Diet for ulcerative colitis plays such an important role in healing this disease. Unfortunately, most gastroenterologists will tell you to eat whatever. At least, this was the advice my doctor gave me when I had my first episode of ulcerative colitis. Deep down I knew, there has to be a better diet.

Being a physician, I knew the horrendous side-effects of the drugs for ulcerative colitis. Also, these drugs provide only a temporary relief of symptoms. Therefore, I was determined to cure my ulcerative colitis naturally. So, I started doing internet research with a scientific eye. I found two diets that made sense:  Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), and Ayurvedic Diet for Ulcerative Colitis.

In my experience, both of these diets are useful but have significant holes. For example, SCD allows lemon, lime and all spices including hot red pepper. Well, it does not make any sense to sprinkle hot peppers and apply citrus to inflamed intestinal lining covered with tiny ulcers. Similarly, Ayurvedic diet recommends using rice, wheat, moong dal and tapioca, all of which produce a lot of gas. That’s the last thing you want when you are having flare-up of ulcerative colitis.

After a lot of hit-and-miss, I synthesized a diet which worked for me. I share this diet in this article.

Diet for the Acute Phase of Ulcerative Colitis

In the acute phase of ulcerative colitis, you typically have bloody diarrhea, excessive gas and abdominal cramping. Here is the diet for this phase:

Best Foods to Eat

• Only cooked foods.
• Chicken soup, made at home. Use only cool spices such as coriander, fennel, cardamom, and saffron. Basil and salt are also fine.
• Almond muffins, made at home. Click here for the recipe
• Steamed fresh water fish such as trout. You can sprinkle some salt and add butter or ghee (clarified butter, available at Indian-Pakistani grocery stores as well as online.)
• Vegetables such as carrots, green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkin, asparagus, spinach, bitter melon, loki (a squash type of vegetable available at Indian – Pakistani grocery stores.)
• Ripened bananas. Soft melons (but no watermelon.)
• Baked pears and apples without any spices or cheeses. No cinnamon.
• Use honey as your sweetener. No NutraSweet, saccharine or other artificial sweeteners.
• Use only butter or ghee (clarified butter) as your fats.
• Use special herbal tea with every meal.

Foods to Avoid

• Dairy such as milk, yogurt, cheeses, ice-cream.
• Sugar. No cakes, pies, candies, chocolate, etc.
• Hot spices including red chilies pepper, black pepper, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric.
• Tomatoes, eggplants, okra, cauliflower or broccoli.
• Watermelon, figs or sour fruits such as citrus.
• Grains: rice, wheat, oats, barley, quinoa, tapioca……
• Beef, lamb, turkey or pork.
• Lentils, any dal, sweet peas or other legumes.
• Salads.
• Pickles.
• Raw nuts
• Sodas or juices.
• Black – green tea or coffee.
• Additives or preservatives.
• NutraSweet, saccharine or other artificial sweeteners.
• Oils, lard, or margarine.

Diet for the Chronic Phase of Ulcerative Colitis

Once acute bloody diarrhea is resolved, you can gradually switch to the diet for the chronic phase of ulcerative colitis, as follows:

Best Foods to Eat

• Chicken or turkey, cooked at home. Use only cool spices such as coriander, fennel, cardamom, and saffron. Basil and salt are fine.
• Steamed fresh water fish such as trout. You can sprinkle some salt and add butter or ghee ( clarified butter, available at Indian-Pakistani grocery stores as well as online.)
• Steamed potatoes sprinkled with salt.
• Vegetables such as carrots, green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkin, asparagus, spinach, loki (a squash type of vegetable available at Indian – Pakistani grocery stores.)
• Salads made of lettuce, cucumber, avocado.
• Soft sweet raw fruits such as soft apples, pears, melons (no watermelon), cherries, mangoes, peaches, nectarines, plums.
• Almond muffins or bread, made at home
• Black – green tea or coffee without milk or creamer.
• Use honey as your sweetener. No NutraSweet, saccharine or other artificial sweeteners.
• Use butter or ghee (clarified butter) as your fats.
• Use special herbal tea with every meal.

Foods to Avoid

• Dairy such as milk, yogurt, cheeses, ice-cream.
• Sugar. No cakes, pies, candies, chocolate, etc.
• Hot spices including red chilies pepper, black pepper, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric.
• Tomatoes, eggplants, okra, cauliflower or broccoli.
• Watermelon, figs, or sour fruits such as citrus.
• Grains: rice, wheat, oats, barley, quinoa, tapioca….
• Steamed potatoes with sprinkled salt.
• Beef, lamb or pork.
• Lentils, any dal, sweet peas or other legumes.
• Pickles.
• Sodas or juices.
• Additives or preservatives.
• NutraSweet, saccharine or other artificial sweeteners.
• Oils, lard, or margarine.

Long-term Diet for Ulcerative Colitis

Gradually, you can add food items that you have been eating all your life with the following guidelines:

• Add one new food item at a time and wait for one week before adding another.
• Try to cook as much as possible at home.  The healthiest food is what you cook at home. Use as many fresh, organic ingredients as you can.
• Consume dairy – milk, creamer, yogurt, cheeses,  ice-cream – only occasionally and in small amounts.
• Use cane sugar occasionally. Continue honey as your preferred sweetener.
• Add hot spices carefully and in small amounts only. Start with onions, then add turmeric, followed by ginger. If everything is going well for a couple of weeks, you can add garlic. After a couple of weeks , you can add small amounts of black pepper, and tiny amounts of red chilies pepper, a few weeks later.
• Continue to avoid NutraSweet, saccharine and other artificial sweeteners.

What to Eat during a Flare-up of Ulcerative Colitis?

If you have a flare-up of ulcerative colitis, go back to the diet for the acute phase, followed by the diet for the chronic phase, as discussed earlier. Don’t get discouraged. Keep shifting your attention in to the real Now, in front of your eyes, and not what is in your head.

In Short

Diet plays an important role in healing your ulcerative colitis. Make conscious decisions about what to eat and what to avoid. Don’t stay trapped in your old eating habits.

In addition to diet, stress management, Vitamin D with k2, Vitamin B12, and adequate rest and sleep are other important aspects of healing ulcerative colitis naturally.

https://doctorzaidi.com/recipe/