Confused about what to eat or not

I'm in the belief that food does NOT cause flares, nor does it cause UC inflammation. However, there are some who may be sensitive to natural occurring compounds in some foods that may cause symptoms independent of UC. Same goes with how some foods are prepared. Same goes with foods that some people's digestive tract totally disagree that cause too much gas, faster transit, too rich, and on and on. Again, independent of UC...but if they are OK on a healthy digestive tract, they could be highly contraindicated in a diseased one. In the case of allergy or intolerance (such as celiac or microscopic colitis) inflammation can definitely occur. Again, it can happen in conjunction and difficult to distinguish or possibly diagnose.

In saying alllll that, what do you eat on a daily basis? Many of us can offer suggestions as to what to try and what to possibly do without when in a flare...basically, for comfort and to help lessen some symptoms. Most assuredly it's trial and more trial.

Food intake is most subjective. I've never followed any specific diet nor paid attention to any polarised and paranoid dos and don'ts. But I did avoid certain foods that I knew caused discomfort during the first 2 years...until I understood what my symptoms meant from food and what they meant from a flare.

q

Everyone is so different when it comes to diet.

I've had food and allergy test and they all came back that I have no allergic or sensitivity to food. But I know things that bother me in a flare. I can't eat any fruits, only steamed veggies, and no saucy stuff at all. I also cant drink anything other than water.

At the end of the day I don't think food causes flares, but certain foods can exasperate symptoms.

Good luck!

You could try taking lactase tablets, or stick with dairy products with a naturally lower lactose content if you don't want to fully go lactose free. I drink dairy alternative milks (oat / rice milks etc) but I can tolerate some dairy products that are naturally lower in lactose such as hard cheese.

You can find lactose content charts online like this one:
https://foodintolerances.org/lactose-content-of-food/

I also avoid corn products (tortilla chips, popcorn, sweetcorn etc) as I don't digest them well during a flare up.

As I like to eat nuts because they're rich in minerals, while flaring I switch from whole nuts to nut butters, and ground nuts (eg almonds) added to smoothies.

I mostly eat starch that contains more soluble fibre when flaring, like white rice. Potato, sweet potato, and oats are other starches that I can digest during a flare.

Although I'm not gluten intolerant I don't digest wheat well so I avoid that even when not flaring. I've had to be stricter about not eating any wheat recently since I noticed the effect it was having on the days I was having the odd biscuit or slice of bread. As I'm not celiac I don't have a problem with rye bread though.

Xumb22 said...
Thank you. That helps a lot. I assume white pasta is good too? I love and miss my almonds too. I was afraid to continue using the butter but I’ll give it a try.

Yeah, as long as you're not wheat or gluten intolerant then white pasta should be fine for you to digest during a flare up. As I don't digest wheat well I use rice pasta, and rice noodles instead.

One other thing - while I'm flaring I make more effort to chew my food properly, as we need all the help we can get with digestion!