I used to look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas because of all the great food my mom would make. But that was then and this is now—colitis rules my body and decides what I can eat.
Not being able to eat everything I want to eat has made me feel depressed and sometimes I avoid going to these food fests. Thankfully, family gatherings are mandatory and I would rather take a chance on the food rather than make my family feel slighted.
So instead of focusing on what I can’t eat, I try to focus on what I can eat. At Thanksgiving I was excited because I could eat turkey and mashed potatoes, without the gravy of course. I even made an awesome sandwich with my dinner roll, some turkey and mashed potatoes. I had to avoid any dishes like stuffing that contained onions, but I’m not a fan of stuffing anyway so that wasn’t a problem for me. For desert, I had small pieces of chocolate pie and cream cheese pie. I came away from the gathering without a stomach ache.
Now Christmas is coming up and I have to choose my food carefully again. My mom said she is having different types of soup. I can do soup as long as it isn’t spicy. I’m sure there will be other side dishes and deserts that I will have to choose wisely.
I’ve discovered since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis that the one thing I have to avoid is stuffing myself. It has taken a lot of will power and lots of memories of having horrible stomach aches to convince me to not over eat.
The holidays can be difficult for those of us that have to watch what we eat, but with a little caution and discipline, the holidays can be a joyous time.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Happy Holidays, Happy eating!
Colitis Chick
My mad colon
