Foods to avoid in Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of large intestine and rectum. Ulcerative colitis is characterized by passing of blood with stools, pain in abdomen, diarrhea, fever and fatigue.

As Ulcerative Colitis deals with inflamed colon, there are many food items, which a patient of ulcerative colitis cannot tolerate for the fear of aggravation of the symptoms.
Here is the list of food items which should be avoided by the patient of ulcerative colitis.

• Fruits and vegetables: A patient of ulcerative colitis cannot digest raw fruits and vegetables. Fruits like ripe banana and ripe watermelon are only digested well by such patients. The vegetables should not be consumed raw. They should be peeled off and cooked well and made with minimum use of oil.
• Proteins: Although protein is very important for body, patients of ulcerative colitis can tolerate very little of proteins. Beans, pulses, soya containing foods and peanut butter should be avoided by the patient.
• Carbonated drinks: All carbonated drinks including soft drinks should be avoided by the patients of ulcerative colitis. The carbon dioxide gas and excessive sugar content of the drink can worsen the symptoms.
• Tea and coffee: Tea and coffee have high caffeine content in them. Caffeine is not tolerated by patients suffering from ulcerative colitis. It increases the activity of intestines and thereby worsening the symptoms. So tea and coffee should be avoided by the patients.
• Creamy food items: Creams are always very rich in fats. High fat content is difficult to digest with inflamed and weak colon. So, cream biscuits, pastries etc. should be avoided by the patients of ulcerative colitis.
• Dairy products: Milk, curds, cheese, mayonnaise, butter etc. should be avoided due to fear of lactose intolerance.
• Alcohol: Alcohol and other hard drinks should not be taken by the patients of ulcerative colitis as they irritate the inflamed linings of intestine.
• Fruits with seeds: Normally, all fruits contain seeds. But fruits with edible seeds like strawberries should be avoided.
• Meat: Meat is rich in both fats as well as proteins. So eating meat should be avoided by the patients of ulcerative colitis.
• Spicy foods: Foods containing too much of pepper, whole spices and hot sauces are very difficult to digest for the patients of Ulcerative Colitis. So such foods should be avoided.

As Ulcerative Colitis is a chronic condition, homeopathic medicines play a very significant role in controlling the disease and its symptoms.

The disease Ulcerative Colitis is characterized by acute phase and remission phase. In acute phase when the symptoms are really very severe, conventional medicines under an expert’s guidance should be given to the patient. Once the patient is out of the acute phase, homeopathic medicines are suggested for better management of the disease. This will help in relieving the symptoms as well as decreasing the frequency of acute episodes experienced in the patients of Ulcerative Colitis.

Dr Rajesh Shah, MD, Life Force has treated many cases of Ulcerative Colitis across the globe in last 30 years. He firmly believes that with the help of proper dietary modifications and homeopathic medicines patients of Ulcerative Colitis can live a reasonably comfortable life.