Same here unfortunately I eat what I can till it bothers me, new things seem to pop up and bother me that I've eaten for years. I have drank coffee and soda since I was in 7th grade and last year out of the blue caused horrible stomach cramping and almost instant need to run for the nearest bathroom. I know I'm fine with lots of protein as long as I consume it slowly throughout the day or it causes nausea but doesn't seem related to the lower gi issues with UC.

You can test lettuce out slowly. I found out I just can't eat romaine or iceberg. But I buy the spring mix or herb mix - the really soft lettuces don't seem to bother my UC. I eat it 2-3 times a week. It was a blessing to discover this because I LOVE salads and used to eat them all the time!

i guess i am just lucky. i have had UC (lower intestine) since 1996. i have tried EVERY UC recommended diet under the sun over the years--to the point of the obsession over what i ate or didn't consumed my life. i finally rebelled and just decided diet did not help me. the only thing that has ever helped is the right medication. so now i pretty much eat whatever i want. i eat clean about 80% of the time and do just fine with all the whole grains and fiber. i am on cimzia, which keeps me pretty much in remission, although having a bit of a flare right now which i contribute to pain meds. beano is a fantastic product. remember--it is enzymes. it may do the work for you that your gut can't. anyway--just my two cents. have a great wednesday.

When I'm in remission I can eat whatever I want, although coffee seems to upset my stomach lately. However when I am having a flare it seems like the only thing that doesn't cause me pain is processed and fast foods. It seems so odd to me that the stuff I try to avoid is the only thing I can eat during a flare. I have rum on occassion and it doesn't bother me at all. I've decided, starting tomorrow, to cut out all wheat from my diet. I'm hoping this will make a real difference. Lately, even when I'm not having a flare, I just feel tired and not right. You know not sick but not healthy. I'll let you know how that works out for me.

...Is alcohol a problem for anyone?

well--i guess i spoke too soon. have been fighting off a bad flare -- first in at least a year and a half. i know it'sfrom all the pain meds i had to take recently from an injury. anyway... love red wine... it kills me.

and just restocked the beano. ;-)

When I first got diagnosed 4 years ago, I could not hardly eat anything without getting sick. Now I can eat mostly anything I want in moderation. I find that extremely salty, greasy foods are to be avoided all the time and I do. I completely gave up drinking soda and I feel fantastic. I am finally in control.

Yes on the Beano. I'm vegetarian so I tend of eat a lot of beans. But I've started using dried beans and I must not be soaking/cooking quite long enough.
Is alcohol a problem for anyone?

depends on the alcohol. something sugar heavy in large amounts might be. vodka not really. the biggest problem for me is caffeine. i had to cut out a massive coffee habit in one day. now it's mostly decaf. i do have an occasional real diet coke, and that doesn't seem to hurt, but two real cups of coffee and my digestive system reacts very poorly.

I am lucky enough to have a fairly mild case of UC - I eat pretty much whatever I want, although if I go more than 2-3 days in a row eating more than a couple servings of fibrous vegetables, it can have adverse effects, to an extent at least.

I am on Asacol HD 800mg twice daily. I have a few Canasa on hand but they are expensive as hell and I plan to only use them if I feel it really becomes a necessity.

First symptoms in February 2012, had a checkup in March 2012 and a colonoscopy scheduled for April 20, but went to the ER on 4/10 with pretty much unbearable symptoms. Diagnosed 4/12 and back to relatively normal by about May or so. Dropped from 171lbs to 159lbs while in the hospital and lost a TON of strength and cardio conditioning during the ~10 days that I did not work out due to increasingly bad symptoms. Thankfully.. I am back and better than ever.. just hoping to avoid too many future flare-ups!