Dietary Needs for Ulcerative Colitis

People who suffer from ulcerative colitis (UC) should understand the role diet plays in their disease. While some doctors will tell you to "eat what you want" or that "diet has no effect on the illness," frequent sufferers know this is not the case.

Dairy

• Dairy plays an important nutritional role in the delivery of vitamins, calcium and other developmental minerals. Dairy products also provide beneficial probiotics that actually help heal the intestinal wall. But many with UC also suffer from lactose intolerance.

  It is important to test and research which dairy products cause UC problems in your body versus those that have little impact. For example, those who suffer from dairy intolerances often find cheddar cheese causes less of a problem than American. Also, yogurt contains probiotics all UC sufferers should be ingesting. Nowadays, there are many companies that provide lactose free versions of your favorite foods, including milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream. And if you cannot have any dairy regardless of lactose, there is a variety of alternative soy products. Note that you should not overdo soy intake due to the nature of beans to cause gas.

Fruits and Vegetables

• While vegetables contain many valuable nutrients that are beneficial for a UC patient, the body may have trouble properly digesting their high fiber. You should avoid raw vegetables almost entirely. In a normal person, eating raw foods will produce cramping and gas. In a person with UC, these symptoms can multiply and contribute to the onset of a flare-up. If you are craving vegetables, find some that typically do not cause as many problems.

  Iceberg lettuce and baby spinach leaves in light salads are less caustic and also have high colonic benefits. Boiling or "mashing" cooked vegetables also reduces the output of gas. A boiled piece of broccoli has the same nutritional value as raw but is far more digestible to a ulcerative colitis sufferer.

  When eating fruits, always opt for those with a low content of citric acid, which is an irritant to the body and can cause havoc when it hits the large intestine. The skins of many fruits are also more difficult to digest for even a healthy colon, let alone a UC-irritated one. Peel all your fruits and vegetables to avoid a conflict. Applesauce, pears and even avocados are mild enough for a person with UC.

Meats / Proteins

• Meats and proteins are very strenuous for the human body to digest. But they are also the favorite food of many and provide minerals such as iron (important for replenishing blood loss and avoiding anemia) and the all-important proteins for muscular development. When eating meats, it is important to do so in moderation and avoid the really fatty meats or animal skin. Spacing out the nights you eat meats is important in letting the large intestine "rest" after working through a difficult meal.

Fibers

• Fibers are a big question mark for UC patients. Some doctors will tell you to load up on fibers during a flare-up, while others will tell you to avoid them all together. The best advice would be to do what you are comfortable with. If eating granola causes you to frequently use the bathroom, then don't eat it no matter what your doctor says. If oatmeal or cereals have the same effect on you as any other food, then by all means--eat it for the nutritional value.

Junk Food

• Junk food is the guilty pleasure--every person has at least one food vice that extremely difficult to give up. But it is also the worst food for an ulcerative colitis sufferer. Most junk food is processed, loaded with bad trans fats or chemicals you cannot pronounce. If you are a chocoholic, milk chocolate causes severe pain and cramping. An alternative is dark chocolate, which is less processed and contains antioxidants and no dairy.