Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease. UC is a continuous inflammation and ulceration starting from the rectum and eventually extending to the large intestine. The inflammation thickens the intestinal wall, resulting in scar tissue over time. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, fever and weight loss. These symptoms are intermittent and can be severe or mild. A bowel movement usually relieves the pain and cramps. The goal is to control the attacks and give the bowel time to heal. A special diet will help.
Small Meals Throughout the Day
Eating a large meal and skipping meals will aggravate UC with gas and diarrhea symptoms. For this reason, it is best for you to eat small frequent meals throughout the day. This is especially important during active signs and symptoms of the disease. Frequent meals help increase the amount of vitamins and nutrients you receive during day. Also, this strategy is better tolerated by the colon because gas does not build up.
Diet With Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Foods with omega-3 fatty acids help decrease inflammation in the body and thus may help decrease the inflammatory process associated with UC. This fatty acid is already promoted to decrease inflammation with rheumatoid arthritis and skin disorders. It is best to get your omega-3 fatty acids through foods and not supplements for UC. The supplements come in fish oil pills that can cause belching, flatulence and bloating. Better choices are cold-water fish, such as salmon, halibut and tuna.
Diet Without Greasy Foods
Foods that are fried or prepared in butter, oil and grease need to be avoided because they are high in fat content. Heavy creams and sauces are also high in fat. A study done on laboratory mice showed a high-fat diet induced colitis, as reported in the January 2008 edition of "Clinical and Experimental Immunology." Colitis is an inflammation of the bowel that contributes to UC. To avoid high-fat items, read the nutrition labels and substitute when appropriate. For instance, when purchasing dairy products, use fat-free milk instead of whole milk and substitute ice cream for sorbet and ices. Meats need to be lean, and all external fat needs to be trimmed.
References
- MedlinePlus: Ulcerative Colitis
- University of California San Francisco Medical Center: Nutrition Tips for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 fatty acids
- PubMed.gov: High-Fat Diet Modulates Non-CD1d-Restricted Natural Killer T Cells and Regulatory T Cells in Mouse Colon and Exacerbates Experimental Colitis
