Ulcerative Colitis Cuisine: Grease-Free Fried Food?

Nothing is more difficult than frying food in a manner that is easy on an ulcerative colitis condition. As you may recall from other articles I've written, animal fats can be rough on ulcerative colitis; and they are usually involved to some degree in the preparation of fried foods.

I have found virgin olive oil to be reasonably inoffensive. It is pure and light and has a reasonably safe effect on an ulcerative colitis condition.

There is a methodology for frying foods I have found that really works well in conjunction with my ulcerative colitis condition, and that is a technique I have come to call "cross-cooking."

I love French fries. If I cook these fries in regular shortening or a combination of shortening and butter, I'm asking for trouble. The fries are greasy and they can really affect my ulcerative colitis condition. The problem with using virgin olive oil in this situation is that the oil is really too light to maintain the desired heating intensity to cook French fries.

What I do is use a combination of shortening and butter. I cook fries cut at "dinner size" over low flame until tender and perhaps a touch browned. Then, I remove the fries from the pan and let sit on an absorbent napkin or paper towel. After a few minutes, I place the fries in the broiler for a fast brown and also, a final drying of the grease. It doesn't take long and after just a few minutes, I have got some great fries that are tasty but not greasy.

I have found when I have steak that while it is better to bake or broil it, that it can be fried or "seared" in a skillet and be reasonably inoffensive as long as the piece of meat is small (about three ounces) and it is cooked completely. While I love rare meat, it presents more fat and is richer so it is better to eat well-done meat.

I have developed a technique I watched my grandmother use for frying eggs. Of course at that time it was for a great taste, but, I have modified it to be beneficial with respect to my ulcerative colitis. I take a piece of bread and cut a small hole in the center. Then, I put it in a skillet with butter. I break the egg into the center of the bread. While it is frying, the bread essentially absorbs the grease and minimizes the grease that the egg picks up. You definitely get a bit of a different and positive texture to the egg and, you can discard the bread.

French toast is great even though it is fried if you use a low fat butter for cooking. For some reason, the bread and egg resist absorption but, once again, it is wise to let the dish drain. Further, if you use a food that offsets the effect of grease, such as low fat and low sugar whipped cream, it is advantageous.

Low fat butter is a great medium for frying. It does not get absorbed as easily and offers an additional flavor to any fried dish. I have found it to be much less hard on my ulcerative colitis condition.

When cooking, I stay away from heavy greases, sugars and cooking wine. There are dishes like pepper steak that utilize beef tenderloin with peppers and onions for flavor. However, these flavored vegetables are typically boiled first then added to the dish.

One great dish I have discovered is any white fish, but, especially cod. This can be fried, without breading until it has a nice brown cast. It takes very, very little low fat butter to get this result and once it is cooked it is wonderful with rice or a baked potato.

This brings me to another point. When considering my ulcerative colitis condition, while I may have a fried dish once in a while, I never have two fried dishes. In other words, I would never have a fried hamburger and French fries both cooked in grease.

It is a good idea to use rice as a base in frying food. If you put mild oil, such as virgin olive oil in a skillet and then fry rice while mixing in vegetables and chopped up pre-cooked meat, that dish is typically easy on an ulcerative colitis condition as well as tasty.

When one has ulcerative colitis, it is not necessary to give up fried foods entirely. The way I've always looked at it which makes me feel better is that minimizing fats and grease aid not only my ulcerative colitis condition but protect my veins and arteries from cholesterol as well.