They say food is medicine, but during an ulcerative colitis flare, the last thing you may want to do is eat. Along with symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramps, and diarrhea, you may also be grappling with loss of appetite, weight loss, and fatigue, according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
In some instances, the best way to eat enough nutrients is to drink them — through juicing. “People with inflammatory bowel disease typically have difficulty digesting whole plant foods, so they often eat very few fruits and vegetables, due to irritation,” says Desiree Nielsen, RD, who is the author of Good for Your Gut and based in Vancouver, Canada.
During a flare, you’ll likely follow a more limited diet, eating foods like applesauce, white rice, or peanut butter. Right after a flare, you may want to drink fresh juices, says Nielsen, and when you’re feeling better, you can try making a smoothie.
A blender or juicer can do a lot of predigestion work for you, so your body will have an easier time digesting and absorbing the vitamins and minerals, says Nielsen. The difference between smoothies and juices is that smoothies may contain fiber (albeit in a broken down form that’s more friendly to digestion), whereas juices have had the fiber removed, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Here’s how to make sure the juice is worth the squeeze.
Best Juices for Ulcerative Colitis
Research is limited on juicing for ulcerative colitis, but you can’t go wrong with fruit and vegetable juices, because they’re rich in vitamins and minerals. Ultimately, your taste preferences and food tolerances will be your guide.
Pomegranate Juice
Some research in the journal Nutrients, much of which has been done in animals, suggests plant compounds in pomegranates called ellagitannins contain properties that may help reduce inflammation in inflammatory diseases, such as ulcerative colitis.
Wheatgrass Juice
According to a review on complementary and alternative treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consuming wheatgrass juice for four weeks was linked to decreased rectal bleeding and abdominal pain in people with ulcerative colitis. One thing to keep in mind is the taste. Wheatgrass can have a very strong grassy flavor, but it’s also described as tasting similar to green tea.
Ginger Juice
Ginger “helps with stomach emptying and may ease sensations of overfullness or stomach discomfort,” says Nielsen. Some people love the taste, but others find it overpowering. If you fall into the latter category, try adding a few shreds of fresh gingerroot or a pinch of powdered ginger to your juice, a little at a time.
Turmeric Juice
There’s some evidence that curcumin can help counter inflammation in the body, according to a review published in 2021 in the Journal of Medicinal Food. That said, Nielsen points out that the doses of turmeric studied are often much larger than what you’d eat on your own.
One Juice You Can Skip
Online, cabbage juice is a popular recommendation for ulcerative colitis. Why? “Cabbage is a natural source of L-glutamine, an amino acid that’s used as fuel by the gut epithelial cells,” Nielsen explains. (Epithelial cells, which live on the surface of the intestinal lining, aid in digestion and the absorption of food, among other functions, according to research.)
It sounds promising, but a systematic review published in April 2021 found that L-glutamine offered no benefits for people with IBD. Because you can get glutamine from protein-rich foods — plus the fact that cabbage juice is not tasty and may give you gas — Nielsen recommends skipping it.
Keep in mind, too, that juices are not an adequate source of all the nutrition your body needs, primarily because they lack protein. For that reason, juice shouldn’t be a meal replacement, says Nielsen. If you have diabetes, be careful, because juices can be high in sugar; drinking them alongside fat and protein can help slow digestion to lessen blood sugar spikes.
How to Buy and Make Juice for Ulcerative Colitis
You can make your own juice at home with a juicer, or you can buy it. You can find cold-pressed juices from a juice bar or purchase bottled fresh juice or shelf-stable juice at the grocery store.
Of those options, Nielsen recommends freshly pressed juice that has both fruits and vegetables: “They will typically contain far more nutrition than shelf-stable fruit juices,” she says. If you are buying bottled juice, opt for one that is 100% juice and contains no added sugar.
Don’t be afraid to try a new-to-you juice. Over time, you’ll learn which flavor combinations you love. Time to start sipping.
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