3. Swap Out Raw Salads for Grilled Yellow Summer Squash, Zucchini, and Eggplant
Raw, fibrous salads can be hard to tolerate when your intestines are inflamed, but peeled and cooked vegetables are another story. Vegetables like yellow summer squash, zucchini, and eggplant are all excellent UC-friendly choices, as they’re in season during the summer and become soft and easy to break down after grilling. For those experiencing a flare-up, it can be helpful to eat only the soft, fleshy parts of the vegetables, leaving the insoluble fiber-rich skins on your plate.
Aside from being rich sources of soluble fiber, zucchini and yellow summer squash are high in beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. Vitamin A plays a role in proper immune function and maintaining healthy body tissues, including the gut lining. According to research published in Nutrientsin 2019, people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more likely to have low levels of vitamin A, compared with those in healthy control groups, so consuming more dietary sources of beta-carotene and vitamin A can help reduce your risk of not getting enough of this essential nutrient.
Eggplant flesh is packed with phenolic acids, which are antioxidant compounds that help fight inflammation, per areview published in the South African Journal of Botany. Since UC is an inflammatory condition, incorporating more antioxidant-rich foods into your diet is especially beneficial.
4.Swap Out Berries for Seedless Watermelon, Cantaloupe, and Honeydew
Berries can be hard to digest due to their seeds and skin, but other summer fruits like melons are soft and easy to break down. In addition to beta-carotene, melons are rich in potassium, an electrolyte. Melons are also a good source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps lower inflammation by neutralizing free radicals in the body. According to research published inCrohn’s and Colitis 360 in 2021, people with IBD have a greater risk of vitamin C deficiency, likely due to a combination of their avoidance of fresh fruits and vegetables, reduced absorption capability, and increased nutrient needs.
Aside from providing you with vitamins and minerals, adding more servings of soft, seedless melon to your diet is an easy way to increase your prebiotic fiber intake, which helps support a healthy gut microbiome, per an article published inNutrition Bulletin in 2019.
5. Swap Out Beer for Kombucha
Alcoholic beverages such as beer, hard cider, and spiked seltzer are often featured at summer BBQs, and although they’re festive, you may want to consider limiting them or avoiding them altogether if you have UC, particularly if you’re experiencing a flare-up. Unfortunately, alcohol can worsen UC symptoms, increase inflammation, and may also negatively interact with certain commonly prescribed UC medications, according to an article published in Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 2021. Furthermore, alcohol has diuretic properties, so it can be dehydrating.
Whether you choose to drink alcohol in moderation or avoid it altogether is entirely a personal choice. But if you decide to avoid or limit alcohol, kombucha can serve as a tasty and refreshing gut-friendly alternative. Kombucha is a fermented beverage made from tea and various flavorings such as fruit juice, spices, and sugar. Due to the fermentation process, it’s slightly effervescent, giving it a similar feel to beer. It also contains probiotics and can help populate the gut with beneficial microbes. It is important to note that kombucha does contain very small quantities of alcohol as a natural end product of fermentation. However, the amount is negligible and most kombucha varieties are considered nonalcoholic beverages.
