Colitis diet
Colitis is caused because of the inflammation of the lining of the bowel. This disease can lead to weight loss, reduced desire for food and also decreased absorption of minerals and vitamins. Hence all these things make it very important for you to maintain a healthy diet. Depending on the severity of the disease you would have to also restrict your diet. Before you start any dietary restrictions or additions you should talk to your nutritionist or gastroenteroligist.
Dietary requirements in Colitis
People with colitis need adequate quantities of calories, proteins, vitamins (A, B-12, C, D and folic acid) and minerals (iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium). Besides this people with colitis are required to have extra nutrients to supplement for what they lose. To maintain a balanced colitis diet it is important to take in nutrients from food groups like cereals and grains ; meat; fruits and vegetables; dairy. Your doctor might recommend you other nutritional supplements also to prevent dietary deficiency. However, you should keep in mind not to replace your food with these dietary supplements.
When on a colitis diet you should avoid taking food that you are allergic to. Any allergic
Reaction can worsen your disease condition. You should try and eat
small meals all through the day instead of eating large meals. You
should not limit yourself towards food otherwise this can result in
pain and in bloating when you eat properly the next time. you should
try and eat when you feel hungry and not follow any timings for eating.
You should relax while you eat and eat in small bites. You should avoid
adding more than one new addition to your meals and you should have a
lot of fluids when you eat.
What should your colitis diet include
There are a few experts who believe that flax seed oil and fish oil can help people in managing colitis. There are others who believe that psyllium and other prebiotics also help in the healing process. Besides this probiotics also help in the healing process. Your colitis diet should include vitamin supplements like B-12, D and also iron supplements. Salts and preservatives should be avoided or at least limited in a colitis diet.
When choosing meat for a colitis diet you should be very careful. Usually poultry companies that provide meat for human consumption include hormones in the animal\'s diet. These when consumed can cause stress in the human body hence you should be careful while selecting the meat and fish that you use for your colitis diet. You should go in for organic products, free chicken and wild salmon. You can visit www.digestive-disorders-guide.com to get more information on the other digestive disorders. You can also visit the website for Crohn\'s & Colitis Foundation of America.
Colitis results in diarrhea and lots of fluid loss from the body. You should drink lots of fluid and have it in small quantities you should try and drink as much fluids as you can mostly during when you eat. It is advised that you drink half ounce for every pound of the body weight. You should preferably drink water. When the colitis is under control then you can opt for a high fiber diet. You can either have the vegetables cooked or steamed or can have raw vegetables. However when it flares up you should move on to a low fiber diet.
When on colitis diet you should avoid foods containing lactose if you have lactose intolerance. If not then you can have lactose-pretreated foods, it is very important that you follow a proper diet even when you have a flare up. You can eat a high protein diet consisting of eggs, fish and lean meat. This can help you in reliving some of the symptoms. Your dietician would also ask you to have some nutritional drinks that can help you in giving rest to your bowel and supplement the nutrients that you would have lost.
Exclusions from colitis diet
You should limit yourself to alcohol, drinks containing caffeine and also sorbitol. These can worsen your symptoms of colitis. Besides this you should also restrict yourself from gas producing foods like cauliflower, cabbage, peas, sprouts etc. you should also reduce your fat intake as it can cause diarrhea.
Most of the physicians recommend that you can have beef, chicken, pork, fish, some cheeses, fruits, and other simple carbohydrates in your colitis diet. If you wish to have something sweet then you can have honey. This is the only type of sugar that is allowed. You should try and avoid taking foods that have a high fiber content and preservatives. You should also avoid fried foods as they can trigger your abdominal symptoms. The colitis diet should be formulated with much care and should be consulted with a gastroenterologist before following the diet.
People with colitis should be very careful with what they consume so that their condition is not aggravated. You should not formulate your colitis diet on your own or based on any food book for people with colitis. There are a number of things that need to be avoided depending on the condition of the patient. Hence follow the guidelines given by the doctor rather making your own routine. Have lots of water to keep yourself hydrated and also have meals in small quantities at short intervals of time. The colitis diet differs from one patient to another and it advised that you should not follow the colitis diet prescribed to someone else. Your diet would be different from any other person suffering from colitis.
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