1. Keep a food journal
Keep a journal of all the foods you eat, when you eat them, and how feel after them. Also write when you have bowel movements and the consistency of the BM. A blank notebook will work for this. Just write the date at the top of each page and then write the time as each event through out the day occurs. If you have a notes app on your phone, that will work as well.
Here is an Example:
10/21/20
Slept well through the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom. Slept about 7 hours.
8:00 AM woke up and had urgent BM with blood
8:30 AM ate eggs and drank water, felt okay afterwards
9:15 AM anther urgent BM, loose
10:30 AM one cup of black coffee
11:45 AM felt exhausted and had to lay down due to lack of energy
And so on throughout your day
2. Stop eating carbs and grains
Carbohydrates are a known irritant for those with Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's disease. Refer to my article called "What is a grain" for more details on this.
3. Stop eating dairy
If you are in a flare stop eating dairy. Not all dairy is bad but the easiest first step is to stop it and learn about what you can and cannot eat when it comes to dairy. I add a blog post to my site that will address this and will give you more information on dairy items that are okay to eat. But to start with, just avoid dairy until you fully understand the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.
4. Take a probiotic
Find a probiotic supplement that works for you. I would not recommend buying store-bought yogurt as your probiotic, but would rather suggest you purchase a probiotic supplement. When looking for the right supplement for you, check the ingredient list. Make sure it only contains probiotics (a no other additives), try to avoid probiotics that contain bibirus as they can cause gas. I use a probiotic call Florastor that I tolerate well. Start slow with your probiotic if you have never taken one before. Start with every other day and if that is tolerable after about a week you can move to daily. As you learn more about the Specific Carbohydrate diet you can remove this supplement and eat the homemade yogurt instead.
5. Get Support
Find a support group or someone that can be there for emotional support as you deal with this draining disease. Weather you have UC or Crohn's disease, the emotional toll it takes on you can be debilitating. Having someone that understands what you or going through or at least someone that can support you and be there during the rough times is a must. I know first hand how isolated this disease makes you feel. The frequent bowl movements and urgency alone make you feel like you cannot leave home. Check out the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation's website (https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/) to see if they have a support group near you. I was lucky enough to have one in my hometown and it was extremely helpful in my journey to feeling "normal" again. Also look for Facebook and Pinterest pages as they can be a form of support and give you direct contact with others that are going through the same thing.
Part of getting support, means finding a doctor you can trust. If you don't like your current doctor do not stay with them. There are plenty of gastroenterologist out there and you need to find one that fits your needs and listens to you. I went through several gastroenterologist before I found one that I liked.
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