Archway Coconut Macaroon Cookies For Diarrhea

Is it the coconut in the macaroons that helps the diarrhea? I'd rather not have the sugar; however, I've suffered from diarrhea for years, supposedly from just hereditary causes, because there is no other 'disease' related to it, and I'm game for trying anything.

P Maple:
Have you been tested for Celiac Sprue? Diarrhea is one of the many and varied symptoms of this
inherited intolerance to gluten.

READ YOUR LISTINGS ON DIARRHEA AND COCONUT. USED
COCONUT MILK IN MY 19 -MONTH-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER WHO HAD BEEN SUFFERING FOR OVER A WEEK WITH DIARRHEA--INSTANT GOOD RESULTS.

I have had personal experience for my daughter who has IBS, and gets diarrhea regularly. We found Slippery Elm has been the only thing that seems to work for her.

Coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride (MCT). Most fats in our diets are long chain triglycerides. MCT is absorbed through portal venous channels rather than through lymphatics. Perhaps this is why the macaroons are a successful treatment for diarrhea?

While vacationing in Hawaii several years ago I attended a luau. One of the desserts was a coconut custard, and the staff discretely warned that eating too much of it might cause constipation. As far as I could tell, it was almost pure coconut milk/cream/solids with a little sugar and something to make it gel. So I suspect it is something about coconut that has the effect--desired or not depending on circumstances.

I suffered from violent, sporadic diarrhea for years, often after eating greasy foods. When Olestra (fat substitute) came on the market, I mentioned to my doctor that the side effect warnings were the exact symptoms I suffered from. She suggested that I might have an inability to absorb fats properly (hard to believe because I have a weight problem) and that this condition was the cause of my problem. I started drastically reducing my fat intake, and, voila, the problem disappeared. (Okay, once in awhile I'll have an attack after eating out... I figure the restaurant is using more fat than is easily evident to me.) Perhaps this fat reduction will work for others suffering from the same problem.

My wife has had upset stomach and severe diarrhea for years. It got worse and finally the doctors had to start looking for the cause. Nothing found and she was on all kinds of meds for this problem. A doctor at OHSU told her to try coconut macaroons. 2 in the morn. and 2 in the evening.

All her stomach problems and diarrhea have cleared up. She can't believe it. If she misses the macaroons for 3 days the diarrhea and stomach problems come back. I have since told several of my friends about this. They have tried them and without exception the macaroons have vastly helped or eliminated the diarrhea.

Diarrhea is not my problem, but frequency and urgency are definite problems. So I've been trying the coconut macaroons and they seem to be working! There's still a lot of frequency, but the urgency, which had been the very inconvenient problem, has seemed to disappear. I'm still working on dosage. Am up to about ten a day now. Thank you!

I shared this information with my brother-in-law who'd had diarrhea since radiation treatment on his prostate burned his colon and caused demoralizing daily diarrhea. The macaroons worked for him, and he is elated and actually planning on taking some extended driving trips. He takes two a day. He IS diabetic so my sister makes him a s/f batch.

I have suffered for over 30 yrs with IBS. I get it even when I don't eat anything at all. It is a stress-induced disease and is the no 1 disease in the workplace today. I have never heard of this therapy before, but am willing to try it. Thank you for the info.

I have had ulcerative colitis for 30 years. I have been on all standard meds, and nothing helps. I'm going to try the coconut macaroons. Do you have any other thoughts on ulcerative colitis? It is a life-stopping problem. If anyone has some thoughts I'd be glad to hear them.

My doctor mentioned this as an anecdotal remedy. So I tried two Archway coconut macaroons a day and in two days the urgency stopped and in four days the diarrhea stopped.

Might have been coincidence, but I think not.

I have always blamed my food allergies for my serious diarrhea problem. My allergies are whenever I accidentily eat unclabbered dairy products; all substitute sugars and/or butters and recently mayonnaise; hot spicy foods; preservatives; sulfites; and all lettuce. Within a half hour of ingesting one of these I have severe cramps and diarrhea follows. I use to love ice cream but it does a serious number on me. My other allergies like nsaids cause shortness of breath along with the diarrhea. The only help that I have found so far is Advanced Imodium. I would be grateful for any suggestions that you might have for me to use. Thank you.

I tried the macaroons for the last 2 days; seems to make matters worse rather than stopping diarrhea?

My mother has been suffering from IBS all her life. She is now 86. She also has undergone a partial gastrectomy for peptic ulcers. She saw some improvement on the cookies but became so sick of them she can't eat them often now. She now uses Activa yogurt daily and has cut down the daily 5-7 watery stools to 3-5 pudding-like stools only every few days.

Persimmon fruit is also a great stopper-upper. Fresh or dried, either way. And it doesn't take much, a single piece of fruit (fresh, ~1/3 cup, dried, ~1/4 cup).

If you can't find any in your regular grocery store, try looking in an Asian grocery store. Persimmon is very common in East Asia. And I know larger Korean grocery stores in the US will often sell dried persimmons (called "kahm").

I am so happy with the macaroons. It has stopped my diarrhea, but when I stop them will the diarrhea come back?

About eight years ago, for medical reasons (not weight) nearly 98% of my stomach was removed. Needless to say, chronic diarrhea has been a big, life-changing problem. I never heard about these cookies doing the trick, but I will give them a try. One thing I can say for sure: try and NOT DRINK ANY LIQUIDS right before, during, or right after, eating a meal. I promise this will make a big, big, improvment in your problem. JSW

Diarrhea is an adaptive physiological response to an underlying cause -- your body wants to eliminate something from your GI tract that it is not eliminating through the 3 other major routes of elimination -- lungs, kidneys and skin. Although chronic diarrhea is a problematic symptom, figuring out the cause of your symptom is vital to not suppressing the body's natural mechanisms to bring it back into balance.

Try 100% pure Caoco powder, highly nutrious and stops the watery stools.

My husband had a severe flare of ulcerative colitis three years ago, causing the doctor to discuss surgery. Desperate, we tried the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. It is extremely restrictive and requires a lot of cooking and planning. But it beat the alternative - I think that the thing that put him into total remission was the homemade yogurt, incubated 24 hours (to fully break down the lactose). He ate loads of it. Studies are now starting to show the value of probiotics.

I have suffered from diarrhea since I had a radiation implant. I do have good luck with Imodium DM but don't like to take too many chemicals so I only use it sparingly. Tried the cookies and they seem to help quite a bit.

My son had his large intestine removed because of severe ulcerative colitis and has urgency and frequency. I will suggest the Archway coconut macaroons to him. Does everyone who has diarrhea on a chronic basis know about gluten intolerance? It is a main thing to eliminate before you try any folk remedies. The cure is simple and non medical. Just eliminate all wheat, barley, oats and rye from your diet.

Just eat coconut flakes--better than the cookie.

I was diagnoed with lymphaic microscopic colitis. Immodium stopped working. Cholestyramine was a hassle to take. I tried the coconut macaroon cookies and had immediate relief. Two a day a lunch time and I forget that I even have the problem.

You can buy pure coconut oil from health food stores and take a tablespoon several times a day. It will stop diahrrea. You don't need to eat macaroons with all that sugar. Sugar can cause bowel problems in some people. Coconut oil also kills parasites.

Jennie's Macaroons are made with honey instead of sugar for those people avoiding refined sugar. I believe the only other ingredients are coconut and egg whites.

I read the coconut macaroon article and asked my doctor what he thought about using coconut instead of my Chron's medicine. He said that he has seen it work for others and to give it a try and to also add pineapple for the noninflammatory properties.

I have been eating a large pinch of coconut in the morning and again in the evening for 5 months and have no Chron's symptoms. I do add the pineapple a couple of times a week.

Very informative. I did not know about the use of coconut oil for diarrhea. I did know about the antiviral affects. Thanks.

yes my grandson has crohns and i buy him the archway cookies macaroons they really help him ! but i have looked all over for them . they are real hard to find ! i live in Indianapolis ,IN and i have went from store to store they dont carry the macaroons that much at all ! archway needs to know this and start geting them back in the stores ! we need them . gas is too much for me to try and find them !

I have recently found out about how macaroons can help with Chron's. I have since been eating them along with my family for about four month's. And I was able to cut my meds by 3/4 with NO side affects. I love eating them, and not only for the help that they are giving me. The only problem now is that we are having a real hard time finding them in two counties in our state.

I have a friend who has this problem and we have all been looking for these Archway coconut macaroons for 2/3 weeks, Where can they be purchased? Would any kind of Macaroons work or must it be Archway? His sister makes them and they are wonderful, but don't have the required effect. He is 5/6 years post colon cancer and has had multiple testings in last year with no solution to this frequency problem. thanks for help. I am a nurse and love your suggestions since they work!!!

My husband and I had a severe bought with food poisoning in late May. We had cube steaks on the grill, brussel sprouts, and salad (lettuce, tomato, green peppers). We were very ill for 2 days, and did not eat normally for 1 week except for the brat diet, no appetites. Then all the news came out about tomatos and peppers causing problems. He is fine now but I am still having problems, diarrhea and urgency. What tests will my Dr. run to see if I still have some bad bacteria in my system?

I found that coconut macaroon cookies from the "dollar" store worked just as well as the Archway ones at a much lower cost.

Archway cookies are hard to find locally, so I just found a recipe online. Very simple, no flour or egg, just coconut flakes, sweetened condensed milk, salt, vanilla & almond extracts. They are really good and they are helping my daughter who has colitis. Coconut Oil would be good too if you don't want the sugar from the condensed milk.

My 15-year-old son was diagnosed with crohn's a year ago and couldn't gain weight. He also consistently lacked energy. After trying "typical" American fattening foods, I started making him daily smoothies with the base of full fat coconut milk, some coconut oil, a bit of shredded coconut, plain yogurt, frozen pineapple and mango, protein powder and honey. He has now been gaining weight and no longer has frequent bathrooms visits...and the pain he was having is gone! He's generally more energetic and has a decent appetite now.

After having my gallbladder removed, I developed severe diarrhea; it didn't seem to matter what I ate, just that I ate; and about 10 minutes later I would be running for a bathroom! Horribly embarassing, because sometimes I didn't make it. My friend helped me research this problem on the internet, and we discovered that it *is* a side effect of a cholecystectomy, called "Bile Salt Diarrhea." I take a big fat pill every night, Colestid, which acts as a sponge to soak up excess bile in my system. I still have breakthrough at times. I have tried the macaroons, but can't figure out if they help or not. I will try the coconut flakes now, and the coconut oil. Thanks for the article and feedback.

I have used the cookies for a number of years and they work! Now that Archway is out of business are there any recipes that come close to the cookie?

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: THERE ARE SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS IN A RECENT EDITORIAL:
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/editorial/desperate_diarrhea_victims_bemoan_archway_bankruptcy.php

my mother-in-law suffers from diarrhea and we was buying the archway coconut macaroons cookies but now we can not find them anywhere . I don't know but have they stopped making them? That is the only thing that works for her the medicine does not work at all. T. S.

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: ARCHWAY HAS CEASED PRODUCTION, BUT OTHER BRANDS OF COCONUT MACAROONS, OR EVEN PLAIN SHREDDED COCONUT, MAY ALSO HELP.

Where is everyone buying the Archway coconut macaroons - I have searched the web for 2 hours and cannot come up with a site that sells them - help please! Thanks!!

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: TRY ANOTHER BRAND. ARCHWAY DECLARED BANKRUPTCY.

I tried to buy Archway cookies. They are out of business and therefore not available.

Instead of the cookies....

It's the coconut.......buy a bag of shredded coconut........

Trust me it works wonders.....

I have found "toasted macaroons" from CVS Pharmacy over X'mas. They are not cheap. They are from:
Crown Candy Co., Macon GA.
Their brand is: "Homestyle Candies."

I cant find the macaroons anywhere anymore, do you know where I can buy them?
viola

I heard about this as a remedy for dogs' diarrhea and found that it worked very well, AND I didn't have to force the dogs to eat them. However, Archway is indeed out of business. I have searched grocery stores & the Internet for a substitute with no success except for very expensive ones or recipes. A friend bought me something called "coconut macaroons" from the grocery store's bakery, more expensive than the Archway's and completely void of real coconut. Read the ingredients!

I had ulcerative proctitis on and off for 30 years, and my doctor (board certified gastroenterologist) said give them a try. Ridiculous as it sounded, I went out and immediately bought some and they worked. I don't put much stock in homespun remedies, and this seemed more than off the wall. But now I'm a believer. Of course Archway went bankrupt and they are nowhere to be found at the grocery stores.

I found a wonderful and easy answer to diarrhea that always occurred after eating fresh fruits. I take about 1/4 of a sheet of "Matzo"--(used during Passover for Jewish people) after eating fresh fruits like strawberries, oranges, apples, peaches, etc. etc. etc. It works like a charm, and Matzo doesn't have the sugar in it that macaroons do, although I might try the macaroons and see how they work.

I have been diagnosed with Crohns disease, and have frequent diarrhea daily. I picked up plain coconut macaroons today. And will eat two in the morning and 1 in the evening and will let you know if they help in a few days.

Kroger and publix grocery stores told me that Archway had gone out of business in November 2008.

I have suffered from UC flare-ups on occasion. I heard about the coconut macaroons 5 years ago but I hadn't had a flare-up in almost 10 years. In Jan I had a flare-up and my doctor tried 3 different meds on me to no avail. I had been having lose stools, excessive foul smelling gas, and cramping since Jan 4. On Feb 21 I was in a Cracker Barrel country store and I bought the toasted macaroons made by Crown Candy Corp of Macon, GA. I have had six of them over the past 3 days. The lose stools, cramping, excessive gas symptoms are all gone.

This is just incredible. These taste better than the Archway brand in my opinion but it may be because of the sugar, which I don't have a problem with. I never write comments but this worked so well and I'm so elated I just had to. Hopefully the word will get out to those who suffer symptoms that limit their life style. GOD Bless all.

Archway has been bought by "Josephine" I am unable to locate the macaroons in Pa., N. Carolina, Delaware. If you know of a source please share!! They do work for diarrhea. A cancer survivor with bowel damage from radiation!!

My husband had radiation in 1998 for colon cancer and has suffered diarrhea spurts since, how much coconut oil can one use?

I found mini coconut macaroon cookies at Trader Joe's (their own brand). They are pre-packaged in 1 lb plastic tubs for $3.49 which I thought was reasonable. They are very tasty. Ingredients: coconut, sugar, corn syrup, egg whites, baking soda, natural flavor, salt and milk. Unfortunately, many states don't have Trader Joe's.

Jennies macaroons - the ones made with just coconut, honey and egg whites that were mentioned earlier in the comments - do not seem to be available to me locally. Jennies come in 8 oz cans and cost $3-$5 a can. If you google them you will find several websites that carry them. The company that makes them only sells them in lots of 12 cans for $45 so you might want to try them before ordering that many.

I've read that Lance bought Archway and rehired the laid off workers but I have no idea if they will again make coconut macaroons.

I just bought 2 packages of Archway coconut macaroons at Winn Dixie in South Florida. They've worked in the past. I sure hope they work again. What's a good way to incorporate coconut milk into diet? Just drink it straight?

Lance purchased Archway and
they are producing the Coconut Macaroons. Hopefully you can find them in your local store.
I have a family member who has had problems and she eats 1 coconut macaroon in the morning and one in the evening and this has helped her.

Good Luck

Interesting information. It certainly helps if you have to 'take your medicine' to do it in the form of cookies BUT watch eating the processed foods especially for individuals dealing with IBS or any other chronic condition...why not try buying a fresh coconut and chewing on that!

If the coconut works for you - you will have all the benefits without the long term detriments of processed food consumption!

be well,
michelle
http://home-remedies-and-natural-cures.com

Are you kidding? I avoid coconut most of the time. Eating even a little bit causes instant diarrhea. It's like eating a bunch of tiny razor blades. I Googled around to see why coconut hurts my stomach so much (I have IBS) and found this article saying it HELPS? It renders me useless for days after eating. Pain, diarrhea, and loud intestinal gurgling... It literally is the most painful thing for me to eat. I can hardly believe people with IBS, etc. are recommending eating a bag of coconut. I think that would probably put me in the hospital...

A summary of the previous comments, and more:
1) Food items:
coconut macroons
coconut flakes
coconut oil
coconut milk
persimons
2) Brands:
Crown candies (homestyle candies)(CVS, Walmart,...)
Lance
Archway --> Lance
Trader Joe's
Jennies
3)Precautions - Read the label.
some macaroons have artificial coconut
some macaroons have ingredients that some people are intolerant to, such as:
egg, wheat (gluten is in wheat, oats, barley, and rye), soy, milk (lactose).
4) Where to buy macaroons:
CVS, Walmart,Wegmans,...
Also try Google search text: "where to buy coconut macaroons"

Take care folks.
Tom

My husband suffers a great deal from Ulcerative Colitis. We heard about the coconut macaroon "treatment" on the show and are very glad we did!
His colitis is not cured but, the debilitating cramps are gone and he says he truly believes his symptoms have become less severe since eating the macaroons. It should be noted that his Colitis is quite unrelenting. He takes prescribed Lialda as well.

We got the macaroons ours Whole Foods. There were two kinds there and he felt that one worked better than the other for him. The brand name is GEFEN.
Good luck to you all!

I find Archway at my Publix Super Market in Florida

I could not find the macaroons, but have been eating two or three teaspoons of shredded coconut twice a day....(I had a bowel resection four years ago and have suffered from diarrhea since then). It has been about two weeks now and there has been an amazing change... I have already cut down my immodium use.... Thank you to all the above suggestions. This has changed my life!

In Indianapolis, Indiana Target Superstores have macaroons in the bakery section.

I think I read an article in the Peoples Pharmacy about a man using coconut
cookies for his dog's diarrhea. I have been giving my lhaso apso one cookie
a day as a treat for several months. He has always been a fussy eater, leading to hit or miss bowel movements for years. Since the coconut experiment his poop literally bounces off the sidewalk, every time. I have only one concern. Will the amount of sugar in a cookie every day have any bad effects over the long haul? comments please.

Does this cookie have partially hydrogenated oil? If so, not good.

I just bought some Coconut Macaroons cookies at Vons.

I too was diagnosed with U.C. back in July of this year. Been on a significant dose of Asacol since.

I have read about the coconut phenomenon and bought a can of coconut milk from Trader Joes and had 1/4 cup of it with each meal and only after two days my symptoms subsided and the cramps were all but gone.

I noticed people try different brands of cookies and so forth. But I believe the best way is to take it as far back as you can. It isn't the sugars and the flavorings that are necessary although they could make it more palatable. However those extra ingredients have negative consequences especially if you are watching your weight, have issue with diabetes, and so on.

So what I do is I buy the actual coconut with the shell and all. Crack the shell and grate the flesh and there you have the freshest, unadulterated product. You can make coconut milk, cookies, and all sorts of foods with shredded coconut or milk to your hearts content. You don't have to be stuck with the cookies! You just need to know a little bit about how to get to the flesh and a few recipes. Write me back if you're interested and I will share.
Daniel