It is not a secret for anyone that ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of the intestinal mucosa, requiring the patient to consistently observe a fairly strict diet and significant restrictions both in the diet and in foods. Therefore, practically for all patients with this pathology of the digestive organs, the most urgent question is what can be eaten with this unpleasant disease.
This disease, which proceeds in a chronic type with constantly changing periods of relapses and remissions, is insidious enough, as with any errors in the diet it can give a strong exacerbation. This situation occurs for the reason that even in the case of the patient's disappearing clinical signs accompanying ulcerative colitis, complete recovery of the mucosa and normalization of digestive processes does not occur.
This requires a fairly long period of time during which a proper diet should be followed, and the necessary therapy with medications should be applied. In addition, the patient needs to completely revise his lifestyle and abandon the possible harmful habits, such as smoking and alcohol abuse, since they have a very negative effect on the damaged mucosa.
Each clinical case of ulcerative colitis requires an individual selection of a diet, in which the following factors must be taken into account:
- Possible phenomena of intolerance of certain foods present in a certain person, as well as the severity of the disease;
- Nature of drug therapy;
- Concomitant diseases;
- In the phase there is ulcerative colitis in this patient, remission or exacerbation.
In addition, a specialist in selecting the right dietary nutrition must take into account the person's taste preferences.
Selection of a diet for patients with ulcerative colitis
But, despite the individuality of this issue, there are also universal requirements that correspond to this disease. Their main characteristics are as follows:
- Protein quota. With this inflammatory pathology, there is a large loss of protein, which leaves the body together with purulent and bloody secretions from the rectum, and besides it is destroyed by hormones taken during treatment. Therefore, all patients with ulcerative colitis need to replenish it, so that the mucosa can fully recover. The content of this component in the dietary foods used should not be less than 2 g per kilogram of the patient's weight. But to exceed this norm is not worth it, since the body can not metabolize excess protein and this will lead to the formation of putrefactive processes in the rectum;
- The content of fats, especially animals, should be reduced to a minimum. They activate the motor activity of the intestine, which, due to the developing inflammation, is already significantly strengthened. Therefore, when preparing dietary dishes for patients with ulcerative colitis, confectionery creams, dairy products, and fatty meat and fish must be completely excluded;
- The carbohydrate component in the dietary diet of patients with ulcerative colitis should also be reduced. In addition, for food, you must use only products that do not contain coarse fiber, stimulating contraction of the intestine and thereby aggravating damage to the mucosa;
- The content in dietary dishes of minerals, especially iron, with this disease should be increased, as they are lost along with blood. It is very good if in the diet of patients with ulcerative colitis will include products such as veal and beef liver, oatmeal, chicken eggs. All of them contain easily digestible iron and other minerals.
The rules of cooking are common in the diet for patients with ulcerative colitis. The principle of processing the products must be taken into account in order to achieve the least possible impact on the damaged mucosa. That is, they should not only be very well brewed, but also wiped or kneaded to a mushy state.
What can I eat with ulcerative colitis?
Although many patients believe that the restrictions introduced into the diet by this disease will make the table very meager and tasteless, this is not at all the case. From the products permitted for use with nonspecific ulcerative colitis, you can make a very nutritious and delicious weekly menu. And all the recipes of dietary dishes are not only easy to prepare, but also do not take much time.
Broth for mucous soups, as well as steam cutlets, meatballs, souffle and meatballs are prepared from low-fat varieties of fish or meat. The only thing that should be taken into account for patients suffering from ulcerative colitis is that in recipes that are intended for a diet, no spices are allowed, and salt should be used in a limited amount.
Also all dishes that form the basis of the menu, you need to cook for a couple or bake. You can also boil them, but in this case there is a significant loss of trace elements and vitamins. It should also be remembered that recipes that involve frying products should be completely excluded from the diet.
Fruits with nonspecific ulcerative colitis
Often from people with inflammatory bowel disease you can hear the question of what can be eaten from fruits in this disease and in what form do they use? Despite the fact that the diet for this pathology of the intestine provides only the cooked fruits, patients are recommended to include ripe bananas in the menu.
These fruits, which are loved by many, help to raise mood and increase energy, which is very important for patients who have a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. Also, bananas, due to their soft structure, are the most suitable fruit for a diet in any intestinal disorders. Among their useful properties, both patients with a history of this inflammatory pathology of the digestive organ and specialists usually notice the following:
- The use of 1-2 bananas a day helps to remove the unpleasant symptoms of the disease;
- Recovery in patients using dietary colitis for ulcerative colitis, these delicious fruits is markedly accelerated;
- They are very effective in all disorders of the stool, as they normalize the work of the intestines.
In addition, the undoubted advantage of using these fruits is that they are able to transform pathological intestinal bacteria into digestive bacilli.
But the diet for nonspecific ulcerative colitis has a list of prohibited foods and drinks. Among them are those that are capable of causing both chemical and mechanical damage to the inflamed mucosa. It is all salted, sour, smoked, and also containing preservatives.
Special mention should be made of the inadmissibility of ulcerative colitis in the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol even in minimal doses can cause irreparable harm and negate all the achievements of the diet prescribed for this disease.