The quality of your health depends upon many pieces that not only include the health of your bodily systems, but also include a healthy diet, exercise, and spirituality. 

Diet. Treatment of your Inflammatory Bowel Disease may center on developing healthy diet guidelines, in addition to making some key adjustments in your relationship with food.
Dietary recommendations for Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

• Implement a soy-free, dairy-free, and grain-free diet. Soy protein, milk protein (dairy), wheat protein (gluten), and corn protein are used commercially as incredibly strong adhesives. When we ingest these super “glues,” they adhere to intestinal walls and, for some people, they can damage the intestinal lining. This can cause bowel inflammation, and lead to leaky gut syndrome, a cause of secondary food allergies and Candida.⁴
• Increase the amount of healthy fiber in your diet. Fiber stabilizes the consistency of your stool. Add ground flax meal to your daily diet to increase your fiber intake.
• Add probiotics to your daily diet. Probiotics have been shown to diminish some symptoms associated with IBD. IBD is actually a rare occurrence in countries that have less hygiene and sanitation practices, mainly because the “good bugs” are more prevalant for consumption. Gastrointestinal bugs are actually vital to a healthy digestive system. It is hypothesized that when these bugs are missing, the immune system doesn’t have a target agent, and it starts attacking the intestinal walls instead. Also, because of the overuse of antibiotics (where all bugs are killed), the healthy gastrointestinal bugs are wiped out, which can be a trigger for IBD. By replenishing good bacteria, you may be able to ward off IBD.
• Add crushed garlic to your diet. More than one third of patients with colitis also test positive for the virus, cytomegalovirus. Allicin contained in crushed garlic has antifungal properties that are helpful in eliminating bad intestinal bugs, and aid in restoring a healthy balance of intestinal flora, especially when used in conjunction with probiotics.⁵

Other important dietary tips:

• Eat several small meals throughout the day, rather than large, heavy meals.
• Drink plenty of purified water throughout the day. This will help stabilize stool patterns and replenish water lost during dehydration.
• Eat red meat sparingly. Choose lean cuts, to avoid the fat that may disturb the gastrointestinal tract. Choose high-quality, organic, hormone- and antibiotic-free “grass-fed” meats.
• Increase your omega-3 essential fatty acids by selecting high-quality wild-caught salmon, and fish oil.
• Eat raw, organic vegetables.
• Add healthy saturated fats to your diet, such as organic extra virgin coconut oil.
• Choose organic, cage-free eggs.

Foods to AVOID when treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

• Problem foods that seem to worsen your symptoms. Some of these may include coffee, solid chocolate, dairy, soy, wheat, corn, eggs, and others. Some IBD sufferers may unknowingly have food intolerances such as lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance. Consider a modification elimination diet. This involves following a strict, low-allergen diet, and then slowly re-introducing foods to see if they cause a negative reaction (also known as challenge or provocation testing).⁸
• High-fat foods. Foods high in fat can irritate the digestive tract for those who have IBD. Avoid items such as margarine, mayonnaise, avocados, cream, ice cream, fried foods, and fatty cuts of meat.
• Foods that can cause excess gas and bloating, such as beans, broccoli, and carbonated soft drinks.
• All simple or refined carbohydrates (white flour, white rice, white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, crackers, processed snack foods, etc.). Those with IBD may have to use caution when eating grains. Grains such as wheat, rye, barley, and corn may aggravate IBD symptoms. Read more about good carbs and bad carbs.
• All foods containing refined sugar or artificial sugar-substitutes such as aspartame (NutraSweet^®, Equal^®), saccharin (Sweet’N Low^®), and sucralose (Splenda^®). Synthetic sweeteners can be particularly irritating to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and should be avoided. Choose a natural sweetener like Xylosweet instead.
• Alcoholic beverages, which are a GI irritant.
• Fruit juices, especially plum and peach juices, which can trigger diarrhea.
• Seafood, such as oysters, clams, and lobster that may contain toxic levels of mercury.
• Deep-sea fish such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish that may contain toxic levels of mercury. Choose mercury-minimal tuna instead.
• Farm-raised fish that contain PCBs and not enough omega-3 essential fatty acids, due to their land-based diets. Choose wild-caught salmon instead.
• Nitrates found in processed foods such as hot dogs, lunch meats, and bacon.
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) found in many foods as a flavor enhancer.
• Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils found in many processed foods, deep-fried foods, fast foods, and junk food. Bad fats are a GI irritant and can worsen IBD symptoms. Read more about good fats and bad fats.
• Artificial fats, such as olestra (Olean^®). These are artificial fats found in processed snack foods such as potato chips and crackers that are designed to pass through the digestive tract without being absorbed by the body. However, they can be highly irritating for some individuals, causing diarrhea and stomach irritation.
• Limited caffeine intake. While moderate amounts of caffeine may be beneficial, excessive consumption of caffeine can disrupt the normal movement of the GI tract, causing alternating bouts of constipation and/or diarrhea.

Exercise. Regular exercise can positively affect the health of your bowel. Exercise aids in normal bowel movement, eases stress that can trigger gastrointestinal flare-ups, and helps the body eliminate excess toxins, especially through sweat. Studies now show that something as simple as walking is just as effective as more intense exercises, for achieving optimal health and wellness. Consider purchasing a pedometer that measures the amount of steps you take each day. Increase your number of daily steps to start incorporating exercise in your daily routine.
Other tips for treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Drugs used for impotency. Researchers have found evidence that Viagra, the drug used for impotency, may be helpful in treating Crohn’s disease. Investigators found that those with Crohn’s disease have an inherently defective immune response. In the face of foreign agents, Crohn’s disease patients generate much lower white blood cells and have abnormally low blood flow compared to healthy patients. The researchers found that they could ease Crohn’s disease symptoms by correcting the low blood flow with Viagra.⁶
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. For pain relief, consult your healthcare professional before you take NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents) such as aspirin (Bayer^®), ibuprofen (Advil^®, Motrin^®) and naproxen (Aleve^®), to name a few. NSAIDs can aggravate the stomach lining, increase the risk of ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, and worsen the symptoms of IBD.
• Stress. Stress can aggravate bowel inflammation and digestive irregularity. Consider stress management techniques such as biofeedback, meditation, hypnotherapy, deep-breathing exercises, and yoga.
• Don’t smoke. Evidence now shows that smoking can aggravate Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
• Heavy Metal Toxicity can produce vague symptoms that sometimes are mistaken for other chronic conditions. Discuss heavy metal toxicity with your healthcare professional before receiving any diagnosis or treatment for a serious chronic condition. Read more about heavy metal toxicity.
• If you have dental amalgams, or “silver” fillings, get an evaluation from a mercury-free dentist who specializes in the safe removal of mercury amalgam fillings. Find a mercury-free dentist in your area now!

Additional Information about Inflammatory Bowel Disease

1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Overview
2. Common symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease
3. Common causes of inflammatory bowel disease
4. Help me choose a natural and alternative treatment for inflammatory bowel disease
5. Conventional or prescription medications used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease
6. Additional Reading for inflammatory bowel disease