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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 8/6/2014 3:42 AM (GMT 0)
Hi I'm new to the forum. I've had colitis for about 5 years now and am currently in remission from what I believe primarily to be the temporary addition of prednisone. Anyways here are some soothing foods I recommend.

Fish, shrimp, zico coconut water (chocolate flavored), rice, green beans, eggs, white bread thin sliced, pop chips, yogurt, bananas, chicken, turkey, veggie shreads cheeses, sushi (no cucumber), dream blends rice and quinoa drink, lots of water

I know this is a pretty bland list, but it seems to be slowly paying dividends in the form of fewer bowel movements. Also eating smaller meals helps. I know some of this may be universally general knowledge about colitis, but I felt it was a good place to start. Hope this helps. Would love to hear some responses / opinions on tolerable foods and helpful meds.

23 year old male student
Medications include:
Lialda 4 daily
Prednisone 40 MG (currently tapering)
Azathioprine (150 mg)
Pantoprazole (40 mg)
Folic Acid
Uceris (9mg)
Multivitamin and Calcium chews
Align probiotic
Tylenol for headaches
Anucort suppositories as needed
Posted 8/6/2014 12:19 PM (GMT 0)
What we know from years of people posting here is that no ones "soothing food" list is the same.
As a medical student it's important to know that just because something works for one person does not mean it works for all, whether it is Rx meds or diet modification.

IBD in general is so different from one person to the next, some have pain (I don't), most respond to Rx meds (I didn't), some have few symptoms but lots of inflammation in a colonoscopy, some have lots of symptoms and medium inflammation. We are all different (mostly).

I know that diet is a big factor in my remission but for others it has no effect.
Most GI docs never mention diet because there is so little agreement in research on it.

Your list of soothing foods is very far off from my list, but I'm not surprised.
Yesterday I was talking to a friend who has IBS and her list of "bad" foods is almost my "good food" list. She can't tolerate veggies or red meat, those two are greatly liked by my gut.

Good luck in your studies but please keep an open mind about food and Rx meds and good luck with your UC, may it stay below the radar.
Posted 8/6/2014 12:25 PM (GMT 0)
Hi and welcome. If you're still on prednisone (which it appears you are), you aren't really in remission. Pred is such a powerful anti-inflammatory; it's able to suppress really terrible inflammation, but it's not uncommon for symptoms to come back when one gets to a low dose or completely off.

As imagardner2 said, some people find that diet doesn't affect their UC and for others, diet has a huge effect. However, it seems that everyone has to develop their own good/bad list.
Posted 8/6/2014 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
You do realize you're on three forms of steroids, right? Prednisone, Uceris and the Anucort are all essentially the same medication, just different delivery systems.

I'm happy you're feeling better now, but keep in mind that steroids damage your body, and every day you have to take them is one day closer to serious long-term side effects.
Posted 8/6/2014 1:50 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the list. Many things on your list have helped others. As the others have pointed out, you are on a lot of meds so I'm wondering why you believe so much in these foods when you are on so many meds and admit that you are "currently in remission from what I believe primarily to be the temporary addition of prednisone". When you taper back or off the prednisone you may find out that these foods aren't really doing that much for you. Everyone is different.
Posted 8/6/2014 3:28 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome. Some of the stuff on your list I can't eat. Food is a very individual thing with UC.
Posted 8/6/2014 3:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone, thanks for the responses. I truly appreciate the input and support. Its nice to know that there are others out there fighting this.

Let me clarify, I'm aware that colitis is not a one size fits all or one diet fits all in this case. The foods are just suggestions. In my case I realize prednisone is doing most of the heavy lifting in terms of combating my inflammation, but this is the best I've felt in 5 years of having colitis. And yes I have taken prednisone in the past. So I do feel the foods are helping in their own way. I started eating these before starting the prednisone and saw some improvement in my symptoms.

The foods I shared are just based on my own personal experience. After having colitis for 5 years I have experienced a lot of trial and error in terms of intolerable foods. I have trouble with high levels of fiber and high vitamin C content. This is obviously not the case for everyone. Again, I really appreciate the input and support. Best of luck to everyone!
Posted 8/6/2014 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
That is basically the old fashioned low residue diet and it is soothing and helpful for any type of inflammation caused diareha. Mild and less fiber.When flaring, I eat yogurt, lean meat/fish, cooked green beans and spinach, potatoes,white rice. Cut back coffee and no booze. Not a cure but makes being chained to the toilet slightly less miserable. Take loperamide and let my meds do the work.Pretty soon I can eat anything I want again.Very good advice. Don't mind the welcome wagon.
Posted 8/6/2014 4:41 PM (GMT 0)
welcome to the jungle and thanks for the suggestions dan - hope you don't mind me calling you dan - w/o my glasses, clan looks like dan :-)
Posted 8/6/2014 5:08 PM (GMT 0)
colitis clan... very creative name.
Posted 8/6/2014 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for sharing! Like many others have posted, diet is a yo-yo affect for many with this disease. Works for some, doesn't make a dent for others. However, just like anyone (colitis or not) eating a well balanced diet will greatly impact your body, especially those with digestive issues. With our immune system already out of wack, it's extra important for us to nourish our body.

Personally, dairy and nuts are a big culprit for me. Hot sauce makes me have awful heartburn. But, gluten and popcorn doesn't effect me at all! See everyone is different.

As far as meds go, you should not be on steroids long term. Imuran put me in remission for one year, then I wanted off the drug because I was getting skin rashes. So now I'm on Humira and it's a life saver! I'm intolerant of all masalameine drugs, sigh. As far as Predisone goes, it works to get me into remission, however I'm very sensitive to it: Muscle atrophy, joint pain, chest pain etc... Awful drug.
Posted 8/7/2014 5:04 PM (GMT 0)
Consider adding N-Acetyl Cysteine to your regimen.
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