如何减少UC患者的饮食日记痛苦

While UC, an inflammatory disease of the colon that can lead to abdominal pain, bleeding, and discomfort, isn’tcausedby food per se, eating the wrong thing can trigger a flare. “Certain foods can irritate the GI tract,” says Durga Sunitha Posina, M.D, an internal medicine specialist in Stony Brook, NY. “You want to pinpoint what food regimens work well for you so you can minimize flares—that’s why food journals are important.” Keeping tabs on your meals doesn’t have to be a total drag. Follow these rules for pain-free journaling.

In order to stick with an exercise routine, you need to find an activity you enjoy—and the same concept applies for food journaling, says Dr. Posina. Are you a notebook person or computer geek? Do you prefer making list or writing essay-style? “There are so many options these days, it’s all about finding something that works for you,” she says. If technology is your thing, new apps are making it easier than ever to quickly log your meals—some are specifically tailored to UC. Two to check out:胃肠道星期一itor和GI Buddy.

抱歉，但你今天午餐吃了金枪鱼还不够。波西纳博士说：“记录食物的时间、数量以及食物的准备方式不仅重要。”。“三明治里有薯条之类的加工食品吗？食物是油炸的还是烤制的？所有这些都是因素之一。例如，可能正是油在食物制备中的使用方式让你无法忍受。隔离和识别所有这些细节很重要。”

One reason food diaries can feel so tedious is that people wait until bedtime to write down their meals that day. Let’s face it: Who can remember what they ate at 7 a.m.?! And even if you recall the basics, “you won’t necessarily remember all the details,” says Gabriela Gardner, R.D., a dietician in gastroenterology and hepatology at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. Get into the habit of logging your meals when you eat them. You’ll be journaling more often, but it’ll be 10 times quicker (and more accurate).

No argument here: Keeping a tally on your number of trips to the bathroom in a day sucks. But the devil is in the details with UC and knowing if you hit the loo fives times after eating a bowl of chili, versus twice with a plate of plain rice, can tell you—and your doc—a lot about possible UC triggers. “It’s also useful to note symptoms and pain on a scale of one to five,” suggests Dr. Posina. Having hard numbers to refer back to can help you spot possible trigger patterns.

We get it: Life is busy, and sometimes you can’t pause to document every morsel that passes through your mouth. No sweat—think of the larger picture instead. “Don’t beat yourself up if you skip a day—ultimately, what we’re trying to do is figure out patterns in the long-run,” says Dr. Posina. “Even if your journaling varies, and you skip a day or even a week, it’s much better than not journaling at all, because at least we can draw some conclusions about patterns.”

Did you have a skim latte this morning? Was that red wine you drank with dinner last night? Jot it down! “People sometimes forget that what they drink is just as important,” says Gardner. But coffee and soda can sometimes cause irritation, so it’s good to keep tabs. An easy way to do this: Divide your daily diary entry into food/beverage boxes. This makes it easier to quickly glance back and note any patterns between what you drank and UC symptoms.

是因为你午餐吃了辣味熟食三明治，还是因为工作压力太大？你的情绪（尤其是与压力有关的情绪）对你的身体行为有很大影响，但除非你在吃饭时注意到自己的精神状态，否则你无法确定是什么导致了混乱。波西纳博士说：“最终，我们的目标是确定是什么触发了你的症状，情绪也可以像食物一样在其中发挥作用。”。

When you reach the point where you feel like you never want to log again, it’s time to take a break. Here’s the thing: Once you’ve established a baseline of cause-and-effect (which might take a few weeks or months), your food journal can become more of a once-in-a-while tune-in to detect flares. “It’s not always the case that you need to keep a journal, if you’re feeling well and are managing your symptoms,” says Gardner. “So think of it as a short-term route to wellness instead.”