When I was first diagnosed with Crohns, all that was prescribed was a diet change, going to a low-residue diet. And it worked wonderfully. At the time my main symptoms were a lot of indigestion and diarrhea 4-5 days a week, almost exclusively at night. But about 10 months in the Crohn's progressed to reoccuring partial bowel obstructions the diet alone was no longer cutting it. I switched to Pentasa 3g/daily. About a year-14 months on Pentasa and through the summer I was having a partial obstruction almost weekly (and mine usually set me back 3 days each time) so now I'll be starting on Humira when I return to the states.

Amy,
My husband has crohns disease and can not take immune suppressants. He also suffers from arthritis. I have been researching diet to help control his crohns. He is a big fan of sugar. He is addicted to Mt Dew.. He says it helps his stomach.. Any ideas on how he might use diet to control his symptoms would be appreciated.

Thank you so much

My husband does well with potatoes also, although most of the diets I have researched don't allow those type of carbs.


There are several new clinical studies going on. I am praying for a successful treatment that will help fight this disease..

Best wishes to you

I wasnt looking to control my crohns through diet....but then I started MFP and became so much more aware of what I was eating and how it was affecting me. I have now figured out that cream is a big no no (but not milk - weird) and the more vegetables I eat - the more my body struggles to properly digest them. If I have a big salad for lunch and veggies for dinner I will pay for it the next morning. But Ive figured I can have one or the other with only minimal pains. Its been quite eye opening to be honest.

Ive started to cut down on my bread products too as I figured they were giving me terrible cramps/spasms (pre - MFP I was pretty much addicted to fresh pretzels from the bakery....I miss them so much!)

thought I should also add that Im now medication free for the last 10 weeks (I was taking sterioids, calcium supps and immunosuppressants) My symptoms have not dissapeared but now they are manageable.

Hello all, I know this thread is not recent, so I don't know if anyone will respond. I've recently been diagnosed with Crohn's and am trying to come to terms with my doctor's recommendation that I start on azathioprine right away. I have moderate inflammation in my colon and ileum. I think I flared last spring/summer, which is what initially led to my first colonoscopy, but it was never painful just inconvenient. I am concerned about going on an immunomodulator like azapriothine and am interested in treating the disease naturopathically. I don't have any major symptoms right now despite the inflammation, so it seems like there would be no rush to medicate immediately. My present doctor insists that I need the medication to control the trajectory of my disease and avoid future complications. The scientific literature suggests that the benefits of medications, like immunomodulators, outweigh the risks. I am meeting another doctor next month with the hope that she will be more open to integrative medicine. Does anyone have suggestions for how to talk to a doctor about going a more naturopathic route? Are there any data that support the decision to treat Crohn's through diet and not go on medications? Thanks much!

I have been on Humira for Crohn's Disease for the last year and a half and although I have not had a flare up since starting the medication, I am fed up with having to stab a needle into my leg every 2 weeks! I am looking for a way to be able to comfortably come off my medication and still manage my Crohn's with diet and exercise. I am currently working on losing weight so I am more confident when I tell my GI that I want to fight this with diet and not meds!

My question is, I do not seem to have any foods or drinks that irritate me or make me double over in pain as I have so often heard from Crohn's patients. Aside from the one massive flare up that I had in May of 2012, I have not had any other symptoms and I'm starting to wonder if it is the meds or if I even have Crohn's. Does anyone else have this problem? If so, how do you manage through diet so you don't flare? I am determined to lose about 100 lbs. before I talk to my doc but I want to incorporate the diet now so I can get used to the lifestyle as I lose weight. Any advice is absolutely welcomed! I am just starting to research all my options so I can do this safely :happy:

I have to fight my Crohn's with both meds and diet. I have many environmental and food allergies/intolerances. I follow with an ENT and an Allergist for asthma and rhinosinusitis and am on allergy injections for cat/dog/trees/dust mites. I've had a lot of allergy testing and have lots of positive IgE (immediate) as well as IgG4 (delayed reaction) allergies. With IgG4 you can eat the food and feel fine but then three days later have a problem. On my IgE I'm positive for basil, codfish, cow's milk, mustard and peanut which doesn't appear too bad. But on the IgG4 I test positive for casein, cow's and goats milk, whey, cheese (parm, cheddar, Amer), yogurt, whole eggs, bran, gluten, oat, wheat, bakers yeast, soybean, apple, banana, etc. It gets confusing because my milk allergy doesn't cause GI upset, it's lactose intolerance that affects my gut. As long as I take Lactaid pills I'm fine. But, eating dairy can contribute to nasal/sinus congestion. I can eat bread if it's enriched white (this has had the bran/germ stripped away and only the endosperm remains which doesn't bother me). Depending on my symptoms, one week I can eat something and be fine but the next week I'll have trouble. I tried many meds (Imuran, Asacol, Colazal, Entocort EC, Lialda, Asazan) and either had reactions or minimal response. I was then put on Humira. I even ended up having to go to once a week dosing and that has finally worked the best. I'm still pretty symptomatic some days but haven't had a large flare since 2009. I wouldn't be where I am now without the Humira, but also without the close watch on my diet. I tend to stick with the same foods that don't bother me, even though some might not be the best choices but, I do what works for me. I have days where if I didn't take Imodium or codeine I wouldn't be able to stay the day at work. It's taken years to "perfect" my routine and it still changes from time to time. Sorry so long....I am a complicated Crohnie!

I feel so lucky to not be dealing with major symptoms but know that there is no guarantee that I won't have problems due to the inflammation in the future. I would be willing to try out medication to get rid of the inflammation and then see if I could go off it and maintain on my own. But I agree wholeheartedly that Crohn's needs to be taken seriously and is very individualized. It's very hard to compare situations since everyone experiences something different, especially in their reactions to foods and meds. I also have a high threshold for pain/discomfort. My doctor suspects that I've had Crohn's for awhile but just tolerated it. I am glad that you are doing better!

Sorry all- I should have quoted the people I was responding to ... hopefully you'll figure it out

I am glad I found this group! I was diagnosed with mild Ulcerative Colitis in 1998. At that time the only diet recommended was stay away from salad bars. Physician treated me with Rowasa, Asacol, and Prednisone over the years. In 2006 I started working for a University Medical Center. I started seeing the GI physician there. He found that I make -0- IgA, did an EGD and Colonoscopy and said I didn't have Ulcerative Colitis. He took me off all my medicine. I still had GI issues and every CT scan I would have for kidney issues showed inflamed bowel. So I'm thinking I don't know what to believe. I definitely don't want another colonoscopy.

I plan to fight this through diet this time. I plan to start the low-residue diet. If I don't have Ulcerative Colitis, I definitely have some other type of inflammatory bowel disease.

I do both food and medicine to treat my UC. I was already vegan long before diagnosis. My doctor says that is probably why it took so long for the disease to present itself. So I'm still vegan but now I also have to avoid gluten, corn, and oats. I'm also on Apriso, Canasa, and hydrocortisone enemas once a week. The enemas seriously changed everything.

When flaring I need to eat a low fiber diet but now that I'm better I can eat lots of veggies. It does help if they are cooked. I still haven't worked up the courage to eat lentils and split peas but black beans and pinto beans are fine.

@ckdprevent - It took 2 years of symptoms before my UC was actually visible in my colon so I don't know that diagnosis is all that simple. By the time they went and did a 2nd colonoscopy on me I had progressed to severe pancolitis.

I am so glad I have found this group. I was diagnosed with Crohn's for 23yrs. I went 10yrs without any flare ups. Then 3/4yrs ago, starting having flare ups. Now I was hospitalized twice this year in May and June and the Dr have told me there's no way I can continue unless I start taking Humira, which I have been avoiding due to the side effects. Anyway, I've resigned myself to start it next week. I'm currently on steroids and my weight since May has gone up over 50lbs. What really annoyed me was that I wasn't having ANY symptoms, none at all. then I ate something that obviously didn't agree with me and flare up followed. Even though I am going to start Humira, I still am looking to getting help myself through diet and exercise so one day I can come off the meds and avoid flare ups. I'm going to stick to non processed diet, with no dairy, grains and nuts and seafood which seem to be my issue.

I have IBS, and am on a chemical elimination diet, which is an ever stricter diet than the FODMAP diet. As FODMAPS was still an issue for me.

It's not meant to be a permanent diet, but because it takes me so long to get back on track after trialing certain food groups, it's been over 3 months since I have been on the diet. Still it has helped me heaps. No more nausea ( I was getting it everyday), and getting closer to understanding which foods really affect me.

No medication, I just don't think it teaches your stomach to function probably and just suppresses the issue, so I decided against them. Plus I wouldn't really know what the real food triggers were if I took medication.

I don't even take probiotics, because I got a huge, huge reaction to them that made my IBS ridiculously worse. I am too scared to try to reintroduce them.

I still have a way to go, but I am getting there. I still get brain fog, and flu symptoms with certain foods.

I am lactose intolerant, unsure yet if I am gluten intolerant for sure, not too bad with salicylates but noticed some fatigue/flu issues. I don't eat any gluten anyway, because it always makes me feel too full. Eggs are a big 'no, no' for me.

I now suspect my lactose intolerance, made me more intolerant to other foods, but have a feeling if I keep lactose out I may be able to introduce those foods back without issue.