Healthy veggies/snacks

I'm going to try and eat a little bit better now that my
Colitis is a bit more controlled. Any suggestions for healthy snacks? I used to have carrot sticks and misc veggies to snack on but I don't wanna go with uncooked stuff just yet. Ideas??

You could try reintroducing some fiber in moderation. Granola? Crackers? Just don't eat a whole box a day or anything.

Baby food in jars. Most "healthy" bars like Luna will have more fiber than my gut can handle but see what yours thinks. There are some veggie chips (Sun Chips and others) to try, my gut likes low salt potato chips, maybe not healthy due to frying but I eat healthy the other 90% of the time. I also eat "no salt" fries from BK, yes potatoes are vegetables .

How about muffins? you can DIY zucchini or carrot muffins or loaves or find a gluten-free bakery for yummy stuff.

My go-to snack is swiss cheese with mayo.
I never eat raw veggies but always have cooked veggies with dinner and at bkfst have 2 oz. carrot juice, all the goodness with little fiber.

I just made some baked root vegetable chips, because sometimes you just want something salty and crispy, no? The recipe I used was similar to this:

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/baked-veggie-chips

Otherwise, I second smoothies. I make one everyday: banana, blueberries (frozen are fine), grated fresh ginger, kefir and/or coconut milk, cinnamon, dash of vanilla, and then a scoop of protein powder (I like Aloha brand plant protein -- I find it at Target) and a scoop of collagen peptides, and potato starch.

Carrot or zucchini grain-free muffins are a great, filling snack, and loaded with veggies:
https://www.savorylotus.com/carrot-ginger-coconut-muffins-glutengrain-free-paleo/#more-292
http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2015/07/grain-free-chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-zucchini-bread-2-different-ways/

I like bananas, avocado and cashew butter.

I second the bananas and avocado. Both are pretty reliable even when I'm flaring. Another staple is chedder cheese (since it has no lactose)

My favorite are roasted blanched almonds or baked goods made from almond flour. I know nuts are difficult for many, but roasted without the shell seem to be okay for me. You can put a large pack in the oven for 15 minutes and it should last a whole week!

Doggiedo, you mentioned that you are going to try and eat better now that your UC is better... what was your diet like before, while flaring?

I have a "salad" with tuna, boiled eggs, feta, avocado, and a cucumber (as that doesn't seem to disagree with me being mostly water). I drizzle a bit of olive oil over it and the olive oil, eggs and feta give the illusion of a sauce.

Hi Doggiedo,

You don't need to worry about the lactose in aged, hard cheeses. Either it's nonexistent or practically nonexistent. Yogurt that has been warmed for 24 hours also doesn't contain lactose. Store-bought yogurt hasn't been warmed for 24 hours. That's one of the reasons it's important to make your own yogurt.

I haven't tried it myself, but I was told that putting bananas in the refrigerator stops them from aging. The skins will turn black, but the insides will still be good. I eat a lot of bananas and have the opposite issue: my bananas don't ripen fast enough. So I put a more ripe banana on top of a bunch of bananas to get the bunch of bananas to ripen faster. Putting them in a brown paper bag ripens them even faster.

Don't worry about good fat. Omega-3s are very anti-inflammatory, and fat is very filling. Carbs aren't filling. It's a lot easier to gain weight eating carbs than fat.

A good book to read is The Paleo Approach by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne. She has done extensive research on foods and their effects on the gut and inflammation. The diet (Paleo AIP) is very restrictive but many of the foods, such as dairy, can be reintroduced when symptoms subside. I'm currently not eating dairy right now because I'm flaring (muscles/tendons). I will add back lactose-free dairy, such as yogurt and aged, hard cheeses once I'm better.

Grains, legumes, seeds, potatoes, and refined sugars are all pro-inflammatory. Gluten, soy, and refined sugars are extremely pro-inflammatory. These three should never be added back. Honey, date sugar, maple syrup, and molasses can be added back and used in place of refined sugars. You can read about it in Dr. Ballantyne's book.

I have trouble with fiber only when my colon was flaring. I typically eat the walnuts with dates and dried tart cherries only when I'm going to be exercising because they are very high in sugar. The fiber helps to reduce the glycemic load. A high glycemic load can trigger inflammation. Dr. Ballantyne's also talks about this in her book.

Have you thought about getting a food dehydrator? You could make your own dried veggies to eat on the run.