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Posted 9/11/2010 11:12 PM (GMT -5)
I was diagnosed with UC in January 2010.  I tried everything under the sun, before I made the tough decision to start Remicade. I will have my 4th infusion Oct 25th.  I am currently dealing with a flare up.  I have thought (briefly) about becoming a vegatarian?  Are there certain foods that you stay away from to avoid a flare up?

Thanks for all the  advice!!

Posted 9/11/2010 11:25 PM (GMT -5)
Most of us avoid spicy, greasy foods and the simple carbs (sugar and white flour) found in refined foods (i.e., junk food). Other things I avoid pretty well all the time are caffeine, alcohol and whole grains. Most of us also have learned to avoid excessive roughage/fiber while flaring.

I am lactose intolerant so I avoid dairy as much as possible, and take lactaid if I can't avoid it.
Posted 9/12/2010 3:56 AM (GMT -5)
Hey I don' avoid any foods I've tried to not eat certain things but it did'nt make any change.
Also alocohol if your flaring maybe you should stay clear but I think it down to the person.
Sometimes certain things can trigger people but you have to learn those foods yourself cause they may only affect you.
Posted 9/12/2010 6:39 AM (GMT -5)
Hi to you and sorry you are flaring right now.

To answer your question...food seems to be so individualistic (as most things with this disease) that you are going to get many different answers.

For me personally, food does not matter to my UC.  This does not mean I don't try to eat healthfully but keep in mind that food may or may not be hurting your symptoms.

When I am flaring I might not eat as many 'scratchy' foods, such as popcorn and I will try to eat more gut friendly, soft things. 

You may have to experiment to see what you tolerate best.  What works for one won't work for all. 

Hope you feel better soon

Posted 9/12/2010 6:55 AM (GMT -5)
Hi, and welcome to Healing Well!
There are probably as many different answers about food as there are members here - we all seem to react differently. We have folks who have reacted amazingly well to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and variations thereof, and we have folks who eat anything, and many different variations in between - people who have just discovered a sensitivity or allergy to a food that, once eliminated, helps them.

For me, I eat what I want when not flaring. When flaring, I avoid gassy foods (including onions, beans, some root vegs.,) greasy foods, anything raw and "scratchy".... for years I said I couldn't eat salads, and through people here I discovered I could eat raw spinach in a salad - yahoo! Corn and whole grain-type breads, even oatmeal cause me too much discomfort while flaring. When I'm in bad shape I can't tolerate fruit except canned or bananas in small amounts, and applesauce.
I've heard soy is difficult to digest, but I don't tend to eat much of it anyway.

To what extent would you become vegetarian - would you include fish? Meat but not red meat? Dairy? Food tolerance while flaring can be so limiting, in my experience....

I know we have some vegetarians on the forum, so hopefully they'll chime in!

I wish you the best getting out of this flare! How disappointing, Remicade and all and still a flare. Hang in there, and welcome aboard!
Posted 9/12/2010 3:08 PM (GMT -5)
Most doctors and many on this forum will tell you that food does not matter much. But there are others who have been on meds for years but did not get full relief until they considered their diet. To me it’s just common sense to see if diet affects you for no other reason than the possibility of avoiding more medication than is necessary. Meds can have side effects.

I keep a food diary to isolate individual foods that are bad for me. Others are more systematic about it by following special diets. The SCD diet is very popular and there are many threads on the forum for more information. Imagardener2, where are you?
Posted 9/12/2010 5:51 PM (GMT -5)
Quick input: I had to avoid high fiber. Especially lettuces (even still). Going vegetarian would have been the worst thing for me!
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