Curious - What dietary changes have you made?

I reduced lactose almost immediately upon realizing I was lactose intolerant.

I tried adding fiber (most UC patients get this advice) but I felt much worse and so then went the other direction and ate only low residue foods for a while. Neither approach really helped me. When I'm flaring the best thing is to just not eat.

I did reduce the quantity of raw vegetables in my diet. That kind of happened naturally. I ran out of interest in preparing food, I ran out of energy to eat a lot of salad, thus the end of salads at every meal. Now I eat a salad about 5x/week.

I added in more lean protein. I was eating a primarily vegetarian diet, but legumes turn out to be pretty hard on my gut so I cut way back. Plus there's the whole lactose intolerance thing and cheese....and I felt better in general when I had more lean protein. I also have been chronically anemic, so I needed more red meat. Now I have meat about 2x/week, whereas before maybe 2x/month.

I eliminated gluten completely this summer. Very significant improvement in my mood, energy level and general belly happiness.

ADDED:  since you asked about dietary changes, I did not mention the fact that I have not eated artificial sweeteners, or much processed food of any kind, for a long time; that all stopped well before I ever had an IBD diagnosis.

Cut out anything with lactose in it and only eat red meat once a week at most. I make sure to eat at least one green vegetable or anything with calcium and fiber in it daily. I also drink at least a liter of water by noon, and more as the day goes by.

I'm almost 27 and I've kind of looked at IBD as my body's way of telling me to take care of myself. I exercise every day, eat well and take vitamins and probiotics. I realize this is a common thing, but I think a lot of people only start making these changes later in life than I have.

It's funny how I don't miss the unhealthy foods I once thought I "loved" now that I'm on the inside looking out.

Sounds great so far.

Being a college student I've always tended to go out and eat, get drinks etc... but all my friends could handle so much more food than me. I could always hold a ton of alcohol, never got sick (except down below) for a few years...

I immediately stopped eating dairy, and whats funny is we really dont even need it as a food group, whatever 'genius' came up with the idea that we should splurge ourselves with dairy everyday is whack, its hard on a lot of stomachs, not just us and we're often pumping hormones and enyzymes into us that our body doesnt need.

I love cheese to death and Ben & Jerrys Ice cream (as im from Vermont) so ofcourse this upsets me SOOOOO MUCH!!!!! And i'm italian, so cutting back on processed wheat foods is tough also.

I now eat TONS of vegetables, steamed (because thats what i've been reading and taught is the best way to get nutrients), i LOVE Kale, Sweet Potato, Garlic, Onion (ALL of which are extremely anti-inflamatory!) So this is good. And i use Tummeric, Cinnamon, Curry every day on my foods (all anti-inflamatory).

The other night i had my favorite: Annie's Organic Cheddar Bunnies (much like goldfish) and went to the bathroom almost immediately. :( Wahhh

AND CHOCOLATE IM A FIEEEEEND!!! So this really pisses me off that i have to watch my intake...

Drink almond milk, coconut water (for electrolyte loss).

And if i could eat fish everyday without getting too much mercury i would. Love fish, tilapia, salmon, tuna, you name it. Baked chicken or beef moderately. I was just in the process of gaining weight and sticking to a great weight gaining workout when this occurred. :(

Fish is definitely a winner. If I were to choose one meat for life, it would be form the fish category.

Since most people who have UC are from european decent, gluten free is HIGHLY suggested... And an old school potatoe and fish diet is the best... Grains were never common throughout human evolution, never...

Knew an old guy from Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, 90 years old with no medication at all. What does he eat? Potato, fish and carrots. Only two meals... Has a beer once and a while too. And he always goes outside and does yard work cause he used be farmer, and he always goes to bed when the sun sets.... Now THAT, is how you stay healthy :P its a joke how many people have horrible lifestyles and yet wonder why they're on so much medication.

I changed so much.

In the hospital in Montreal, I was recommended with a low fiber diet ( less than 10g a day). I cut on all whole grains, anything with a daily percentage of fiber over 4% per portion. The thing I miss the most? Hummus. I use to have full pots in front of the tv or in class... Now it's a ticket to a flare up. I eat now a lot of Asian food. Because a lot of it is rice based (instead of wheat or corn) and that the veggies are usually cook pretty well. It seems to be a good deal for me. But no more raw fruit or veggies. So I juice them to get as much fiber out as possible.

Yep yep.

my diet is basically all fruits, vegetables, and greens with a little bit of dairy when i feel like it. no meat at all. i eat grains on occasion. it is mostly a plant-based diet. i am pretty much a carb lover even though my nutritionist says all i need is protein. i can't stand it!! ahhh. he's convinced my family that's all i need, too, but i don't eat high protein at all. since this year has been my first flare, i couldn't eat a lot so i lost about 40 lbs. i'm glad to be back to eating healthy meals again though.

Its so funny as I read all these posts how everyones diets effect them differently, its self explanatory how theres no single-diet that can help everyone, but obviously certain foods (processed and junk) must be avoided.

Ben & Jerrys and anything cheese continues to upset my stomach (obviously), and for a while it seemed like Pastas did too. Alot of organic ingredients contain "soy" which i'm trying to stay away from because it irregulars the bodies hormones, and prednisone already makes me grumpy as hell.

My mom says its a blessing that i'm already seeing improvements in 3 weeks of being diagnosed and starting prednisone. I chose not to take 5 other medications my doctor prescribed (after getting horrible side effects), and so i'm doing alright. Although I have alot of gas and i still wake up like 3 times in the middle of the night having to make it to the bathroom with a stomach ache... but not as horrible or unbearable pain and as much blood loss as there was two weeks ago.

One thing i notice is that when i eat sweet potato i am perfectly set, same with any other colorful vegetables.

My recomendation to anyone is to go to nutritiondata.self.com and look up random vegetables, fruits, products and you'll see its anti-inflamatory rating. I also drink tea every night to help coat my stomach (licorice root and peppermint) have been proven to treat IBS and stomach stuff, and i can tell its really helping! Afterall I cant give prednisone ALL the credit here.

no sugar or sugar substitutes - I'm fine with honey. Sugar feeds bacteria
no gluten
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19519468
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17989107

no red wine, very little red meat
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21876358
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15726713
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21520042

lots of cooked spinach and resistant starch (cold brown rice, black beans)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110802091026.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10647628

I eat sushi, tons of cooked veggies, fish, meat, SCD yogurt, fruit, cheddar cheese, eggs, almond butter, larabars.