Gastroparesis Diets: What Works, and What Doesn't?

The title of this post is a bit misleading in that you may think I have a magic formula for what works and what doesn't work.  I wish I did.   The answer to the question in the title is simple:   I don't know.  Nobody really knows.

If you look up Gastroparesis Diet online, you will see many suggestions as to ways to "control" your symptoms through diet.  Smaller meals.  Lower fiber.  Lower fat.     When you think about the condition, these suggestions make sense:  Smaller meals will digest quicker.  Fiber, while good for you in general, is bulky and harder to digest.   Same goes with fattier foods.    You will see recommendations online for certain types of drinks (Orgain gets a lot of rave reviews for Gastroparesis sufferers; as do some gluten-free products if you have a sensitivity to gluten).   Does that mean it will work for you? Not necessarily.

The above paragraph seems so cut-and-dry, but just like everything else with this condition, nothing is that easy.   When it comes to a Gastroparesis Diet, you are probably going to find yourself doing a lot of trial-and-error.  You may resort to baby food, rice, crackers, nutrition shakes, etc.   As I have noted previously, when it comes to symptoms, you can have 100 different sufferers who all have their own unique symptoms.   Same goes with a diet - you put 100 sufferers into a room and ask them what foods work best for them, and you will end up with 100 different menus.     The worst part of the trial-and-error is that when you get to a food your body cannot tolerate, you are going to feel the after effects.     On top of that, you may find foods that you can tolerate one day, but then cannot tolerate the next.   Colleen has run into all of this; there have been times when she can eat a little bit of cereal and feel pretty good.   A few days later, eating that same cereal may not feel so good.  

Interestingly, last week I was talking about Chinese food - Colleen and I used to get it very often when we were dating, and even after we moved in together.   In the past few years, with Colleen's illness, it left our radar completely.  Last week, however, Colleen asked if we could get it again.  The interesting thing about Chinese food is that their diet dishes actually are right in line with a Gastroparesis type of diet.  Steamed chicken with vegetables has protein (chicken), carbs (rice), and nutrients (vegetables) that are sometimes lacking within somebody who has Gastroparesis.  The best part is that she has been able to tolerate it better than some of the other food she eats.   

Again, it is all about experimentation - some of the experimentation will not have good results, but you are never going to know what you can tolerate unless you try.    I would personally start small - if you want to try some cereal, eat a small amount.  Try to lessen the impact as much as possible initially.  If you find yourself able to tolerate a certain food, perhaps then you can try to increase the portion to a reasonable enough size (reasonable within the context of Gastroparesis, of course)

The loved one's role here is much smaller; you can't tell a Gastroparesis sufferer what they can and cannot tolerate, nor should you attempt to force them to try stuff they just don't want to try.  The condition is scary - if they think a food is going to cause a massive flareup, they should avoid it.   Don't try to convince them otherwise.