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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/3/2016 5:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, all
I am currently in my final exams and living alone abroad . its very difficult managing to study , esp. studying medicine, and dealing with ulcerative colitis. I have noticed that if I dont eat a proper home made meal I would get alot of bleeding and worsenning of symptoms . due to my studying I dont have time to cook a proper meal . Im studyng in malta and there arent really healthy restaurants here , the healthiest is maybe subway .

plus my cooking isnt that good to a degree that I dont feel like eating what i do cook . does anyone know easy dont take much time , healthy and tasty recipes that I can try?
sometimes I sit and study in the bathroom.
and if you have any other advice on how to balance stuff would be helpful , like taking enemas and studying at night instead of sleeping, I try to do it but I end up sleeping.
thanks
Posted 6/3/2016 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
It depends on your preferences and what you can tolerate. I live alone too. What I usually do is make a big pot of rice every week. And one big soup which I can change according to taste. Like a curried sweet potato and carrot, some onion and ginger, whatever is fresh and available that week. I blend my soups and throw fresh greens on top so they can wilt. Supplement the rice and soup with a protein, for example, in Malta fresh fish. Are there street markets? If you have time you should shop there for fresh food.

Soups are easy: in a pot add a few tsp of olive or other oil, heat to medium, add fresh garlic, ginger, onions, spices. Saute. The tip here is that what you're really doing is flavoring the oil itself. Then add your chosen veggies plus water (or broth).

Rice: if you have a rice cooker it's very easy. If not just make sure you have a pot with a tight fitting lid. Usually directions are on the package, but it's basically 1 part rice to 1-2 cups water depending on the type of grain. White and jasmine 1-1, brown usually 1-1 1/2 to 2 cups water.

If you think healing while you are cooking your food will taste better. Try not to stress and good luck on exams!!
Posted 6/3/2016 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
Living and coping with uc is a challenge for all of us. The best thing you can do is treat your uc aggressively, find remission (an absence of uc symptoms) and then uc will be of little concern in your day-to-day life when you can just forget you have uc If you're currently suffering and struggling with your uc symptoms then get in touch with your gastroenterologist. Try something new for your treatment. Uc does get a lot better when your symptoms are well controlled.

If you can follow directions then you can cook. It doesn't have to be fancy and spicy. In fact, simple and bland is actually your very best way to eat when your uc symptoms are bothering you. So go with the complete basics, chicken, rice, pastas, and such. No need for oodles of expensive spices and cooking gadgets.

Agreed on cooking a big healthy meal that you can refrigerate, and then warm up and eat from as leftovers during most of your week. Soups, casseroles, chicken dishes, Italian dishes like those with panini noodles are great.

Raw foods are much more difficult on your digestive system. They take longer to digestive, and if your symptoms are bad then your digestive tract is moving fast. If so, well cooked is better than raw.
Posted 6/3/2016 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
I would agree with above posters. If you have a crock pot or can get your hands on one (I see them regularly at our local thrift shop for a couple of bucks, but don't know that you'd find one where you are...?), just cook up a big pot of soup. Throw in a bunch of healthy stuff, let it simmer gently for several hours and you have a pretty tasty, easy to digest ('cause it's soft and cooked), all-in-one type meal. Then hopefully it's good because you can have leftovers for several days after! It's a pretty economical way to cook too.

Good luck to you, sounds like you have a lot going on now between living abroad, studying, and UC.
Posted 6/4/2016 9:02 AM (GMT 0)
thank u all for the replys .

@zngrrl the soup how long does it take before it goes bad in the case if I refregirate it . also how long sould I leave it on the stove for?
thanks
Posted 6/4/2016 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
I guess it depends what's in it. If it's vegetables only you are fine for a week in the refrigerator, that's why it's better to keep the protein separate.

The cooking time will vary according to which vegetables are in it: after you saute all the veggies with the spices, add broth or water, bring to a boil and then simmer. It should be just cooked (fork tender), but there's no harm in cooking until very soft, in fact it may be easier on your digestion. I do blend my soups.

Best of luck in your studies!
Posted 6/4/2016 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
If available get wild caught Salmon - marinate with organic turmeric, organic pepper and salt and refrigerate it ( it takes max 10 min to clean and marinate 6-8 steaks).
Bake it in conventional oven for 15- 20 min .( browse net and figure out the safe and tasty marinade that suits you. Urbanposer, All against grain , SCD recipes are some blogs DD used)

Get a slow cooker and use it to make soups and other mixed dishes . Saves lots of time . Browse the net for slow cooker easy recipes.

Boiled eggs for breakfast are good for health ( hope u can tolerate eggs)

Some people makes smoothies with fresh fruits and yogurt . Very filling but make sure those are tolerated by your colon while flaring

Best wishes ....
Posted 6/5/2016 11:45 PM (GMT 0)
I like Zengirls advice, it really is all about being organised.

Once a week you could spend an hour or so preparing food for the week ahead. A good interesting soup, a pot of rice, Peeled cooked potatoes, tortillas, Lentil Dahl....all of which can be kept in the fridge in readiness for the week ahead...all these are an excellent base for all sorts of meals.

For example!! A piece of freshly bought fish can be thrown into a pan and lightly fried, some rice added from your pre-cooked supply and a small handful of frozen peas, and there you have a fish risotto! or cold potatoes with a slice of freshly bought cooked ham and a little mayonnaise is another nice meal. Tortillas are handy to have in, as you can quickly cook up a little chicken/beef/fish and throw in some frozen veg and you have fajitas. Lentil dahl is handy on top of jacket potatoes, and delicious with tortillas.
Posted 6/6/2016 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
I like to buy whole chickens to cook. Season with dry herbs, olive oil, and salt/pepper. They give you days of dinners and leftovers for sandwiches and soup. After a couple days of picking at it, I take the carcass and any leftover meat, drop it in a big pot of water and boil it for a 5+ hours until the meat is falling off the bird. Pour that whole thing through a strainer into another big pot. Pick all the meat from the carcass in the strainer and throw it in the new pot with the broth. Add lots of salt and pepper, carrots, onions, and celery and boil it for a couple more hours. You now have soup for several days as well. You can add thyme, rosemary, or sage and squeeze some lemon in for more flavor but I find that is not necessary most of the time.

It is cheap and easy to get a lot of food from one chicken and it only takes two cooking sessions to get about a dozen meals for the week.

If you can tolerate unsweetened, natural peanut-butter, that is a great go-to for quick calories in a pinch. I'll mix it with fresh fruit like bananas, apples or berries. Not my favorite thing to eat but it fills me up and is really fast.
Posted 6/6/2016 8:01 PM (GMT 0)
I know this post is about food...but, I notice you're on weekly Humira and still flaring? What does your GI recommend? Perhaps in addition to changing up your diet (I'd cut out gluten if you haven't already) I'd be thinking of another biologic.

I hated studying on the toilet too:( So sorry.
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