So even before we discovered that I have Crohn's Disease, and that several of our kids have IBS (which is really just the early stages of Crohn's), eating was a hard thing. I have to count carbs, and I have to get whole carbs as much as possible (pre-diabetes).

Fortunately, eliminating the junk food just about balanced out the increase in cost for extra veggies and going whole wheat. Whole wheat noodles are twice the price of white, but we discovered that you only need half as much to feel full. Brown rice is more expensive - the good stuff is about 4 times the cost, but since it is still fairly low per meal, we adjusted.

Well, with prices going up, and my diet getting more restricted, I just feel like I'm being shoved into a corner with no way out!

I can no longer eat non-organic cheese, or meat. I cannot eat beans, lentils, or split peas. Anything soy is out. I have to use whole wheat (white is not at option AT ALL!), and I require fresh vegetables or frozen at every meal, or I have problems. I can only tolerate lactose free milk. Processed foods with curing salts (every kind of non-organic chicken or pork in our local stores has this, it seems), or with MSG, or any other common preservatives or additives are out. Anything with too much sugar is out. Pre-baked goods are out. Canned veggies are not an option.

Every single thing that I can eat is more expensive. The kind of flour that is best just jumped from $2.18 per 5 lbs, to $4.59! How can I possibly absorb THAT, when we have to bake everything? We go through 25 lbs of flour in a week (down from 50), which means our cost went from $10 to $23 just for flour. High Altitude Whole Wheat Flour is good, but not nearly as good as the Prairie Gold that we like to buy.

$4.50 for 8 oz of organic cheese, and $5 a lb for bison (which I CAN eat, and which is less expensive than organic beef but substantially the same). I have to cook my meals separate, but how can I justify the cost of my food equaling the cost of the food for everyone else in the family combined?

We have a small lot in town. No way we can ever afford to live out on property where we can raise our own animals. We can grow a very small garden here, but that is limited too - Wyoming is a hard place to garden, and we have only a three month growing season. I'm growing sprouts, but they take time, space, and maintenance, and I am impatient, we have little space, and I forget to water them regularly!

I've determined that Satan's goal in these times is to make it unaffordable to LIVE, let alone have kids!

I looked over the $45 menu at HillbillyHousewife.com. There's hardly a thing on it that I can even eat, and the stuff that I CAN eat on their lists must be made with whole wheat flour which isn't anywhere NEAR the $.96 per 5 lb basis that they are estimating. Other ingredients have to be converted also, so I come up with about $80 per week just for MY food.

We found peanut butter last night for $1 a jar (the small jars, but still a good deal out here). We bought 2 cases - I'd have cleaned them out if we'd have had more money to spare. I can't even eat the stuff, nor can one of my daughters. But the other three kids and Kevin can - so they'll get a lot of peanut butter. At least, until it starts giving Alex stomach aches.

I don't think there really is a solution, other than just try to cope. So I guess I'm really just venting, but will gladly listen to any suggestions that don't involve beans or refined foods! :)

Laura
Mom to Eight

Hi Laura,
A couple of thoughts--you may have already tried these, but here goes.

Couscous and bulgur--we fix these on a regular basis. Middle eastern cooking...yum.

Cornmeal--cornbread, polenta (another favorite here), or grits (though I'm the only one in my family who eats grits).

Barley and millet--we use these on occasion for soups, stews, and stuffed things, like squash or peppers.

Quinoa and triticale--Have tried these but that's about all I can say.

Lamb or fish--would prices be comparable by you?

Gnocci--can you eat white potatoes?

Then there are the veggies we use as meat substitutes--eggplant, mushrooms, sweet potatoes.

Spaghetti squash--can find this cheap during summer.

I have IBS (under control with meds) but when my type ii diabetes was diagnosed and controlled I had much less trouble with the IBS. One thing I can't do is eat veggies off a salad bar--there's something about the preservatives used that sets me off!

GG

Dried corn is off my list now, including cornbread, corn chips, corn tortillas. At least, that is what I THINK is doing it... Sometimes hard to isolate whether it is the popcorn, or the other stuff on it.

I've used Triticale. Just a wheat alternative. Spelt is good also. But I get along fine with wheat, thankfully!

I have problems with many kinds of fish, have not isolated what it is that does that yet.

Lamb is WAY too expensive out here.

Potatoes are fine, but I'd have to learn to make gnocci, since anything pre-packaged is not ok.

We'll be growing our own zucchini and crookneck squash this summer. Squash is expensive in the stores here, even in summer, because of the distance it has to be shipped.

Would have to see if I can get couscous in whole grain - so far have only seen it in white out here. We do use boiled wheat in some foods.

We also use barley, though I have to limit how much of that I have. It works best mixed with brown rice and boiled wheat. Millet isn't an option.

IBS is very often a precursor to Crohn's, and can be caused by some of the same issues. I had it for about 10 years before I had Crohn's symptoms. Milk is one of the biggest triggers for it, and usually you can isolate trigger foods to eliminate symptoms.

What happens is, you get sensitive to certain foods. They cause stomach upset and intestinal symptoms - but they do more than that. Over time, even minor sensitivities will cause irritation to the lining of the intestines, which starts causing malabsorption of a few key nutrients. That throws off your chemical and hormonal balance, which in turn, increases the likelihood of diabetes, blood pressure problems, persistant weight loss OR gain, arthritis, migraines or sinus headaches, chemical sensitivities, allergies, and a host of other problems. The process gets into a progressive cycle that grows with each new sensitivity, and eventually the lining of the intestines is damaged badly enough to cause pain. It is far worse than it seems at that point, because pain is the LAST symptom in the cycle to become apparent.

Typically, people are diagnosed with Crohn's when they cannot function anymore due to constant pain, and severe peripheral symptoms. But the fact is, most people HAVE Crohn's disease for 5-10 years prior to experiencing significant pain, and then for another 5-10 years before diagnosis.

Doctors are very slow to diagnose Crohn's, often just call it IBS to get you to go away. People who have Crohn's often end up labeled as hypochondriacs.

See, you go to the doctor because your joints hurt, your muscles hurt when you exercise, and your hormones are messed up, you have depression, and constant headaches. This happens from nutrient deficiency, but not the stuff they usually look for on a blood test. So they run blood tests, do biopsies, and everything comes back normal. They figure you are a hypochondriac because they can't find something obvious.

That makes the patient feel discouraged, so they put off going in when they realize they are also having bowel pain. They finally go in, and the doctor says, "Oh, YOU again.", and calls it IBS, gives them some pain medication or other medication and sends them home. They won't really pay attention until it is so severe that the patient ends up in the ER.

Doctors are not taught to recognize early connections between IBS and Crohn's, nor are they taught the entire progression of the disease, or the peripheral symptom patterns - they simply do not know that peripheral symptoms and secondary conditions show up LONG before what the symptoms that they are taught to recognize as "classic" Crohn's symptoms. And a percentage of patients never have "classic" presentations. If you are overweight, they automatically assume you do not have Crohn's, because they are taught that Crohn's consists of weight LOSS, and pain. But early on, it can mess up your metabolism and make it nearly impossible to LOSE weight, as well as cause exercise intolerance. You don't lose weight until you are in the very end stages. That is where it is usually diagnosed, and at that point it is VERY hard to treat.

The biggest help to me is a pro-biotic supplement. Basically acidophilous bacteria. I cannot have yogurt though, that makes it worse. I have to take an encapsulated supplement. But I can feel the difference - it eliminates heartburn, and about 90% of my abdominal pain, and helps with some nutrient absorption.

Glucosamine Chondroitin (WITHOUT MSM), and Enteric Coated Omega 3 Fish Oil also help immensely. They are anti-inflammatories, and they reduce inflammation in the intestines, AND with my arthritis and sinus headaches.

Shutting up... gotta see if I can revise the formatting of the forum so that we get a wider reading area.

Laura
Mom to Eight