Avoiding Your Ulcerative Colitis Trigger Foods

As anyone with ulcerative colitis knows, eating can often be a horrible experience if your ulcerative colitis is not under control. Certain foods seem to trigger an ulcerative colitis flare-up or just make a current flare-up even worse. The trouble is, trigger foods vary greatly from person to person.

Before my ulcerative colitis was controlled, my trigger foods were fried foods, spicy food and dairy products. These may seem simple enough to avoid but I love milk and I am from southern Louisiana so I love spicy Cajun food. I did discover that if I only ate very small amounts of these foods my craving would be diminished and I could usually avoid a flare-up.

I do know some other people with ulcerative colitis. They have told me that their trigger foods include everything from popcorn to nuts and even caffeine. I am sure that there are many other trigger foods but these are the ones that I have heard of from my UC friends.

Because trigger foods vary so much, I cannot guarantee that my suggestions will work for everyone. I can only hope that they will help someone as much as they have helped me.

I have a few basic guidelines that I follow whether I am cooking for just myself or a group of friends. The first is that I do not use anything that contains a significant amount of nuts. This can be difficult because nuts can be hidden in a lot of foods.

The second thing is that I always try to use lactose-free products. This can be challenging sometimes but, in most areas, lactose-free products are widely available.

Lastly, I don't serve any fried foods. Not only do fried foods cause some people with ulcerative colitis to have a flare-up - they are not a good health choice for anyone.

I have a recipe that I would like to share. These lemon bars taste good and, to my knowledge, they have not caused anyone that I know to have an ulcerative colitis flare-up.

Lemon Bars Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and 5 tablespoons Crisco.

Press mixture into the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes.

While that is baking, mix 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs and 7 tablespoons lemon juice.

Pour over the crust.

Bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Cool for an hour then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut then serve.

Whenever you are eating at a friend's house, do not be afraid to ask what is in the food they are serving. Most people will understand why you are asking and most will happily answer.