Last month I met with a delightful young woman with mildly active ulcerative colitis (UC).
Her main complaint? Constipation.
FACT: Nearly half of UC patients experience constipation at some point, with women being more commonly affected.
In a follow-up visit yesterday, she was thrilled to share—and I was delighted to hear—she’s feeling much better!
Two simple changes from our first consultation made a significant difference 🙌:
- Adding Magnesium Oxide (400 mg) at Bedtime
​This dose provides a gentle laxative effect by drawing water into the bowel, helping to ease constipation. Bonus: Many people are deficient in magnesium, so this supplement can support general health too. - Swapping Raw Salads for Cooked Salads
​Her previous meals were packed with fibrous raw greens, vegetables, and nuts—foods that can worsen bloating and constipation, especially for someone dealing with inflammation or stool buildup in the colon. I recommended she focus on softer versions of these foods, so she switched to roasted root vegetable salads topped with hard-boiled eggs or salmon.
Good news! Reducing roughage doesn’t have to mean saying goodbye to salads! 🥗
With a little creativity, your patients can continue to enjoy flavorful vegetable “salads” without the uncomfortable side effects.
Here are three recipe ideas for your salad-loving patients who could benefit from gentler options:
- ​Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Za’atar and Parsley (NOTE: For lower roughage, omit pumpkin seeds and replace pomegranate seeds with ripe blueberries)
- ​Lentil Carrot Salad (or Lentil Sweet Potato Salad)
- ​Almond Pesto Potato Salad with Green Beans (NOTE: Can use store-bought pesto)
Looking for more strategies to help manage constipation in UC patients? I co-authored an eBook with fellow IBD dietitian Ryan Warren that dives deeper into this topic. Click here to learn more.
