Diverticulitis vs. Corn

Here is my latest update in the diverticulitis learning experience. Corn is the enemy. I am not saying corn is bad for most people, I love it I think it tastes so good whether from a can to cob or popped or kettle corned I love it all.

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But my husbands stomach not so much in fact the last time we had corn he told me that it gave him pains where he has a known problem.

So what does that mean for me and him? It means no Cornmeal, corn chips, popcorn(which we already new was a no no), No Pizza that has a cornmeal bottom, corn bread, soups with corn including corn chowder and no corn on the cob. Also I have learned high fructose corn syrup in large quantities is no good either or any sugar substitute for that matter. Although Honey, Agave, Stevia, and sugar are all okay.

As a final parting  if it has or uses corn don't eat it. Any granule can be painful and not worth the doctors bills if it wears a hole in the intestines.

With all of that said I will miss you corn but for the sake of my sanity and my husbands Intestines I must say good bye. So, so long, farewell and goodbye. I shall miss your yumminess but not enough to go to the hospital with my husband again.

So here is a fun idea instead of corn bread with your BBQ  make a thicker bread pudding.

 This is a slight variation from the Betty Crocker recipe for Bread Pudding.
6 cups bread chopped up
1/4 cup butter
3 eggs
2 cups milk, buttermilk or eggnog( for a sweeter flavor)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Optional add ins.
1/2 cup seedless Raisins
or
1/2 cup chocolate chips, cinnamon chips

Bake 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Cool and eat you can serve with milk or cream

I recommend for your movie tonight to watch State Fair. It is a delightful Rogers and Hammerstein film. It is a tale of the joys of days gone by when the state fair was the place to go. I love this film it brings me a lot of Joy and watching the chemistry of Jeanne Crane and Dana Andrews is very calm to me. The movie makes you long for a simpler time.

Tonight I will be enjoying sloppy Joes,  Butternut squash, Bread Pudding and State Farm.

Happy eating!

1. Popcorn picture from a Google search of images of Popcorn.

So I found out today from my husband that apple peels create pain for him down in his intestines. So now I know that Apple peels are a no no for him.  So what to do about this because I do love Apples. So from now on I need to peel the apples.

So some fun things to do with Apples that my husband and I really like. I will cook up sausages and through in some sauerkraut and peeled apples or apple sauce on the side. Now all of my previous applesauce that I ground up the skins in does not seem to bother him so if I really feel I need the skins for him grind them in a canned applesauce that way the skins have been softened by the cooking process.

Also I have found that just slicing the apples and letting him eat everything but the peel also works although it drives me crazy because I see the waste. But I think is it really wasteful to save $5,000.00 in Doctor bills or more if his diverticulitis flares up or actually punctures. No thank you. I will avoid the peels instead.

On a side note Bananas are very bad for the disease. The seeds are small and they do get stuck in the pockets. So instead of banana Bread for breakfast it is Zucchini bread. Zucchini grows well pretty much anywhere and you can substitute it for apples in pie and pasta etc. Just make sure to remove the seeds. Though the seeds may not be as big a deal because swallowing would take some effort  best just to not take a chance.

Happy learning.

Diverticulitis and bread

This last year has been a real eye opener for me. My husband who is 36  was diagnosed last year with diverticulitis. It was not what I expected when I went to the hospital that November morning. We spent five days in the hospital and were told that it was a micro perforation and that we might want to get surgery as a preventative measure to remove part of his intestines. I am not at all pro surgery and my husband wasn't all for it either although we were willing to think about it.

As the year passed I did research trying to find recipes or a blog about ideas on how to feed my husband but all I found were different ideas how to cure it. Anywhere from eating diatomaceous earth daily (which eating mud that my grandfather used to use to kill worms in his dogs didn't sound like a good idea) to eat what you want and just keep getting surgeries to remove more and more intestines.

So we were good for the first month or so and then we got a little lazy but still stayed mostly to the diet till the summer. Then we just quit trying because he was doing good. But October rolled around and he was in the hospital again with a little bigger hole though no leakage.

After five days in the hospital I said to myself and my husband this is not happening again. I have some knowledge and I started really working on making sure he didn't eat what he is not supposed to. I also came to the conclusion that there must be others out there who are also in my same predicament. It was suggested by my aunt that I start a blog of recipes and my findings on what you should and shouldn't eat when you have diverticulitis and as I don't like to cook two meals for me as the spouse and for him. I am on the same journey.

I also am trying to be healthy.

So here is what the doctor said are the do's and don'ts:

Do's
Eat 30 grams of fiber a day
Protein

Don'ts
No Berries with seeds
No Seeds
No Nuts (creamed nuts are okay but they have to be fully creamed no chunks)
No artificial Sugars (aspartame, sucralose etc.)

I have also found that Corn is a problem for him so at our house no corn.

So what does this equate to a lot of no no's in everyday food. So what do you eat my first problem was bread I like the grain filled bread with lots of Fiber and Proteins. This is an absolute do not have. I did want bread for my husband to have sandwiches and in my research I found out that sprouted bread is really good.

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This is the brand I found worked really well. But I still felt I could do better so I know make two loaves of "Julia Child's White Sandwich bread" every Monday. My husband likes it and I like it because it is quick and easy. Below is the link to the bread I make.

 http://www.dinnerwithjulie.com/2012/03/04/julia-childs-white-sandwich-bread/

When I finish my flour I currently have I am going to try it with wheat flour. It is really yummy with Skippy peanut butter. This is the smoothest peanut butter I have found.

Good luck to all those working with Diverticulitis.



1. Google image under granny's sprouted bread.