Imagine in this festive season, there is a lavish food platter served in front of you. But you are stuck with a dilemma of whether to eat or no? Are you tensed about the experience that you will have after food? People with ulcerative colitis will completely relate to what we are going to discuss today. Read on to know about causes, symptoms, complications, treatment and Indian Diet Plan for Ulcerative Colitis (UC).
Table of Contents
What is Ulcerative Colitis?
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a disease that affects your large intestine or colon. It causes irritation and swelling. Eventually, it leads to ulcers in the lining of intestines.
Ulcerative colitis affects the innermost lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum. Symptoms usually develop gradually over time.
If not treated on time, ulcerative colitis can sometimes lead to life-threatening complications. It sure has no cure but symptoms can be controlled and reduced. One can experience a long term remission period.
Before we move on to the Indian Diet Plan for Ulcerative Colitis (UC), let us first understand more about ulcerative colitis.
Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis :
Ulcerative colitis symptoms can vary. It depends on the severity of inflammation and the area where it occurs. Symptoms include:
- Diarrhea often accompanied by blood or pus
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Rectal pain
- Rectal bleeding — passing a small amount of blood with stool
- Urgency to defecate
- Inability to defecate despite urgency
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Fever
- In children, failure to grow
Complications of ulcerative colitis :
If not treated on time ulcerative colitis can lead to following complications –
- Severe rectal bleeding
- Perforated colon – A hole in the colon
- Severe dehydration
- Osteoporosis – Bone loss
- Inflammation of your skin, joints, and eyes
- An increased risk of colon cancer
- A rapidly swelling colon
- High risk of blood clots in veins and arteries
Causes of Ulcerative colitis
- The exact cause of UC is unknown. Faulty diet and stress aggravate the Ulcerative Colitis symptoms.
- Compromised immunity can be one of the causes. The basic response to infection is inflammation. But, faulty immunity leads to extreme inflammation in UC prone individuals.
- Heredity is also a possible cause. But, this phenomenon is rarely seen.
Risk Factors of Ulcerative colitis
- Gender: Ulcerative colitis affects about the same number of women and men.
- Age: It is not age-specific. It can target any age group.
- Race or ethnicity: Although whites have the highest risk of the disease, it can occur in any race.
- Family history. You’re at higher risk if your parent, sibling or child is suffering from UC.
You may be interested in reading –
Treatment of ulcerative colitis:
There is no specific known cure for UC. But UC treatment has 2 step goals:
- To ease the symptoms and give your colon a chance to heal.
- To prevent more future relapse.
You need a balance of diet changes, medication, or surgery for ultimate relief. Here is an Indian diet plan for ulcerative colitis.
Indian Diet Plan for Ulcerative Colitis (UC)
Dietary modification in Indian diet plan for ulcerative colitis:
- Soft bland food is much accepted by the body than spicy or high fiber foods.
- To get enough vitamins and nutrients a low fiber, high-protein, high-calorie eating plan is necessary.
- Eat small meals every 2 or 4 hours.
- Drink at least 8 cups of water per day to avoid dehydration.
- Eat foods containing added probiotics and pre-biotics to encourage better gut health.
- Limit oils to 8 teaspoons a day.
- There are people who cannot tolerate milk or milk products. This is the stage where they develop different levels of lactose intolerance.
- There may be people who can tolerate curd and buttermilk but no other milk products.
- And on another side, there are few individuals, who cannot tolerate even a single milk product. At such times milk is replaced by any plant-based milk like almond, soy, or coconut milk as per tolerance.
- Certain people cannot tolerate wheat. They are categorized as gluten-sensitive individuals. They should avoid wheat, broken wheat, Rawa, rye. Rice, maize flour, and potato starch or potato flour replace wheat.
- Low fiber or low residue diet works wonders for individuals suffering from UC. It contains easy to digest the food that controls the episodes of diarrhea.
Indian diet plan for ulcerative colitis; Foods to include:
- Grains and cereals: Include rice, soluble fiber-rich oats, quinoa, multigrain bread, jowar flour or maize flour. Daliya if tolerated is a good option.
- Legumes – You can include dals, small pulses like moong, and moth-beans in moderation.
- Dairy: If you can tolerate, consume up to 2 – 3 servings of milk or milk products. Paneer, curd, buttermilk, custard, or pudding are better tolerated by most of the individuals.
- Fruits: Include soft mushy fruits that are not high in insoluble fiber. Fruit juices with no pulp, ripe bananas, melon, muskmelon, watermelon, plums, peaches, and apricots are allowed.
- Vegetables: Cucumbers, zucchini, cooked spinach, pumpkin, gourd vegetables, carrots, eggplant, potatoes, and green beans are a good option.
- Fats and sauces: Consume the restricted amount of oil, ghee, or butter as per tolerance.
- Meats and other proteins: Soft and tender cooked poultry, eggs, and fish are better digested. Try incorporating more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. They have an anti-inflammatory effect. It is found in fish like salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines, walnuts, and olive oil.
Indian diet plan for ulcerative colitis; Foods to avoid:
- Red meat or high-fat non-vegetarian foods.
- Deep-fried foods, junk, and fast foods.
- High fiber raw vegetables like lettuce, cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, or brussels sprouts.
- Heavily spiced sauces, gravies, pickles, or chutneys.
- Foods and beverages containing caffeine and cocoa.
- Avoid alcohol as much as possible.
Indian diet plan for ulcerative colitis; Sample Diet Menu:
Here is a sample diet menu of Indian diet plan for ulcerative colitis
Empty stomach: 1 Elaichi Banana
Breakfast: 1 Bowl Daliya/ Poha Porridge with milk (for severe diarrhea – daliya with water)
Mid-morning: 1 cup curd
+ ½ Apple or 1 cup Vanilla pudding
Lunch: 1 cup Pumpkin soup +
Boiled Rice 1 ½ cup +
Dal 1 cup +
Dudhi Vegetable 1 cup +
Buttermilk 1 glass or 2 egg whites
Mid-afternoon: ½ cup Boiled moong
Evening: 1 cup Green tea or Ginger Tea
+ ¾ cup Mashed Potato or 2 small Moongdal chilla
Dinner: 1 cup Chicken soup or Grilled Fish or 1 cup Tawa Tossed Paneer
1 ½ cup Dal Khichdi
+ 1 cup Cucumber Raita
Bedtime: 1 cup milk or curd or 1 glass soy milk
Endnote:
Always remember, having ulcerative colitis doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your taste buds to boring or bland food. Yes UC makes it difficult to enjoy all the foods that you like. The low-residue diet allows eating a majority of foods. I hope this Indian diet plan for ulcerative colitis helps you.
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Very informative from both parties.
Please advise which indian spices can be used in daily cooking for a UC patient.
check this : https://youtu.be/qtL0wWrQEhY
Hello Maam,
Very detailed diet you have provided.
I am having this issues since sept 2021. I come to know in December Mid that I have UC. I use to go toilet more then 15 times. Now frequency is 5 to 6 it was 3 in between but now its 5-7 in a day with urgency. Any suggestion or advice?
I eat very light meal 3 or 4 meals in a day
Starts with Oat meal , than Avacado, coco water, khichadi or rice with dal, and end with palak or any light veggie with 1 roti and isubgol.
Hi Pankaj, Have you seen our loe fodmap diet plan ? please follow that , it will help you alot in regularizing your bowels and give a lot of relief.
Hey i really need help, my brother is suffering from IBD, he is suffering fr severe flare up, we are providing proper food. Still it is not in control. Pls help me with the diet chat.. plsss its a humble request
Hi Bhawna ,
You can take a personal consultation for your brother. kindly email us at care@dietburrp.com to discuss the possibilities.
Hi, I was diagnosed with ulcerative
colitis. I wanted to ask if I can have fruit jams (like kissan fruit jam)? Also what about milk products like cheese and butter?
Is pomegranate juice good for me?
What are some other good foods that I can have in Indian diet?
Thanks in advance!
cheese and butter can be had . Avoid jam. there are researches that say pomogranate is good for the intestine , however, the studies were not conducted on humans. and hence you can consume it , but observe the symptoms . if you feel any discomfort then avoid it later. infact every person reacts dofferently to many foods in colitis issue. hence self observation and maintaining food dairy helps.
I am diagnosed with Rectal ulcer
Pl suggest. South Indian diet. What to eat
I am vegetarian. No egg also
Thank you
Hema
a diet plan similar to piles plan will help you. Please check this – https://www.dietburrp.com/indian-diet-plan-for-piles-what-food-to-eat-and-avoid-in-hemorrhoid/
Hi, my husband is suffering from UC since 2 years. May I know the proper diet. If possible could I get meal plan for a week.
Hi Sindhu , sure , you can subscribe here – https://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
hi
Mg husband is diagnosed with uc
Just felw questions wanf to ask like which oil is good currently im using mustard oil for cooking. And also can he eat cooked vegetables or dal with tadka with little oil he needs to eat without it
the simpler the food the better it is for him. check the eat and avoid list in the article. it covers your questions.
the simpler the food the better it is for him. check the eat and avoid list in the article. it covers your questions.
Hi Payal, its good post. I would like to have a word with you regarding UC diet. How can i reach you?
Hi ,
you can email me at care@dietburrp.com
Hello,
My mother-in-law has age of 61 and she is suffering from UC since past 7 – 8 years. She has Thyroid, Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Increased Uric Acid, Kidney stone and Osteoporosis. She has symptoms like loosening weight a lot, looses appetite, Weakness in body, Leg pain (especially can’t stand from chair without anyone’s help), Fingers of legs keep turned inside automatically and symptoms like vertigo. Also she has nature of taking hyper-tension in small small things.
Kindly suggest some vegetarian diet plan and which fruits and vegies she should according to the above problems. I am damn confused about what to do and what not to give as her condition is degrading day by day.
Looking forward for the reply soon.
Thank you.
Hi Shreya ,
Please contact a clinical dietician in your city and get a personalied diet plan made for her.
Is radish and potatoes & green leaves,jowarroti is ok for IBD(UC)
potato, greens andjowar is ok . radish depends on your tolerance
Hi Payal,
I hope you are doing good!
I am diagnosed with UC just 2 months ago, I wanted to know if I can eat Poha, Rava idli, dhal, rasam?
How about cooking with a limited quantity of Indian herbs and spices like Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds, curry leaves, and green chilies? And can I use onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic while cooking?
I read the fruits you have mentioned above, how about fruits like fresh Apples, oranges juices?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Nirmala
poha yes , rawa idli – you ned to check if you can tolerate wheat. rawa is made from wheat. if it suits you can have. dal is ok in remission , avoid in loose motion. same with same. yes you can use herbs but avoid chilly . eat low fodmap food for best result . you will fin a detailed list of allowed and avoid foods here – https://www.dietburrp.com/low-fodmap-diet-indian-version-fodmap-india/
Hi my 12 year old daughter is detected with UC. She is pure veg. Wanted to know a good diet plan for her. Also is tomato good?
Can she eat ketchup or table sauces.
How about mustard seed and other Indian spices?
How about white chick peas if it is not irritating her gut?
What food has insoluble fiber?
Any service which can give me weekly diet plan.
replied your email ..
My daughter too diagnosed with UC last month, shes 11, cud you advise on the food intake, she has iron deficiency too.
he above suggested menu will help her … is she on supplement for iron ?
I am suffering from uc since 15yrs…. please suggest a fixed weekly diet for me
https://www.dietburrp.com/diet-services/
I’m suffering from enterocolitis . Please suggest me vegetarian diet plan which also help to reduce weight.
We dont have the exact plan for your requirement right now. we would put it up here soon.
Hi mam I have uc for 4 month lot of weight loss mam how. Can I get weight again
diet is very important , please follow the tips and diet mentioned in the article. You can also sign up for a personalized diet plan . if you need our help with it.
Hello
Very useful article.. i am sugfering from uc from past 1 year .. 3 times relapse.. i wanted to know if we want to loose weight .. can we have salads ?? Which veggies and fruits can be taken and in how much quantity??
Hi Pavneet,
Thank you for reading at Dietburrp. Interms of salad and fruits , you can consume –
Fruits: Include soft mushy fruits which are not high in insoluble fiber. Fruit juices with no pulp, ripe bananas, melon, muskmelon, watermelon, plums, peaches, and apricots are allowed.
Vegetables: Cucumbers, zucchini, cooked spinach, pumpkin, gourd vegetables, carrots, eggplant, potatoes, and green beans are good option.
you can make salads by roasting spnach leaves and adding panner to it . or simply slicing cucumber and boiled carrots . even better if you can have veg clear soup with finely chopped allowed veggies in it.
hi!
i have mild chronic proctitis and the gastroenterologist has advised me a low fodmap diet. its getting very difficult for me to understand my diet from breakfast to dinner. Any advice will be of great help
https://www.dietburrp.com/low-fodmap-diet-indian-version-fodmap-india/ check this diet plan .
Mujhe acidity or concebition ki deit plane chiyein plz bata de gi mera in maslo ki waja se weight loss ni hota
Acidity Home remedies and diet plan – https://youtu.be/-lvyE5EuiM4
? Constipation – https://youtu.be/i1BSRlYpY_o
Hello mam I m suffering from uc, I need a good diet and now my flare is triggered and going through uc
If yopu are looking for a personalized diet plan , we can help you . Please email us at care@dietburrp.com to get a complete program to follow during flares and remission phases. We have been treating a lot of clients with UC. and the diet really works well in managing UC.
Hi mam I have a uc please give low fodmap
Low fodmap diet plan – https://youtu.be/qtL0wWrQEhY