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Has anyone cured their UC (or put in remission) by eliminating a particular food?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/27/2011 7:20 AM (GMT 0)
and if so, what was it?

Would really love your feedback

Thanks
Posted 1/27/2011 7:29 AM (GMT 0)
Yes. Some have also put themselves in remission by adding certain foods (such as spinach and sunflower butter).

Some claim the SCD diet is very beneficial. This diet calls for the elimination of complex carbs and few other things.
Posted 1/27/2011 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
For me it took eliminating quite a lot of different foods, not just one food/drink.
It's quite clear from reading many posts here that it's not easy to say "don't eat this" or don't eat that".
It requires every person to keep a food diary and determine which food(s) they are individually sensitive to, or rather their gut is.

After a year I have identified almost every problem food/drink for me but that won't help you. You need to find your own way. Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a good beginning and may be all you need. It wasn't restrictive enough for my gut but it was a start.

There is no magic answer, just hard work, but it's worth it.
Posted 1/27/2011 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
A tough call as there seems to be so many factors with UC. If there was 1 diet that worked we'd all be there!

So, ignoring foods I'm not sure about, here's a list of food changes that definitely helped my UC:

Removed all wholegrain (the main culprit of my UC flares)

Removing all dairy dramatically cut down mucus (eggs caused diarrhea, cheese + milk caused mucus).

Stopped eating peas, runner beans, broccoli, mushrooms which caused bloating. (I also peel all skins of veg I can eat e.g. potato, carrots)

Stopped drinking carbonated liquid (soft drink, beers etc.) which caused cramping, diarrhea and blood 24 hours after drinking

Stopped all foods that cause wind/cramping and the colon to work harder (baked beans, brussel sprouts etc.)

Outside of this, I would just be guessing at what has helped.

However, these changes along with resting and meds (asacol) have resulted in no blood, no urgency, 90% less pain, no mucus & down to 1 to 3 BMs a day. Still not there yet but it has dramatically improved things for me.

Good luck
Posted 1/27/2011 5:43 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with the other posters: it's not that simple, although gluten, dairy and fructose are often mentioned here as being problematic.

In my case, dietary adjustments were only part of the key to obtaining remission. Restoring healthy gut ecology and reducing inflammation were also part of the puzzle.

You may be interested to read the book The New Eating Right for a Bad Gut in which the author lists foods that have been found by survey to be generally safe or problematic for UCers.

Posted 1/28/2011 12:52 AM (GMT 0)
I eliminated carbonated drinks, caffeine, and junk food snacks (such as chips, candy) from my diet permanently, and switched to lactose-free milk, low salt low fat cottage cheese, nonfat natural yogurt, and gruyere or swiss cheese (made in Switzerland!) as sources of calcium. During flares I switch to a low residue diet, which seems to help my 5-ASA med to work better toward relieving symptoms, such as multiple bms daily. I read ingredients on labels of processed foods so as to avoid buying items with high salt, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, chemical coloring agents like Red #40, etc. Also, I try to remember my gastro's advice to enjoy celebrations involving rich foods but return to a more cautious diet right afterward-- no binging on gravies, whipped cream, frosted cakes, that kind of overindulgence. Some UCers have gluten intolerance, but I'm more bothered by roughage like seeds or acidic raw produce like grapefruit or plums. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 1/28/2011 3:01 AM (GMT 0)
An antifungal diet (similar to SCD)/program with natural antifungal supplements and probiotics helped me find remission .Still being careful not to eat yeast or too many processed foods. Going on 5 years now...still no meds, no symptoms. Fungus is often an underlying issue with our diseases, especially if one ever took antibiotics, birth control pills, eats a lot of grains, or lived/worked/been exposed to a moldy/water-damaged environment. Interestingly, UC symptoms are often manifested with other potential fungus-causing diseases/health issues-diabetes, high cholesterol, sinusitis, psoriasis, asthma, FM, acid reflux, arthritis, cancer, skin problems...

 

Posted 1/28/2011 3:25 AM (GMT 0)

kim123 said...
An antifungal diet (similar to SCD)/program with natural antifungal supplements and probiotics helped me find remission .Still being careful not to eat yeast or too many processed foods. Going on 5 years now...still no meds, no symptoms. Fungus is often an underlying issue with our diseases, especially if one ever took antibiotics, birth control pills, eats a lot of grains, or lived/worked/been exposed to a moldy/water-damaged environment. Interestingly, UC symptoms are often manifested with other potential fungus-causing diseases/health issues-diabetes, high cholesterol, sinusitis, psoriasis, asthma, FM, acid reflux, arthritis, cancer, skin problems...

5 years without a flare ?
Posted 1/29/2011 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
No flares. I am cautious with what I eat, take probiotics, beta glucan (immune booster), and bee propolis. Coicidence or not, I plan on keeping on the same path. I am more and more convinced that what we eat too much of (processed foods), or don't eat enough of (whole, natural foods), is a factor in our health. Thankfully- I haven't been sick during this whole time either. 
Posted 1/29/2011 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
Limiting lactose has helped me. Well, it didn't cure my UC but it's a piece of the puzzle. :o)
Posted 1/29/2011 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
past 6 weeks have been on my TCM recommended diet. Has helped me tremendously. It about balance, and kinda vegan(no raw, just cooked veggies), + duck and fish. There is more to the diet if you want to know. Of course no dairy, definitely a good start. Balance that I strive for daily is 35% cooked veggies(From another thread I read spinach was good, and it sure has helped me), 25% bread/pasta, 25% Bean/Tofu and the rest fish/fruit. Also doing the herbal teas but I feel the diet is a strong help. Maybe TMI but most of my poops, if I follow this, are ghost poops which is amazing considering before I would use probably a roll+ daily
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