Recommendation for - Stay in remission diet/foods ?

Hej all

A lot of diet proposals are discussed here - all very informative. But for me also a bit confusing as some recommendations cover

1) Get rid of a flare (like the spinach recommendation)

2) what can out eat without irritating your bowel and get diarrea

3) What is forbidden when in flare / not in flare

4) What is allowed when xx etc etc

It all gets mixed up in my confused head!

What I will in particular appreciate if you could help me with is food for when you are in remission already and "just" wanna stay that way for as long as possible !!!

I have no bowel/diarreha (spelled wrong I know) issues, no pains. I feel perfectly normal and I WANNA STAY THAT WAY !!!

My UC condition when flaring is 15 cm up (worst ever was 30 cm, still no pain - but first time with diarreha - 3 years ago). Last 2 flares minor.

So, I would highly appreciate if you could help me sort in the recommendations to:

A) What food to include in your diet to help stay in remission

B) What definitely not to eat (e.g. sugar, coffee, beer I assume)

C) Most important vitamins, minerals, aimoacids to take.

What e.g. confuses me is whether bread in general, wheat, rice, pasta, potatoes etc are all bad also when in remission??

Some say raw vegetables/salat is good - others say bad

I start to be affraid of eating - to risk making myself sick. I also fear not to eat the good things as I don't know what they are......

Thank you all !! 

It is overwelming to try to figure out which foods are o.k and which aren't.  There is conflicting info even in the medical world. 

I believe the reason for this is because every person is different when it comes to foods that can be eaten without any issues versus foods that cause trouble.  But I think if you are in remission then you shouldnt worry to much.  Eat what you want to and if a food bothers you then dont eat it again.  I dont think you should avoid foods just because they bother other people.  If you are o.k. now then the things you are eating are probably o.k.

I personally strongly believe in the spinach/seed posts because it put me in remission for the first time ever.  The same foods used to get in remission are used to stay in remission (just in less quantities).  If you are interested, look into foods high in magnesium and beta carotene - especially spinach, sunflower seeds, carrots.  I believe adding these foods would be beneficial and help stay in remission.

There is a difference in what you might bother you when flaring or what actually contributes to IBD or flaring. Nuts, seeds, fatty foods, raw veggies, lactose, spicy foods etc might bother you while flaring, but not neccesarily when not flaring.

Caffeine, Sugar and "bad fats" ie animal fats and deep fried foods etc have been diet items suggested to contribute to IBD. I think they contribute to many more health issues as well and should be eaten in moderation whether one has IBD or not.

Other than that, like everyone here says, it's very individual. Grains, wheat and gluten are foods that some people tolerate and some don't. A simple test can confirm if these bother you or not. If they don't, grains are part of a balanced diet, providing fibre etc.

Some people have suggested eating more fish and omega 3 supplements, which I do.  "Good fats" are said to have anti-inflammatory effects.

It really does help also to keep a food diary. If you have a problem, check what you ate in the last couple days that it could be and mark it. If it happens again, try harder to avoid that food.

Don't be afraid to eat. If you miss good nutrients from not eating, you could do just as much harm as good. Just be watchful.

Good luck staying flare free

Just new here-so I don't know how much the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) has been discussed here. I was diagnosed with UC about 8 years ago. I was in terrible shape-taking high doses of meds and still flaring badly. Then I started the SCD diet and started improving in about a month. Staying on the SCD diet, I was off all meds in about 9 months and flare ups stopped. Have been doing very well now for many years. Its almost a cure for me- I say almost because occasionally I will get mild cramping-but never bad enough to go on meds. My Dr. says all UC patients should be on Cod Liver oil- by far the best type of fish oil for UC-because of its high omega 3 content and high vitamin d. Which is the other thing I wanted to add. Has vitamin d levels been discussed here? A Mayo clinic study has determined that most UC patients have very low vitamin d levels and that raising them significantly greatly decreases UC symptoms. My vitamin d levels were very low-my Dr. put me on massive doses of vitamin d. I take about 3000 per cent - yes 3000! of RDA. Dont do this without a Dr. supervision- mine monitors my vitamin d levels every 3 months with a simple blood test. Amazingly, taking those high doses of vit d puts me in the upper end of normal levels. And yes, I do get plenty of sun in the summer(when I can lower the doses) Winter are cold here (Iowa) and sun exposure is very minimal. Sorry for such a long message. Any comments?

50 years old- diagnosed with UC 8 years ago- totally med free for 6 years-Vitamin D therapy-Cod Liver oil- SCD diet

I've also had a lot of success with a generally grain and dairy free diet, omega3 supplementation and just recently added vitamin D supplements. When in remission, I can get away with eating a wider variety of foods, but I find it eventually comes back to haunt me in the form of mild flares. Trial and error over time will show you what works for you.

Subdued, can you please edit your signature to 10 lines or less? Thank you.