If you have Crohn’s disease, you know how awful a flare-up can be. Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and nausea can last for weeks or even months. Additionally, the awful symptoms make sense when you consider what is actually taking place within your body. Change Your Diet During a Crohn’s Attack!
According to Matilda N. Hagan, MD, a specialist at The Center for Inflammatory Bowel and Colorectal Diseases at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, during a flare, your immune system is actively sending inflammatory cells into the intestinal lining, causing damage to the intestines. Dr. Hagen adds that this makes it harder for you to tolerate, digest, and sometimes even absorb food.
If you’ve had Crohn’s for a while, you probably already know that changing your diet won’t stop a flare from happening. However, according to health professionals, modifying your diet in certain ways may prevent your symptoms from getting worse. Here are six changes that you should definitely try.
Change Your Diet During a Crohn’s Attack
1. Stay hydrated.
Change Your Diet During a Crohn’s Attack: Drinking a lot of fluids is essential because diarrhea and other common flare-up symptoms can be extremely dehydrating, in addition to being uncomfortable.
According to Krikhely, “those with severe diarrhea should also incorporate what we refer to as oral rehydration solutions.” While it is beneficial to drink water, this is not enough.
Two cups of a sports drink like Gatorade, two cups of water, and a half teaspoon of salt are the most common options. Additionally, according to Shira Sussi, MS, RD, CDN, a clinical dietitian at the outpatient nutrition practice at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell, you can also try coconut water to replace fluids.
2. Avoid trigger foods.
Do some investigation if you haven’t already. According to Liz McMahon, RDN, keeping a food diary during a flare is a great idea to see if you can identify any foods that exacerbate symptoms.
While you try to figure out what irritates you, you might want to avoid doing things that are usually difficult for Crohn’s patients. These are some you can change your diet during a crohn’s attack:
- Lactose: McMahon suggests avoiding lactose, but not all dairy products. McMahon states, “I do have some patients who find that all dairy is a trigger. However, I recommend trying lactose-free products first to make sure their diet doesn’t become too limited.”
- Caffeine and alcohol: McMahon asserts that both are gastric irritants.
- Fried, gummy, fatty, spicy foods: Foods that are difficult to digest (think: During a flare-up, spicy curry, cream-based sauces, cheeseburgers, and fries are common irritants that make symptoms like gas, diarrhea, and cramping worse.
- Vegetables raw: Although these foods are healthy, the high fiber content can be difficult to digest, resulting in gas and bloating. Instead, choose cooked vegetables and steer clear of the fiber-rich peel.
The conclusion: Dr. Hagen advises avoiding any foods that make you feel bloated, gassy, or have more bowel movements.
3. Get plenty of protein.
It is difficult to eat during a flare-up, and frequently, individuals discover that they are not hungry. Even worse, people need more calories and protein during flares, which means they need to eat more than usual to keep their weight at a healthy level, according to Krikhely.
Krikhely advises including protein in each meal and snack; Smooth nut butters, tofu, chicken, fish, eggs, and Greek yogurt are all options that can be easily digested. Because Greek yogurt contains less lactose, people tend to tolerate dairy better than milk or ice cream,” Krikhely explains.
4. Opt for smaller, more frequent meals.
Change Your Diet During a Crohn’s Attack and Try eating smaller meals throughout the day rather than three large meals. Eat every two to three hours, according to Krikhely. Not only are smaller portions typically easier to digest, but they will also help people eat more in general, helping them meet their calorie and protein requirements, which are often difficult for people with Crohn’s disease.
5. Stay away from chewy foods.
Change your diet during a Crohn’s Attack and avoid whole grains and other foods high in fiber when your Crohn’s is acting up. Sussi recommends brown rice and quinoa, legumes, nuts, and anything else that requires a lot of chewing. She explains that these foods put even more stress on the gut. Krikhely adds, “Also for animal protein, if it’s hard to chew, it’s usually hard to digest.” Steak and pork chops, which are tough and chewy, are not recommended.
6. Slow down.
Change your diet during a Crohn’s Attack and When a flare-up occurs, don’t eat too quickly. Kelly Krikhely, RD, CDN, a dietitian in New York City who specializes in gastrointestinal disorders, says that digestion begins in the mouth. Your body will have to work harder to digest foods if you swallow them whole. She claims that chewing food thoroughly improves digestion, increases tolerance, and lowers the risk of obstruction.
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