have an 8-ounce glass of coconut milk.

We cook our eggs in coconut oil instead of butter (when we do use butter - for anything - it's Kerrygold). Hubs has been on a brownie kick lately, and we always use coconut oil for the oil in the recipe/package mix. The brownies turn out really, really good, and you don't taste coconut at all. We also eat coconut milk yogurt, and coconut milk ice cream.

Even Dr. David Purlmutter recommends coconut oil.

Even spinach, kale and other greens that I didn't hate but would not be my first choice, became "familiar" flavors after juicing them a while. I derisively called salads rabbit food but these days I actually call them Delish. Juicing changed me that way.

Lindsey, we have the Tropical Traditions virgin gold label, too. But it's cold pressed, and has a very distinct coconut taste and smell. I use it exclusively on the outside of me, not the inside. (Been using coconut oil for years.)

Have not even investigated a non-cold pressed version and will have to do so. I am so interested in something to use that doesn't taste like coconut!

Thanks.

I think that was me that recommended the ghee, Rhizo. Glad you like it! The brand that I like best is Tin Star, which I get at Thrive for 31.95 for 32 oz. That's the cheapest place I've found it. I go through about 1 jar a month, I love it so much. For the constipation issue, I would recommend psyllium husk powder. I use the organic by Now foods. It seems grainier than metamucil, but I think it works better.

Ghee is just clarified butter, yes? Should be fairly simple to make at home, I would think. Or am I missing something?

Sleeper, thanks for the ghee. I'm so impressed by the energy it provides, the feeling of satisfying hunger, does it have a mood elevating component? I love the flavor it imparts to everything, including my morning coffee. I swear, I dream about that coffee at night.

But psyllium? No way! I tossed the container I bought after a few in good faith tries.....straight into the compost pile, lol.

Susan, I know that you can make ghee at home. Be sure to use organic, grass fed cow butter. I'm thinking, but don't know, that it's less expensive to buy the finished product than to make it yourself in the amounts you need. Maybe our dear grainlady can provide edification.

I find that it has a rich, caramel like aroma/flavor in my coffee but a buttery flavor when used for frying, sauteing, or seasoning steamed vegetables.

Thanks, but I'm not making ghee, Rhizo. I can't have butter. I was just responding to Sleeperblues' comment about buying it. Sounds pricey.

Ghee (clarified butter), as Alisande pointed out, IS simple to make. You melt butter over med.-high heat until the milk solids separate from the oil and sink to the bottom of the pan. Pour off the oil through a strainer or cheese cloth into a jar, leaving the milk solids in the pan as much as possible. It's essentially the butter fat only.

(Alton Brown how-to: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ghee-recipe.html) Toss the milk solids.

The reason I purchase the ghee I use (Pure Indian Foods - http://www.pureindianfoods.com/organic-grass-fed-ghee-s/4.htm) is because it's made from the milk of grass-fed cow's - so it's rich in natural vitamin D and CLA. It's also casein and lactose-free. You can read more about the difference between butter and ghee at the Pure Indian Foods link above.

Thank you, grainlady. I've been buying Ancient Organics' brand of ghee, which is also of excellent quality. I'll be happy to try your brand, however.

I've tried them all, and both pure Indian and Ancient organics are good. But I still love tin star the best. Yes, Rhizo, I dream about my coffee too. I thought I was the only one! Put a tablespoon of heavy whipping cream in there too, put it in your bullet or blender and it's like a delicious treat that keeps me full of energy until I finally eat food around lunchtime. Sorry about the psyllium, it is not the most pleasant but it works:)

Alisande, if you don't butter because of the milk solids, ghee would work perfectly for you. It's delectable.

I don't eat butter because of the saturated fat, which I assume is in ghee. It's not because of something I've read; it's because saturated fat gives me angina. My dad was the same way.

That's scary, Alisande.

So, while obviously tasty, does ghee still give you that buttery flavor - for those of us who loooove butter?

The flavor of ghee reminds me of the cooked butter flavor I associate with homemade English Toffee, or even browned butter. It's definitely different from sweet butter due to the cooking process it goes through. I mix ghee with LouAna coconut oil as a topping for popcorn every Saturday night ;-).

I will have to try it and cut down on some of the saturated fat in my diet. I do eat Kerrigold grass-fed but have not found an organic variety.

Snookums, ghee doesn't taste like butter....though when I use it to flavor steamed green beans, for example, it does take on a buttery flavor.

I think it tastes a lot like butter, only richer. Especially the tin star brand, that's why I like it so much. Alisande, sorry about the angina with saturated fats. More and more studies are being done showing that saturated fats are good for you. Bummer.

Has anyone tried the cultured ghee? I'm wondering how it tastes compared to the regular.

Wow, going from $3/lb for Kerrigold to $20-$25/lb (Tin Star). That is quite a leap.

Ghee is nothing more than butter that has been cooked down to remove the water, then strained to remove the solids. I've made it many times for use in Indian cooking. Yes, it's delish and adds great taste to dishes, in small doses!

Rhizo, I guess you don't like the taste of coconut, eh? I know the Tropical Traditions site says that they way they produce the oil creates "a crystal clear oil that retains the full scent and taste of coconuts." But have you actually put a teaspoonful in a cup of hot coffee and then tasted it? Did you really taste coconut? Because I have eggs for breakfast several days a week, and my eggs are cooked in coconut oil but I don't taste coconut at all. I have hot coffee every morning with coconut oil in it and I don't taste the coconut.

Lindsey, you're right.....I have never tried it in my morning coffee and I'm going to give it a try tomorrow morning.

I had tried it for my eggs and to season steamed vegetable and was pretty horrified by the results, lol. And I love coconut! I'll report back, for sure!

Regarding the ghee, some of us have begun incorporating it into our diets because of the health benefits, not the taste. The fact that it pretty delicious is a nice treat!

Just good ole prune juice!

Rhizo, talk to your doctor about taking a OTC stool softener too. Yes, I guess fiber is wonderful, but if you have a medical condition like yours (me, too), there is more to do than just fiber.

snookums -

I usually split my ghee order between regular and cultured. Cultured ghee has a mild (tangy) fermented flavor, but not a whole lot of difference between it and regular. You would want to use cultured ghee (or cultured butter for that matter, if you make or purchase it) as a spread, not in baked goods, since heat destroys the "good" bacteria from being cultured. That's why I never heat-process homemade sauerkraut. I'll freeze it, but won't home-can it, to preserve the good bacteria.

And you're right about the high price of Kerrygold butter. We just use less....to compensate for the higher price, but believe the health benefits are worth it (even on my $125/month food budget for 2 adults).

TIP: If you are buttering pancakes/waffles, toast, etc., if you melt a small amount of butter first, apply it with a pastry brush, you'll use MUCH less than if you spread it with a knife.

I buy less-expensive butter at Aldi for baking and often use a blend of coconut oil and butter in baked goods. Coconut oil is expensive, too, when you compare it to butter prices (although butter prices just went up a couple months ago). The nice thing about coconut oil is that you can use up to 25% less in many recipes, than the amount of fat it's being substituted for, and get the same results.

I also blend natural peanut butter (purchased or homemade) 50/50 with softened coconut oil; keep it in a canning jar at room temperature and use it as a spread. Sometimes I'll add a little sweetener to the mix (coconut palm nectar, molasses, honey, golden syrup, maple syrup, sorghum syrup, all will work). If you get a sugar craving, slowly eat up to 1-T. of this mixture (or even plain coconut oil). I start with a teaspoonful and the craving will usually go away.

Thanks for the information.

So, you can't heat sauerkraut before you eat it? I thought it was served hot.