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I am a 27 year old newly diagnosed as of about 3-4 weeks AGO. I am in the middle of a nasty flare, I mean really nasty. Here are the foods so far that have made my "tolerable" list: WHITE rice, boiled eggs, ripe avocado, plain white toast. That's it. Bean burritos and organic quinoa pizza were a bad idea. I thought I could treat myself for one day and I was so very wrong. 

I had to stay home from work today which is upsetting. That's how bad my symptoms are. 

Please if anyone has figured out a very specific list of foods they can eat during a flare and otherwise, please share them with me! I am really trying to figure this out. 

I am on mesamaline right now, 4 pills a day. I am so looking forward to the day when I see improvement. 

Reply posted for catlover3.

Hi, 

I really hope you get this message, I'm trying to spread the word as much as I can and share my experience. About 6 months ago, I had a really bad flare up, not knowing what it could be, and after many doctor visits and tests, and a colonoscopy with several biopsies, my GI diagnosed me with Ulcerative Colitis. I was devestated, especially after learning about the treatment options being expensive, forever, with mixed results. I refused to accept this, because why all of a sudden would I get this condition out of the blue and it not be reversable? After much research on my own, I came across a post of a woman who desciribed similar symptoms and struggling to find a cure until she was tested for Clostridium difficile or C diff. A fairly common bacterial infection of the gut that causes colitis symptoms. I was already tested for this in the very beginning of my symptoms and the test came up negative, but I read that there can be false negatives so I ordered a c diff test online from walkin labs, not sure if it is available where you live, but after submitting my stool sample (sample must be liquid or loose, frozen immediately, and dropped off at the lab within 24 hours.) Sure enough it came back positive! I showed my doctor the lab result and he immediately prescribed me Vancomycin 500mg 4 times a day for 10 days. And it worked! All of my symptoms are gone and I can eat a normal diet again! To prevent a recurrent infection I do incorporate high resistant starch foods like green plantains, green bananas, and cooked and cooled potatoes into my diet to help boost my probiotics which in turn release butyrate that heals the gut. And I also really limit sugar/refined grains, although I do enjoy some once a week or so. Anyway, I know this is somewhat of a long winded response, I just want to spread the word, because UC really hijacks your life. It's awful and no one should be suffereing from it especially if it is really caused by C diff. Please get tested, and if the first test comes up negative I would still get a second or third one to be sure. During and after antiobiotic use I would recommend incorporating some resistant starches into your diet and even homemade raw milk kefir if you're so inclined, if not just the starches should do the trick. I really hope this helps, and if you end up testing positive for c diff or anyone else reading this does, please spread the word far and wide. My GI was certain I had Ulcerative Colitis and even told me I would need to take medicine with side effects the rest of my life and at some point I may need surgery! Turns out it was just a superbug that was cured with one course of antibiotics. Take action and keep going until you're cured! And If you have any questions please let me know.

Reply posted for catlover3.

For me it's white bread white rice or potatoes for carbs and fish, tofu and eggs for protein and sometimes a bit of chicken. Worst for me was nuts and muesli which I love but they annoyed my colon big time. Also good is to eat a spoonfull of golden paste 2 times a day. It tastes horrible but has very strong anti inflammatory properties and I really think it helps. Good luck ! 

Reply posted for catlover3.

I'm in totally carnivore diet, with eggs and spices to taste. Seems to work and seems to actually be healing my gut.

Reply posted for catlover3.

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis :(

Personally, there isn't much I can do to my diet that affects my symptoms either way, but for a while I was looking into and trying out the AIP diet. It's similar to a Paleo diet, except that it cuts out foods that tend to irritate auto-immune diseases in general, so it is a bit more limited than a Paleo diet. At it's simplist, it is meat/fish, fruits, and veggies (minus nightshades). It is also a reintroduction diet, meaning you cut out all the "no-no" foods at once and then after about a month of letting your gut reset, you re-introduce each food item back to your diet little by little. If you reintroduce it and you're fine, then it's probably something you can tolerate. And if not, then steer clear.

I know the OP was a few months ago but I hope this helps someone :)

Reply posted for catlover3.

I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I was diagnosed with UC at 22 (32 now) so I totally understand where you are coming from.

1. Keep a food journal so you know what foods may trigger your symptoms. Limit carbs and sugars. The main goal is to try and balance your gut bacteria. The bad bacteria in your gut like to feed on carbs and sugar. Cooked chicken with rice is a great meal to start with.

2. Look into supplementing with vitamin D, fermented cod liver oil, and collagen peptides.

3. Studies have shown that people who suffer from IBD have less collagen in their gut lining.

4. I love the book breaking the vicious cycle. You can find it on amazon. It is for following a specific carbohydrate diet therapy.

Reply posted for catlover3.

Sorry you're dealing with this. I have been my UC wife's cook for about two years now. She lives on avocado smoothies, avoids all dairy like poison (we go through a lot of almond milk from Costco). We also get 1-2 rotisserie chickens from a grocery store every week. I keep the carcasses to make chicken broth, which is extremely good for her symptoms. I can make a chicken soup with the broth with all kinds of veggies & chicken. I just made a 7minute video to share with others a simple and delicious recipe that is UC friendly. It requires tin foil, a grill, kale leaves, white fish, a lemon, and spices. Check it out: https://youtu.be/wRQgsyAo7Dg

Reply posted for Jh591018.

Hi Everyone,

You are not alone here.  I know exactly how many of you feel.  I was diagnost with UC some years ago now.  I was freaked out when I 1st experienced my symptoms and had no idea what was going on with my body.  I was embarrased and didn't want to say anything to anyone either.  Not able to control your UC can turn your world upside down. For a while, I was not brake enough or in the mood to go out in public because of my random constant bathroom breaks. It takes a toll on your personality and everything you are.  I'm not a hermit, but I quickly became one as a lot of you.
What can I do?
What's wrong with me?
If I go out, where are my bathroom exits?
Shall I eat if I go out?
If I eat out, I have to stick around for a while in case I need to go.

Anyways, I have fortunately been symptom free for some time and want to share what has worked for me in hopes you can find some peace or comfort. 

Specific diet at the time was to eat very bland, very processed foods such as white bread and instant oatmeals. No veggies, no spices, no hard foods to digest like meats, and definately no salads, oh and not caffein. This super sucked but sort of got use to it.  With some extra stress at work, I did lose a lot of weight.  I don't think my body was absorbing the proper nutrients.  Granted, it was easier for me to follow my diet as my wife does the cooking. While continueing this diet, I have been taking LIALDA aka Mesalamine 
http://www.lialda.com/
4 pills / day. Expensive if no assistance about $50 per pill back then. I later lost all symptoms and felt I could go back to my coffee mmmmm how I missed you so. After a couple years symptom free, I felt great, felt normal, movements 2-3 /day. I was back. Still took some time and bravery to go out in public though. After feeling too confident and not wanting to have to take medication my whole life, I began weening myself off Lialda little by little 3 pills/day down to 1 pill per day then 0. I was okay for a while but after a few months, I had my flare up and continued with my usual bloody movement symptoms which caused me to go back to 4pills. I got back to normal after close to 1yr so dropped down slowly to 1pill in AM a probiotic mid day, then 1 pill PM.  That was great for about 2yrs.  Then I got careless and missed some days and fell back.  At this point, I've been taking the 4 pill dose per day with 1 Krill suppliment 
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321897.php
No symptom, no special diets, and found myself speaking more freely about my issues.    
I feel I have confronted my fear which made me stronger. A few more months I will plan to slowly bring down my dosage but continue taking Krill and or Probiotics. 

PS
I must say, I do feel good sharing this.  I hope someone finds comfort. 

Reply posted for catlover3.

Hi! I know how hard and stressful it can be. 

Try gluten free pasta, organic chicken broth, squash, PLAIN chicken, and eggs. 

When my flare ups were so nasty- in the beginning- I literally only ate white bread, white rice, white pasta, and soup. Trust me- I get it! But the food I offered above is stuff that I found don’t hurt me during flare ups. 

Hope this helps!

Reply posted for catlover3.

Hi! I know how hard and stressful it can be. 

Try gluten free pasta, organic chicken broth, squash, PLAIN chicken, and eggs. 

When my flare ups were so nasty- in the beginning- I literally only ate white bread, white rice, white pasta, and soup. Trust me- I get it! But the food I offered above is stuff that I found don’t hurt me during flare ups. 

Hope this helps!

Reply posted for catlover3.

I found that the only things I could keep down was a McDonald’s breakfast with pancakes and snickers bars.  And the earlier in the day I ate, the better chance of keeping it down.

Reply posted for catlover3.

These things have been best for me: Absolutely no came sugar, dairy, lettuce, palm oils, eggs nor grain except for rice. My go-to list... Over cooked veggies (equivalent of baby mush) Bananas Lower fat fish (trout, white fish) White rice Potatoes with no skin Cooked/preserved fruits (eg applesauce) Goat chevre cheese Cucumbers with no skin Melons Bone broth soup Spinach

Reply posted for catlover3.

Hey there,
    Everyone is different with these types of things so i can only tell you what worked well with me. I would say that diet is not the only factor in reducing uc symptoms. I am very active and found working out and being active not only reduces stress but takes your mind off the uc for a little. The diet that i follow right now is as goes :

- Breakfast 
egg whites 
black coffee
if i want to skip the eggs i will eat a bananna or two. 
avocado

Lunch , dinner 
grilled chicken 
salmon ( i eat mine like sushi , so i get farm raised from whole foods which is sushi grade ) 
* i find when i eat the salmon it really calms my stomach down *
steak 
I also eat a side of greens with every meal. ( this is where everybody is different comes into play ) green are fiberous so test with caution. 

Snack 

I try not to snack too much , after a certain hour i like to cut it off to let the stomach rest . Sometimes i will munch on some pretzels.

I also drink a lot of ginger tea, peppermint tea. In the a.m I  take fish oil pills , a multi vitimamin and an iron supplement. 

Like i said before everyone is different. I know this diet is boring and sometimes you want to just say F it and have some junk food which is normal. It is all up to you and how you feel. The good thing about that diet is you get extremly lean and if your working out it is as if you are just a normal guy in really good shape.

Hope this helps brother.

Reply posted for Spon13.

From my experience you need to first "cool things off."  The colon needs time to relax and not work as hard.  So having smoothies, bone broth, L-Glutamine, DGL, peppermint pills, chia/flax seeds soaked in non dairy milk over night, smaller portions, non dairy and gluten protein shakes, etc for a few days to a week is what I would recommend.  Drinking lots of water and trying to meditate to relax the mind as well works.

The other posts are also all correct though.  So, you need to understand it's not a one size fits all solution but there are guidelines I think.  Just listen to your body.

Reply posted for catlover3.

I am afraid it is a very individual thing, with no consistent rules  There is conflicting advice about high fiber content, and traditionally high fiber in your diet has not been recommended.  But at my last bout before now, 30+ years ago, massive fiber supplementation seemed to be extremely beneficial. . 

Ultimately you may be largely on your own -- perhaps with the help of journaling your diet and frequency of episodes.

Don in Austin

Reply posted for catlover3.

I am just wondering if you eat salads, as they cannot be processed by people with colitis.
You should use cooked leafy greens, such as spinach/kale.
My advice is to stop using the Microwave for anything. I have stopped using the microwave six months ago,and my flares and allergic reactions have diminished.


James

Reply posted for catlover3.

When I had ulcerative colitis, I barfed up everything.  The disease effects everyone differently.  For me, I found that it wasn’t so much what I ate as when.  If I ate early in the day, I could usually keep it down.  For a while I lived on McDonald’s big country breakfasts with pancakes, and snickers bars.

Reply posted for catlover3.

Don't give up hope yet ! It takes time to figure out which foods you can or cannot tolerate. Keep a food diary. Every single persons journey is unique. Take Care.

Reply posted for catlover3.

Hi,  catlover3. Thanks for sharing your experience.  Diet plays a part, in fact, diet is very crucial, but what often makes us sick and keeps us sick, is an imbalance in the body. Often created by one of the few things we put into it, food. Listen to your body when you eat and eat local and organic food. Remember one thing what you are doing while you breathe, eat and think every day, affects your health. You can read Healing words poetry like Brenden Pettingill's Roots Poetry. Also do some yoga, meditation, and control the diet. Thanks.

Reply posted for catlover3.

Watching your diet and making some lifestyle changes can be helpful in managing your disease.   What you eat do not trigger a flare up but what you eat can make your symptoms worse so it will be helpful to pay attention to what you eat.   For example caffeine (coffee, tea, soda and other products) can stimulate or “rev” up the bowel, so if you have symptoms such as stomach pains and diarrhea, caffeine might make it worse.   There are other important things to know about the foods you eat.   To learn more view our diet guide at: http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/assets/pdfs/diet-nutrition-2013-1.pdf .    Also try out our online support group.   The online group has a session on diet
 
 

Reply posted for catlover3.

Hey I'm 27 also and was diagnosed like 5 years ago I believe and I'm also looking for a list of what's best to eat and drink. I had to stay home from work also today because I was going all morning. I had to drop my son off at school and came back home. Last night I ate pizza but I've had pizza before and didn't have any flare ups so I need help also.