The Best Diet to Follow to Tackle Crohn’s Disease
People suffering from Crohn’s disease face instances of very high-intensity symptoms and chapters of temporary signs. The signs and pain may remain for weeks on end or even years.
Before we get into your Crohn’s Disease diet plan, we’ll need to understand the disease itself.
Symptoms of Crohn’s disease
The symptoms of the condition depend on the position of the disease, which simply means that the part of the bowels that is affected.
Some common symptoms of the condition of Crohn’s disease are as follows.
- Long lasting diarrhea. Frequent bowel movements, sometimes accompanied by blood and mucus, or pus.
- Unexplainable or drastic weight loss. Crohn’s disease sufferers tend to lose weight, sometimes drastically.
- Persistent fever can be a symptom of Crohn’s disease.
- The patient may feel tenderness in the stomach, and pain in the stomach. This can be very intense.
- One of the symptoms of Crohn’s disease is the feeling of heaviness in the stomach for no explainable reason.
- Rectal bleeding is also a symptom of Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s disease can get very serious very fast. This includes instances of heavy inflammation as well as the obstruction of portions of your gastrointestinal tract. These take place because of swelling and scar formation and may give rise to other complications including bowel perforation, abdominal distension (or swelling), extreme pain, and a fever. This can be life-threatening.
Crohn’s disease diet plan
Anybody who is suffering from Crohn’s disease knows that there are certain food items that can trigger the symptoms.
The most important part of following a diet plan for Crohn’s disease is knowing what to avoid.
Foods you should avoid
This is a list of some items that can further complicate the disease.
- The consumption of alcohol without precaution is not good for any person regardless of whether they suffer from Crohn’s disease. Alcohol can cause an inflammation in the stomach lining, which can worsen the condition.
- Butter, mayonnaise, margarine, oils.
- Carbonated beverages, or fizzy drinks.
- Coffee, tea, and chocolates.
- Corn husks.
- Dairy products, especially if you are lactose intolerant. In some cases, Crohn’s disease can affect the ability to digest lactose too, making it hard for the stomach to heal.
- Fatty foods, especially fried food aren’t really good for anyone, but they are worse for you if you have Crohn’s disease.
- Fiber-rich food.
- Do not eat fruits and vegetables without peeling off their skin. For someone suffering from Crohn’s disease, fruit peels can cause digestive complications, even if they are technically edible. Peel the skin off your fruits and vegetables before consuming them. Better yet, avoid consuming raw fruits and vegetables.
- Nuts should not be consumed uncooked when you are suffering from Crohn’s disease. Nuts are very nutritious. No doubt, but are quite hard to digest. The hardness of nuts can make the lining of the stomach tender; this in no way helps you deal with Crohn’s disease, doing quite the opposite.
- Popcorns are an enemy of people suffering from Crohn’s disease. It happens to be very hard to digest and can worsen the complications in a person dealing with such a digestive condition. Popcorn is a whole grain, and whole grain should be avoided by people dealing with Crohn’s disease.
- Cured meat should be avoided too. Although the intake of protein is very important for people suffering from said conditioned, cured, and fatty meat only makes things worse.
- Some people say it is because of the skin of tomatoes, and others say it is because of the seeds. However, many patients suffering from Crohn’s disease claim that tomatoes can make things worse.
- The seeds of tomatoes, raspberries, and strawberries are to be avoided if you suffer from Crohn’s disease. Seeds are very hard to digest, and anything that is hard to digest cannot help a person suffering from Crohn’s disease.
Food you should eat
The right diet plan for a person suffering from Crohn’s disease depends on the individual. However, here is a list of food items recommended for those afflicted by Crohn’s disease.
- Almond milk
Most people suffering from Crohn’s disease are lactose intolerant. Here’s the good news: almond milk can be used as a perfect substitute. - Eggs
Eggs are easily digestible and can provide the protein you need without the hassle of a tough digestion process. - Oatmeal
Soft-cooked oatmeal can be a fantastic breakfast option for someone suffering from Crohn’s disease. - Salmon
These pink fish are very important to supplement your protein intake; lean proteins like this are a good choice to include in a Crohn’s disease diet plan. - Papaya
Papaya is one of the easily digested fruits and should be included in a diet plan for Crohn’s disease.