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Q. After months of daily diarrhea, my teenage son just underwent biopsies and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Gluten can sometimes be irritating for people with Crohn's, so we are trying to avoid it in his diet. That means we can't use store-bought coconut macaroons, though we read in your column that they could help calm diarrhea.
I have modified the recipe on the package of coconut to make him macaroons. He's been eating them for the past couple of weeks and the constant diarrhea has subsided. Best of all, he is starting to gain back some of the 22 pounds that fell off him over the past few months before he was diagnosed.
Here's my recipe: Mix 6 tablespoons sweet rice flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon almond extract, 4 egg whites, one 14 oz. package of shredded coconut, and 1/3 cup chocolate chips. Drop onto the cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees until the tops turn light brown, about 15 or 20 minutes.
A. Thanks for sharing your remedy. It sounds delicious. Many people with the inflammatory digestive tract disease known as Crohn's suffer from chronic diarrhea. In fact, we first learned about coconut macaroon cookies for this problem from Donald Agar, a Crohn's patient. He discovered the benefits for himself and notified us so we could alert others. He found that two macaroon cookies daily controlled his diarrhea.
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I read about coconut macaroons helping with diarrhea in this article in the Sunday paper a few years ago. There IS a gluten, dairy free source. Jennies coconut macaroons manuf: Jennies Gluten Free Bakery in Moosic PA.
They are available in health food stores here in WA and also on Amazon.com. They are coconut, cane sugar with honey, and egg whites.
For nearly two years now I have used a tablespoon or so of unsweetened coconut flakes with yogurt each morning and a Mounds minibar for lunch to control my son's ulcerative colitis. I started after first hearing of the coconut benefit on your NPR program. The ulcerative colitis appears to be fully controlled, We anxiously await a followup colonoscopy suspecting remission as has been witnessed here by others.. Thank you for the great work that you do.
Patty, thanks for the info-- I wish more people would share their source when they give out info.
I need a substitute for the egg whites. Any ideas for doing this? Thanks for providing a recipe.
I wrote your website about this recently. I was using coconut macaroons or just plain flaked coconut daily to help control diarrhea--------AND IT DOES WORK-----------HOWEVER, my Cardiologist said coconut will cause plaque to form in your arteries.
I need to know a CORRECT answer to whether or not coconut, or coconut oil contributes to cholesterol build up in the arteries.
PLEASE ANSWER, SOMEONE.
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: THIS IS A CONTROVERSIAL AREA. COCONUT IS HIGH IN SATURATED FAT, SO IT HAS BEEN ASSUMED THAT IT WOULD HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON THE ARTERIES. BUT THE EVIDENCE IS NOT SO CLEAR, AND SOME RESEARCHERS ACTUALLY CLAIM THAT IT IS BENEFICIAL.
In response to Abigail who needed a substitute for egg whites to make coconut macaroons, what about powdered "egg replacer" that vegans use?
Here's some info for you:
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/article10132.htm
And please remember that your average doctor had less than 10 hours of nutrition training in medical school.
Hope this helps!
I am a "yeast host" and a few years ago I had given up desserts and candy for Lent. When Easter came, I overdid it with desserts and candy but was surprised that I did not experience the expected yeast infection, itching, etc. Upon analyzing what I had eaten I realized that I had eaten several coconut macaroons and that coconut was a known anti-fungal.
I now utilize coconut oil capsules as needed to help keep my yeast under control. (You don't have to eat the cookies to get the benefits!) It is my understanding that coconut oil does not clog arteries. A brief internet search tends to confirm this, but folks should please check for themselves.
I bought Jennie macs 10-15 yrs ago when I was gluten, dairy, yeast, chocolate and many more items intolerant. I had to buy a grain mill to make brown rice flour since none was available in those days in the 70's. You just have to snoop around and read labels and study! It's all out there, and tons of products are now available gluten free.
I make a baking mix of many flours: rice, millet, oat, barley (if you tolerate a bit of gluten), tapioca, sweet-potato flours, garbanzo, pea, oat bran, and others as I find them, sometimes in Asian food stores. I use a Braun coffee grinder to make the flours cheaper, but most are available in health stores. For fiber I soak wheat bran in water to rinse the extra wheat flour off because I need it, since rice can be somewhat "binding". Rumford baking powder is my choice + baking soda, and I sweeten with lots of bananas, cut up dry fruit and cooked yams. Been baking like this for 30some years.
Passover coconut macaroons are available now in supermarkets & will not have any wheat flour, they should be gluten free.
There is something seriously wrong with this recipe..... a 14 oz bag of shredded coconut is HUGE! With only that little bit of egg white to wet it, it just didn't work.
I should have mentioned that I add a small amount of xanthum gum as a binder for the macaroons. Cute story... this post ran in the Oregonian this past week, and my elderly father called my son to tell him of a "cookie that could save his life!" My son asked me, "Mom, did you write in to the paper?" He thought there were just too many coincidences! He did know that I have been online - searching for whatever holistic assistance I can find, since his Crohn's diagnosis (his specialist has a pharmaceutical background, and I have no intention of seeing my child on lifelong meds). The great news is that he has gained back 14 pounds of the 22 lost, as of this past week.
Kathleen
Hi Laura,
I didn't create this recipe - it is on the back of the Baker's (brand) Angel Flake Coconut package...and it works. The only changes I made were to the type of flour, and I left out sugar and threw in a handful of chocolate chips. The recipe has been working well for us the past several months...
Hi, I want to ask if your son had pain associated with diarrhea? Mine (21 yrs) does have pain along with semi solid diarrhea and some blood. He is on prednisone and pentasa and I have started giving him virgin coconut oil 1 tbsp 3 times a day from yesterday. Your sons symptom discussion would greatly help me. Also is he in remission and continuing coconut macaroon? Are you giving a special diet for him? Your experience can greatly help us. Thanks. Suma.
I have found that sprinkling a tablespoon of shredded coconut (the kind easily available I supermarkets) on my breakfast cereal helps a great deal with chronic diarrhea.