Crohns Disease Causes » Fruits Vegetables http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com Help, Cures and Support for Crohns Disease Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:07:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Crohns Disease Diet http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-diet/ http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-diet/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:01:27 +0000 Dr Joe Stevenson http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/?p=72 For those suffering from Crohns Disease diet and nutrition are of utmost concern. Although there is no evidence to show that the condition is caused by nutritional factors, the food you eat can affect the symptoms of the disorder.

Because inflammatory bowel disease manifests itself differently from patient to patient, and can affect so many different areas of the digestive tract, there is not one specific diet for Crohns Disease that works for everyone. Rather, it is an experimental process whereby the patient determines what foods tend to aggravate the condition, and makes dietary changes based on this determination.

As Crohns is marked by flareups, with good periods and bad periods, the Crohns Disease diet may have to be adjusted accordingly.Some patients follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which entails curbing carbs that are difficult to digest. This may offer relief for certain symptoms, but has yet to be supported by clinical evidence.
The best diet for Crohns Disease is a healthy balanced one, including all of the food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, whole grains, fats and protein should all be included daily, with those foods that may cause flare-ups eliminated or at least minimized.

One of the major concerns for patients is the strong possibility of malnutrition due to the inability of the impaired small intestine to properly digest and absorb nutrients from the food they eat.So even with a fully-balanced Crohns Disease diet, it is likely that you are not getting the nutrients you need. Add to that the common loss of appetite and the increased energy the body needs to combat the illness and many patients find themselves in a state of severe malnutrition.

This can and will lead to further health complications down the road. That is why many Crohns patients choose to take nutritional supplements to make sure they are getting the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other important nutrients they may not be getting from their diet for Crohns disease.

High quality supplements can offer a full spectrum of vital ingredients, including B12, folic acid, Vitamin D, magnesium, potassium, trace elements and other specific nutrients that are often lacking in Crohns patients. One of the most complete nutritional supplements we have found is called Total Balance which is manufactured by a highly-regarded natural health company. It contains a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in one comprehensive formula.

What separates this supplement from others is that it has an enteric coating which significantly increases the amount of nutrients that can be used by your cells and tissues, unlike others where a large percentage of nutrients get destroyed by stomach acids. Although some patients get adequate nourishment from a complete Crohns Disease diet, supplements are certainly worth consideration to ensure that your body gets what it needs.

As with all nutrition programs, a diet for Crohns Disease should be as well-balanced as possible, and include ample amounts of diverse foods. A nutritionist can offer diet help Crohns Disease patients can use to form the basis of their eating.

They can then tailor the regimen based on their specific needs. It’s important to check with your doctor to determine if supplementation might be right for you. In many cases, poor appetite, poor absorption and increased requirements may make you malnourished, and it might make sense to supplement these important nutrients to complement your Crohns diet.

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]]> http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-diet/feed/ 0 Crohns Disease Foods http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-foods/ http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/crohns-disease-foods/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:45:21 +0000 Dr Joe Stevenson http://crohnsdiseasecauses.com/?p=48 Although diet cannot cause or cure Crohns disease, some studies suggest that people who eat foods high in saturated fat and sugar or who eat processed foods may be more likely to develop the disease. Certain foods may also reduce symptoms and make recurrences of the disease less likely.

•    Eating fruits and vegetables, lowering fat, and eliminating sugar may reduce the risk of developing Crohns disease. Although a low-fiber diet is one of the risk factors for developing Crohns disease, some people with Crohns disease find that fiber makes symptoms worse. If fiber bothers you, steam or bake your vegetables rather than eating them raw, and avoid high fiber fruits such as apples.

•    Certain foods may aggravate symptoms of Crohns disease – most often, dairy products, fats, and spicy foods. People with Crohns disease may want to avoid these foods.

•    Eat five or six small meals a day.

•    If symptoms are severe, an elemental diet may be recommended. Elemental formulas are liquid diets that contain only the basic building blocks of food and need not be broken down into smaller substances along the digestive tract.

Some people find it difficult to stick to an elemental diet, but after a period of time, often other foods can be reintroduced. One study suggests that adding omega-3 fatty acids to an elemental diet may boost its nutritional content and make it more likely that people with Crohns disease will adhere to it.

Because of decreased appetite, malabsorption, chronic diarrhea, side effects of medication, and surgical removal of parts of the digestive tract, many people with Crohns disease have vitamin and mineral deficiencies. In particular, people with Crohns disease may lack adequate vitamin D, B12, and K, plus folic acid, calcium, and zinc. Your doctor may recommend that you take a multivitamin daily.  Zinc (25 mg), folic acid (800 mcg), vitamin B12 (800 mcg) — These vitamins are used by the body to repair cells in the intestine.

In addition, drugs such as sulfasalazine and methotrexate may case levels of folic acid in the body to drop, requiring supplementation. Vitamin D (1,000 IU per day) — is necessary to maintain strong bones. People with Crohns disease, especially those who take corticosteroids, often have low levels of vitamin D and are at risk for osteoporosis.  Fish oil (2.7 g per day) — Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may help fight inflammation and reduce the chances of recurrence, but studies have been mixed. The study with the most positive results used a special type of fish oil – “enteric-coated free-fatty-acid form” – that is not sold commercially.

Some researchers suggest that measuring the blood levels of different types of fatty acids may help determine if fish oil would be useful. Do not take high doses of a fish oil supplement if you take blood-thinning medication.

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