Eating Smart: Ulcerative Colitis Diet Tips

Maintaining good nutrition is one way you can lead a healthy lifestyle. That’s why it’s important to make smart food choices.

There is no evidence that any particular food causes ulcerative colitis (UC). But some people may find that certain foods make their symptoms worse. Consider keeping a symptoms diary to see which foods aggravate your symptoms. For example, some people find that spicy or high-fiber foods make symptoms worse. If this is the case, you may want to eat soft, bland foods during a flare-up, instead of raw vegetables or spicy dishes.

Diarrhea and bleeding can cause nutritional deficiencies and rob the body of fluids and electrolytes. Proper nutrition is important to ensure that your body stays healthy. Eat a variety of foods — making sure they are ones you can tolerate — to ensure that you are getting a variety of nutrients. Diarrhea can also cause dehydration, so it is equally important that you drink plenty of water, especially during warmer weather.

The following are tips for healthy eating:

• Make sure you are not skipping meals. Try eating several smaller meals during the day instead of three large ones.
• Eat a variety of foods from all food groups. The Food Guide Pyramid can tell you about the food groups and how much of each you should eat in a day.
• Ensure that you have daily intake of an adequate level of calories, proteins, and nutrients.

Your doctor or a nutritionist who is knowledgeable about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can help you make the right dietary decisions.