Taking care of your food and diet during a crisis of ulcerative colitis is of great importance, especially to control symptoms such as decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, changes in taste, and fatigue. In addition, an adequate diet also reduces the risk of malnutrition.
Since there is no specific diet [1] for cases of ulcerative colitis [2], which can be recommended for all people with the disease, the ideal is that those who suffer from this disorder consult a nutritionist to adapt the diet to their specific case, which varies according to the severity, disease activity level, and symptoms presented.
However, there are some general recommendations [3] that can be followed in order to avoid a case of malnutrition, favoring the absorption of nutrients and good nutritional status.
How to Know What’s Wrong
The diet to control colitis attacks varies for each person, being necessary to observe which foods tend to worsen digestion, cause pain, diarrhea, and constipation, or increase intestinal gas.
For this, the best way to identify which foods to consume or avoid is to keep a food diary, which notes all the foods consumed and the symptoms experienced after meals. This diary can be written on a specific agenda table or on a cell phone, and after a few weeks, it will be possible to identify the best diet individually.
In addition, it is important to remember that colitis can vary over time, and this can cause changes in the foods that most irritate the intestine for the same person. Thus, when noticing new crises, it is important to return to the food diary to readjust the diet.