3 Crohn's Disease Diet Options

By Lisa Maria

Dealing with Crohn’s disease can be a frustrating process. You can use medication to alleviate symptoms and even opt for surgery. However, many Crohn’s disease sufferers find that engaging in a specific Crohn’s disease diet is beneficial to their condition as well as overall health. Plus, they have complete control when they modify their diet.

Before we talk about a specific Crohn’s disease diet let’s get a few facts out on the table. First of all, this diet may not work the same for each person. This means that you will need to try different diets and foods to find out which foods aggravate or lessen your Crohn’s disease symptoms. Therefore, this Crohn’s disease diet is a suggestion or roadmap to set you on the path to a healthier life.

Secondly, make sure that you consult a dietician before you modify and tweak your diet. You want to make sure that you are getting enough of the appropriate nutrients. A dietician can work with you to understand your health needs as well as your food preferences.

Now let’s take a look at a few diets that may benefit someone dealing with Crohn’s disease. We will also look at the advantages and disadvantages of each diet.

Crohn’s disease diet option #1: Dairy-free diet. Milk and various dairy products tend to worsen Crohn’s disease symptoms. The culprit is often the lactose found in milk. It can be difficult to digest lactose which means that the person is lactose intolerant. If you are lactose intolerant and drink milk then you can suffer extreme bloating and gas. You can steer clear of milk, take lactase pills, or drink lactose free milk such as Lactaid.

Other dairy products can irritate your digestive tract leading to increased inflammation. This inflammation can cause abdominal pain, bloating, gas, cramps, and diarrhea. Therefore, eliminating dairy from your diet can help alleviate your Crohn’s disease symptoms.

Crohn’s disease diet option #2: Clear liquid diet. This is a temporary diet lasting just a few days.
You shouldn’t stay on this diet any longer because it will not give your body the nutrients it desperately needs. You can have broth, gelatin, clear juices (apple or white grape), and popsicles. An advantage of a clear liquid diet is that it enables your bowel to have a break from solid food for a few days. If you are having a colonoscopy it will clear your colon prior to your surgery.

Crohn’s disease diet option #3: Elimination diet. In this diet you eliminate specific foods to see how your body responds. You can determine which foods you are sensitive to and cause your Crohn’s disease to become worse. Many people eliminate common trigger foods such as chocolate, dairy, gluten, spices, nightshade vegetables, and processed sugar. You eliminate the food for two weeks or as long as it takes your symptoms to lessen or even clear. Then you add back in one new food every two to three days to see how your body responds. If your body reacts negatively to the reintroduced food then you will recognize your sensitivity to that food.

Are you wanting to discover exactly what is crohn's disease? Or maybe you have a child with Crohn's, and you want to learn about crohn's disease in children?

You can find useful articles, tips and guidance about Crohn's Disease at:
http://www.crohnsdiseasefree.com/