As hospital resources are stretched to care for COVID-19 patients, it is important for Ulcerative Colitis patients to avoid a flare that might require a hospital visit or stay. We at The Colitis Blog provide you with a few tips on how to avoid a flare during the pandemic.
1. Homemade Food: Safer & Healthier Than Takeout
The COVID-19 pandemic is inevitably forcing many to cook more and, honestly, cooking can be tiring. We feel it, too. Takeout may seem like a great way to give yourself a break and try something new. But remember that there may be at least a few people involved in handling, packing, and delivering your food – all of which may carry a risk of COVID-19 transmission. If you must order from a restaurant:
- Go for a tried and tested place and meal. Ordering new things from new places may lead to discomfort and inflammation.
- Order something that was cooked at higher heat. Although CDC states that there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission associated with food, the Washington State Department of Health states that “the virus is likely to be inactivated by proper cooking temperatures.”
- pick a less spicy meal so as not to cause or worsen inflammation
- consider our delivery hygiene tips.
2. Cooking: Stick to The Simple Stuff
Staying at home and not eating out may seem like the perfect time to experiment in the kitchen with more adventurous recipes. Remember that while your tastebuds might be excited by new flavors, your gut might not be used to or prepared to digest new foods. Sticking to favorites that sit well with you – soups, whole grains, baked vegetables, fish – might be more comforting to your body. Check out our simple and healthy recipes.
3. Go Easy on the Alcohol
We’ve all been reading news reports on how popular alcohol stores have been during the pandemic. However, research shows “strong evidence for an association between alcohol drinking of >1 drink/day and colorectal cancer risk.” [Marchand et al 1997; Fedirko et al 2011].
5. Limit Sugar and Sweets
Sweets can be such a comfort and joy at this time. But, for those who suffer from Ulcerative Colitis animal studies have shown that consuming high-fructose corn syrup and sugar were associated with “activation of inflammatory pathways” [Benetti et al 2013] and increased risk of colorectal cancer respectively [Vecchia et al 1993].
6. Get Enough Sleep
As we all stay home, our daily routines may have seen a lot of change. Getting enough refreshing sleep is, nonetheless, essential in preventing a UC flare. Poor sleep quality and sleep disturbances have been linked in recent research to elevated inflammatory markers and potential flare triggers [Swanson et al, 2014; Wilson et al, 2015]
7. Keep Stress in Check
Stress is a proven factor in UC inflammation and flares. “Acute psychologic stress induces systemic and mucosal proinflammatory responses, which could contribute to exacerbations of UC in ordinary life. ” [Mawdsley et al. 2006]. Check our recent post about stress and UC.