Passover is my favorite holiday… it always has been. Probably since it always falls right in, on or during my birthday. Possibly because of the Seder food I love, but it always seems to be the holiday I claim as my own.
Unfortunately this will be the first full Passover I will be honoring as a Crohn’s and Diabetes patient. So I write this diary as how to celebrate the holiday first as a Crohn’s patient, and then as a Diabetes patient, and then for people, like me, who is both. ;)
I asked my GI doctor when I was first diagnosed and he, also being Jewish, said as long as I did not overdo it, I should be OK. Well, that turned out to be good advice and so that is what I did and I turned out OK. So I let that be my guiding principle.. so if you let it be yours.. you should be OK. But if you realize each of us with crohn’s is different, the following guidelines might be very helpful.
Regarding the main foods of the Seder:
Charoset: My favorite! Unfortunately, for many of us the nuts, raisins and apple skins create a danger zone! So be very, very careful. MODERATION if you must. Do not overdo it like in years past...sigh. However you can modify the past with recipes calling for cooked apples, cinnamon and wine…
Maror: Just like some non-Crohn’s folks, some can handle the spice better than others. Know where you stand and do not push yourself. Red? White? Know your limits.
Chazeret: Just watch out...can spell trouble for us all. If you must proceed, moderation is called for.
Karpas: Raw parsley dipped in salt water is another problem for many of us. May I make a suggestion. Dip and suck. :) Then toss it without swallowing it. Problem solved, gut saved.
Hard-boiled egg: Yay! Finally a safe food for most of us!
Matzah: Causes problems even in non-crohns folks, so be careful! Limit intake to 1-2 pieces a day...your innards will thank you.
Grape juice or wine: 4 cups of either is a no no. The sugar and or booze in both will be a killer. Just watch out. Moderation. Small glasses. *PLEASE* do not do 4 full-sized glasses unless you want diarrhea to be your friend.
Gefilte fish: Usually, like the egg is not a problem for most of us… which is good since I love me some!
And last but not least…. NO macaroons. Coconut is a killer.
OK… on to diabetes.
If you want to get truly complicated and go out of your mind and are very religious go here for a full breakdown of figures on wine and matzah and laws and regulations. Oy. Too much for me. And I am not that religious.
SO, what is a man to do?
Matzah: packed with carbohydrates and causes blood sugar to spike higher than it would from a slice of white bread so watch out. Just like with crohn’s limit limit limit!
Grape juice/wine: The alcohol can cause low blood glucose levels in those who take insulin and or oral agents that increase insulin output from the pancreas. Reduction in insulin dose may be appropriate. And as mentioned above for crohn’s, the huge amount of sugar in grape juice can be scary. So make sure you watch out and use moderation.
Gefilte fish: If it is homemade watch out that its not made with added sugar, etc. 1 piece– 80 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 9 grams carbs so watch out and limit yourself to just 1.
Macaroons: One macaroon usually has *127* calories! So advance at your own discretion. I suggest staying away from them.
Egg, Karpas, Maror, Chazeret usually are OK.
Charoset: Oy… watch out. With the wine etc… watch out. You need moderation here.
So… lets combine the two.
We see a lot of similar things.
Charoset — moderation.
Eggs: OK for both.
Karpas, Maror, Chazeret — Not good for Crohn’s ok for diabetes, verdict avoid/moderation.
Macaroons: Stay away!
Gefilte fish: Moderation!
Matzah: Moderation
So… it seems that my GI doctor was right, but not specific enough. Moderation in most things, avoidance in some.
There are some websites if you are interested, that give good diabetes + recipes for us
So… please have a healthy and a happy Pesach.