HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Diet influence on UC

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 2/1/2010 5:27 AM (GMT 0)
Just wondering what everyone else is experiencing as far as diet goes.  Can you eat anything you want or will certain foods make you feel worse than others?

I am on Asacol and I asked the doctor about diet and was told I could eat anything I want but to watch the spicy food? 

What I'm getting at is this problem managable with just watching diet?

 

Posted 2/1/2010 5:36 AM (GMT 0)
I eat what I want....but that's subjective because I'd probably not eat half of the stuff I see others consuming, be it perceived healthy or not.


Food for one is OK...food for another may give symptoms.

now, there are food symptoms and flare symptoms.....the bottom line is that if you're flaring, some foods may give you more discomfort than when you're not flaring. But, foods won't make your flare worse or cause one.

You should be on rectal meds as well....truly.

quincy
Posted 2/1/2010 5:40 AM (GMT 0)
I felt like crap all the time so what I ate didn't affect me much. The only things I stayed away from were fibe because even a little bit killed me and dairy products because my lactose intolerance was exacerbated by the UC.
Like q said, its different for everyone. No golden rule to live by unfortunately.
Posted 2/1/2010 7:57 AM (GMT 0)
Doctors are funny that way. When I was flaring, mine said I could eat everything but broccoli. turn
Posted 2/1/2010 12:46 PM (GMT 0)
Doctors don't really know much about diets. Mine told me to avoid fresh veggies and fibre. I guess fibre is the biggest issue, because during flare up's they should be avoided, but when in remission they are a must to keep the colon healthy!
Posted 2/1/2010 12:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I do not notice that what I eat makes a difference at all as far as flares.

I try to eat fairly healthy but not just for UC reasons. 

But, everyone is different so what works for one may or may not work for another.

My GI had me try dairy free and I tried gluten free on my own...made no difference at all.  I do enjoy how I feel when I"m dairy free though.  But he said that if food had no bearing on my UC then I was free to eat what I pleased.

 

Posted 2/1/2010 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
When I was flaring, I ate food that didn't hurt coming out. So, that meant a low-residue (no raw veggies, etc), non-spicy diet. Now that I'm in remission, I can eat whatever I want (except for MSG and artificial sweetners, which I couldn't eat before I had UC). However, I do eat a pretty healthy, processed-food-free diet. But that's just how I believe everyone should eat.

I personally do not think UC can be controlled with diet alone.

Quincy suggested rectal meds, and I'd like to second that suggestion. As you have proctitis, there's a good chance the oral meds aren't reaching all the way down there and treating that area. The rectal meds will do a great job of treating it.
Posted 2/1/2010 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Diet seems to be highly individual. Though in general, eating healthy foods is a must.

I find that eating foods low in insoluble fiber helps me a lot. I'm not sure if it's strict low residue as I can have some uncooked fruits and such, but I find that stuff like whole wheat and corn and peas hurts. Also, spicy stuff bothers me and so does caffeine.

While not flaring I can pretty much eat what I want, but I still avoid caffeine as that seems to trigger my flares.
Posted 2/1/2010 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
Fibre is important, flaring or not...when flaring you can always stick to unsoluble fibre and/or cut your fibre down a little to possible help the flare out some but my GI told me to start taking fibre supplements when I was at my very worst...and of course it added discomfort (excess bloating and gas) but this is normal and to be expected with fibre until your system adjusts to it (that's why most avoid it, cuz they ccan't bring themseles to adjust to the discomfort of the added bloating and gas) once your system has adjusted then it's amazing all the benefit from it...he told me to take it daily and indefinitely...I can now eat all fibreous foods without getting all gassy/bloated...my bloating is completely gone, I have very little gas, stools are formed, no mucous, less frequency.

You don't have to dive right into fruits, veggies or grains, you can build your system up with supplementation. Even though I eat fruits, veggies and seeds on a daily basis, I still take my fibre supplement daily.

It's important to drink plenty of water with your fibre supplements and on a regular basis anyways, cuz like fibre, water is also very important for bowel function...fibre also helps sweep the bowels of bacteria.  It also aids with D or C.


:)

Posted 2/1/2010 7:01 PM (GMT 0)
     Crabcakes threw me into flares....not once, not twice, but THREE times...sheesh...think I would have learned by now huh?  Well, crabcakes are definitely off my "things to eat" list and such a shame as I LOVE them so.  Oh well, small price to pay.  While I am at it, I may as well avoid any shell fish.  Salmon works wonders on my gut...really gut friendly.  I try to eat it three times a week while flaring...baked with olive oil, tumeric and Mrs. Dash seasoning on top.  To go along with it, baked sweet potato and spinach.

     Fiber used to bother me big time, but I find I can tolerate some things.  I am drinking Plum Smart which contains some fiber.  I ate a slice of whole wheat bread with turkey breast for lunch.  I can eat apples with the skin off.

     I stay away from caffeine.  That does a number on me too.  On my nutritionist's advice I use 1T of Red Mill ground flaxseed meal on top of my rice krispies for breakfast with half a banana.

Posted 2/1/2010 7:12 PM (GMT 0)

For me, diet makes all the difference in the world.  I went through a year of eating baby food to get me back into remission.  This past November I felt like superwoman so I went crazy and ate everything I shouldn't and went into a heavy flare.  Only now am I slowly climbing out of the flare sink-hole.  I am on a difficult diet of gluten-free, dairy free - no raw veggies.  The only fruit I can tolerate are ripe mangoes.  Also am on a diet suitable for my IBS - no tomatoes products, nothing spicy. 

When I stick to this regimen, I feel pretty good... when I don't - I feel bad.  I believe diet is very important but that is me.  We each have to do what works for us.  Personally I could dive into a bacon cheeseburger with pickles, fries, onion rings right now, but I won't.  I just had gluten free rice noodle soup and gluten free pretzels and mango.... *sigh*

I did have lots of sashimi over the weekend and brought my own soy sauce and fared pretty good.

Posted 2/1/2010 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
Yes. Food is highly individualistic. However, I do see some trends.
Posted 2/1/2010 8:17 PM (GMT 0)
It's hard to tell for me, but it does seem that sugar has a negative affect on my colon, especially if I eat too much of it. Raw carrots and broccoli also sometimes seem to cause pain, especially if I'm flaring. Other than that, I really don't watch my diet much...other than trying to make healthy choices and avoiding too much processed foods.
Posted 2/1/2010 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
Diet works for me, but not alone; I have to take multi-vitamins, etc (see signature)...it may not work for everyone.

Christine1946, could it be the crab-cakes or maybe a sauce used to eat with it or maybe even the oil?

It's interesting because I sometimes eat "fish cakes" (a Caribbean thing) and if I eat too many I'd have problems, so there might be something to it after all.

NBT
Posted 2/1/2010 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
Food has an effect on my U/C for sure...

It's been a trial & error , long process to figure out which things bother me & which do not! Specific's are listed on my signature line.
As you go along, you too will come to realize the things which either, trigger or aggrivate your symptoms.
It's taken me 7+ years...but...I think I just may have figured out how to manage (shhh, don't talk to loud!!)
Posted 2/1/2010 9:52 PM (GMT 0)
mom2three,
What do you mean by carbs in moderation? I do believe in a low carb diet for UC but it is very hard to implement in our case. We're trying to stay under 72g a day. Just curious as to what you're doing?
Posted 2/2/2010 2:16 AM (GMT 0)
The antifungal diet I followed to get well was basically a lower carb diet- choose from meat/fish/poultry, any veggies EXCEPT corn (a grain), mushrooms, or potatoes, a few fruit choices such as green apples (less sugar than regular), all berries, lemons, limes, grapefruit, can have whole plain yogurt, butter, eggs. No grains at all to begin. I even lost weight on the diet...bonus!
Posted 2/2/2010 4:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hi killcolitis-

I am currently around the same gram intake on my carbs, probably around 90. The bulk of that comes from my protein drink. I was never a big snacker so eliminating junkie stuff from my diet was easy. I drink water & rarely anything else...except for rice-milk (for cereal & protein drink). My bread is gluten-free
& I eat only 2 pieces w/ either almond butter or organic/natural turkey. Initially when I decided to do this I had to drop my afternoon soda which gave me a
headache for awhile but not too bad. I also completely avoid condiments of any kind...if I can''t enjoy the flavor of what I eat with some fresh herbs...
than I probably don't need it! I eat lean fish or chicken, quarter cup white rice & steamed fresh spinach for dinner...I LOVE spinach & I add some garlic so
it really is no bother to eat it everyday! Occasionally I will eat a spinach salad but I have not in a long time thanks to this last flare.
When I do snack I go with cranberries, fruit, nuts or protien bars. If I have to use sugar or eat something w/sugar in it I stick w/the good old fashioned cane!
Lately though I am favoring a cereal w/Agave.

I can't even imagine being in your shoes trying to get a child to understand that even though the other kids can eat it...she cannot.
It's got to be so hard to control.
Posted 2/2/2010 5:45 AM (GMT 0)
Pastas and dairy have always been my enemy. Everything else is game. I can eat pasta and dairy when in remission with mild IBD effects, but when in a flare I don't even look at them.
Posted 2/2/2010 6:19 AM (GMT 0)
For me... fiber seems to be the enemy right now.. Although I'm not having any symptoms of my Proctitis at the moment, I'm still dealing with this right sided pain and it is a bit worse tonight.. I did eat raisins earlier today and am suspect that they are causing my extra discomfort tonight... EEK... Either that or the Rice Chips I ate that were seasoned to taste like honey dijon (sp)?

I was feeling better the last few days.. until tonight.. UGH....
Posted 2/2/2010 7:24 AM (GMT 0)
Susie...raisins would give me lots of discomfort as well.

q
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply