What’s an ideal diet for a person with Crohn’s disease?

3 Comments

1. harleigh_brat says:

   June 15, 2010 at 4:50 am

   I am sorry your husband has this awful disease.. It is so hard to pinpoint a diet for a person with crohns because each person is different. I am like your husband and I can not eat fresh fruits, veggies, whole milk and red meat. The best thing he can do is keep a food diary. I can usually tolerate potatoes, cheese, crackers, peanut butter, bland chicken, baked fish, shrimp.. I can eat hamburger meat as long as I get like the one with the least amount of fat. I also tolerate ground turkey instead of hamburger meat - and i really cant taste much of a difference. I am currently not on any meds everyday. I have a couple a take as needed. I have been on remicade and they do offer a program for ppl who can not afford it as stated in a post above..
2. common sense says:

   June 15, 2010 at 4:50 am

   hi, I am a female crohn’s pt. for 28 yrs. dxed at the age of 12.
   I can totally relate to eating and pain when flaring.

   I attended a local Crohn’s and Colitis foundation educational meeting and the dietician told us to try canned fruits/veggies as it is much easier to digest.

   As for remicade, the drug company that makes it has a program for folks who can’t afford it.

   Corporate Headquarters
   Centocor, Inc.
   800/850 Ridgeview Drive
   Horsham, PA 19044
   Main Phone (610) 651-6000
   Main Fax (610) 651-6100

   Medical Information
   (800) 457-6399

   The CCFA has a website where you can find more information on diet, newer treatments such as remicade, humira (they have an awesome program to help those who can’t afford it, I was on it for a while), 6MP, Imuran, and Entocor, surgery, locating a local support chapter, as well providing a live chat & hotline run by healthcare experts well versed in IBD (crohn’s or ulcerative colitis). There is also an open forum where you can post questions to others who have Crohn’s.

   See if your husband is a candidate for Entocort, humira, 6MP, etc. Ask for samples b/c the drug reps drop off alot to promote their product. I’ve asked for samples in the past and was given a whole month’s supply.

   Also, your husband is entitled for pain relief. Ask the GI if he can be on an antispasmatic for his stomach like Bentyl, a muscle relaxer, and a narcotic such as demerol, tylenol 3, darvocet, etc. I am on all of them to help me get through the flares until I can be seen by the GI. If it’s a blockage then I get to the ER STAT.

   My heart goes out to you and your husband. I wish him a life long remission. good luck to you.
3. paul g says:

   June 15, 2010 at 4:50 am

   Hello, again let me offer my sympathy to your husband.
   I have had Crohn’s since I was 11 and am now 34 and I go to the top hospital in the UK for my condition yet even they tell me I am what they call a chronic and difficult case.
   Therefore I thought I may be able to offer at least an opinion on a subject that I know so much about!
   Firstly, I could go on about the foods that I can tolerate and cannot but even that is so subjective and varies so much from one sfferer to the next that it would not really help I think.
   There are some foods that do seem to come up all the time so I will confirm some of those for you and recommend he avoid them but I think he may already be doing so as he has had Crohn’s for such a long time himself…
   The most commonly written about and listed ‘problem’ foods:
   Onions
   Most Fruit
   Most vegetables except soft root vegetables like potatoes, carrots(very softly cooked) and some others that have to be experimented with like sweet potatoes(which can be very bad for some and great for others - this is what I mean about it being so subjective!)
   red meats (although if minced and cooked for a long time these can be fine too)
   garlic
   Many spices especially of the hot variety!
   chillies!
   alcohol
   fizzy drinks
   milk (again a very debatable one this!)
   grain
   brown breads.
   ———————-

   I have tried a lot of things to try and get my symptoms under control over the years as I have had such a long journey of pretty much constant symptoms and required surgery at pretty regular intervals of every few years to remove some more bowel or to fix abscess’, fistula, etc etc. so I do understand where you are coming from in asking about remedies etc.
   The sad truth, that I have found through a lot of experience, is that there are no ‘remedy’ or ‘alternative/naturopathic/herbal’ substances or products that actually help in any way.
   One thing I should say here - of all the things I tried there was always one thing that I felt would help me, but only for the day that I had it done. This was, any kind of therapy/treatment that was basically focussing on relaxation.
   I soon realised that lots of these new age and otheer therapies seem to do nothing ,ore than give you an hour or two of relaxation and, I have to say, it helps.
   The things I am talking about here would include:
   Acupuncture
   Aromatherapy
   Massage - various different kinds…all same result:relaxation
   Various forms of breathing techniques or meditation worked sometimes too.
   Generally speaking, there are so many supposed cures and helpful things to try that go on the claims of them being natural and somehow better for you etc etc but please don’t be taken in. At best you will be out of pocket and not harmed by them as some of them are actually just dangerous!
   I think I really have tried them all, although there are so many quack therapies and remedies appearing every day with claims to help Crohn’s that there are probably a million more I could try by now but I stopped trying anything that I couldn’t fins actual scientifically backed up evidence for the efficacy of. this narrows it down to zero remedies and only the scientific/medical treatments or drugs.
   I have tried Remicade and, although it had no discernible effects on me either way - good or bad- I do know some people for whom it has helped so considerably that they went from being very unwell and indoors most of their time, feeling weak, diarrhoea and pain, to now, where they are back at work and leading a very full and happy life.
   The side effects also vary so much from person to person but in my experience, with the friends I know who have taken or are taking it, the results are generally positive. that is, minimal or no side effects.
   I am incensed by the fact that you would not be able to get Remicade treatment due to costing. In UK you have to be ‘awarded’ things like that but it doesn’t seem too difficult./ and I thought we had a poor health system. I wish thee was something I could do to help you in that way.
   If you can think of any way to raise the money or get assistance then I urge you to do so. It seems a shame not to know if Remicade or similar drugs would help or not.
   Apart from the above I have been on steroids long term and I suppose your husband will have experience of these. they are not good and not recommended for a long time. I wonder if he may be helped, at least temporarily to see if this is just going to be a temporary thing that might right itself (it happens), that he might get benefit just by taking, or changing his pain medication to something stronger that he feels is stopping the pain from being quite so raw.
   In my experience pain-killers, in Crohn’s, do not get rid or kill the pain. The pain is too much and as it moves around and can be so colicky and raw at times…plus very tender, it seems the tablets can never get rid of it. what they can do though is put you in a better place, mentally, to be able to overcome it more yourself. If that makes sense?
   I find the tramadol I am now taking just gives me the chance to be able to read or go on the PC whilst in severe pain whereas before I was taking it I would sometimes be flat on the sofa or bed unable to deal with it.
   It goes without saying of course that these kinds of drugs are not recommended either for long term. Addictive and they also lose their effect after about a year in my experience.
   I will see if I can think of anything else but, don’t hesitate to email me if you need any advice…you can do it through this site.