Before Colitis discussion. A little introduction about me. I'm 53 and have been very healthy most my life. Coming from a very healthy family and healthy siblings. It was a shock to me that in June of 2022 I was diagnosed with Colitis. The colonoscopy showed that the end of my colon was the problem. I couldn't believe my eyes when my doctor showed me the pictures. How could this happen to me? It was a shock.
Colitis Changed My Life
I could literally eat anything before colitis and loved, loved, loved coffee. I learned very quickly that if I didn't make diet changes I would be in a forever colitis flare. During the first year of having colitis I made several mistakes with my diet that put me on and off again into flare ups. My weight also went up and down dramatically and I lost most of my usual muscle mass. My energy level was also greatly changed. The only bright spot in all of this is that my blood pressure was the best it ever was due to the weight loss.
Colitis & Holidays Not the Best of Friends
Everyone eats deferent during the holidays or during special occasions. I was starting to notice that I was experiencing bad flare ups a week to 2 weeks after every single special occasion that included fatty holiday or party food. I was starting to feel like my life would never be the same again. Food is a big part of everyone's life. Not being able to indulge during the holidays seemed very depressing. Also worth mentioning due to my colitis my family had to consider my diet at every event. Not fun and you start to feel like a black cloud.
Colitis Confusion
Due to all the frustration about how to handle colitis flares I started reading everything about how to handle this problem. I can speak from experience that there are wildly varying opinions about how to handle colitis ranging from medications to dieting. It seems like some people hardly change their diet while others make dramatic changes. This only adds to the confusion about what to do to bring colitis under control. After several flares where some of them lasted several weeks I was determined to chronicle and determine what my individual problem was.
A Colitis Log Book is Essential
My wife bought me a little silver date book from the dollar store to start logging my experiences with diet and medications. Every detail doesn't go to waste. I started logging the number of trips to the bathroom per day and what I was eating on those days. I was starting to notice a pattern. Diet seemed to be a trigger while medications that I was taking Mesalamine, Prednisone, Methotrexate & some brand of probiotics were the constants. Flagyl or some other antibiotic being used when I had an infection. Food was certainly the wild card.
The Right Proteins are Essential
There seems to be at least one consensus in the colitis community. Beef consumption is usually a trigger. Further I was told by my doctor that I could have filet minion or very lean beef. It has been my experience with help from my log book that even very lean beef can cause a flare. More importantly the correct proteins in your diet can actually help improve your energy levels and shorten flare ups.
Egg Whites are Amazing for Colitis
The essential protein that you can consume even if you are especially sensitive is egg whites. Egg whites are loaded in protein and have very low residue and shouldn't irritate your stomach. You can go the route of hard boiled eggs and take out the yokes or just buy liquid egg whites at the super market. These can be cooked like scrambled eggs or omelets each morning and provide a huge boost in energy.
Other Positive Colitis Protein Options
Other proteins may also include fish, natural peanut butter with no added sugar, shrimp, canned tuna fish in water and lean chicken. It is important that when preparing any of these to not include sauces or butter as these can cause colitis digestion issues. I prefer to only use black pepper and salt substitute as a seasoning. Even olive oil in my experience can cause issues in digestion if meats sit in oil too long. Stick with pepper and no salt substitute for the safest route.
My Safe List of Flare Foods
After testing and re-testing what I can safely digest this my Colitis Diet List. These I have found to be helpful for me in dealing with a flare up or sticking to remission when I achieve it.
Drinks: Water, Sugar Free Apple Juice, Zero Sugar Gatorade, Chamomile Tea.
Bread: Plain Bagels ( no seeds ) , White Bread, White Bakery Rolls, Soft White Gluten Free Bread ( no multigrain ).
Meats: Baked, Boiled or Very Lean Chicken, Eggs Whites, Fish, Shrimp.
Sides: White Rice, Baked Potato, Gluten Free Pasta, Onion Perogies.
Snacks: Natural Peanut Butter, No Sugar Apple Sauce, No Sugar Juice Popsicles.
Fruit: Watermelon Chunks, Ripened Banana's. ( I especially LOVE water melon. It hydrates you and gives an energy boost. )
Probiotics & Colitis, Be careful!
In my latest update I'd like to tell you about Probiotics. I have been taking them more regularly because I believe they do help especially when it comes regular doses of antibiotics like Cipro & Flagel. I starting taking a new one called VSL3. It's probably the strongest one. That being said be careful with the dosing because at the max dose per day it can actually cause bloating & diarrhea. I definitely experienced this. If you are almost out of a flare I would limit the dose to 1 or maybe to capsules per day. Learn from my experience!
Conclusion about Colitis
With my experience and logging the science I can concluded that you can't starve your body when you are trying to recover from the problems associated with Colitis. Trying to have some sort of protein with each and every snack and meal is essential. It will give you energy and help fight back to normal digestion. It's also important to take whatever medicine your doctor recommends. I can also add that a high quality probiotic is very helpful to keep your digestive system balanced especially if you have been on and off antibiotics. Good luck to all and I will add any new information to this article that might help anyone living with Colitis.
