How much does diet affect your U.C?

Just wondering. I was a raw foodist for a few years and thought I was eating the cleanest diet in the world. Just fruits and vegetables- no dairy, meat, seasonings, or grains! Yet, my colonoscopies get worse and worse. I've currently been cooking most of my food just so it's not so rough in my colon.

Two days ago, my step-dad had his first colonoscopy- he's 53. He eats more crap than any person I know- pizza 3x a week, chinese takeout, klondike bars galore- does not exercise, and was an alcoholic and smoker most of his life (thankfully, he's sober now). His colon is perfect!!!!!!!!!!! The doctor said it looks great and to come back in 5 or 10 years for another colonscopy!!!!!!!!!!!!! It just boggles my mind. I know doctors say that diet doesn't matter at all, but I feel like if it does matter, then wouldn't everyone have this problem???

I'm sure most of us are really clean eaters and it just doesn't make sense to me that my colon only gets filled with good stuff but is sick all the time.

I'm just ranting because I'm frustrated.

That must be so frustrating! With all the time and effort you've put into healing your colon, you get nothing, and he does everything wrong and is rewarded with perfect colon health. I think the great debate on whether and how food affects UC will remain a great debate for a while.. it seems scientists are no closer to finding the answer. Personally I think genetics may be a factor, but that is based on my circumstances (sister, father, and probably grandfather all have UC). I don't think food has a huge effect (also based on my circumstances), but that it can aggravate the condition (just like rubbing lemon juice or a power bar on a wound would aggravate the wound, but aloe vera gel might help it heal).

I've learned that diet does most definitely affect UC. However, what is healthy for one gut is not for another. For example, I just recently figured out that I am fructose intolerant so I can't have honey, fruits, and some vegetables. I also don't do well with whole grains and complex carbs but seem to do better with the refined crap! Go figure. My UC definitely got worse when I tried to clean up my diet though the initial trigger for me was a course of strong antibiotics to deal with a stomach bug.

How much does diet affect my U.C ?

Enough to put me in remisssion.

In my opinion there are 2 things that must be controlled to enter remission: stress & diet. The genetic factor cannot be changed, but the disease can be controlled with those 2 factors once it started. Not cured - controlled.

Good luck.

Don't confuse UC symptoms with food symptoms.....blanket statements can easily be misunderstood.  Some people don't eat and can be flaring continually, even with the big-gun meds or alternative or even without their colons.  Sometimes our body parts just don't follow the perceived rules.

My diet doesn't cause flares...I've proven it a million times, but food does have action in the digestive tract and will definitely cause discomfort, increased activity, decreased activity..etc.

The fact that your uncle's colon is perfect doesn't mean that he hasn't paid somewhat for his addictions or lifestyle.

Raw foodists or vegetarians or "pure" eatists don't have perfect bodies either. I don't eat clean.
I can't eat some foods without extreme discomfort..most of it would be from foods which would be considered "healthy".

Try not to use others as a measuring stick for how you think you should be or to create envy within yourself.

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Diet doesn't cause UC is not the same thing as diet doesn't effect symptoms of UC. Medications for UC just like diet have an effect on active disease symptoms.

I made the horrible mistake of trying to cure my UC(which I thought was IBS) by increasing fiber and eating even more raw vegetables. I think I would have never crossed into moderate UC if I went on a mild diet right away. I turned to a old fashioned bland low residue diet while waiting the last 5 weeks for a colonoscopy. I got a lot better and was symptom free after 2 weeks on medication. Fatty meat, fiber including raw veggies and psyillium husk made me much worse. I eat all those things in remission but will stop if a get symptoms. White rice and bread, apple sauce and bannas for a few days then work in white meat chicken.salmon tofu, and cooked spinach and green beans. Raw brocolli family no way. I eat red meat at most twice a week now and avoid junk. Lots of fish and raw and cooked vegetables.

I would change doctors if the doctor told me that food has no effect on symptoms. Bland diets have been used for gastro problems by MDs for many years. Doctors avoid any mention of lifestyle and diet these days. When was the last time a doctor told you to eat less or exercise?

I don't have food allergies but huge numbers of people with IBD do.

+1 to ^^

If I eat the wrong thing, I do horribly the next day. Case in point: I just had a huge cornbread biscuit a few days ago that was laden with wheat and refined sugar, and the next day I was dying on the toilet. Diet doesn't cause UC, but it can definitely exacerbate it. What you'll notice is when people who have been successful with things like the SCD go off it, they flare again. That means is diet doesn't cure UC, it just moderates it. Because it doesn't cure UC, it is therefore not the cause.

Also look into the interplay between diet and epigenetics. What you eat can very directly affect your children, though it may not affect you (i.e. your dad is ok, but you're not).

Diet helps me to manage UC. When flaring I've switched to low-residue, aided by BRAT components as staples. In general I avoid known irritants to my colon, caffeine, carbonated drinks, high salt, high fat foods, poultry skin, seeds, black pepper and other heavy spices. Diet did not cause my UC, but definitely can affect my comfort level. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)

I firmly believe that food does not cause Uc but rather it has various components such as genetics, food poisoning, parasites, infections, environment pollutants, antbiotic and Nsaid usage. It may be that eventually these things can break down the mucuousal layer of the large intestine and possibly something in our large intestine causes our immune system to go crazy. I am a firm believer that UC is an AI condition - mainly because immune suppressing medications work so well (for the most part) in help controlling it. There has been studies on this and it has shown that there is a certain gene that we (along with Crohn's) carry and it's just a matter of "triggering" it.

For me, I have a strong family connection to IBD but I believe that it was food poisoning along with over usage of antibiotics and Nsaids that triggered mine. My GI says that food doesn't have anything to do with Uc but I feel he is wrong. True, I do not believe that food can cause a flare (unless there an allergic component to it) but food can definitely aggravate an already sensitive and sore colon. Especially foods that are not easily digested such as raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. I mean if you think about it, no wonder our colon's act out so bad! To have all the rough stuff "scraping" over already open areas of the colon - it's like pouring salt on an open wound!

Now that I am in remission, I can eat raw fruits and veggies in moderation. I don't overdo it or it causes me some issues. Not because I have ulcerations but because I just have a sensitive colon after flaring for many years.

It does seem unfair that some people can eat whatever they want whenever they want with no consequence but we have to deal with the hand that was given to us. I envy all the people that eat spicy foods with no recourse (such as my daughter! - the hotter the better!).