Diet plays an important part in the treatment of colitis. It is advisable to observe a juice fast for five days or so in most cases of colitis. The juices may be diluted with a little boiled water. Papaya juice and raw cabbage or carrot juice is especially beneficial. Citrus juices should be avoided. The bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema.<\/p>\n
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After the juice fast, the patient should gradualy adopt a diet of small, frequent meals of soft cooked or steamed vegetables, rice, dalia (coarsely broken wheat) and well- ripened fruits like banana and papaya, yogurt and home-made cottage cheese. Sprouted seeds and grains, whole meal bread and raw vegetables may be added gradually to this diet after about 10 days.<\/p>\n
Tender coconut water is highly beneficial as it soothing to the soft mucosa of the colon. Cooked apples also aid the healing of ulcerative conditions because of its ample concentration of iron and phosphorus. All food must be eaten slowly and chewed thoroughly.<\/p>\n
Foods which should be excluded from the diet are white sugar, white bread and white flour products, highly seasoned foods, highly salted foods, strong tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages and foods cooked in aluminum pans.<\/p>\n
The following menu may serve as the guideline and should be adopted for at least three months:<\/p>\n
Breakfast :<\/span> Ripe babanas or papaya and milk. Butter-milk may be taken if milk is not tolerated.<\/p>\n Mid-morning :<\/span> Carrot or raw cabbage juice.<\/p>\n Lunch :<\/span> Steamed or highly cooked vegetables, rice or dalia, butter and butter-milk.<\/p>\n Mid-afternoon :<\/span> Coconut water or fruit juice.<\/p>\n Dinner :<\/span> Salad of raw vegetables, sprouts like alfalfa and mung beans, home-made cottage cheese and nuts. Instead of raw vegetables cooked ones like carrot, beetroot, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage may be used.<\/p>\n