Okay, it’s Thanksgiving. You have IBD, Crohns disease, or you struggle with food in general. And now your auntie wants you to polish off your Mac and cheese. Or maybe no one’s pushing you, you just really want ten slices of pumpkin pie!
In this case, we here at the Surgery Group of Los Angeles have provided this helpful guide for our readers to help undergo what we believe are your 3 real options: resist, recreate, or reward.
Resist
Just say no. Drink plenty of water. Take a lot of breaks while eating. Maybe just opt to stay away from the food and focus on talking to family and talking to kids. Meet your nieces and nephews or reconnect with your grand auntie.
Don’t think of this as saying no a bunch of times, but saying yes to other parts of the thanksgiving experience.
No need to explain yourself adnauseum. You know or your loved one knows why you’re eating a certain way, and outside of a few questions about what’s in the stuffing leave it at that.
Recreate
No one says that you can’t bring your own great food to your family Thanksgiving! Focus on the key attributes of great digestion and symptom-free food:
- Low gas = low fiber, high protein, low sugar
- Low glycemic foods
- Avoiding trigger foods that you know cause nausea for you
So if you want a great feast, make something that fits you and have fun with it!
Mediterranean-style turkey anyone?
https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mediterranean-roast-turkey
Low-fat mashed potatoes?
https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/healthy-mashed-potatoes/
Suddenly your thanksgiving meal may give you a great meal and great abs by New Year.
But seriously there are a ton of recipes that bring out the best of turkey, stuffing, and sides that are super healthy too. A Crohns or IBD-sensitive diet should never be joyless. So don’t make it joyless on Thanksgiving!
Reward
Look sometimes you just want to not think on a holiday and eat as much as you want whatever you want and deal with the consequences later.
While maybe not be the ideal solution for Crohn’s disease symptom-free Thanksgiving, if you’re going to indulge consider:
- A nice walk before or after your big meal, studies have shown that exercise promotes the body’s ability to digest food reducing inflammation which can exacerbate Crohns symptoms.
- Eat slowly at first – if you’re going to eat big at least avoid cramming it all down in one go, eat something you love for a bit then chat with a loved one and see if you are still ready for round 2
- Drop the fork, lift some weights – if you’re going to eat big, at least start lifting big, weight-bearing exercise not only helps ease symptoms it can help with osteoporosis, another problem associated with Crohns patients
Each patient with Irritable bowel disorders, chronic indigestion, and Crohn’s disease can see thanksgiving as a minefield of temptation and symptom disaster.
But you don’t have to sit out or sit in the corner. Have a plan and this can be your best than slicing yet.
If you or a loved one is suffering from Symptoms associated with bowel problems, speak to a medical professional today.
