A few of the foods I know I can eat that don't cause me any gut issues include: baked russet potato, raw spinach, dry roasted almonds, avocado, banana, shrimp, blueberry, and raspberry. Interestingly, the potato, banana, and blueberries all have negative IF ratings - inflammatory, while the other foods I listed have positive IF ratings - anti-inflammatory. Again, interesting, but I've not been able to find any long term evidence or studies using the IF rating system and showing that eating foods with a positive IF rating decrease the incidence of illnesses attributed to inflammation like IBD, Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, or Multiple Sclerosis.

I'm not saying that this means it isn't worth eating foods with an anti-inflammatory factor. It just means that other than reading that Ms. Reinagel spent years studying systemic inflammation and compiling data from hundreds of research studies to come up with her IF system, I'm just not able to really know with certainty that changing my diet to her proposed anti-inflammatory diet will really help me and my UC in the long run. From what I've read the IF rating of each food in the Inflammation Free Diet Plan is based on an analysis of that foods total fat, type of fat, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, glycemic index, and the amount of anti-inflammatory compounds found in the food.

This may be a diet worth trying. But for me personally, I think I'll leave my diet pretty much how it is. I've spent the past 10 years fine tuning the diet I know I can eat and remain healthy. What I can eat is already quite limited and I can't see taking blueberries or bananas out of my diet just because they have a negative IF rating according to Ms. Reinagel's system. But, that said, I may try eating wild salmon instead of farmed salmon, and won't feel so guilty for not being able to eat brown rice.

Elizabeth Roberts is the author of Living with IBD & IBS: A Personal Journey of Success. www.ibdandibs.com