7 Day Meal Plan For Ulcerative Colitis

A 7 Day Meal Plan for Ulcerative Colitis is presented here in a table format. A printable PDF format is given at the end. This diet plan has been formulated by our nutritionist who has a special interest in healing diseases with simple dietary changes.

It is also important to note that during a flare of ulcerative colitis, always consult your doctor and do not experiment with diet alone.

In addition, some individuals have concomitant medical illnesses other than ulcerative colitis and they may need specialized diets. Such individuals can contact us and we can help them out with whatever is possible.

What is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is sometimes mistaken for colitis and Crohn’s disease, but the three conditions are quite different.

Colitis is a general term indicating inflammation of the large intestine which could be due to any reason such as infections, whereas ulcerative colitis is an autoimmune inflammatory condition with flares, remissions, and relapses.

The management of ulcerative colitis can be quite difficult, and nutrition plays a critical role in this. The following are the most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis:

Abdominal pain
Cramping
Bloody diarrhea
Urgency
Weight loss
Fever

The main cause of ulcerative colitis is still unknown, but genetics and auto-immune responses are said to be the two main causative agents for ulcerative colitis.

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Diet and Ulcerative Colitis:

There is a great link between diet and ulcerative colitis, diet can be the cause, but diet can be the cure too.

Although, some people think that poor diet is the actual cause of ulcerative colitis. However, foods can aggravate or trigger the symptoms of ulcerative colitis but are not causing it.

Can Diet Cure Ulcerative Colitis?

NO, but diet can help you live in good health even if you have ulcerative colitis. There are many diets that claim to cure it but there is no scientific evidence on any such diet. One diet might work for someone while on the other hand, it can be a culprit for someone else.

As a result, we cannot suggest one diet as a permanent solution for ulcerative colitis because there is no limit to how long it works in your favor.

What are the Worst Foods for Ulcerative Colitis?

A list of the worst foods for ulcerative colitis is given below. These should be specifically avoided during a flare.

Raw foods
High fiber foods
High-fat foods
Spicy or acidic foods
Lactose or gluten-containing foods
Alcohol
Caffeine
Processed foods

If you have ulcerative colitis, you must be careful with these foods.

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Diet for Ulcerative Colitis – The Complete Food Guide

As mentioned above, there is no specific diet to cure ulcerative colitis however, eating a balanced diet with carefully examining your symptoms after each meal can help you eliminate harmful foods and still have a nutritious diet.

Protein and Calories:

Your daily calorie intake should be optimal to support your daily life activities. Besides this, a high lean protein intake is recommended to meet the increased protein needs due to inflammation. With inadequate intake, UC patients might notice gradual weight loss and fatigue.

Fiber Intake:

At the start, a medium fiber diet is an easy way to keep the flare-ups at bay. Soluble fiber is the most suitable as it does not cause any gas or abdominal pain. Furthermore, to stay on the safe side you must avoid fiber foods during a flare-up

However, you should try to reintroduce high-fiber foods one at a time and again check if they are still causing any symptoms.

Generally, it is safe to take 15-20 grams of fiber daily.

Cereals:

Refined cereals are good for people with ulcerative colitis as they contain less fiber. This is mostly recommended to prevent gas and bloating.

Lastly, it is not a hard and fast rule for everyone, if whole grains are well tolerated then you can always switch them with refined grains.

Dairy and Gluten:

If you have lactose or gluten intolerance then you need to be extra careful with dairy foods and gluten-containing foods. Consult a dietician to help you with alternative foods that are equally nutritious.

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Essential Vitamins for Ulcerative Colitis:

People with ulcerative colitis follow a restrictive diet, even if they eat a wide variety of foods, they still have to avoid some foods.

Here are some vitamins and minerals that you need to be extra careful with:

Calcium & Vitamin D:
- Most people with diarrhea and colitis are asked to limit dairy products as they may have flares using dairy products especially if they have concomitant lactose intolerance.
- Calcium and Vitamin D supplementation is necessary.
- In addition, people with ulcerative colitis are also on medications such as prednisolone (corticosteroids) which can weaken your bones hence vitamin D and calcium supplementation is necessary.
- It is generally recommended to take 800 IU to 1200 IU of vitamin D daily. However, those who have vitamin D deficiency may need higher doses of up to 2000 IU per day.
Folic Acid:
- Folic acid is an essential vitamin. It is required for healing. Patients with chronic diarrhea and ulcerative colitis may be deficient in folic acid because of several reasons. These include:
  - Low intake as the patient may not be able to tolerate fresh vegetables and fruits.
  - Poor absorption because of diarrhea
  - Increased demand as a result of cellular turnover
  - Use with antifolate medications such as methotrexate.
- Folic acid supplementation is essential for patients with ulcerative colitis as it may prevent some of the complications of ulcerative colitis [Ref]
- Folic acid in a dose of 0.4 to 5 mg is recommended. It may be given at an interval of 2 to 3 days after methotrexate.
Magnesium:
- Magnesium deficiency is common in people with frequent diarrheal episodes. It is also one of the important causes of resistant hypokalemia (low potassium).
- In addition, magnesium is said to have anti-inflammatory properties and supplementation may improve some of the symptoms of ulcerative colitis [Ref].
- Magnesium should be taken in a dose of 320 to 420 mg per day.
Iron:
- Iron deficiency is very common in patients with ulcerative colitis because of frequent bloody diarrhea.
- However, oral iron worsens the symptoms of ulcerative colitis and should be especially avoided during flares or ongoing intestinal inflammation.
- In mild to moderate disease, a trial of oral iron as a maintenance therapy is given. However, intravenous iron is preferred in acute flares and in the following situations [Ref]:
  - an inadequate response to oral iron with a less than 2 gm/dl increase in hemoglobin after 4 weeks
  - Intolerance to oral iron
  - Hemoglobin of less than 10 g/dl

Foods to Avoid During Flare-up

People with ulcerative colitis experience flare-ups in which the symptoms aggravate. You may have frequent loose stools, bloating, and abdominal cramps during a flare-up.

During a flare, you must follow a low-fiber diet. High-fiber foods might worsen diarrhea symptoms as they increase the transit time.
Avoid foods containing insoluble fiber such as whole grains, fruits with peels, seeds, and vegetable skins.
Eat small and frequent meals. Avoid eating large portions of food in one sitting.
Take an adequate amount of fluid to avoid dehydration.
To reduce gas and bloating, avoid carbonated beverages, sucking on candies, and quickly gulping food.
Avoid gas-producing foods such as beans, lentils, sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.

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7 Day Meal Plan for Ulcerative Colitis – ∼1000 calories

Day 1	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Monday	Breakfast	Scrambled eggs with white bread	200
	Snack	Baked sweet potato	120
	Lunch	1 cup Vegetable rice with steamed chicken	250
	Snack	French toast	110
	Dinner	Zucchini noodles	270

Day 2	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Tuesday	Breakfast	1 cup rice flakes bowl with frozen strawberries	250
	Snack	Papaya and pineapple smoothie	120
	Lunch	Grilled chicken tortilla wrap	230
	Snack	Amaranth muffin	140
	Dinner	1 cup Spinach pasta with guacamole	320

Day 3	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Wednesday	Breakfast	Egg and avocado sandwich	230
	Snack	Sliced apples (2)	120
	Lunch	Grilled shrimp with steamed, honey-glazed carrots	270
	Snack	Almond milk latte	150
	Dinner	Artichoke flatbread	310

Day 4	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Thursday	Breakfast	Greek yogurt bowl + 2 bananas	210
	Snack	1 cup mango chunks	90
	Lunch	Chicken Cesar salad with olive oil	350
	Snack	Chocolate chip cookie	120
	Dinner	2 oz Baked cod	210

Day 5	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Friday	Breakfast	Blueberry pancakes	150
	Snack	Sliced kiwi fruit	160
	Lunch	Roasted turkey with cooked bell peppers	350
	Snack	Dates (4)	60
	Dinner	Mango ice cream shake	250

Day 6	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Saturday	Breakfast	Mango smoothie with yogurt	180
	Snack	Honey glazed carrots	100
	Lunch	Taco salad bowl	270
	Snack	Bread with strawberry jam	150
	Dinner	Roasted vegetable sandwich (without spices, or lime seasonings)	290

Day 7	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Sunday	Breakfast	White bread + vegetable omelet	220
	Snack	Potato wedges with minimum salt	150
	Lunch	Cranberry Quinoa bowl	290
	Snack	Cantaloupe chunks (1 cup)	120
	Dinner	Egg sandwiches (2 small)	230

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Table Summarizing the 7 Day Meal Plan for Ulcerative Colitis: ∼1000 kcal:

Day

Breakfast

Snack

Lunch

Snack

Dinner

Total Calories

Monday

Scrambled eggs with white bread

200 kcal

Baked sweet potato

120 kcal

1 cup Vegetable rice with steamed chicken

250 kcal

French toast

110 kcal

Zucchini noodles

270 kcal

960 kcal

Tuesday

1 cup rice flakes bowl with frozen strawberries

250 kcal

Papaya and pineapple smoothie

120 kcal

Grilled chicken tortilla wrap

230 kcal

Amaranth muffin

140 kcal

1 cup Spinach pasta with guacamole

320 kcal

1060 kcal

Wednesday

Egg and avocado sandwich

230 kcal

Sliced apples (2)

120 kcal

Grilled shrimp with steamed, honey-glazed carrots

270 kcal

Almond milk latte

150 kcal

Artichoke flatbread

310 kcal

1080 kcal

Thursday

Greek yogurt bowl + 2 bananas

210 kcal

1 cup mango chunks

90 kcal

Chicken Cesar salad with olive oil

350 kcal

Chocolate chip cookie

120 kcal

2 oz Baked cod

210 kcal

980 kcal

Friday

Blueberry pancakes

150 kcal

Sliced kiwi fruit

160 kcal

Roasted turkey with cooked bell peppers

350 kcal

Dates (4)

60 kcal

Mango ice cream shake

250 kcal

970 kcal

Saturday

Mango smoothie with yogurt

180 kcal

Honey glazed carrots

100 kcal

Taco salad bowl

270 kcal

Bread with strawberry jam

150 kcal

Roasted vegetable sandwich (without spices, or lime seasonings)

290 kcal

990 kcal

Sunday

White bread + vegetable omelet

220 kcal

Potato wedges with minimum salt

150 kcal

Cranberry Quinoa bowl

290 kcal

Cantaloupe chunks (1 cup)

120 kcal

Egg sandwiches (2 small)

230 kcal

1010 kcal

7 Day Meal Plan for Ulcerative Colitis – 1500 Calories

Day 1	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Monday	Breakfast	Scrambled egg + bread + 2 Bananas	240
	Snack	Strawberry + yogurt smoothie	180
	Lunch	Chicken Sandwich (2) + 1 cup of cantaloupe chunks	450
	Snack	1 cup fat-free chocolate milk	220
	Dinner	2 oz Baked Fish with Plain Rice (1 cup)	440

Day 2	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Tuesday	Breakfast	1 cup fat-free yogurt + 2 large Crackers	305
	Snack	Pineapple juice	160
	Lunch	Chicken soup + cucumber and apple salad	380
	Snack	Chocolate muffin	240
	Dinner	Zucchini pasta (without cheese) + 1 cup pomegranate juice	470

Day 3	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Wednesday	Breakfast	1 cup cooked oatmeal + 1 medium Pear	280
	Snack	1 cup fat-free yogurt	120
	Lunch	Tuna Spaghetti + minted Potatoes + ½ cup melon chunks	510
	Snack	Boiled sweet potato (without salt)	180
	Dinner	Steamed Chicken + Spanish rice + ½ cup apricots	420

Day 4	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Thursday	Breakfast	French toast + 1 cup of fat-free milk	400
	Snack	¾ cup dried Figs	120
	Lunch	2 oz Turkey Meat loaf + guacamole + 1 medium peach	380
	Snack	crackers (2)	180
	Dinner	2 oz Ginger Sesame salad + fresh spinach and mushroom	460

Day 5	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Friday	Breakfast	Low-fat Granola bar + 2 Bananas	310
	Snack	½ cup roasted peanuts (without salt)	120
	Lunch	Turkey Sandwich with lettuce leaves + 1 cup of grapes	460
	Snack	chocolate cookies (2)	220
	Dinner	Vegetable rice + steamed chicken thigh (2)	410

Day 6	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Saturday	Breakfast	Omelet + bread (2 slices) + 1 Apple	350
	Snack	Greek yogurt ½ cup	120
	Lunch	Stuffed turkey with vegetable rice	450
	Snack	1 cup black grapes	150
	Dinner	French Toast (2) + Honey-glazed sweet potatoes	430

Day 7	Meal	Food Item	Calories (Kcal)
Sunday	Breakfast	1 cup sweet yogurt with strawberries + 2 boiled eggs	390
	Snack	1 cup green smoothie (spinach+ banana+ mango)	210
	Lunch	Baked chicken macaroni + 1 cup mint margarita	370
	Snack	Caramelized banana	120
	Dinner	White bean stew + whole wheat roll + thyme roasted beets	450