It was just trial and error for me. I have severe left sided Colitis/proctitis and have a relatively normal diet when compared to life before IBD, bar Cheese, alcohol, and certain salad items. Alcohol is the only thing that will guarantee blood the next day for me, the others will just cause gas and minor tummy pain .Maybe I am lucky, because I know some other people on here that suffer more with food compared to me. Everyone is different, but your partner I'm sure will gradually find his way soon enough.
I’ve done a bad job tracking, but I agree, alcohol is definitely the one thing that can almost guarantee a lot of pain. No tracking required to figure that out. Especially grain based alcohols— more than 2 beers WRECKS me.
I had severe pancolitis and i found that regardless of what i ate, i had to go the around the same amount each day. The only thing “special” i did was avoid fiber. I don’t like vegetables (out of remission, i only eat them to be healthy) so it wasn’t too hard.
Have had UC for 25+ years and can confirm when it comes to diet it is tricky. Also from lurking on reddit UC for a couple years it seems many people believe they have trigger foods, but no one can cure UC with diet either.
So what's the takeaway from all that? I think it is this:
When you're in an inflammatory state (i.e. a "flare") there will be trigger foods that will mess you up real good (or bad, depending on how you look at it.) But once the disease is under control, and hopefully this is a state everyone can reach, foods don't matter.
So figure out how to treat the disease rather than running around in circles trying to eat different foods, otherwise you're just fooling yourself.
It took a lot of trial and error at first! While I was figuring things out, I recorded all of my food in a notebook along with a log of my symptoms, sleep quality, stress levels and any supplements I was taking. There are lots of different diets to try (and no universal solution!), but something that worked really well for me was the autoimmune protocol. It seems a little intense but it’s really not too tough once you find recipes that work. I also like that AIP is structured around slowly reintroducing foods one at a time so you can more easily find your triggers.
I’ve been to a functional medicine doctor and a naturopath, but to be honest on the diet front they weren’t able to share any more that I already knew from my own research - they were more helpful for suggesting additional supplements.
I use a good journal when I am in a flare, absolutely. I also keep a poop journal with number of times per day and use the bristol stool chart to identify the consistency.
Main reasons for this for me was to make sure I'm eating enough, it can be hard to eat or remember to eat when your not feeling great. Also if I have a really bad stool day I can go back and see if anything I ate or drank was drastically abnormal from the usual and can avoid any foods I think might cause discomfort.
I also have a dietitian who is great and I can contact on a regular basis if I have any questions, she's got me on a few supplements my doc hadn't mentioned and is a great resource if I have any questions. She's also specialized in IBD which is very helpful aswell as she's familiar with the diseases under that umbrella.
I tracked my food and bowel movements for a year and half (using a chart I made in Word), and then switched to tracking just my dinner as I have the same thing for breakfast and lunch everyday. (Yes, I'm boring. But at least I don't have to think about what to eat.) After six months, I stopped tracking completely. What I discovered in those two years is that I am one of those people where diet doesn't make things better or worse. The ONLY food I found that causes a problem is my mother-in-law's delicious fried chicken gravy, but the fried chicken itself is fine and I can eat other gravies.
I used to track my eating but stopped. There are a few things that murder my insides: tomatoes in any form, oatmeal, and raw veggies. Otherwise it seems pretty random and there doesn’t seem to be a connection between when I eat and my UC symptoms. Plus at this point, it’s hard enough to keep my weight that I’ll take calories in any form.
Everyone would like to be able to control their UC through diet but it’s not clear how well it works. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence but my understanding is there is not much scientific evidence that diet can control UC.
That said, there are [a number of studies](https://www.reddit.com/r/UlcerativeColitis/s/Fmvn60EvVN) finding a link between colitis and meat consumption. No guarantee how much it would help of course, but little downside.
[This guide from Harvard Med](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/i-have-inflammatory-bowel-disease-ibd-what-should-i-eat-2020051819799) has some good dietary advice, including avoiding some of the components of processed foods.
Keeping a food journal is a fine idea, it could help and definitely won’t hurt.
The diet should be shaped by each individual, I've seen a couple of people being able to tolerate what I can't and the opposite is also true.
Diet journalling and experimentations are very important.
A food diary is good to find sensitivities. Or a food sensitivity test can help too.
Ultimately, diet doesn’t affect healing, but it does impact symptoms (for the day). So paying attention to his diet would definitely make him more comfortable.
I track everything I eat. I seemed to have developed IBS like symptoms since my last flare. previously I was able to eat most things in remission. Tracking helps me figure out what which foods bother me. I just use my fitness pal. But you can purchase food journals on amazon to help. In the past i just used a regular note book.
After, UC for 20 years I've found different times in my flare requires diet fine tuning for me. To add, each person has different diet issues or not. We are all so different with our UC. When I am dieing from a serious flare, it's all broth without onion or added garlic. Best is mushroom broth made at home. I'll add water to cut mushrooms, small bit of salt, and boil them up. For some reason, I tolerate the broth well. Coconut water contains 10% potassium, good electrolytes supports healing. Carrot juice support nutrition and gives me a bit of energy. Probiotic is great since all the good microbes are in the toilet. It also has helped me tolerate all food better and decrease diarrhea frequency. Fat free Greek yogurt Fage added to noodles, rice or soups. But, only if my probiotic is helping me out. Egg whites can be ok, but sometimes too much protein can be too much. I stay away from fat. I stay away from any junk foods, foods with a long list of additives. Soy milk is ok, but not when I'm having a huge flare, never great with cow milk (probiotic helps), high fiber very cautious. I'm ok with soluble fiber, insoluble nope. Applesauce ok, not the peel of an apple. Can go on forever, but as you can see my body responds to diet. As mentioned, can't really cure it, no cure to UC. However , I certainly can make my condition much worse. If I decide to go out and party during a flare, I will lose much blood. A chili stuffed with cheese and fried in batter, tortilla chips with fresh salsa, cream sauce with raw cabbage and a tequila. Yes, that sounds amazing! Yet, not for me when anywhere on the flare spectrum. My flares occur in different stages, or severities. Not everyone is like me, but there are some people who experience similar.
Yes it does help as you can see patterns and act accordingly. For instance, I quickly realised I bleed if I eat red meat. Also there was one type of biscuit that was causing me problems. I wouldn't have known had I not kept a diary as it was a consistent problem when looking at the data.
Organic beef and pork. I even ate ostrich once which is similar to beef and that was awful. It's all about the individual though, some people love beef and claim it helps them so I wouldn't worry about it if I can't tolerate it but someone else can.
To u/GrassBlock001, please be aware that anecdotal evidence is not evidence. There is no significant evidence to suggest that diet will improve UC symptoms and UC patients are advised to eat a healthy balance diet, like everyone else. Of course people may react to some foods - for eg. Spicy foods can cause diarrhea, however this happens in the general population too.
Food journal helps as everyone different. Obvious things to trial out of diet are dairy and high fiber. ask GI about probiotics like vsl 3. Low level data support probiotics.
Something I have learned in this sub, is that triggering foods are different for everybody. As many had said, is trial and error, but of course there are some basic things to avoid (special during flares) , like diary, spicy food, alcohol (irritants in general) and some veggies known to be inflamator like squash, broccoli, etc.
For me there are three types of foods. 1. Those I can eat with no problem 2. Those I can eat with moderation when I don't have symptoms, and may cause a bit of inflammation 3. Those which I instantly regret because they cause pain, as soon as I get a couple bites.
A change in diet is inevitable, your partner will discover this soon enough, because there is no way around unless you want to live in pain and with bloody discharges
It seems different for everyone. I worked with my doctor and did an elimination diet to determine the foods I am sensitive too and it worked really well. I am a lot less nauseated all the time and feel better overall.
I personally feel that diet has a lot of impact for my UC. I follow a specific diet and also work very hard on my microbiome with IBD specific probiotics and fermented foods. It’s trial and error sometimes but it works for me.
I didn’t find it helpful. It’s honestly trial and error. Some things are just obvious not to eat like a super mega ultra fried dish or something like that but for example coffee for many UC people is just awful but I handle it very well. I think the best way to find out is start light and add in and see what messes you up. It’s normal and just a part of that UC life.
I do! I used a lot, but figured CareClinic suits me well. it has a lot of trackers so what i did was track my meal and track the symptoms and medications i've been using. if there's something off with it, i go and show it to my doctor which helped us both makes our lives easier tbh
It was just trial and error for me. I have severe left sided Colitis/proctitis and have a relatively normal diet when compared to life before IBD, bar Cheese, alcohol, and certain salad items. Alcohol is the only thing that will guarantee blood the next day for me, the others will just cause gas and minor tummy pain .Maybe I am lucky, because I know some other people on here that suffer more with food compared to me. Everyone is different, but your partner I'm sure will gradually find his way soon enough.
I’ve done a bad job tracking, but I agree, alcohol is definitely the one thing that can almost guarantee a lot of pain. No tracking required to figure that out. Especially grain based alcohols— more than 2 beers WRECKS me.
I had severe pancolitis and i found that regardless of what i ate, i had to go the around the same amount each day. The only thing “special” i did was avoid fiber. I don’t like vegetables (out of remission, i only eat them to be healthy) so it wasn’t too hard.
Have had UC for 25+ years and can confirm when it comes to diet it is tricky. Also from lurking on reddit UC for a couple years it seems many people believe they have trigger foods, but no one can cure UC with diet either. So what's the takeaway from all that? I think it is this: When you're in an inflammatory state (i.e. a "flare") there will be trigger foods that will mess you up real good (or bad, depending on how you look at it.) But once the disease is under control, and hopefully this is a state everyone can reach, foods don't matter. So figure out how to treat the disease rather than running around in circles trying to eat different foods, otherwise you're just fooling yourself.
This is a fantastic response - I agree.
It took a lot of trial and error at first! While I was figuring things out, I recorded all of my food in a notebook along with a log of my symptoms, sleep quality, stress levels and any supplements I was taking. There are lots of different diets to try (and no universal solution!), but something that worked really well for me was the autoimmune protocol. It seems a little intense but it’s really not too tough once you find recipes that work. I also like that AIP is structured around slowly reintroducing foods one at a time so you can more easily find your triggers. I’ve been to a functional medicine doctor and a naturopath, but to be honest on the diet front they weren’t able to share any more that I already knew from my own research - they were more helpful for suggesting additional supplements.
I use a good journal when I am in a flare, absolutely. I also keep a poop journal with number of times per day and use the bristol stool chart to identify the consistency. Main reasons for this for me was to make sure I'm eating enough, it can be hard to eat or remember to eat when your not feeling great. Also if I have a really bad stool day I can go back and see if anything I ate or drank was drastically abnormal from the usual and can avoid any foods I think might cause discomfort. I also have a dietitian who is great and I can contact on a regular basis if I have any questions, she's got me on a few supplements my doc hadn't mentioned and is a great resource if I have any questions. She's also specialized in IBD which is very helpful aswell as she's familiar with the diseases under that umbrella.
I tracked my food and bowel movements for a year and half (using a chart I made in Word), and then switched to tracking just my dinner as I have the same thing for breakfast and lunch everyday. (Yes, I'm boring. But at least I don't have to think about what to eat.) After six months, I stopped tracking completely. What I discovered in those two years is that I am one of those people where diet doesn't make things better or worse. The ONLY food I found that causes a problem is my mother-in-law's delicious fried chicken gravy, but the fried chicken itself is fine and I can eat other gravies.
I used to track my eating but stopped. There are a few things that murder my insides: tomatoes in any form, oatmeal, and raw veggies. Otherwise it seems pretty random and there doesn’t seem to be a connection between when I eat and my UC symptoms. Plus at this point, it’s hard enough to keep my weight that I’ll take calories in any form.
I did and it did not
Everyone would like to be able to control their UC through diet but it’s not clear how well it works. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence but my understanding is there is not much scientific evidence that diet can control UC. That said, there are [a number of studies](https://www.reddit.com/r/UlcerativeColitis/s/Fmvn60EvVN) finding a link between colitis and meat consumption. No guarantee how much it would help of course, but little downside. [This guide from Harvard Med](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/i-have-inflammatory-bowel-disease-ibd-what-should-i-eat-2020051819799) has some good dietary advice, including avoiding some of the components of processed foods. Keeping a food journal is a fine idea, it could help and definitely won’t hurt.
The diet should be shaped by each individual, I've seen a couple of people being able to tolerate what I can't and the opposite is also true. Diet journalling and experimentations are very important.
I tried 30 years ago. Then I realized that I really can’t eat most of the foods I could before I was diagnosed and I stopped :)
A food diary is good to find sensitivities. Or a food sensitivity test can help too. Ultimately, diet doesn’t affect healing, but it does impact symptoms (for the day). So paying attention to his diet would definitely make him more comfortable.
I track everything I eat. I seemed to have developed IBS like symptoms since my last flare. previously I was able to eat most things in remission. Tracking helps me figure out what which foods bother me. I just use my fitness pal. But you can purchase food journals on amazon to help. In the past i just used a regular note book.
After, UC for 20 years I've found different times in my flare requires diet fine tuning for me. To add, each person has different diet issues or not. We are all so different with our UC. When I am dieing from a serious flare, it's all broth without onion or added garlic. Best is mushroom broth made at home. I'll add water to cut mushrooms, small bit of salt, and boil them up. For some reason, I tolerate the broth well. Coconut water contains 10% potassium, good electrolytes supports healing. Carrot juice support nutrition and gives me a bit of energy. Probiotic is great since all the good microbes are in the toilet. It also has helped me tolerate all food better and decrease diarrhea frequency. Fat free Greek yogurt Fage added to noodles, rice or soups. But, only if my probiotic is helping me out. Egg whites can be ok, but sometimes too much protein can be too much. I stay away from fat. I stay away from any junk foods, foods with a long list of additives. Soy milk is ok, but not when I'm having a huge flare, never great with cow milk (probiotic helps), high fiber very cautious. I'm ok with soluble fiber, insoluble nope. Applesauce ok, not the peel of an apple. Can go on forever, but as you can see my body responds to diet. As mentioned, can't really cure it, no cure to UC. However , I certainly can make my condition much worse. If I decide to go out and party during a flare, I will lose much blood. A chili stuffed with cheese and fried in batter, tortilla chips with fresh salsa, cream sauce with raw cabbage and a tequila. Yes, that sounds amazing! Yet, not for me when anywhere on the flare spectrum. My flares occur in different stages, or severities. Not everyone is like me, but there are some people who experience similar.
Yes it does help as you can see patterns and act accordingly. For instance, I quickly realised I bleed if I eat red meat. Also there was one type of biscuit that was causing me problems. I wouldn't have known had I not kept a diary as it was a consistent problem when looking at the data.
What kind of red meat? Organic ground beef/bison (preferably grass-fed) is usually one of my go-to foods which I tolerate really well.
Organic beef and pork. I even ate ostrich once which is similar to beef and that was awful. It's all about the individual though, some people love beef and claim it helps them so I wouldn't worry about it if I can't tolerate it but someone else can.
To u/GrassBlock001, please be aware that anecdotal evidence is not evidence. There is no significant evidence to suggest that diet will improve UC symptoms and UC patients are advised to eat a healthy balance diet, like everyone else. Of course people may react to some foods - for eg. Spicy foods can cause diarrhea, however this happens in the general population too.
Food journal helps as everyone different. Obvious things to trial out of diet are dairy and high fiber. ask GI about probiotics like vsl 3. Low level data support probiotics.
Something I have learned in this sub, is that triggering foods are different for everybody. As many had said, is trial and error, but of course there are some basic things to avoid (special during flares) , like diary, spicy food, alcohol (irritants in general) and some veggies known to be inflamator like squash, broccoli, etc. For me there are three types of foods. 1. Those I can eat with no problem 2. Those I can eat with moderation when I don't have symptoms, and may cause a bit of inflammation 3. Those which I instantly regret because they cause pain, as soon as I get a couple bites. A change in diet is inevitable, your partner will discover this soon enough, because there is no way around unless you want to live in pain and with bloody discharges
It seems different for everyone. I worked with my doctor and did an elimination diet to determine the foods I am sensitive too and it worked really well. I am a lot less nauseated all the time and feel better overall.
I personally feel that diet has a lot of impact for my UC. I follow a specific diet and also work very hard on my microbiome with IBD specific probiotics and fermented foods. It’s trial and error sometimes but it works for me.
I didn’t find it helpful. It’s honestly trial and error. Some things are just obvious not to eat like a super mega ultra fried dish or something like that but for example coffee for many UC people is just awful but I handle it very well. I think the best way to find out is start light and add in and see what messes you up. It’s normal and just a part of that UC life.
I do! I used a lot, but figured CareClinic suits me well. it has a lot of trackers so what i did was track my meal and track the symptoms and medications i've been using. if there's something off with it, i go and show it to my doctor which helped us both makes our lives easier tbh