Ulcerative Colitis Trigger Foods: How I Avoid Hot Peppers

Spicy foods affect some people with ulcerative colitis. Just as no treatment works for everyone with ulcerative colitis, no trigger food is universal for everyone with ulcerative colitis. I can only speak of my experience and the things that other people have personally told me about spicy foods and their ulcerative colitis.

In my case, well seasoned food does not cause a flare up. If I season things using basic seasonings that do not contain hot peppers, I am okay. My problem comes when I season things with hot peppers such as chili pepper, jalapeno peppers, and Tabasco Sauce. It does not matter what form the hot pepper is in when I use it. Any hot pepper in any form is sure to cause a flare up for me.

I know some other people with ulcerative colitis who tell me that even well seasoned foods seem to cause a flare up. I know one person who has a flare up whenever she eats a steak cooked with coarse steak seasoning. I think that this is because of the onion in the seasoning. For some ulcerative colitis sufferers, onions are a trigger food.

I can usually eat Mexican foods as long as I am careful to weed out the ones that have things like spicy sauce or jalapenos. In some cases, I can have salsa without a problem. I usually bring my own salsa to the restaurant. A couple that I know makes home made salsa and they gladly leave out the peppers when I ask them to make some for me.

Chinese food is easier to decipher than Mexican food. With Chinese food, I simply avoid any of the spicy foods. I am not totally sure what type of peppers are used in Chinese foods but, any time I eat spicy Chinese food, I have a flare up. I generally stay away from anything that does not have a clear or white sauce. The red colored sauces are almost guaranteed to cause a flare up.

I do not eat Thai food because it is very spicy food in most cases. The only exception to this rule is when I know the cook and I can have them leave out the ingredients that may cause a flare up.

I was born and raised in Southern Louisiana so Cajun food is a staple in my diet. I will not eat Cajun food at most restaurants. There are a few exceptions when I am back in Louisiana. For the most part, I make my own Cajun food. I use Tony Chachere seasoning without a problem. I never use Tabasco Sauce or any other pepper sauce.

When I go out to eat, I stay away from hot wings. Don't get me wrong, I love hot wings but, I do not like the flare up they cause. I may have a bite just to satisfy myself. I will order barbecue wings if they offer them instead of hot wings. If barbecue wings are not on the menu, I can usually order hot wings without the sauce and then get barbecue sauce on the side.

You have to learn to be creative with spicy foods if they cause you to have a flare up. That is what I learned to do. The best way to figure out what spices cause your ulcerative colitis to flare up is to try an individual seasoning on a safe food. That is how I learned what spicy foods cause my ulcerative colitis to flare up.