8 Foods You Need in Your Ulcerative Colitis Diet

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Low-Fiber Grains & Avocado

Low-Fiber Grains

The aim for ulcerative colitis diets is to reduce “residue” in the digestive tract, which can aggravate the colon—a particularly bad source of residue is high-fiber food. Unfortunately, because of their other health benefits, high-fiber foods are virtually everywhere. 

Luckily, with some research, you can avoid the pitfalls of too much fiber. There are low-fiber alternatives out there for numerous high-fiber products, like oatmeal. Instant oatmeal in particular can be a good choice for ulcerative colitis patients. 

Your goal in choosing crackers, breads, pastas, and other carbohydrates is to look for things with a serving size containing less than a half a gram of fiber. However, be sure to supplement your diet with a variety of other foods, as low-fiber products are usually devoid of other important nutrients as well. 

 

Avocado

Avocado are one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Since ulcerative colitis puts you at such a risk for malnutrition, including this savory fruit in your diet is one of the best decisions you can make. While it’s delicious when eaten on its own, you can also use avocado to make healthy substitutions in your meals. For example, mashing one up and using it as an alternative to low-nutrient mayo on sandwiches. 

However, you should eat avocado in moderation. Despite its many health benefits, it’s an incredibly high-fat food, which can cause digestive troubles for ulcerative colitis patients. Limit your intake to a few times a week in order to maximize your health benefits and minimize your risk of problems. 

Did you know...

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  • There are many factors that contribute to your body odor, but one of the strongest links is our diet. This may be some bad news for meat-lovers because many studies have shown that those who refrained from or ate less red meat were judged as being more pleasant smelling. The meat sweats are real, and they don’t smell great!
  • Does your job make you stressed? We all know that stress is psychologically bad for you, but it also has an effect on…your allergies? A Harvard Medical School study has shown that stress causes your allergies to become worse because your body's defense response loses efficacy when repeatedly triggered by stress. Then, when you really need to physically fight something off, you're less able to!
  • Need a quick cool down? Try drinking some hot liquid. It's true! As counterintuitive as it may seem, the heat from hot liquids will raise your body temperature. This will heat you up and cause you to sweat. The increased perspiration will wind up helping you feel cooler as it evaporates. Try it out!