The Perfect Diet for Ulcerative Colitis

When doing an article on ulcerative colitis and "How to eat", it is hard to resist the smart aleck answer: "Carefully!"

When one is diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, they should begin a journey of studying their body; what is good for it and what is bad for it.

As a wonderful resource I think the book "What to Eat with IBD" by Tracie M. Dalessandro, MS RD CDN, is probably "the" book on ulcerative colitis diet. This book was available at the "On the Road Again" seminar put on by Shire Pharmaceutical which I attended in Chicago April, 14th, 2008.

Tracie was fascinating to listen to as she described her own quest and indeed passion for answers to what should go into the body of someone with ulcerative colitis or any kind of inflammatory bowel disease for that matter.

Tracie speaks of "good fruits" or "fruits that heal" such as applesauce, honeydew melons, watermelon and peaches just to name a few. Harmful fruits include cherries, grapes and prunes. That is the type of intensive research she has done.

Healing vegetables according to Tracie include carrots, asparagus and potatoes. Harmful ones are beets, cabbage and corn. Obviously these are just samples.

White-meat chicken and white-meat turkey are both good protein entrees for the ulcerative colitis sufferer.

Prior to hearing Tracie speak, I knew that sugar was not good for ulcerative colitis. I knew that fluids were good for the ulcerative colitis condition and of possible fluids the best was water; drinking as much as possible. Yet, I also had been taught that an ulcerative diet was a hit and miss affair; that it is was very personal and what worked for one person wouldn't necessarily work for another.

I still believe that sugar is essentially no good for you; I believe that you need to drink a lot of water and I think you should exercise. I think it is proven that small meals are better than big ones. However, beyond that, I think you have to say that this book examines and disproves the theory that there are no "across the board" diets that will help the ulcerative colitis sufferer.

There is a way to get this book; many sources are online. It is such a profound book that no ulcerative colitis sufferer should be without a copy.

There are several things that ulcerative colitis sufferers have as weapons. First is the expertise of their doctor. The next thing they have is the use of medication or other ancillary treatment. They have self-care, some points of which I have mentioned in this article. Now we have a book that addresses the specific dietary needs of the ulcerative colitis sufferer.

It takes every effort with respect to every weapon available to live the good life.

References:

"What to Eat With IBD" Tracie Dalessandro MS RD CDN
"On the Road Again" Chicago, Illinois Shire Pharmaceutical April 14, 2008