Diet For Colitis Patient: Inflammatory Bowel Disease And Symptoms

Colitis Causes And Symptoms

Colitis refers to a condition in which the delicate mucus membrane lining the inner walls of the colon gets inflamed. If the problem is allowed to persist for a long time, it leads to the formation of ulcers inside the colon. The condition gradually spreads from the lower end of the colon upwards, causing symptoms like increased frequency of the urge to defecate, occasionally discharge of mucus and blood with stools, and stomach cramps. As the ailment becomes more serious, the patient begins to suffer from alternating bouts of diarrhea and constipation, sometimes accompanied with nausea and vomiting. Due to excessive loss of water and nutrients caused by colitis, the patient becomes malnourished, anemic and insomniac. The main reason behind this condition is the irritation of the colon due to contact with certain semi-digested complex carbohydrates present in cereals and fibrous foodstuff, allergic reaction to certain antibiotic drugs or chronic constipation leading to accumulation of toxins in the digestive tract.

Diet To Prevent Colitis

There are a few basic dietary measures that you should follow in order to prevent and cure colitis. Eat a couple of ripe bananas every day at breakfast. This helps prevent constipation as bananas are easy to digest and have a natural laxative property. You may also include a few pieces of roasted apples in your breakfast as these are rich sources of minerals like phosphorus and iron, which helps heal ulcers in the digestive tract. Also, drink a glass of fresh buttermilk every morning in order to soothe the irritated walls of the colon and relieve the symptoms of colitis. Another effective natural means of treating this condition is to drink the water of a raw, green coconut every day. For better results, crush a few fresh pods of drumsticks and mix an equal portion of honey to this paste and then add this mixture to a cup of tender coconut water. You may also make an easily digestible, low-fiber gruel by mixing half a cup of boiled rice and a ripe banana with a cup of buttermilk. This supplies essential nutrients to the body without putting the digestive tract under too much pressure, and thereby helps in a gradual recovery from the malnourishment caused by colitis. You may also try fasting for a couple of days on cabbage juice, carrot juice and papaya juice in order to detoxify your system completely and treat colitis. Eat steamed and boiled vegetables instead of fried and spicy foodstuff. Stay away from artificially flavored snacks and alcoholic drinks.