8 foods to avoid for managing Crohn’s
Crohn’s, an inflammatory bowel disease, causes tissue swelling in the digestive tract. Common consequences are abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, and weight loss. Although some foods warn your intestine, flaring up the disease. Thus, a Crohn’s-balanced meal is essential. It is highly significant to promote the healing of the intestine during Crohn’s. Avoiding the following products will reduce many gastrointestinal symptoms. Therefore, here is the list of food items you need to avoid for Crohn’s.
Dairy products
Research studies show that Crohn’s patients tend to be intolerant to lactose intake. It follows that lactose digestion does not take place. This could result in cramping or bloating as symptoms. Therefore, it is better to avoid sugar in milk, and also steer clear of any dairy products (cheese, butter, curd).
Spicy food
Spicy foods are a trigger for worsening Crohn’s disease. Foods that are wholesome in spices can cause more pain for you than relief. There are certain spices that tend to irritate the intestinal lining. So it is better to look for alternatives like mild herbs or juices for flavors.
Greasy or fried foods
Fried foods lead to cramping and loose stools in people with Crohn’s. The fat from such foods is not entirely absorbed in intestinal linings. A better alternative would be to always go for baked or broiled foods in your meal to treat Crohn’s. Also, avoiding junk food is an excellent rule for people with Crohn’s.
High fiber foods
Fibers from whole grains, vegetables, or fruits are good for a regular meal. However, people with Crohn’s are not fit to digest these heavy foods. They must choose refined bread in a modified meal plan instead of the usual one. This practice can help in keeping Crohn’s symptoms away.
Gluten-rich foods
A large proportion of Crohn’s patients have celiac. Therefore, they should go for refined bread instead of whole grain bread. Wheat-based products are better than alternatives for whole grains. However, people with active Crohn’s symptoms cannot digest the included gluten.
Seeds and nuts
Raw nuts are instrumental in worsening swelling in people with Crohn’s. Nuts are rich in proteins, but are difficult to digest. This makes it hard for people with Crohn’s to assimilate them. Seeds, too, harm the stomach’s ability since they will not digest while passing through the tract. Thus, avoiding foods with seeds like raspberries, tomatoes, or chia is advisable.
Raw vegetables and fruits
Fresh vegetables in raw form can fill a patient with high fiber to digest. Moreover, it can also cause gas. So, try eliminating raw plant products from the meal. The high fiber-rich foods can exacerbate diarrhea in cases of increased Crohn’s symptoms. It is better to switch to cooked or boiled vegetables without skins.
Meat and proteins
Meats have a higher fat concentration. An individual with Crohn’s must avoid meat so that the flare-up does not exaggerate. It is better to try removing red meat, dark meat, or sausages from the meal plan.
Conclusion
A well-balanced meal plan may help prevent Crohn’s flare-ups. However, there are foods and drinks that can affect a person with Crohn’s differently. This indicates that while one food might cause uneasiness in some people, for others it might not. In general, if you know that a certain type of food is causing you discomfort, you should immediately put it off your list and see if your symptoms improve. If at all you plan to resume eating the same foods and the symptoms resume, it is better to avoid them entirely.
So, now you’re aware of the foods you should avoid to keep Crohn’s at bay. All the above foods, if not avoided, will result in severe complications.