Being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s disease isn't at the top of your average person's bucket list, however these conditions can be far less dreadful if you know what foods do & don't play well with your GI tract. 

Newer research is pointing to evidence that these conditions have a root in microbial imbalance in the gut. People that have been diagnosed with these conditions or have been told they might be dealing with them should avoid foods that may actually ferment in the gut.

There is even the possibility of a misdiagnosis with a condition called Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth or SIBO. There are several specialized tests that can be performed to evaluate the possibility of this fermentation problem using stool testing or even testing the breath of an individual.

Although many with the label of UC or Crohn's should have these kinds of tests and other tests for food sensitivities, adherence to some basic low fermentable foods might hold some relief. The offending foods are numerous, but the foods that are the least offensive and should be eaten in Moderate quantities are: (Please note that this a short list for fermentable foods and not food sensitivities)

Vegetables:

• Artichoke Hearts

• Arugula

• Bamboo Shoots

• Beets

• Bok Choy

• Broccoli

• Brussels Sprouts

• Cabbage 1 c

• Carrot

• Chives

• Cucumber

• Eggplant

• Endive

• Fennel bulb

• Green Beans

• Greens: lettuce, collard, chard, kale, spinach, Olives, Peas

• Peppers: Bell/Sweet Peppers: Chili

• Radicchio

• Radish

• Rutabaga

• Scallion: green part

• Snow Peas

• Squash: Butternut, Kobocha, Sunburst, Yellow, Zucchini

• Tomato

Fruits:

• Berries: blueberry, boysenberry, strawberry, raspberry, Carambola

• Citrus: lemon, lime, oranges, tangelos, tangerine

• Current

• Dragon Fruit

• Durian

• Grapes

• Guava

• Kiwifruit

• Longon

• Melon: cantaloupe/rock, honeydew

• Papaya/Paw Paw

• Passion fruit

• Pineapple

• Pomegranate

• Prickly Pear

• Rambutan

• Rhubarb

Legumes/Beans:

• Lentil: brown  ½ c green & red ¼ c Lima  ¼ c

Nuts and Seeds:

• Almonds 10 ea/.42oz flour 2 T

• Coconut: flour/shredded ¼ cup milk (w/no thickeners)

• Hazelnuts 10 ea/15g

• Macadamia  20 ea/40g

• Peanuts  32 ea/28g

• Peanut butter  4 T

• Pecans  10 ea/22g

• Pine nuts 1 T/14g

• Pumpkin seeds 2 T/23g

• Sesame seeds  1 T/11g

• Sunflower seeds 2 t/6g

• Walnuts  10 ea/30g

Dairy:

• Butter 

• Cheese: aged 1 mo+, dry curd cottage cheese, yogurt cheese/labneh

• Ghee

• Sour Cream: homemade 24 hour

• Yogurt: homemade 24 hour

Meats:

• Bacon-with honey

• Broth: homemade meat or marrow bones (no cartilage)

• Beef

• Eggs

• Fish

• Game

• Lamb

• Organ Meats

• Pork

• Poultry

• Seafood

Sweeteners:

• Honey: alfalfa, cotton, clover, raspberry

• Stevia-pure (no inulin) in small amounts

Fats:

• Butter

• Coconut oil

• Cod liver oil & Fish oil

• Duck fat

• Garlic-infused oil

• Ghee Lard & Tallow

• Medium Chain Triglyceride/MCT oil

• Macadamia oil

• Olive oil

• Palm oil

• Polyunsaturated Vegetable Oils: Borage, Canola, Flax, Grape seed, Hemp, Pumpkin seed, Sesame, Sunflower,  Walnut

Beverages:

• Coffee  1c/day (weak)

• Cranberry juice-pure

• Orange juice, fresh, ½ c/ 125ml

• Fruit Juice: from Low Fodmap fruits  ⅓ c/ 100ml 

• Tea: black (weak), chamomile, ginger, green, hibiscus, lemongrass, mate, mint, oolong, rooibos/rooibos chai, rose hip Water