Carrageenan and UC

I don't eat anything with carageenan in it, can't point a finger exactly just staying on the safe side.
It's a way to make foods thicker and creamy (ice cream) and because it's a natural product (seaweed) sometimes it's not even listed in the ingredient list.

I am also leery of "natural flavoring" when listed, no telling what that could be but my gut will probably not like it.

Yes, definitely avoid any products with carrageenan! A few years ago, during a very mild flare, I noticed I would react strongly to certain foods that weren't supposed to be irritating...after some label reading I found that these foods all had carrageenan. Another flare--I put myself on a chicken and rice diet and was still doing badly--the rotisserie chicken had carrageenan. >_>

I now read every label for it and avoid anything with it, you never know where it can pop up! I've seen it even in vitamins and protein powders... I've seen it labeled as carrageenan, chondrus crispus (often listed like this in health products), irish moss, or as "gum blend."

Once, when I was investigating the sulfite/colitis link, I found a chart with sulfite levels in foods. Carrageenan had sulfite levels wayyyy beyond any of the other foods! That may be the mechanism behind why/how it induces ulcerations.

Also-in another study (I have to find all these studies again, lol!), the emulsifier polysorbate 80 was found to be linked to intestinal inflammation leading to IBD and metabolic disorders. While I don't think that one's as horrible as carrageenan, I try to keep an eye out for it as well.

So basically eliminate dairy except Organic Yogurt.

whereas carageenan only caused inflammation and ulceration of the colon, of goats if I remember correctly, not full blown UC.

I have seen studies that show carrageenan can instigate ulcerative colitis is a wide variety of animals, including primates.

@uniformcharlie, sorry for the delayed response!

-Thank you for the info on polysorbate 80! I also saw what coffeemate saw--that the carrageenan can induce colitis. But the study I read on polysorbate 80 was very brief, much less comprehensive, and only mentioned inflammation--i am now definitely adding polysorbate 80 to my "must avoid" list!

-My trials with SCD--to be honest, it was about 3 years ago, so I don't quite remember everything! I remember I followed the diet closely, at first, but got discouraged as I did not see results. I actually bought the yogurt maker--but never got to make the yogurt. I didn't see much results from it, so I stopped pretty early.

-AIP Paleo--I liked this diet a little better (not in terms of food variety, but in terms of the reasoning behind eliminating certain foods). I did this one in Feb, but again, stopped at the end of Feb because I was not improving at all and still just losing weight. The one improvement was less nausea?

While you can eat so many fruits/vegs/meats on this diet, I could not because of the UC. So I got too exhausted from work + cooking every spare moment, and still not eating enough/being sick all the time. I may, however, return to AIP once I am on a good medication, because I want to heal my gut completely as well as induce remission. Many people use AIP to help with leaky gut and autoimmune, but I find it much more difficult for people like us, with autoimmune diseases of the gut, because we are so much more limited. I'd recommend giving it a shot tho!

I know this isn't a complete response--if you want any more specifics pls just let me know and i'll be happy to help!

I started aip probably 2 months ago now due to my first flare in over 2 years. I was on 6mp at the time(which I never was happy about). The drugs scare me and I hated how a flare would change my day to day life. I went to a nutritionist and started the aip plan. I was having trouble weening off my pred in this flare which hadnt been a problem with a couple small flares I've had in the past. Within 2 weeks of starting aip I was feeling better. I was able to get off the pred before starting the simponi my doc suggested. I had thought about not even going on simponi at this time but ending up doing it anyways. I was sooo tired of how I had been feeling.

Eating on aip wasnt all that hard and I admittedly had been a very picky eater. Veggies, seafood have never been my thing but are a big part of aip. Ive since grown to like a lot of these new things. There are many food options and resources out there for people on aip, they were extremely helpful. The one thing is the amount of time I now spend in thr kitchen cooking is 10 fold what I used to. Due to how good I feel its been easy to continue though. Bone broth and organ meats as well as organic produce and grass fed meats are a must add into your diet on this program.

Aip is more than just a diet though. Its a lifestyle change if your going to do it 100%. They suggest a minimum of 8 hrs but preferably 10 hrs of sleep a night, regular moderate exercise, and to avoid stress(easier said then done). This program has been an awakening for me and has changed the way I look at my lifestyle and specifically food.