Ulcerative Colitis

You should both look into following a ketogenic diet which has actually been shown to help both of these specific issues.

I have crohns. Its been in remission for 3 years thanks to a bowel resection and Humira, but my stomach has been very messed up ever since and I have to be very careful about my diet. I juice vegetables 3x a week (heavy in ginger) and that helps significantly, as well as staying away from dairy and fatty meats. Especially pork, that is the absolute worst. Invest In ginger drinks and teas and drops, those are a god send !! Lots of luck, there will be a lot of ups and downs before you find something that works ! And even once you do, you'll still have bad days where everything feels out of control. But it'll get better, just gotta pay attention to what you are eating!

I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 23 years ago luckily I have been in remission several years so I eat anything I want but when I do have flare ups I stay away from raw fruits & vegetables and anything high in fiber. I don't have a problem with dairy or any types of meat when I have a flare up

I'm currently following a low-residue diet to deal with a Crohn's flare. I was only diagnosed this year, and before this flare I could eat almost anything. Sigh. Plant-based as my guts allow.

@dustyyellows-Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I have Crohn's disease. I was diagnosed 13 years ago and it has been a lot of ups and downs since then, but I am finally in remission with the help of Remicade. I have found that a gluten free diet really helps with my pain. When I am flaring, a low residue diet is essential as well, but in remission I can eat many of the high residue foods. There is a Crohn's support group on here, but it is not terribly active.

@swiviol- As mentioned above, I am on Remicade. I was completely hesitant to get on it, so I understand your fears. But last May I hit rock bottom. I was 95 lbs, could not keep anything in me and prednisone wasn't even working, so I gave it a go. I can't say that it has been 100% bliss. I have some allergic reactions after my infusions and have developed some weird food allergies since starting it. But it has literally saved my life. I am pretty sure I will not go off of this drug. I went from feeling like near death last May to running a marathon in January thanks to Remicade. I think if you are feeling really poorly, it is definitely worth a try.

I have ulcerative colitis and have been lucky it has been in remission for several years. When I got out of the hospital after a major flare, I tried following the diet you describe but it just wasn't for me. I had to experiment. I did avoid dairy for the most part except I did drink raw goats milk and that gave me such a sense of well being and my gut kept quiet! I did juice a lot which helped but there were a few fruits like fresh cherries and pineapple that I was able to eat whole because they are great anti-inflammatory foods. I quit soda and stopped with all artificial sweeteners.

Basically, I researched anti-inflammatory foods and ate them and as I started feeling stronger, I slowly added back a food at a time to ensure tolerance. I know I was lucky because after Lialda, I was able to go on sulfasalazine (a cheap old school drug that is also used for RA) for maintenance. I did have a proctitis flare a few years back but upping the sulfasalazine and adding rectal meds, stopped it quickly.

I credit probiotics with most of my healing. I started off small with just a few strains at a few million count and now I am up to 32 bacterial strains and several billion count. It gets expensive but sleeping on the bathroom floor because you cannot leave the toilet it worse! If you have not tried probiotics, do so. Don't get the over the counter crap at Walmart or your local pharmacy. Go to a health food store and get the kind that is stocked in the refrigerated section to ensure that the bacteria is still living and thriving. And if you can stomach them, try fermented foods, kombucha and kefir ... all sources of beneficial bacteria. There are also many supplements you can try that might help. In the early stages of healing, slippery elm was helpful. Now, I take supplements that offer anti-inflammatory properties like turmeric and bromelain. Supplementing with folate (not folic acid) also helping with the healing process too.

This is a lot of random information thrown at you and not all of it may be helpful to you, but it helped me greatly. I am paranoid about having a relapse so I am anal about the probiotics for sure. I also eat as cleanly as possible, cooking most of my food. I try to avoid processed stuff even going as far as making my own bread and tortillas on occasion using gluten free options.

I hope this group is still up and running! I'm new to MFP & did a search for Colitis. I've had UC for almost 3 years now. Last summer I was at my worst and was given prednisone and started Remicade. The Remicade has been great, but occasionally I have to use prednisone again. This has led to a lot of weight gain. Dieting, let alone eating normally with UC is a challenge so I'd love to add you all to see how you plan your meals.

Best,
SiaB12