Medical Health

Ulcerative Colitis Advice

On my earlier post Best of the Web: Ulcerative Colitis, I listed a few websites recommended by health professionals. Now I would like to say that I also like the University of Maryland writeup.

Here are the main lifestyle suggestions I found on these websites:

1) Exercise. And note that endurance exercise, such as long-distance running and hiking, can help suppress your overactive immune system.

2) Avoid stress.

3) Avoid milk products, including whey protein. (But make sure to supplement your diet with calcium and vitamin D. Take 1000 mg to 1250 mg of calcium each day, plus vitamin D.)

Egg white protein powder is usually OK (but make sure that it does not contain powdered egg yolks).

4) Don’t eat foods that bother you, period.

5) Stay on a low fat diet.

6) Eat lots of vegetables and fruits.

7) If vegetables and fruits bother you, cook them.

And I would add a few additional pointers:

1) Stay away from most fresh vegetables and fruits. Eat frozen produce. Those fresh, unfrozen vegetables you see in the produce section of your local supermarket/grocery have had plenty of time to grow molds and bacteria, both while on the shelf and while in route to the store. And all those germs and fungi will provoke your immune system. (See A Fish and Vegetable Diet.)

Try to buy products grown in the United States, Europe, and Canada.

2) Avoid all grains. (But you might want to try Quinoa.) Do not eat granola!

3) Do not eat red meat. Eat fish and egg whites. (Do not eat egg yolks!)

4) Do not eat at restaurants.

5) Do not eat processed food (meals, meats, snacks, frozen dinners, cereals, etc.).

6) Fix your own meals. Don’t trust other people to make your meals for you.

7) Take tumeric every day, that is, take it at your own risk. (See Frontier Turmeric Root Ground and New Chapter Tumericforce. But if the New Chapter Tumericforce begins to irritate your digestive system or cause you pain, then discontinue for a month and then start again if you think you can.)

8 ) Take a good, pharmaceutical-grade fish oil every day, that is, take it at your own risk. (I only recommend Nordic Naturals – Ultimate Omega and Ascenta, Nutra Sea HP Fish Oil. Take one to two grams a day and make sure that it does not thin your blood too much: See Colitis, Fish Oil, Chocolate, Tea and Spices.)

9) Get out for a hike or walk every day, or use the treadmill.

10) Do not eat whole nuts and seeds. Eat nut butters and seed butters.

11) Do not take alfalfa or zinc (or supplements that contain alfalfa or zinc). They boost your immune system. You want to stay away from immune-boosting herbs, such as echinacea.

12) Eat the right oils.

13) Read Dr. Sears’ The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health. He tells you how to balance good proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and shows you that it is important to avoid grains. (But note that some of his suggestions will thin your blood; see Colitis, Fish Oil, Chocolate, Tea and Spices).

14) Get plenty of rest. Do not overwork yourself. Take time off. Relax.

Also see Ulcerative Colitis and Diet, Colitis, Fish Oil, Chocolate, Tea and Spices, Autoimmunity, KyoDophilus, Alfalfa, and Zinc, and Related Posts.