Inflammatory Bowel Disease: This is what you must eat to ease the painful symptoms

A recent research has found that pomegranates and berries can alleviate and prevent Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Here are some foods you need to include in your diet to beat IBD.

IBD is inflammation of all or part of the digestive tract and is a common chronic condition that includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In Crohn s disease, a part of the digestive tract may be affected whereas, in ulcerative colitis, the large intestine (colon) becomes inflamed. Patients affected by these diseases experience abdominal symptoms, including diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloody stools, and vomiting. A recent study has found that berries and paomegranate which are rich in microbial metabolite UroA, and its analogue UAS03, help overall gut health by enhancing barrier function, in addition to their anti-inflammatory activities. According to Dr Haribabu Bodduluri, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UofL and an author of the article UroA and UAS03 show therapeutic and protective effects and that UroA/UAS03 reverses the development of colitis and could also prevent it from occurring.

Vitamin D-rich food: A study has found that regular consumption of Vitamin D supplements could help to ease painful IBD symptoms.

Bilberries: One of the berries that help ease IBS is bilberries because of the presence of anthocyanins which exhibit antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.

Wheatgrass: Wheatgrass is particularly useful because it contains chlorophyll, aminoacids, vitamins and various enzymes.

Yoghurt: According to a research by the University of Calcutta, probiotic products have anti-inflammatory and pro-regenerative roles which are useful for dealing with IBD.

Strawberries: A study has said that eating three-quarters of a cup of strawberries a day could be beneficial for those looking to enhance their gut health. Strawberries are known for their inflammation-easing properties.

Foods you must avoid if you IBD: Anything packaged or any food that has preservatives, additives, highly processed foods, and even mineral water can worsen IBD symptoms. Any foods that cause gas including beans, cabbage, and cauliflower should be avoided.

With reference from

Fakhoury M, Negrulj R, Mooranian A, Al-Salami H. Inflammatory bowel disease: clinical aspects and treatments. J Inflamm Res. 2014;7:113-20. Published 2014 Jun 23. doi:10.2147/JIR.S65979