Okay I am writing this in response to an earlier reply to a post I had where a member offered to eat crickets and crabgrass to help their UC. :) I was reluctant to do this but crickets and crabgrass sounds nasty, a better way can be had to deal with such and if I can help give some fresh ideas to even one person, it would be worth it to me. They are ideas and opinions only, please take them as such.
I want to FIRST and foremost disclaim that I am not a doctor and this post is for educational and informational purposes only. It is a sample of one of the remission strategies that work for my body, maybe not everyone, but it gives a basic guideline on what works for me. Please consult a qualified professional like I did before trying any alternative therapies or diet changes.
I'm gonna start from beginning to end of flare. First comes "the gas". This is usually an early warning signal for me personally that sets into motion my first actions. It is a unique and unmistakable odor and come with just about every episode, for me anyway. I mentally prepare myself for the next few days, weeks. I start consuming large amounts of clean purified water until urine is clear always throughout the day. I take in as much as I can without getting sick, no other drinks. Next, out go the spices in food and I swith back to comfort foods. Sugar is also reduced as I ramp up on my maitenance dose of probiotics. Comfort foods meaning foods I already know I can digest well and handle with no backlash. This is an important step and I recommend everyone with UC to take notes and logs of their comfort foods and rely on them as your source of nutrition for the remainder of the flare.
Second step is for the next few days is touch and go. I listen to my body and try to cater to it as best I can. This time is one of the worst times cause you can hear the ice cracking on the lake. Am I gonna get sick or will it pass?
Flare time. I have not remissed and now it is time to act accordingly. I usually don't bleed much other than the occasional red taint and mucus swirls on stool. 3 times in 14 years I have had to use pentasa to control my bleeding until I can take over. I just add it to my meals. I get off as soon as the blood stops. This is where professional advice is needed for anyone trying anything new. I checked with my GI and he said roll with it if it helps you. I just cant stand the sides of pentasa, it clouds my rhythm and deafens me to my body's language.
No blood, but lots of urgency and diarrhea. This is the time to invest in some rediculously soft toilet paper! :) My bum is happy when I do, its well worth it trust me. Ok, that parts was just for fun.
Here is a sample of my diet during combat of flares. It works for me, maybe not for everyone. Check with your doc.
Breakfast- Digestive enzyme. 2 slices buttermilk toast w/real butter touch of cinnamon. Poached or scrambled egg. 1/2 serving Pre-digested protein shake mixed with H20. Cup of Pau D'arco tea with a bag of chammomile and ice cube to temper heat (don't want to injure the expensive probiotics by boiling them) 1 tablespoon metamucil with 1/2 glass H20. HMF forte probiotic, Culturelle, primal defense. 1 of each. Finally, a shot of virgin coconut oil room temp. I hate coconuts so this is the gross part. Only kosher salt for seasoning egg. 1 children's flinstone chewable vitamin. Pills just come out the other end, and they just taste good.
Lunch- I come home for lunch during flares. Digestive enzyme. 1 can oysters (high in healing zinc and minerals) packed in only water and salt. Or whitefish (tilapia, scallops, herring, whiting, etc.) I cook it on the famous boxer's grill 5 min. Add some butter and kosher salt to taste with either choice. 1 slice buttermilk toast (lactic acid). 1 diced hardboiled egg (keep em stocked in fridge)with parm cheese and salt. Another metamucil. No probiotics, 3 garlic capsules and 1 crushed biotin. 1 shot of green barley and wheatgrass juice.
Dinner- Usually some form of easily digested protein like minute steaks patted dry chooped and aged cheddar and home-made basic mac and cheese with egg noodles. I try and get creative on these meals without hurting myself so I don't undergo taste fatigue. More metamucil. Everything else is just like breakfast above except I add a sleep tea in with the Pau D'arco tea.
Snacks during off meals include some form of bread, crackers or a little sugar and a saccaromyces boulardii sp? (friendly yeast and potent candida/parasite/fungus fighter) Can't take this with coconot oil or, garlic, or Pau D'arco tea, it will kill the yeast. If I'm feeling dehydrated, a weak mixture of gatorade powder and water to boost sugar levels and water absorbtion.
From there on I observe frequency and shape stools which usually slow down with the addition of increased soluble fiber. Usually they are floating and pretty gross but eventually form up as my colon heals. After a few days to weeks, urges decrease and stools usually return to normal. Avoid nitrites, MSG, dyes if you can, chemicals and pollutants, large amounts of animal fats, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup and anything else you deem suspicious or find that your body doesn't react well to. Victory.
I purposely omitted many other nutrients and techniques that are unorthodox and must be custom tailored to one's body through trial and error, research and observation. I wanted to present only a basic self-help guideline that I have worked on for many years. I still get scoped and keep in touch with my GI and I recommend everyone to do the same. Sometimes I use other strategies but this is the basics and the bread and butter of my program. The mental mindset is the key to my remission because I want it to happen, everything else is just a booster charge to aid in system recovery. That takes practice and years of application. What works for me may not work for everyone and my opinions are just what they are, opinions. I hope this has provided a sample that shows what can be done when one person wants it bad enough. God Bless.
Mike