Know foods that may worsen your illness

Iron-rich foods

Those who are embattled with one ailment or the other would most likely agree that as far as diseases go, they always have a trigger or something that makes them worse.

Physicians contend that though certain diseases come despite the best of dietary habits, their impact or pain could be reduced when one knows the lifestyle or dietary habits that could worsen the symptoms.

There are many diseases — ranging from the more commonly-known ones such as diabetes, to the less known ones such as hereditary hemochromatosis, Crohn’s disease, osteoporosis/osteopenia, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases — whose painful course can be controlled when you know the diets that could worsen their symptoms and you avoid them with fervent zeal.

Hereditary hemochromatosis

Sometimes, this disorder is pejoratively referred to as “iron overload.” Family physician, Dr. Damilare Okikiolu, describes it as a genetic disease that is inherited from both parents and which causes the body to absorb and store too much iron.

Decrying the effects, the doctor says iron build-up in the body silently causes health issues long before symptoms occur; and the disease affects persons of all ages and sex.

“The iron overload can cause many health problems, among which is insulin-resistant diabetes,” Okikiolu warns.

Symptoms

Experts say symptoms of hereditary hemochromatosis include muscle aches and joint pain, primarily in the fingers, knees, hips, and ankles. “One of the earliest symptoms is arthritis of the knuckles of the first and second fingers, chronic fatigue, depression, disorientation or memory problems, stomach swelling, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or nausea, loss of body hair (other than that on the scalp), premature menopause, heart problems, diabetes, enlarged liver and increased susceptibility to bacterial infections,” physicians say.

Dietary restriction

Gastroenterologists say individuals who have hereditary hemochromatosis must avoid raw shellfish, which, they say, can sometimes be contaminated with bacteria that might be harmful to someone with an iron overload.

Patients are also advised to limit red meat consumption, though they may eat iron-rich vegetables such as spinach, green beans/peas, broccoli and tomatoes because the body doesn’t absorb iron from plant sources very well.

Okikiolu says moderate amounts of black, green, or oolong tea is okay, though, as the tannin from tea helps minimise iron absorption.

However, breakfast cereals, breads, and snacks that are enriched with iron are no-go areas.

In addition to getting immunised against hepatitis A and B if the patient is a child, patients are also advised to limit vitamin C-rich foods because they enhance iron absorption.

And when they use multivitamin, it must not contain iron.

Crohn’s Disease

Physicians describe this as a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines. Though the cause is unknown, doctors warn that Crohn’s disease can cause ulcers in the small intestine, colon, or both. Its symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, and weight loss.

When it affects the small intestine, experts say, it may cause obstruction of the intestine.

Foods to avoid

Those who suffer from Crohn’s disease have a long list of foods to run from, and they include nuts and seeds, fruits with skin, popcorn, fried foods, cured meats such as bacon; tomatoes, coffee, chocolate, frizzy drinks, alcohol and dairy.

A nutritional advisor to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, Tracie Dalessandro,

sheds more light on the roles each of these foods could play in worsening the pains of Crohn’s disease.

She says, for instance, that because nuts are rough foods, the Crohn’s patient may be unable to eat them to a pulp. “When this happens, the nuts can further irritate the lining of the gut, worsening the symptoms,” she warns.

Again, though a fruit like an apple should be eaten with the skin, Crohn’s sufferers dare not do so, as they must peel it before eating the soft interior.

“If a Crohn’s patient eats an unpeeled apple, it can cause major digestive distress,” a Clinical Nutritionist, Dr. Remi Omotunde,” warns. “The same goes for vegetables with edible peels, like cucumbers,” Dalessandro further suggests.

If Crohn’s patients must eschew nuts and seeds, they must do the same with popcorn which, Dalessandro says, could be difficult to digest, and may therefore distress the gut lining.

Though we are all advised against eating fried foods, Crohn’s patients have more reasons to run at the sight of fried delicatessens.

As for cured meats such as bacon and sausages, the physicians warn that when a Crohn’s patient eats them, their high fat content can aggravate diarrhoea for some people. “Instead, choose lean high-quality proteins, like fish, soya, and smooth nut butters,” Dalessandro advises.

Again, they are warned against eating baked or fresh foods that contain seeds, including whole-wheat bread, tomatoes, guava, and some berries such as strawberries, among others.

Alcohol and other beverages such as coffee, frizzy drinks, and chocolates are also a no-no for Crohn’s patients because, experts note, they all serve as triggers for the symptoms.

Worse still, physicians say, because Crohn’s disease can damage the digestive tract, it can also cause lactose intolerance — that is an inability to digest the sugar found in milk and other dairy products. Hence, they are advised to steer clear of such foods. Instead, the doctors advise, patients could take soya milk.

Osteoporosis and osteopenia

While osteoporosis is a disease that weakens the bone, heightening the risk of fractures, especially among post-menopausal women, osteopenia affects the bone even during a woman’s reproductive years, thus becoming a fore-runner of sorts to osteoporosis.

Foods to fear

Experts urge people experiencing osteoporosis to avoid salt, which increases the excretion of calcium from the bones; and soft drinks, which, because of its rich phosphorous, inhibits the absorption of calcium.

While you may eat low oxalic acid foods such as white rice, salt, vanilla, mayonnaise, butter, cabbage, cucumber, apples,  lemons, lime, cherries and melon, foods to avoid include oxalic acid-rich foods such as peanut, cashew, almonds, pepper, ginger, soya sauce, walnuts, spinach, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, tangerine, green peppers, lettuce, celery, chocolate and whole wheat cereals.

The caffeine content in coffee can make you pass out calcium when you pee, so, you are advised to cut your coffee intake if you can’t avoid it altogether. Other drinks to consider include water, fruit juices, cola, ginger ale, cider and milk.

Since iron-rich foods can interfere with calcium absorption, and saturated fats (in butter, meat and fast foods) can all eliminate calcium from the body, those susceptible to these two diseases are advised to simply look away from them.

Again, too much protein-rich foods impact negatively on people suffering from osteoporosis, as they can reduce calcium in the body since the body uses calcium when we eat protein.

Atherosclerosis 

Okikiolu notes that though the human artery is flexible and elastic, accumulation of plaque can harden them, resulting in atherosclerosis.

“Eating an unhealthy diet high in fat will worsen atherosclerosis and increase the risk of developing a heart attack or stroke,” physicians warn.

Foods that are high in saturated fats will worsen the problem, experts say. And such foods include meat pies, sausages, butter, cakes and biscuits, as well as foods that contain coconut or palm oil.

Last line

Before you embark on any line of action concerning your health, experts advise you to see a competent doctor