Can food choices lead to a flare?

Hi there, you'll really have to find out for yourself what your own triggers are and that will take some time. Remission is a great opportunity to do it!

But anything that's abrasive to the lining of the gut is best avoided for anyone with gastronomic issues - imagine gluing sesame seeds, for instance, to a piece of paper then running that paper over an open sore.

Nuts, seeds and coffee are best avoided. All raw food should be avoided. If you're not doing so great at this moment in time, I would go easy on the veg and stick to white meats, fish and potato type dishes.

From your post, it sounds like you're currently in remission so if you don't have D and aren't making lots of toilet visits then you could start with an elimination diet to evaluate how different foods affect you and try to adopt an eating plan that suits your condition.

You might want to look into resistant starches as well and see how they affect you, they helped me. But ultimately, you'll have to find whatever works best for you as human gut bacteria are very diverse from person to person and determine how well we handle different types of food, particularly when our health is affected.

Off topic from diet, check what emotional stressors you might have in your life and do what you can to get rid of them - I've found no better medication than that for maintenance and staying sane ; )

Post Edited (Kevin Watson) : 9/19/2015 10:06:48 AM (GMT-6)

I believe carrageenan is indicated in colitis in animal studies. It hasn't been banned yet because corporations are lobbying to keep it in the food supply due to its cheapness. I wouldn't feed it to anyone since it might potentially prime them for colitis in the future. I recommend reading the report on cornucopia institute. There are a few other ingredients I wouldn't touch as well.

Other than that, it's a matter of listening to what your body tolerates. If you have issues with a food, then it's best to eliminate it or add it back in later. Digestive enzymes might help you digest some foods better.

I would also suggest building up your flora with resistant starches, fermented foods, kefir, probiotics and maybe even FMT. This might help your body tolerate additional foods.

Best.

I never got a clear answer to this question....

I agree with Kevin also so the answer is no in some people and yes in others. There is no one size fits all food that will make everyone flare. Everyone has different food triggers and some patients don't have any.

So far I have found that i tolerate cheese but not milk. I do take VSL3 every morning and eat a yogurt. I also try to avoid gluten but have not gone completely gluten free. I just opt for gluten free options given a choice just in case. I am kind of proceeding with caution I suppose. The one warning sign I have encountered prior to some flares is other autoimmune symptoms such as, an inflammation of my eyelid that can be felt if I try to put in my contact lenses. Another time I got a couple of abscess out of the blue. Both times these things preceded a flare.

Eating foods my gut dislikes definitely brings on symptoms for me and if symptoms get revved up then I'll be in trouble. For me high fiber, fructose, most dairy (butter and hard cheese are OK), gluten and raw veggies are the biggies to avoid.

It's a way of life for me so no complaints because a happy gut is worth it.
As you can see UC'ers do not agree about food and neither do doctors.
I'd let your gut tell you what it thinks and do as it says.

It's unlikely.

Food doesn't cause a flare, but dietary changes help some people control symptoms. Also, IBS can exist alongside UC.

The only correct answer I have seen posted so far is that everyone is different. Those saying that food cannot cause flares are just dead wrong. Maybe they don't for some, but for others they do. People should be responsible in what they post.

No, food doesn't cause a flare up. But if you are flaring it may be more comfortable to stick to a soft/low fiber diet.

Some yes some no.

I am clearly in the yes camp.

I just tried to go back to natural whey protein powder and some other choices since I was doing well and out of my pea protein and started going downhill.

Then I go back to the restricted diet and more of my supplements like MSM and I stopped waking in the middle of the night. 2 nights in a row is enough for me to get back to the things that have been proven to work.

Previously I ate the wrong food intentionally as an experiment and had to stop as a flare was gaining momentum and hard to stop was rolling dowhill.

Yes Fluff, without a doubt, for some folks, the foods they choose to eat can definitely cause a flare. Is food ultimately the cause, usually not. Something disrupting the normal functioning of the digestive system is.