How to Diet to Avoid Crohn's Disease Flareups

Some researchers believe that diet plays a part in a tendency for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as Crohn's disease. This may explain the high incidence of Crohn's patients in the developed world, where diet has moved toward high salt and fat and away from natural, unrefined foods. More is known about how diet affects ongoing Crohn's conditions. You can learn how to use the right foods to avoid flareups.

Things You'll Need

• Access to your physician
• Resources on diet and natural medicine
• Reference material on Crohn's disease

Show More

Instructions

Add Beneficial Foods

• 1

  Boost your immune response with antioxidants. Find antioxidants in blueberries, garlic and onions.

• 2

  Add lycopene to your diet. Tomatoes, watermelon and apricots all have properties that reduce free radicals in the body and benefit the immune system.

• 3

  Take a high-quality multivitaminutes This will help replace nutrients and minerals lost through Crohn's disease symptoms without affecting your diet.

• 4

  Drink a lot of water daily. Limit your intake of alcohol, caffeine and soda pop to suppress Crohn's disease flare-ups.

Avoid Trigger Foods

• 5

  Avoid foods that cause gas. These include broccoli, citrus fruits and juices and spicy foods.

• 6

  Avoid high-fat foods. Look for lower-fat substitutions for mayonnaise, cream and red meat.

• 7

  Treat lactose intolerance that can exacerbate Crohn's disease by limiting your milk and cheese intake or using an over-the-counter product to counteract it. Eliminating dairy from your diet is the best solution.

• 8

  Reduce the fiber that you ingest by avoiding raw fruits or vegetables or cooking them. Fibrous foods such as broccoli, apples or carrots may have to be erased from your menu.

• 9

  Consult a reference or health care practitioner for more information or suggestions on which foods might be causing your Crohn's disease symptoms.