How To Gain Weight With Ulcerative Colitis

Herbal Remedies And Supplements

There are lots of supplements that claim to treat Crohns and Colitis. But there isnt enough evidence to recommend any herbal remedies or supplements. This is because its difficult to know whether the supplement is directly affecting a persons Crohns or Colitis or whether something else is causing a change in symptoms. Also, everyone is different so what helps one person may not help another.Some people find that some herbal remedies, such as aloe vera or curcumin , help them manage their symptoms when they use them together with their prescribed medicines. There have been reports of cannabidiol , an ingredient in cannabis, helping with symptoms like diarrhoea, pain and loss of appetite. But we dont know enough about how it works or how much is a safe amount to take. It isnt currently recommended and isnt available on prescription for people with Crohns or Colitis.There have been claims in the media about the benefits of kefir a fermented milk drink that contains probiotics. But there isnt any medical evidence to show that it helps people with Crohns or Colitis.If you want to take herbal remedies, its important to speak to your IBD team or dietitian first. Dont stop taking your prescribed medicine without talking to your IBD team, even if your symptoms improve.

I think it is so important to remember that the relationship with food and IBD is so different for everyone!

Tom

Living With a Stoma

Do Any Medications Have Nutritional Side Effects

Moderate to severe flares of IBD are often treated with corticosteroids , cholestyramine and 5-ASA compounds . These medications have nutritional side effects that should be addressed. If you use any of these medications, talk to your doctor or registered dietitian for treatment advice.

• Prednisone causes decreased absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the small intestine. It also causes increased losses of calcium, zinc, potassium and vitamin C. With continual use of high doses of prednisone, the result may be bone loss and development of bone disease. People on prednisone may need up to 1200 milligrams a day. Protein needs also are increased for people taking prednisone because it increases protein breakdown in the body.
• Cholestyramine decreases absorption of fat-soluble vitamins , as well as folate, vitamin B-12, calcium and iron.
• Sulfasalazine interferes with folate absorption. People taking this drug also should take a 1 milligram folate supplement each day.

Can You Gain Weight With Colitis

The best way to gain weight with colitis is to eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and fats and to consume more calories than you have been eating. If your disease comes under control, there will be less fear of eating, and you should be able to put the weight back on.

Similarly, you may ask, how can I lose weight with colitis?

If you lose weight because of your ulcerative colitis, try to eat five or six small meals and snacks during the day instead of two or three large meals. When you have chronic diarrhea, drink plenty of water or other fluids to stay hydrated. A dietitian can make a plan diet that meets your calorie and nutrient needs.

One may also ask, why am I gaining weight with Crohn’s? The inflammation linked to Crohn’s can give you nausea and diarrhea, as well as curb your appetite. As a result, you may eat less, making it harder to keep weight on. Some Crohn’s medicines may also affect your weight. Corticosteroids such as prednisone can cause temporary weight gain.

Also Know, what is the life expectancy of someone with ulcerative colitis?

Most people with this condition can have a full life expectancy. However, complications can increase the risk of an early death , according to one 2003 Danish study. Very severe ulcerative colitis could impact your life expectancy, especially within the first couple of years after your diagnosis.

Which is worse colitis or Crohn’s?

You May Like Also

Recommended Reading: Colon Cancer Symptoms Vs Ulcerative Colitis

How To Gain Weight Even If You Have Ibd

Some Crohnies and UCees need to gain weight. They may have had a flare or smoldering disease that never quite gets completely under control. The presence of inflammation increases the calorie needs, so Crohnies and Ucees need to take that into consideration when trying to gain weight.

Getting the ExtraCalories You Need

If you are trying to gain weight, you have to eat an extra 3500 calories to gain a pound. If you eat an extra slice of bread each day , you will generally gain a pound in 35 days. Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to the bread , and now it will only take you 12 days to gain a pound. What you are doing is making each bite count for moreby loading on the calories.

You can increase calories in many easy and healthy ways:

• Add cheese, seeds, and nuts to your salads
• Eat plenty of baked potatoes and load them with meat, cheese or whatever you’d like
• Add extra oils to your vegetables or potatoes when you cook
• Snack on handfuls of trail mix and dried fruit
• Don’t have a cracker without something on it
• Make a smoothie with Greek yogurt added
• Eat tropical fruits or add them to smoothies
• Drink a protein shake or nutritional shake in the evening

But remember to cut back once you’ve gained the weight you need. Your doctor and a dietitian can help. You’ll also want to discuss your difficulty gaining with your doctor, because it may mean that there is more that needs to be done to control your disease.

Diet Recommendations For Ulcerative Colitis Flare

• Follow a low residue diet to relieve abdominal pain and diarrhea.
• Avoid foods that may increase stool output such as fresh fruits and vegetables, prunes and caffeinated beverages.
• Try incorporating more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. These fats may have an anti-inflammatory effect. They are found in fish, including salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines.
• Patients often find that smaller, more frequent meals are better tolerated. This eating pattern can help increase the amount of nutrition you receive in a day.
• Consider taking nutritional supplements if appetite is poor and solid foods are not tolerated well .

Don’t Miss: Medication For Ulcerative Colitis Flare Up

Ulcerative Colitis Can Take A Toll On Your Mental Health Too

Being told you have a chronic illness can feel like someone has just rerouted the course of your whole life. I went through my own acceptance process, Skomski says. I definitely went through a period of questioning if my life would ever be normal. With time, processing the reality of having ulcerative colitis became easier. I had to learn there’s nothing wrong with me it’s just part of who I am, Skomski says. You have to do a lot of mental work to flip the way you perceive it because otherwise it can really eat away at you.

Dealing with the symptoms can also be mentally and emotionally taxing. The psychological side of the pain is a lot worse than the actual physical sensation, Sam says. It’s when you feel like it’s never going to end, or you’re going to be stuck in that high level of pain for a long period of time, or that no one gets how hard it is to deal with it. This has led to constant vigilance about her health. It’s very hard for me to not be closely monitoring my body 24/7, Sam says. The catch-22 is that stress is definitely a trigger for me.

Exercising Safely With Ulcerative Colitis

Q1. I have lost 12 pounds because of a recent bout with colitis. I am afraid to eat. Can you provide me with a diet or suggestions so that I can gain weight? I am afraid to eat a normal diet so I have been eating bread, rice, bananas, potatoes, some chicken and fish, and hamburger. What supplements can I take for vitamins and minerals? Sometimes Ensure is too rich. Please help.

The best way to gain weight with colitis is to eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and fats and to consume more calories than you have been eating. Also, you need to get your colitis under control. If your disease comes under control, there will be less fear of eating, and you should be able to put the weight back on. Ensure is a good, balanced nutritional supplement but if you find that you dont like it, you could try Boost or Glucerna, which are also very good.

Q2. I’ve recently lost a lot of weight and started back to running 5K distances after a 15-year layoff. In that 15 years’ time, I have developed ulcerative colitis. My symptoms are pretty well controlled all except for recently, when I run. Is there anything specific I can do to ease symptoms during running or other forms of intense exercise?

Keith, Minnesota

Karen, Florida

• Don’t eat solid foods within three hours of starting aerobic exercise.
• Do drink plenty of low-carb fluids before, during, and after you work out.
• Take a vitamin supplement in general and potassium in particular to help replenish nutrients.

You May Like: Ulcerative Colitis And Lactose Intolerance

Your Best And Worst Foods

Everyone is different, so you are the best judge of what you can and can’t eat. Some foods may trigger flares for you, and some may not. No foods are proven to cause or worsen Crohn’s.

It may help to keep a diary of what you eat and how you react to it. Over time, the diary may allow you to pinpoint troublesome foods and drop them from your diet. A food diary will also help you and your dietitian check the quality of your diet.

Some foods you might want to steer clear of:

Eat Healthy Fats At Every Meal

Instead of a huge, fatty meal try to focus on smaller doses of healthy fats but spreading them out across the day with each meal . Examples might be:

• 1/2 an avocado
• 1 tablespoon of nut butter
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or hemp oil
• 1 portion of oily fish
• A few squares of dark chocolate
• A few tablespoons of coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon of ground flax seed
• Leaving the skin on chicken

Note that the portions here are really small so they should be ok for your body in small doses. Omega 3 fats in particular is also thought to help inflammation. Try my sweet potato, fish and avocado recipe for an example. One thing Ive also been doing is keeping the skin on the chicken when making my gut rest and repair soup-it tastes yummy and is a good source of fats.

Read Also: Best Ulcerative Colitis Diet Book

Food Preparation And Meal Planning

While there is no one-size-fits-all for meal planning, these tips can help guide you toward better daily nutrition:

• Eat four to six small meals daily.

• Stay hydrated drink enough to keep your urine light yellow to clear with water, broth, tomato juice, or a rehydration solution.

• Drink slowly and avoid using a straw, which can cause you to ingest air, which may cause gas.

• Prepare meals in advance, and keep your kitchen stocked with foods that you tolerate well .

• Use simple cooking techniques boil, grill, steam, poach.

• Use a food journal to keep track of what you eat and any symptoms you may experience.

Handy Tips To Manage Ibd Symptoms:

• Start your day with either lemon juice or dry cracker to combat nausea.
• Follow a low residue diet to relieve abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
• Consume small frequent meals.
• Include calorie dense foods like fruit juices or smoothies to provide more nutrition in less amount of food.
• Use lots of nutritional toppings on foods like nuts, oilseeds, chia seeds, if tolerated etc. These foods increase the nutritional value of the recipe and provide additional calories. But if you have strictures avoid nuts, beans or high fiber foods.
• Restrict sugar intake in the diet. The sugar in the diet cause excess water in the intestines which results in watery stools.
• Restrict alcohol consumption.

Subscribe to our You tube channel for updates on health and informative videos. .

Don’t Miss: Can I Eat Oatmeal With Ulcerative Colitis

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Management

Inflammatory bowel disease is not caused, nor can it be cured, by what you eat. Doctors and dietitians agree, however, that food may play some role in the underlying inflammatory process that causes IBD symptoms.

Certain foods may aggravate symptoms, while others may calm them and promote healing. Therefore, paying attention to what you eat and how your body responds to different foods is an important component of a total treatment plan for IBD.

A diet plan can supplement but should never replace medical treatment for IBD. Always take your medications exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

Traditional High Fat Choices Might Not Work

A dietician might prescribe full-fat foods but the problem with this is that many traditional fatty foods can worsen symptoms. Full example full-fat milk might cause a problem if you have problems with dairy whilst high-fat foods can increase gut motility and cause you to rush to the loo. So although these items do contain lots of fat theyre likely to worsen your symptoms and if you cant keep the food down, youre not going to see the benefit!

Read Also: Natural Supplements For Ulcerative Colitis

Difficulty Eating Certain Foods

Some people with UC may have issues eating certain foods that typically form part of a nutritious diet, such as whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, fruits with skin and seeds, and nuts. Different foods can trigger flare-ups for different people.

Eating a well-balanced diet is a

Exercise is another key factor in helping a person maintain a moderate weight.

The state that adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity a week.

Some symptoms of UC may make it more difficult for a person to engage in regular exercise.

People with UC may experience abdominal pain, feel fatigued, and go to the bathroom a lot. This combination of symptoms can lower energy levels and impair the ability to exercise.

Nutrition Tips For Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a term used for two specific and separate diseases: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Nutritional recommendations are different for each disease and for each individual patient. It is important to discuss the treatments that are right for you with a registered dietitian and with your doctor.

You May Like: Ulcerative Colitis Surgery Pros And Cons

Can Food Cause Crohn’s Or Colitis

We dont know what causes Crohns and Colitis but we do know that a combination of the following factors are likely to play a part:

• Genetics
• A problem with the immune system, where the body attacks its own cells
• Changes in the bacteria in the gut.

These, together with environmental factors, like food and stress, may trigger the conditions.There isnt any clear evidence that specific foods cause Crohns or Colitis. Some researchers think a diet low in fruit and vegetables may increase the risk of Crohns and a low intake of vegetables may increase the risk of Colitis for some people. Theres also some evidence that eating a lot of meat or table sugar, called sucrose, may increase the risk of Crohns and Colitis. But there isnt enough evidence yet to say for certain whether food affects the risk.

Ulcerative Colitis: This Is Why You’re Here Right

• Why did you get Ulcerative Colitis? The short answer is that scientists still don’t know. Genetics are a major risk factor, but some people without a family history develop the condition
• Ulcerative Colitis is caused by an autoimmune response from your body
• Your symptoms may include:
• GI: loose and urgent bowel movements, bloody stool, abdominal pain and cramps, persistent diarrhea
• Non-GI: appetite loss, weight loss, nausea, low energy, anemia
• There are flares and periods of remission throughout disease course UC is different from other types of colitis because tiny ulcers form, causing long term inflammation

Don’t Miss: What Is Best Medicine For Ulcer

It Helps To Have A Network Of People With Ulcerative Colitis

Hopefully, youll find yourself with a tight-knit group of friends and family members who are ready to support you through even your very worst days. But no matter how well-intentioned those loved ones are, the only people wholl really get what its like to live with ulcerative colitis are other people who have it.

Even my best friend and my boyfriend will never understand what I’ve gone through like my friends that have ulcerative colitis do, Skomski says. Until you live it, you don’t know what it feels like to go through all those years of people not believing you, having the worst pain in your life that you have no understanding of. For a really long time, when I was in my denial phase, I thought, I don’t need to have those people in my life, it’s just gonna make me feel like the sick girl all the time. But to have people that have gone through the same thing changed my life. I don’t think I would be so positive and would embrace it as much as I do if it weren’t for having those people in my life that have the same disease as me.

It can also be such a relief to save valuable energy by skipping a few steps in the explaining process. I’m so used to having to go through the whole song and dance of This is what I went through, Skomski says. When I connect with people that have ulcerative colitis, I don’t have to do that. It’s like a weird bond that I didn’t know that I wanted or needed, but I definitely do.