What I Eat to Ease Crohn's Symptoms
Key takeaways:
There’s no one diet plan that will work for everyone with Crohn’s disease.
When trying to adjust your diet, it may help to start with small changes at first.
Restrictive or elimination diets aren’t meant to be used for the long term.
Our “What I Eat” series explores what real people eat when they have a medical condition.
Just as she was embarking on her career as a medical doctor, being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease left Dr. Selvi Rengasami feeling devastated.
Crohn’s disease is an immune-mediated condition that can cause inflammation in any part of the digestive system. However, it can also cause symptoms in other parts of the body — especially the joints, eyes, and skin. Selvi was experiencing blood in her stool, bloating, difficulty concentrating, and abdominal and joint pain.
Selvi says that when she was diagnosed with this form of inflammatory bowel disease, her providers told her not to focus on her diet. Her treatment plan included medication and surgery, but she did not achieve remission.
After a while, Selvi became more interested in food, as friends introduced her to the different cultural foods available in the New York City area. It began to dawn on her that she might need to think about what she ate in a different way.
“There’s got to be something that I can do,” Selvi, now a 46-year-old health coach in New York City, recalls thinking about her problems with Crohn’s. “And then it hit me that food — what I’m eating — is literally passing through all of these areas of inflammation."
With Crohn’s disease, food choices are personal
Over the years, Selvi has learned what foods work for her body. She also counsels others on how to determine what works best for them. There’s no one diet that will work for everyone who lives with Crohn’s, she says. This means that there’s often some trial and error involved in making a nutrition plan.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all,” Selvi says. “That is where a lot of nuance comes in.”
When the Crohn's is flaring, Selvi focuses on foods that are easily digested and don't contribute to inflammation.
Selvi does have a list of go-to foods that work for her. She offers some suggestions on how people living with Crohn’s can think about incorporating these foods into their meals.
1. Bone broth
Bone broth is stock that’s made by simmering animal bones for several hours. Some people make it themselves at home, or it can be found in grocery and health food stores. Selvi says she finds soup made with bone broth to be one of the most helpful things to eat when she’s inflamed. Bone broth contains nutrients in a form that is easier to absorb when there is inflammation in the gut.
2. Salmon
Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are a type of fat that may help support heart health. “You don’t need a huge portion,” Selvi advises. "But having some of those healthy fats is great for my gut lining.” She recommends finding wild-caught salmon, rather than farmed.
3. Asparagus
Vegetables are important for overall health. But for people with Crohn’s, they can be hard on the digestive system. But there are things you can do to make them easier to digest. Selvi points out that asparagus contains prebiotics, which are plant fibers that help support gut health. And there are certain ways you can prepare asparagus that make it easier to digest. For instance, Selvi throws asparagus into a soup or purees it before adding it to recipes.
4. Sweet potatoes
Eating too much starchy food can cause problems for some people with Crohn’s. But Selvi says sweet potatoes are good for her gut, and “in small quantities, they can actually help to strengthen digestion.” Sweet potatoes are also a good source of nutrients, including B vitamins and potassium.
5. Squash
Squash, when cooked or pureed, is another type of vegetable that tends to be relatively tolerable for people who live with Crohn’s. It can be eaten in a variety of ways and contains fiber and antioxidants. Acorn squash and butternut squash, in particular, are among Selvi’s favorites.
6. Herbs and spices
Selvi credits her Indian heritage for her love of adding herbs and spices to food. These seasonings can add to the taste, of course, but some dried herbs — like thyme, oregano, basil, ginger, and cumin — can also have an anti-inflammatory effect. Cilantro (coriander), parsley, and fennel are some herbs Selvi enjoys. Some of her favorite spices include turmeric, cumin, cardamom, and black pepper. Cilantro and parsley may help in reducing inflammation, while fennel, cumin, and coriander may support digestion.
7. Poultry
Meats like beef and pork can be hard for people with Crohn’s to digest. Chicken and turkey are sometimes better tolerated. Selvi notes that small portion sizes are usually enough to get the benefits of eating poultry. “They have some of those great building blocks for the gut lining,” she says.
Getting Back to a Regular Diet
Eliminating certain foods is a strategy that people with Crohn’s might consider while having a flare-up of symptoms. However, Selvi says that this isn’t an approach that should be used for the long term. While some people with Crohn’s and similar disorders switch to a gluten-free diet or make other permanent alterations, Selvi likes to add foods back into her diet when she’s feeling better after a flare-up.
“While it might be important to have a fairly restrictive diet for a while — while your body really needs that energy and that intention to heal — at some point, things start to shift and then you're able to eventually add back things,” Selvi says. “Because these super restrictive diets are not meant to be a permanent change at all. It’s a means to an end. And it’s one piece of the puzzle.”
She adds, “Your body has a deep, inherent wisdom to it, which will guide you along the way with not just your food choices but with your overall path.”
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