Managing Ulcerative Colitis with a proper diet

If you have ulcerative colitis (UC), you should pay attention to the food you are eating. The food that you intake may not be the direct cause of your disease, but intake of some can increase and initiate the flares of colitis. Amongst the multiple treatments colitis has, a proper diet is right on top.

No particular food is appropriate for UC. Your diet plan should be flexible enough to adjust to the changes that the disease brings about. You should just be aware which diet plan is best for your body.

• Organize yourself and note down in detail about the things you eat and drink.
• Keep a note of how each item and drink make you feel when you consume them. It may take up a lot of time, but you should be patient enough. This will track the condition of your health, and it will help you to improve your diet chart.

Foods to have and avoid
While you are preparing a diet chart, which would suit you perfectly, always remember that a balanced diet consists of high protein, whole grains, and fresh products. Following is a list of foods that you can safely consume while affected by colitis:

• Whole grain food
• Protein-rich food
• Milk and other dairy products, as long as you’re not lactose intolerant
• Bread and cereals
• Vegetables and fruits
• Olive oils and canola oils as they are known to be healthy fats

Some diet hacks which you can apply to your diet for colitis would be having some steamed vegetables or also a low-fat dairy product.

While undergoing treatments, colitis patients must prevent themselves from having the following items as they aggravate the symptoms of ulcerative colitis.

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Carbonated drinks
• Dried beans, peas, and legumes
• Dried fruits
• Foods that have sulfur or sulfate
• Foods high in fiber
• Meat
• Nuts and crunchy nut butter
• Popcorn
• Products that have sorbitol
• Refined sugar
• Seeds
• Spicy dishes

Food items which would help you to fight UC
With the advancement of new researches done in the medical sector, there a number of nutrients, which might help to fight the irritation and the swelling of your gut affected by UC.

• Linoleic acid can be used to fight out with this problem. Food items like walnuts, egg yolks, olive, and coconut oil all consist of linoleic acid. But if you consume these products in excess then it can also cause inflammation. So, you should be careful while consuming it and make sure that it suits your body.
• Omega 3 fatty acid also fights inflammation. It prevents some chemicals from entering your body. These harmful chemicals are known as leukotrienes. EPA is mostly found in fish oils.
• Yogurt with appropriate bacteria known as probiotics reduce inflammation.

Thus, with diet that suits your system, you can effectively manage colitis.