Trigger foods- how to safely find out?

So I am chugging along and coming to grips with the idea of having UC. (Good days/bad days still.) I am trying to figure out what my trigger foods/safe foods are. Right now I am just eating whatever, crossing my fingers, and looking at results. It is really not the best way, I admit.
How did everyone else figure their food needs out? Any ideas/help would be amazing because my eat and pray for the best method is not working ha

I've been struggling with this for 10 years, so I'll join Kiwi in saying it's hard to figure out.

Some foods are really easy. Lactose, for example - if you are lactose intolerant (not that this triggers inflammation, just misery) you will have gas, indigestion and/or diarrhea following a lactose-rich food. It's really immediate. A simple test you can do at home is to drink 8 oz of milk on an empty stomach. You will know within minutes if you are having trouble digesting the lactose. A DR can do a similar, more scientific test - s/he will give you milk and then test your breath for hydrogen, the gas emitted when lactose isn't broken down properly.

Beans were also easy. I can eat legumes I prepare myself, because I take care to remove as much of the complex carbohydrates I can (I rinse canned beans, I discard the liquid if I'm soaking dried beans). I cannot eat legumes prepared in a restaurant. Too much gas and pain!

None of this addresses what people call "triggers" though. I confess that I did not really agree that certain foods would cause inflammation, just indigestion. However, after dealing with persistent bowel problems for the last 2-3 years, even while taking a really significant amount of medication, I finally decided to do a gluten free trial. It's been 31 days and I'm here to say that it has made a huge difference for me. Gluten is one of those things that you really have to eliminate for a good while to see if it is causing problems. I felt better within about 2 weeks, and much better now. I'm still not "well," but I'm a heck of a lot better.

Food diaries are very helpful for some. Just being aware of your bowel process takes a while IMO. I hope this info is helpful.

One thing I found out about the trigger food is that they don't cause any problems for at least 12-24 hours for me. And it's really hard to find out.

Let's say you have two of the same veges. One could be bad in terms of quality and the other one might be just full of pesticides or crap. But they look the same...
I think this is why sometimes I can have the same food but get different reactions out of it. I keep my diet journal just in case something goes wrong.

I had food poisoning from eating my school's chicken salads 3 years ago. My friend ate the same thing but was in a different package. There's no way of knowing whether the food you're eating contains bad bacteria/virus/parasites or not.

Although it is rare, there are a few cases where the consumer of tainted ground beef containing E. Coli left a woman PARALYZED and brain damage. We really can't trust what we are buying.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

Trial and error method seems to be the only way to find out.

InSoFla said...
Marilee,


Different foods affect different people differently.

But many are intolerant of dairy, wheat, caffeine.



You could start a food journal, and see what correlations you discover?

I've been keeping a food journal for almost a month now and have already learned an incredible amount. Bread, sugar and fried potato products of any kind are bad for me. Furthermore, the effects of eating something bad tend not to hit until a day or two after I eat them. It isn't immediate (i.e. within 24 hours). Without the journal, I would have never recognized that pattern.

Definitely start a food journal, and keep detailed notes on your symptoms daily. I also take note of any supplements I'm taking, my weight, and possible stress factors. MS Excel is good for this.

Another vote for the food journal! I used one in the beginning and will occasionally start it up again if I feel the need. It helped immensely in my case and I was really surprised at some of the foods that irritated my colon. The only thing that ever affected me immediately (as in, I start having D before I'm even done with the meal) is super oily foods like tempura or a McDonalds' burger. Other foods would show effects the next morning.

Keep track of all food, drinks, meds etc. and also your symptoms. I would also make notes if I was stressed or hadn't had enough sleep since those things will affect your whole body.