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Ulcerative colitis falls within the conditions considered to be inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Eating certain foods and avoiding others may help you avoid ulcerative colitis flares.
Can certain foods really cause inflammation?
The link between what we eat and chronic inflammation in the body isnt fully understood.
What is known is that there does seem to be some connection.
What should I eat?
This includes fiber-rich foods, like fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains.
In other words, trial and error is key to figuring out what works best for you.
What foods should I avoid?
Certain foods can exacerbate UC flares, but everyone has different trigger foods.
For some, it might be a juicy burger and for others, it could be their morning latte.
Freuman adds that saturated fat, specifically, can be an issue for certain people.
To complicate matters, UC is sometimes coupled with lactose intolerance.
In fact, avoiding them completely is not recommended unless 100% necessary.
The not-so-bright side is that caffeine and alcohol can also be UC triggers.
In addition, coffee intake may rev up the bowels and lead to diarrhea6.
What should I eat during a flare?
What should you do now?
Adjusting your diet may help you over the hump.
Practically speaking, you could do this in a few ways.
What can I eat during remission?
But its still best to stick with generally trigger-free fare.
Though, fiber, in its many forms, may be better tolerated during remission, says Freuman.
Its not worth suffering or making yourself sick to push beyond the comfortable limits of tolerance, notes Freuman.
What types of diets should I consider?
Talk with ahealth professionalabout whether one of these diets could be beneficial for you.
What does that mean for actually eating food?
Good news for people with IBD, since diversity in the gut bacteria could help to ease symptoms.
You then (thankfully) reintroduce foods until you figure out what works best for your gut.
The goal is to cut out foods that cause an inflammatory response.
Although some very small studies see the benefits of this style of eating, more research is needed10.
Many people with IBD have digestive side effects, like the aforementioned gas and bloating, when eating gluten.
Meal prepping some simple ingredients can make your life easier and prevent a UC flare.
Dr. Singh suggests focusing on adequate sleep and reducing stress to prevent flares.
Working with agastroenterologistand a registered dietitian can help.
Medications can ease symptoms, and diet changes can help to control flares.
