UC Diets and What's Best During Flares

 Something that I found when trying different diets is that everyone is different. The GAPS diet may work for some people while a liquid diet works better for someone else.  

GAPS is a diet that eliminates four things that you can eat:

1. Grains

2. Pasteurized dairy

3. Starchy vegetables

4. Refined carbs

So, you basically stick to meat, bone-broth, non-starchy veggies, and fermented foods. The liquid diet is pretty self-explanatory -- liquids only. I will say that the GAPS diet was better than the liquid diet for me. The liquid diet made me feel worse and the GAPS diet didn't really make things better or worse. The thing that I found that worked best for me during my flares is the low-fiber diet. No raw fruits or veggies and primarily meat only. 

The foods that I found were pretty good for me during flares was grilled meat, eggs, and rice. That's what I stuck to for the majority of my last flare. It's pretty close to what the GAPS diet is, just with a few adjustments. Some of my favorite flare-friendly foods are tilapia, rice, egg soufflé, scrambled eggs, just a plain hamburger patty with no bread, and salmon. Now, keep in mind, eating these things during a flare can still hurt you if you're going through the worst of it, it just won't make things worse. Later, it will help you feel better. 

Good Flare Foods:

•  Non-breaded fish
• Grilled chicken
• Rice
• Eggs
• Soft veggies (cook very well)
• Boiled/ cooked fruit or potatoes with no skin
• Bland soup with crackers
• Turkey

Don't eat raw fruits or veggies or anything with skin during a flare. It's too difficult to digest and will make you feel worse. Again, everyone is different, but this is what worked for me while I was recovering and in a flare. Juice is really good too if it doesn't have artificial sweeteners. The only sauce that I found that was still okay during a flare was ketchup and possibly ranch as well. If you want to dip your chicken or potatoes in something, ketchup is probably best. 

As I said, I am not in a flare, so I don't follow this diet right now. I can eat almost anything without it hurting me, however, there are still a few things I try to avoid to be on the safe side. 

Things I Avoid Even When I'm Not in a Flare:

• White sugar
• Artificial sweeteners
• Tap water
• Fried foods
• Junk food (fast food)
• Greasy foods
• Raw vegetables 
• Snacking throughout the day
• Vegetable oil

I will explain this list a bit. White sugar is very processed, along with a lot of the other things on the list. I just found that very processed things don't make me feel all that great. Even if you are healthy, this is still a pretty good list to stick with just because it's healthier eating in general! But it's even more important to follow if you have UC so you lessen the risk of another flare. 

I will still indulge myself every once in a while, as a treat with fast food, but I make sure I don't have it too often because it is very greasy and processed. I will have raw veggies sometimes, but if I do I make sure I don't have very much of it. Vegetable oil I try to stay away from completely. Every time I have even a little bit of it, it makes me feel sick. I also avoid snacking throughout the day to give my stomach a chance to rest in between meals, that way it's not working overtime. If there's any inflammation, not snacking will help give your body a chance to heal. 

I always drink filtered water to avoid any chemicals or particles that may be in tap water. In place of white sugar and artificial sweeteners, I use either honey or raw sugar. Those sweeteners are less processed and easier on your body. During flares, I use exclusively honey as a sweetener and avoid coffee. 

If you haven't found a diet that works for you during flares if you have UC, feel free to try the first list for flares. But know that everyone's body is different! If you have UC or know about the UC diets, comment below any suggestions or advice you may have as well.