Raw Broccoli & no colon YAY or NAY

I had my colon removed in July 2022 and reversal (ileorectal anastomosis) November 2022. Developed an ileus after the reversal. So NOT fun. Been struggling with wanting to eat for a while now. My body doesn't tolerate applesauce, but lately I've been liking cheeseburgers ‍. I can't think of a raw fruit or veggie my body has tolerated well-oh except bananas and small amounts of romaine lettuce. My general GI Dr ran some tests in March and thinks my small intestine is already doing a good job learning to absorb more and take over things the colon used to do. My sil is making a broccoli salad for Easter and it's something I used to like... but I don't know about raw broccoli?? Is that always a no go after no more colon?

Try roasted broccoli. Definitely easier to digest. And can make the same "raw" broccoli salad, but it's just a bit different.

Ya, my goal is not to get sick, because once I get sick eating something my brain puts it on the no more probably ever list.

Oh, remind me to tell you about the test results, I know you and I were talking about them while I was having one of them done.

It's one that has broccoli, cheese, dried cranberries, sometimes bacon,I think maybe red onions?...I want to say the dressing is apple cider vinegar, sugar or honey... there was an ingredient she told me about that I didn't believe her was actually in there

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Yo Crapster!

Look at you throwing those big medical words around.......ileorectalanastomosis???Wow, that's a mouthful!Think you're missing a space there in the middle.......like ileorectal anastomosis.......but it would be a great spelling bee word if it was just one!Supercalifragalisticileorectalanastomisis!!!Sorry to hear about the ileus.......I don't think anyone on here has brought that up before. Hopefully they'll get that sorted. Too bad I can't give you some of my motility......I don't need it all. But don't think there's a way to do that.

Now about the broccoli...........Yeah or Nay depends on what you mean. Will it be digested and absorbed....probably not. It's a lot of insoluble fiber when raw. It gets better when cooked, at least in terms of digestibility. My turn for some big words....

Raw veggies are high in insoluble fiber (which are hard for our stomach to break down and digest). When you cook it the heat breaks down some of this insoluble fiber and turns it into soluble fiber (easier to digest). It literally breaks the fibers and plant cell walls, making it softer and easier for the body to break down, digest and absorb the nutrients. How much soluble fiber produced depends on how hot cooking raises its temperature. High temps break the glycosidic bonds of the polysaccharides (carbs.....like cellulose) which releases oligosaccharides.....which means you get more soluble fiber. It's just that simple.........except cooked broccoli tastes like crap....at least to me.

So raw broccoli is a Nay in terms of absorption, but could be a Yeah if you want more insoluble fiber to firm up your output. Just depends on your perspective...........right?And pooping green will amaze the kids after their egg hunt is over. They'll think you ate the plastic green grass in their Easter baskets!!!But don't do that.

;O)

Maybe I like it better without the space.
I just want to know if it's going to make me sick. I know I should care more about what nutrients my body is getting but I'm at the if I feel like eating it, I want to eat whatever it is before I lose my appetite. I waited too long to go get a cheeseburger the other day and then I was too tired to make an effort to get a cheeseburger. If I cook meat myself I don't like to eat it but if someone else does the cooking part I'll eat it. Fun new quirks of food aversion. I did appreciate your explanation of the oligarchy or the actual word you used that I'm too tired to spell at the moment.

You're a hoot!

;O)

What I do with broccoli that I want to put into a salad, is just steam it a little bit, until it's still almost crunchy, but not quite, and then blanch. It changes the texture just enough that it breaks down a lot easier.

Terry

Please explain blanching to me. My mom never taught me how to do anything domestic. Anything I know how to cook came from watching others, recipe books, and lots of experimenting. When I was 15, a camp counselor named Vin, had to teach me how to do laundry. My mom was old school in that she did everything herself and wanted it that way and didn't think to slow down and teach her kids how to do those things.

If I Were in your shoes, I would not eat the raw broccoli. From the sounds of it, you tend to give up on foods if they give you problems. Raw broccoli is likely to give you some problems. Eat another cheeseburger Jeanne

Yeah vs Yay?

My kids got put on the naughty list for not going to bed and I was too tired to do their Easter baskets tonight. Don't worry all their candy is in a liquor cabinet b/c that has a lock on it so it'll be safe til summer when I forget it's there and will melt into a sticky sugary mess.

Oh I like you, we can be friends since you told me to eat another cheeseburger

Cooked or uncooked broccoli causes me to go all night, I have a hard time getting it through me. Doesn't make me sick or cause a severe blockage but I don't eat more than a small handful at a time and only 3 or 4 times a year. I know what it does to me and make that choice to eat it or not.

No problems here with any sort of broccoli, and I eat it regularly with other veggies, roasting some right this minute in the air fryer, you are going to have to find out the answer to your question the old fashioned way, all by yourself I'm afraid. Or make and take your own salad, doing what Gemini or Terry suggested ..

What?I tell you to eat cheeseburger all the time!!

Oh wait.........we're already friends.

Never mind.

;O)

We have an air fryer, I don't know why I didn't think about using it for vegetables, other than most veggies don't appeal to me since my ileus, but I used to like them and hopefully will again. I'm thinking tomorrow is not the day to try raw broccoli because my schedule is is booked through Monday night. I have a couple cakes to pick up today b/c I thought let's take a busy weekend and do more like combining all the April birthdays on my husband's side to celebrate together since it's difficult to get everyone together multiple times in a month. Banana cake is sounding more appealing to me than broccoli any which way at the moment ;So maybe a time when I'm able to be at home for a day or 2 in case my body decides to throw a fit would be better

It has to be a good cheeseburger not a fast food cheeseburger. Five Guys is acceptable. There's a chain called Swenson's that uses a little brown sugar on the beef that's really good. But typical fast food burgers

Hi CCD i would leave the uncooked veggies and load up on all the other good foods, ham, mashed taters, sweet potatos, roasted brussel sprouts, any pasta salads, but leave room for desert.

Hi! I was unable to digest broccoli before my ileostomy and I do miss it sometimes. I did make a dairy-free broccoli and potato soup since then and it worked out fine. Not sure if I would attempt to eat any raw broccoli quite yet. I figure I'll work my way slowly and graduate from the puree version to a steamed or cooked version next, to be continued.....

Only 1 way you can find out if something is right for you just try a small amount and see how it goes as whats right for one is wrong for another.....don't think this would go down well for Easter dinner lol, have you tried running fruit veg you like through a blender and drinking it instead I know it's not the same as eating and could possibly cause loose output but it's worth a try, if it worked at least you would get the nutrition from them

I knew you'd say try it!

I've been too cold for smoothies but once warmer weather finally comes that's more likely to be something I like hopefully. Since every fruit I've tried except banana canned peaches in juice has made me sick it hasn't made me too excited to try again/try more.

I stay away from raw broccoli and cauliflower.

Maybe take a small bit home to try when you're not so busy?

Seriously why don't I think of things like that?

just be sure to fix your doggie bag early so there's sure to be a sample left!

Haha another practical idea that didn't cross my mind. I'm bringing cheesy potatoes but I'm having to change how I make it. Since I won't have time to come home and bake it before going to in laws, I found a crock pot version with similar ingredients. But I wanted to do crushed cornflakes on top still... but idk how what would turn out in the crock pot?

Blanching is simply draining the broccoli, and then plunging it into cold water or pouring cold water over it to stop the cooking process. I have this great little microwave steamer that works wonders for veggies. I just steam for a couple of minutes, depending on how much I'm cooking, and then blanch in cold water. It also improves the taste of the broccoli too. Give it a try.

Terry

I have so many things on my do-not-eat list that it's ridiculous. I can't even tolerate cooked broccoli. Almost no veggies and only a handful of fruits. Definitely no couscous...comes out just as it went in. Sometimes it's fun to try things just to see what will come out. Just be careful on the amounts of the thing you are trying. A couple bites of a favorite dish can be satisfying and limit the amount of output of rejected foods, rather than a full portion that may result in a blockage or high output.

Lee

A lot of things come out looking just like when they went in, but the important thing is that they do come out, right? Just wondering why this is a problem. Does it hurt coming out or cause a partial blockage?

Terry