Ulcerative colitis is a chronic or acute condition that affects the large intestine, causing inflammation and the formation of painful, pus-filled sores or ulcers inside the colon.
There are many potential causes of ulcerative colitis. One of the most common is infection: a viral or bacterial infection affecting the colon can cause inflammation in the lining and this can then lead to the formation of those ulcers.
Perhaps more common in the case of chronic ulcerative colitis however, is that this is an autoimmune disease. That means that the immune system is mistakenly attacking the colon, thinking that there is something that shouldn’t be there and therefore trying to drive it out by inflaming the area, evacuating the bowels repeatedly, and possibly creating a fever.
Either way, the symptoms are functionally the same. Many of the symptoms we experience when we are ill don’t come from the invading bacteria itself, but rather from the immune system’s attempt to drive that out. Therefore, on a colitis diet, you can help to ease the symptoms no matter the cause and avoid further triggering the painful and unpleasant reactions associated with the condition.
Here are the foods to avoid…
1. Bread
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you likely will have heard that some people struggle when consuming gluten.
Gluten is a substance that is found in bread and a number of other simple carbs. It is responsible for providing these with their chewy texture and is used in a lot of baked goods in order to hold them together.
The problem is that a large number of the population are gluten intolerant or Coeliac. That means that the gluten can negatively affect the ‘villi’ – the small finger-like tendrils that line the inside of the stomach and the intestines and are used to absorb nutrients from our food as it passes through the body.
This may even be the cause of ulcerative colitis in some cases – so try to avoid it and see if that helps your condition.
