What to eat during a flare-up?

My doctor suggested chicken and white rice but after 2 weeks on 40mg of Prednisone there has been little relief. I am trying 2 slices of toast and yogurt for breakfast but with all of the posts regarding a gluten-free and dairy-free diet I am wondering if I am causing more harm than good. Are cooked vegetables okay? During my first flare 7 years ago I was on 60mg of Prednisone and gained 20lbs in 2 weeks so I am also worried about eating too much this time. Are there really foods/supplements to avoid during flare-ups or is it really based on the individual?

Also, what are some good resources to start looking at gluten-free diets and the SCD?

Does anyone have any results using Activia or other yogurts with probiotics? Or should I just stay away from dairy?

:( I love ice cream!

What kind of bread is best for making toast? Wonder White Bread? Whole Wheat? Should I stay away from multi-grain? You would think that I would be losing weight but the prednisone makes me so hungry all I can think about is eating!

Mama, the non-gluten folks will say no bread but it was one of the only things I could tolerate while flaring because everything sent me to the toilet multiple miserable times. I usually eat sourdough toast but I think anything you can tolerate is good. Little grains probably arent the best for us. I wouldn't go with wonder bread, look for breads that are good quality without high fructose corn syrup and additives. I believe http://www.arnoldbread.com/ makes breads without syrups.

Also, what are some good resources to start looking at gluten-free diets and the SCD?

Well you can look on this forum by searching for those terms "SCD" and "gluten-free". Diet modification has given me remission that Rx meds never gave me. I tried many different diets with no improvement but when it came down to either going on stronger biologic drugs or surgery I gave diet mod. one last try, thankfully it worked.

By reading posts from people who have been successful with diet you'll see that there is no one diet that works for all. Yes, many of us began with gluten-free and dairy-free plus other food restrictions and IMO that is a very good place to start.
I never would have believed I was gluten-sensitive because I never had any bad reactions to it, it seemed like a safe food for me. However when I removed it I started to see improvement.

Besides removing gluten and dairy it is also important to remove sugar, and sugar comes in many many forms like fruit, starchy veggies (including potatoes). Fake sugar should also be removed along with caffeine (coffee, tea, sodas).

This is not easy to accomplish. I did it because my back was to the wall. It is not an overnight fix.
Start by keeping a daily food/symptom journal. Memory is unreliable.
Protein is your friend when it comes to food. Also green veggies. You'll have to figure out what your colon likes and dislikes. Chicken broth is wonderful. Drink lots of water.

P.S. I love ice cream too but in the early diet mod. days my colon replied with gas and urgency. Now after 2 years I can eat it again in small amounts. Yay. Yogurt? Not so much, colon still out on that.

Give yourself 30 days to discover whether food makes your symptoms better. If so then you get to decide personally whether to pursue it further. It is a personal decision and can only be made by you.

Well im wheat free. I can't go gluten free now im not ready for it.
However like notsosickly said some poeple can tolerate gluten and wheat well. And toasts are something easy to assimilate when you dont feel well.

However a good alternative if you are ready for some baking action is to make your own bread. I do my own loaf out of spelt flour. Spelt is a wonderful flour that once cooked can be crumbly but its very easy to digest as it breaks down easily.

Its super easy to do as it takes so little time of rising so bigg fuss.
450gr of spelt flour
1.5 teaspoon of dried yeast
1.5 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of honey

mix all the ingredients and add 350ml of lukewarm water. Mix well. Work the dough a bit. Then leave it to rest with a damp towel on top for an hour. Then rework the dough and put in a oiled loaf tin and leave it to rest for about 30 minutes with a damp towel on top. those are average time and you can improvise a bit longer if you wish.

then cook in the oven at 375-400 for about 35-40 minutes. Mind you it mind take longer. The crust has to be firm. The good thing about spelt flour is that its very gewy and damp so een if you leave it longer the middle will always be nice and moist.

This saves my mornings to be honest.

Mama, everyone is different true enough. But many folks on this forum have had a decrease in symptoms, including joint pains that came with UC, while being on a dairy, gluten, wheat free diet.

You could try a food journal so you can see what connections come forth.

You could substitute almond milk instead of regular milk - tastes great and is non-dairy.

And then there's the food mis-combining which IMO is a major factor. Mixing the wrong foods together will create bloating, distention, cramping, D, gas, pain, and even blood. Here's some info on that:  http://cureforulcerativecolitis.com/step-1-methodology-to-eating

As for yogurt, it always upsets my stomach. So I stay away from dairy in general, although have no problems with goat or sheep dairy (it's because it's a different protein than cow dairy).

I think if you start a food journal, it might be very helpful to you.

What do you think?

Bananagirl,

Did you start 6mp and Remicade together? How long did you take 6mp for? It looks like this is the route I may have to take next week. Any suggestions on how to prepare for Remicade infusion or how to deal with side effects? I thought taking it for a long time could have long term side effects? Some people seem to have a positive effect right away. Does treatment still involve 6-8 weeks of weekly/monthly treatments?

Food Journal sounds great but at the moment I am afraid of what I may find out. How am I going to prepare separate meals for me and my family? How am I going to give up all of my favorite foods? I know I did it once before 7 years ago when I was first diagnosed but I was spoiled by 6 years of remission. The biggest thing I cut out was coffee and it still seems to be the biggest contributing factor when I feel a flare coming on. I need some self-discipline to get out of this.

manhattan, i started 6mp because prednisone wasn't doing anything but bad for me. i was on prednisone for maybe 3 weeks with no improvement so my doctor wanted to add 6mp and remicade together. i was able to taper off the prednisone and am still on 6mp and remicade. i spoke with my doctor on monday and she says that these don't have to be long term drugs. i am getting off 6mp in march and i can taper remicade in august if my colonoscopy is clear. after that, i plan on going on a less severe drug or, if i can manage, nothing at all.