Fiber for UC. Something to think about?

 I just read an article on diverticulitis, which is a disease affecting the large intestine.  Apparently, low fiber diets are thought to be potentially harmful or maybe a cause of this condition.  The article claimed that low fiber diets make things harder to get through the intestines which can cause, gas, pain, and potentially pockets that can form(these can lead to infections, etc).

  Well, I know a lot of specialists on sites such as WebMD, advocate a low residue diet for a patient with Ulcerative Colitis, but if it makes sense to have a high fiber diet to stay healthy, why wouldn't this apply to UC sufferers?

  I read that someone on here had received great benefits from eating spinach and sunflower seeds (both high in fiber).  I'm wondering if maybe adding some fibrous fruits like bananas, cantaloupe, and honey dew melon...might be in order?

 What do YOU think?

I have to be careful about too much fiber causing C for me. Spinach and leafy greens (collards, etc) are all good. Bananas very bad for me.
You'll need to find out for yourself.

In early days when bleeding and inflammation is high fiber can make things worse. I agree that soluble fiber is a desired part of a healthy diet. Just take it slow and see what works for you. Our colons are not normal and what works for a healthy colon may not be best for an injured one.

fiber pills made me constipated and i was told to go off of them, but they might work for others.

Depends on the fiber and its source, insoluable sandpaper like wheat bran will just rip me apart while spinach seems to be ok, something like soluable fiber as in psyllium or fruit flesh of an apple for example, isn't too bad, but each does something different.

Raw spinach and romaine lettuce doesn't bother me but I can not take fiber supplements at all. I have tried many over the years and it makes my symptoms 10xs worse. The same with fruits and raw veggies. Not so much when I am in remission and even then I can only have them in moderation. Like everyone said, we all react differently to fiber. The idea of the low residue diet in Uc'ers is to give the colon a rest. With fiber it has to work a little harder which can aggravate an already angry colon. However, some Uc'ers need that fiber to bulk up their stool. Uc is so very individualistic.

I was one who had to stay far away from anything high fiber. It caused pain.
You will know quickly if it is good or bad for you.

It can be a tricky thing with fibre..I use fibre supplements as directed by my GI, daily and indefinitely. Now initially it increased my already bad gas and bloating but as my wise GI said, stick with it, it's just your system adjusting to it, so of course I listened to him, afterall it made sense..well sure enough after 3 months of taking fibre supplements my bloating and excessive gas issues went away, since then I am able to eat all fibreous foods (popcorn, all kinds of salads, beans, you name it) without any issues (no gas/bloating or pain)..it also firmed up my stools and cut back some on my frequency. so don't judge a book by it's cover, just cuz it hurts doesn't mean it's necssarily bad, think of it along the terms of exercising, when you don't do it regularly and then you start an exercise program you feel pain right? then as your body adjusts, you feel less and less pain and then no pain, that's when you're suppose to change things up with your exercise program...now it's not exactly necessarily like that with fibre but it's close since you should start out with a small amount initially and then only increase if necessary and once your system has adjusted to it and slowly, just like with exercise...no pain no gain actually does come into play with fibre and exercise and BTW, exercise is also very important for the bowels to function properly, it also aids with dealing with chronic illnesses since it's excellent for the mind and body and the stresses of illness and life in general...that's why there are actually happy and healthy ppl out there in the world.