What and What Not to Eat During a Colitis Relapse

As anyone with colitis knows, there is always a question mark over what foods to consume and what diet to follow whether you are in either remission or suffering from a relapse. A real challenge appears when the patient encounters a period of relapse where the inflammation of the colon becomes active and eating presents a painful problem.

It is of course essential that during a relapse the patient maintains some food intake to provide the fuel to fight the disease. Continual pain, physical and mental tiredness all take their toll and without a planned colitis diet to follow during this testing period, the patient will become even weaker and may not have the sufficient residual strength to fight the attack. As the sufferer's daily intake of food shall be reduced some weight loss is inevitable so it is vital to establish a colitis diet that the patient is comfortable with and for them to try and stick to it.

There requires to be a level of consumption of food that will sustain the patient yet not create the problem of increasing the frequency of painful toilet visits that are already having to be endured. The waste that requires to be evacuated has to unfortunately pass over the inflamed area of the colon which creates discomfort and pain for the patient. So the balancing act is between sustaining the nourishment for the patient yet trying to reduce to a minimum any further resultant pain and discomfort.

A colitis diet during a relapse should thus avoid large portions plus any food that has the tendency to create intestinal gas. Foods with such strong flavours such as herbs and spices should be avoided plus any foods that contain a high acid content. As small portions will be about all the patient can manage, there should be a tendency for higher calorie food to be consumed which can in fact take the form of snacks rather than set meals. It is important to understand that this is not a time to be concerned about putting on weight by consuming foods with a high calorific content. The patient's problem will be trying to stem the weight loss. Plus, the maxim of consuming a certain amount of fresh fruit and vegetables per day does not have to be part of a colitis diet during a relapse.

If during the height of the relapse, the patient feels too unwell to take much food if any, there are special drink supplements available which contain vitamins and minerals and are regarded as food substitutes where the patient still benefits from the intake of such without having to physically eat.

By continually trying out different foods, the sufferer should be able to create their own specific colitis diet for period of a relapse. The target is a small but constant supply of nourishment without an unacceptable increase in the amount of painful toilet visits.