Hopefully Grainlady will see this post. She has a nutrition background and I am sure she will be able to come up with some ideas.

You could add avocado for healthy mono unsaturated fats. Protein powders, there are many on the market but I prefer something "clean" without all the additives in it. Ghee for healthy fat. Was going to say coconut milk/cream or coconut oil but you have an allergy. Could also use heavy whipping cream for added fat content instead of milk. A frozen banana makes it taste really good.

Rhizo makes some healthy smoothies. Perhaps she'll weigh in here.

But I'm sorry you have to go through this. It must be frustrating to have such a dramatic change in stomach health--not to mention the total unpleasantness of nausea.

The PPIs have been under fire lately, as reported on the news. They sound like good drugs to stay away from. I wonder if a probiotic would do any good. You might ask your doctor, just in case it would help. I've been taking antibiotics for several months for Lyme disease, and the probiotic Therelac has been very helpful to me.

I wonder if the flu screwed up your good bacteria in your gut and that's why digestion is so difficult. Try eating a yogurt with live bacteria, take a probiotic...look for one that is supposed to survive the stomach and make it into the intestines like from vitacost. Look for probiotics with lots of strains and lots of each. Also look at eating some kimchi and/or sauerkraut as fermented vegetables can be high in good bacteria. They also make probiotic drinks which have been found to be helpful.

I would also suggest you keep a food diary and see if there are particular foods or ingredients that make you worse or better. For instance, artificial sweeteners can be an issue. Others have problems with dairy or wheat. I can't do soy.

I can tell you what I put in my smoothies:

I soak 1 Tbs of chia seeds in water the blender for at least 10 min before making the rest of the smoothie...chia seeds absorb a LOT of water and can be constipating unless soaked. I then add one scoop of protein powder (I use whey protein from isolates without sweeteners), 1 tsp flax seeds, 1 tsp coconut oil....but you can skip that...then I add 1/2 banana, 3 chunks each of pineapple, mango, cherries and mixed berries (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry). I then add a good handful of organic kale and some ice cubes. I whirr it up, adding more water if necessary. The berries may turn it more khaki than green but it tastes good.

Thank you Alisande for reminding me of a probotic. I had been taking one until I had the flu. I'll take a look at beginning with a milder one again.

Re Annie's post, Therelac survives the stomach and makes it into the intestines. So does Schiff's Digestive Advantage, which costs less.

Annie - thank you for the Smoothie recipe. I'll have to figure out what chia seed are to see if they are related to nuts in anyway. Everything else except the coconut oil would be okay for my allergies.

okay. chia is a plant in the mint family. That should be fine. I'll go to the store in the morning and see about getting the fruit and chia seeds.

Idstarr, may be just me, but I find Kefir better at promoting good digestion than yogurt. DH on the other hand, swears he doesn't develop gas if he eats a little yogurt regularly (I suppose something we can all be grateful for ;))

I like the kefir drink at Trader Joe's and the price is very reasonable. It comes in plain, strawberry, blueberry and in winter pomegranate that is very good. Be careful adding too many probiotics at once, better to start slowly with a lower amount.

I use a cup of fruit juice, one serving plain Greek yogurt, a scoop of protein powder (there are many different kinds), and a banana or two. Toss into the blender.

Look up h. Pylori and see if your symptoms match.

Try Pepcid AC. It's been a godsend for me. I had two episodes of weird stomach pains with nausea last year, 6 months apart, and started taking it after the second one in October. I think I produce too much stomach acid.

It's not a PPI and is used to treat heartburn and peptic ulcers, which are caused by h. Pylori. I buy the generic brand, 20 mg., and take one a day.

I second drinking kefir you can buy it at any grocery store but it might not be with milk and yogurt it may be in a separate section it is at Kroger. I agree with a good probiotic. I don't know why your doctor has not given you Zofran but I would absolutely ask for it, there's no reason to continue to be nauseated when one Zofran can stop that in minutes. I am never with out some near by because some of the medication I have to take can cause nausea. I got off ppi my gastroenterologist insisted, he would prefer no one be on them. Don't drink with your meals wait at least 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after. Peppermint can help, try sucking on peppermint candies. In case diverticulitis is involved stay away from any type of small seeds and berries with seeds. Probably should have an endoscopy and a barium enema tests I would be going to a good gastroenterologist not just a family doctor. Very surprised those tests have not been performed already.

I'd also stay away from the PPIs. I got a terrible superbug 5 years ago--c-diff--and it took nearly 5 months to eradicate. During that time I learned about the value of probiotics and fermented foods, and I've never looked back. In particular I love homemade kefir; in fact, I swear by it. I was healed completely but am now very careful with gut issues and avidly following all the recent advancements in gut bacteria research. We're just on the cutting edge of it.

I make milk kefir. You can buy the grains on many local Craigslists. I am still using the same culture I bought 5 years ago and week after week it make marvelous, thick kefir. I often add blueberries and ground flaxseed for a satisfying breakfast.

For those who buy kefir--I realize making it yourself sounds like work, but it really isn't. It takes literally minutes about twice per week. Put grains in a jar; add milk; cover with cheesecloth (I just use a paper towel--it needs to "breathe"); and leave on the counter a few days until fermented. Refrigerate overnight, then enjoy. Repeat. It is far less expensive and tastes so much better and healthier than the store bought kefir.

So many great ideas have been shared, especially about getting good bacteria back in your gut and adding probiotics (from food and/or supplements).

I'm not a huge fan of smoothies as meal replacements because your digestion begins in the mouth. If all you do is gulp a smoothie, you miss those essential digestive juices we get from chewing. So in reality, you should masticate your smoothies in order to aid digestion (or at least swish it around in your mouth before swallowing to get the digestive juices flowing - especially if you drink it alone - without solid food). I use a small smoothie at breakfast each day as a delivery system for supplements we take (a gastrointestinal powder, 50/50 blend of chia and flaxseed milled into a powder, and hi-maize resistant starch, and I use homemade dairy kefir and homemade water kefir (MUCH better than using high-sugar juices) in the blended mixture. This would replace a glass of fruit juice for us, and be consumed as part of our meal.

Homemade dairy and water kefir are far superior to yogurt because they contain more types of good bacteria than yogurt, and many other reasons I won't go into at the moment. But I can only suggest making your own kefir from real kefir grains. For more information: Cultures for Health - http://www.culturesforhealth.com/ The only thing commercial kefir and kefir you make with real grains have in common is the name. Water kefir is our current replacement choice for fruit juice and soda/pop.

My personal favorite for digestive issues is to daily start adding a few cups of bone broth to your diet (Broth is Beautiful - http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/). Unfortunately, this ancient "elixir" is no longer used as it once was. I add bone broth or gelatin to my diet every day.

I'd also suggest getting a copy of "Digestive Health with REAL Food" by Aglaee Jacob, M.S., R.D. You will find it covers many diseases/conditions relating to the gut because it's not a one-size-fits-all issue.

I have been making "smoothies" for a few years and truly enjoy their simple, delicious delivery of healthful phytonutrients and other beneficial ingredients

Mine contain such ingredients as greek yogurt, kale, half an apple, fresh pineapple, and any other fruit or vegetable. Pineapple is good for the tummy; I consider it a must!

I would research protein powders to add to your smoothies, in order to make them a good meal replacement.

My morning sludgie this morning will have handfuls of kale and spinach, frozen mixed fruit, half an apple, chunks of fresh pineapple, a slice of lemon, greek yogurt, ground flax seeds, a T of ghee, and a protein powder. Water will be my liquid.

I wish you good health and a happy tummy soon!

If your typical diet did not include a lot of fresh vegetables, fruits and/or fiber, suddenly increasing these items in your diet can cause significant distress (gas, etc.) until your system adjusts... This could probably also include large amounts of dairy, protein powders, etc. Some folks systems are more sensitive to sudden changes in composition of diet, good luck.

grainlady, Thank you for taking time to post so much information.

Looking back, I think my great-grandmother drank bone broth daily. I remember her saying she was going to have a cup of "tea" but that it smell so-o-o-o-o good and always made me think of beef vegetable soup. It was very, very clear. She lived to be 96 and kept her own home until 2 days be for she died.

If I make some bone broth, is this an acceptable way to consume it, or should I try to work it into our actual meals?

I'm going to get a copy of the book and begin reading that as well.

Thank you,

Lisa

I have digestive problems due to ulcers and a hiatal hernia. I eat a yogurt or drink a glass of kefir for lunch every other day to keep things on track. It seems to work because I have had very few problems for the last year compared to before. Hope you find out what is wrong and you feel better soon.

I don't make smoothies, but I can recommend the nutrition you'd get by juicing. I use a masticating juicer, the Omega 8004. My standard mix is romaine, carrots, celery, spinach, kale, ginger, and lemon. Beet is a regular addition. I used to add half an apple, but had to stop because of Lyme disease.

I juice faithfully, and it makes a difference in my energy.

How are you feeling?

Grainlady, the information you provide is absolutely timeless and invaluable! Thanks so much!

Grainlady,

I also thank you for all your advice. I mad your jello dessert posted above and found it delicious.

I wanted to thank everyone for their help. Unfortunately, I ended up going into the hospital Sunday 5/29 as my general condition was worsening rapidly. So far it is determined that my liver enzymes are elevated and some cirrhosis has occurred. Test negative for hepatitis A,B,C etc. They've done liver biopsy, but results are not. As I have some ascites, they also drew 40 CC of fluid and have done some testing on that. Negative on WBC in fluid and no organisms observed. So far. unable to culture anything in the fluid. They've sent some of the fluid off to another lab for additional testing. The general thinking is an inflammatory response to an unknown agent (toxin, parasite, fungus, virus ???). My weight is stablized (I lost 25 lbs in the 2 weeks prior to this) and am managing to eat enough real food for about 1200 calories per day. Each meal can only consist of 3/4-1 Cup, but it is still food. Since I'm home until more results are returned from the lab, I wanted to again thank everyone, especially grainlady. I'm reading the Digestive Health with Real Food right now.

Lisa

Wow, Lisa--what an ordeal! I'm sorry you've had to go through this. You said it all started with a 24-hour stomach flu. I've read more than once that this sort of ailment is almost always food poisoning. Any chance you were eating wild mushrooms at the time? Some can cause liver damage as well as make you sick.

That's the only thing that occurs to me, but I hope they get to the bottom of this soon. Glad to hear your weight has stabilized and you're eating. I hope you have a good support system. Please keep us updated. Best of luck to you!

Alisande,

I'm fairly sure it was not food poisoning. The same symptoms went thru my whole work place over the course of about a week. Thanks for trying to think outside the box though.

Lisa

I hope you feel better soon and if you do pursue blending fruits etc. wash them all very carefully before peeling or cutting up. The outsides can harbor bad stuff and your system is going to be delicate for awhile. Take care.