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Vegan elimination diet needs more Protein


Fri, March 17, 2023 9:36 AM

I am newly diagnosed with Crohn's. I am vegan and my symptoms are pretty light - basically gas and some bloating. I am tryiing an elimination diet to identify the triggers for the gas and bloating but I'm having a hard time getting enough protein.  I only tolerate red lentils in the beans family, and green beans. I am trying flax meal.  I would appreciate suggestions for a whole food plant based diet that has enough protein during this elimination phase. I already elminated black beans and larger lentils because I was still having a lot of gas. Garbanzo beans were a bit of a nightmare! Today I'm trying millet. Thank you for any words of experience and support!

FPO Hanna
Joined Mar 17, 2023

Fri, February 09, 2024 6:09 PM

Reply posted for Hanna.

I second tge recommendation to talk with a registered dietician (make list of questions ahead of time.

Be sure you solidly understand the "complete protein" concept and issues well. The basics are easy, but a deeper dive into amino acid profiles and so on may be a good idea for a vegan diet long term. It sounds like you may already know some or lots on this, such as using complementary protein foods.

Common vegan foods with a lot to at least some complete protein, I believe, are soy (tofu, edemame, etc.), nutritional yeast (use it like a topping ir seasoning; it has a cheesy or nutty flavor), and quinoa ("keen-wa"), which can be cooked and used like rice or pasta.

Lentils are often somewhat less gassy in my experience, compared with "true" beans (some people call them all "pulses"). But, lentils are also very high in fiber, higher than beans, which can be a big issue for some of us with CD (don't know about ulcerative colitis so much).

Good luck with it!

FPO TheIleumOdyssey
Joined Jan 26, 2024

Tue, April 11, 2023 8:37 AM

Reply posted for Hanna.

I would recommend to talk to your doctor about your dietary needs 

FPO gameofcrohns42
Joined May 11, 2023

Wed, April 05, 2023 3:13 PM

Reply posted for gameofcrohns42.

Thank you!

FPO Hanna
Joined Mar 17, 2023

Wed, April 05, 2023 3:05 PM

Reply posted for Hanna.

A good website to check out is https://www.forksoverknives.com/how-tos/plant-based-primer-beginners-guide-starting-plant-based-diet/ hope it helps 

FPO gameofcrohns42
Joined May 11, 2023

Tue, April 04, 2023 10:43 PM

Reply posted for aleahmd.

Thank you. I do have a nutritionist and I will see what she can offer me. 

FPO Hanna
Joined Mar 17, 2023

Tue, April 04, 2023 9:49 PM

Reply posted for Hanna.

Hi! I would see if you are able to speak with a dietician who may be able to offer more alternatives. I used to be on the specific carbohydrate diet and a dietician was able to help me increase my calories and vitamins in a healthy and also not boring way. While I did eat animal products so not all of the same things will work, I drank a lot of smoothies and those are easy to mix in things like avacado and protein powder or whatever to supplement areas you are lacking. I know nuts can be tough for some people with IBD, but you could see if you tolerate those well as they have lots of protein. Good luck!

FPO aleahmd
Joined Sep 8, 2022

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