To combat Inflammatory Bowel Disease, you must follow a healthy diet that contains all the necessary nutrients to boost immunity. Here is a list of anti-inflammatory foods you must include in your diet.
1. Green Vegetables
Green vegetables are an essential member of every Indian household. Vegetables like spinach, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower contain nutrients like fibre, Vitamin K and Folate. Green vegetables also have antioxidant, which helps your body lower inflammatory reactions.
However, high-fibre vegetables can be problematic for IBD patients. One must avoid eating raw vegetables during a flare as it further irritates one's guts. Instead, patients should consume cooked vegetables and foods containing soluble fibres. They should also make sure to avoid eating vegetables and fruits with intact seeds and skin.
2. Olive Oil
Ordinary oil, which contains harmful fats, often triggers the burning or redness of inflammatory disorders. Therefore, replacing standard oil from your regular diet with olive oil is advisable.
Olive oil is an excellent source of healthy fats and antioxidants, which help prevent burns and redness in the stomach and intestines. However, olive oil is more than just an anti-inflammatory food.
Unlike regular oil, olive oil helps manage heart disease and cholesterol. In addition, fats in olive oil do not settle in your arteries and, thus, reduce the chances of cardiac arrest.
3. Fatty Fish
Omega 3 fatty acids, DHA, EPA and proteins are essential nutrients to boost your immunity. Therefore, fatty fish rich in these nutrients must be included in your diet for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Fatty acids help build up your body's metabolism and improve your immunity. In addition, anti-inflammatory compounds like proteins and resolvins in these fishes act as agents to lower inflammation in the intestines and stomach.
Tilapia, Salmon, Mackerel, Cod and Tuna are a few fatty fishes that you must add to your diet to manage Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
4. White Foods
Foods like white pasta, rice, white bread, and potatoes are rich in starch and fibre. People suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease can replace whole grain meals with these white foods.
You can consume such foods after boiling, grilling and steaming them as a part of your diet for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. When symptoms of IBD flare up, shifting to a white food diet allows you to manage these symptoms.
Your body can easily tolerate foods like mashed potatoes, white rice, and white bread as they digest easily without triggering your IBD.
5. Apple Sauce
Apple sauce has low insoluble fibre and acts as the best anti-inflammatory food after an Inflammatory Bowel Disease flare-up.
Rich in soluble fibre, apple sauce is an excellent example of roughage that helps your abdomen release toxic wastes. Apple sauce is also rich in vitamin C and potassium, which boosts your immunity and lowers the chances of inflammatory disorders.
6. Probiotic Foods
Probiotic foods like yoghurt, kimchi, kefir, miso and kombucha should be a part of the best diet for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. These food sources contain ‘good bacteria’ that can help to recover the bacterial population residing in your digestive tract.
Yoghurt help cool your digestive tract and eliminates chances for flare-ups of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
However, if you are lactose intolerant, opt for soy yoghurt or lactose-free curd to treat IBD.
7. Green Tea
Green tea is rich in antioxidants that benefit your body's metabolism and detoxify your body from harmful toxins.
Polyphenols present in green tea lowers intestinal inflammation while assisting you in losing weight. It has also shown some effects in keeping nerve diseases like Alzheimer's at bay.
Sipping green tea regularly with honey (for those with a sweet tooth) is a healthy habit for patients with IBD. Green tea helps you to boost immunity, improve metabolism and control obesity most effectively.
8. Fruits Rich in Antioxidants
Blueberries, raspberries, apples, oranges and pomegranates are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and potassium. Consuming such fruits daily builds up your immunity and reduces IBD disorders.
However, while planning your diet for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, ensure to add fruits of a particular season. For example, fruits like oranges are more effective when consumed in winter, not summer.
To avoid consuming fruits in their raw form, prepare smoothies, shakes or juice. Also, avoid consuming chopped fruit left open for a long time, as they are hazardous to health.