Top Foods for Bowel Urgency Control
It might sound counterintuitive, but foods that are high in certain types of fiber can actually be helpful for urgency. “Soluble fiber can reduce urgency in UC by absorbing excess fluids [in the GI tract], thus firming up loose stools,” says Deepinder Goyal, MD, a gastroenterologist with Gastro Health in Kissimmee, Florida.
- Avocado
- Bananas
- Beans and other legumes
- Berries
- Carrots, cooked until soft
- Chia seeds
- Oatmeal
- Psyllium
- Winter squash, peeled and cooked until soft
- Zucchini, peeled and cooked until soft
If you haven’t been eating much fiber lately, increase your intake slowly over a few weeks and drink plenty of water. Adding a lot of fiber to your diet at once can cause symptoms like gas, bloating, and constipation.
Foods that are high in resistant starch, a type of fiber that feeds the good bacteria in your gut, may also help rein in urgency and loose stools, says Ashley Hurst, RD, the owner of the Crohn’s & Colitis Dietitians in Sugar Land, Texas.
You can find resistant starches in foods like:
- Green bananas
- Beans and legumes, especially lima beans, kidney beans, black beans, and lentils
- Cooked and cooled potatoes (without skin)
- Cooked and cooled white pasta and white rice
- Sourdough bread
Most people whose UC is well-controlled don’t need to limit any of the above foods. But you may need to make adjustments if you’re dealing with an active flare or if you have a stricture. Your gastroenterologist and a registered dietitian specializing in IBD can help you make the right food choices for you.
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