Diet for Crohn's disease: menu and nutritional features

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the digestive system for a living organism. After all, it is she who ensures the digestion and absorption of nutrients from food. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract affect the work of all organ systems. In order to pacify the disease, first of all, it is worth adhering to a certain diet. On the agenda today is the diet for Crohn's disease. We will look at prohibited and permitted foods, as well as general recommendations.

What kind of ailment is this?

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammation of the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. Most often, the focus is localized in the ileum, but in some cases it spreads to other departments.

Against the background of the disease, the intestinal walls are damaged, ulcers, scars and swelling are formed on them. Of course, there are also digestive disorders. The disease goes hand in hand with an ulcer, can develop in the body in parallel with gastritis,pancreatitis and other inflammatory processes. It is believed that this is a hereditary disease, which is very difficult to get rid of.

What to do in such a situation?

Apart from medical and hospital procedures, diet is a very important aspect of treatment. In Crohn's disease, food must pass through the damaged intestine, be processed in it, and, once in the blood, benefit the body.

Additionally consumed products should help the inflamed department recover and start working normally. If the stomach or intestines is susceptible to this ailment, then worrying about the taste of food is the last thing for the patient.

The most important thing is to choose foods that will contribute to a speedy recovery. In the early stages of treatment, the diet for Crohn's disease will be very poor, the diet will be incredibly monotonous. Gradually, the treating doctor will expand the list of acceptable products, and the patient will be able to treat himself to something more delicious.

General provisions

First, let's take a look at the recommendations that apply to all patients suffering from this disease, regardless of its severity.

• Meals - 5 times a day.
• No more than 8 grams of s alt per day.
• Plentiful drink - from 1.7 to 2 liters.
• Energy value should be 2100 kcal per day.
• Daily Value: protein - up to 150 g, carbohydrates - up to 250 g, fat - up to 80 g.
• Potassium and calcium are essential components of dailydiet.
• Nothing fried or stewed. Steam only or boil.
• Eat plenty of fiber.
• Food should not be cold or hot.

Allowed Foods

So, what does the Crohn's disease diet include? The menu can be combined depending on specific gastronomic preferences, but you cannot go beyond certain limits.

Allowed to use: dairy products, grated cereals, mashed potatoes, boiled chicken, soups on the second meat or fish broth, jelly, mushroom soups, seafood (without spices), crackers (white bread), boiled lamb. Remember that even these products should never be fried, heavily s alted, baked in any way or stewed. Only diet recipes are allowed. In addition, we note that in some cases, doctors reduce this list if the disease progresses too quickly.

Stop products

Yes, in fact, the diet for Crohn's disease is a complete gastronomic restriction. Many patients have to give up their favorite foods for a long time.

These products are on the stop list: sausage, duck, goose, stew, milk soups, beans, canned food (absolutely everything), raw vegetables, maize, pearl barley, garlic, radish and radish, pickles, cooked hard-boiled eggs, all alcohol, store-bought juices (especially grape juices), coffee, ice cream, chocolate.

If the disease is at an early stage, and the doctor allows you to eat something from thislist, anyway, we advise you not to lean. Most of these foods, if consumed in large quantities, even have a negative impact on a he althy digestive system.

Diet for Acute Crohn's Disease

This chronic disease develops in two stages, which alternately replace each other. The first of these is remission, in which the intestines calm down and begin to work in a more or less normal mode. At these moments, the diet expands, the pain subsides.

But the diet for an exacerbation of Crohn's disease is preventive fasting, which lasts for 1-2 days. The patient is only allowed to consume liquid in volumes of 1.7 to 2 liters per day. These could be:

• Black tea with lemon and one tablespoon of sugar (preferably without sweetener).
• Light rosehip decoction.
• Milk is acidophilic.
• Fat-free kefir.

Options for exacerbation

In most patients, this stage of the disease is accompanied by diarrhea. The stomach or intestines are inflamed and are regularly cleared. New foods don't come in, so hunger can cause cramps and sharp pains.

Therefore, the diet for Crohn's disease with diarrhea is supplemented by two foods (or one of them) - carrots and an apple. The latter should not be underripe or too sour. These products should be passed through a fine grater or chopped in a blender.

Carrot and apple have"hardening" properties. Diarrhea will cease to be painful and plentiful. If the exacerbation proceeds without diarrhea, then these products are undesirable to use. It is better to limit yourself to the liquids described above.

Second stage of exacerbation

When the pain in the abdomen subsides, new foods are gradually introduced into the diet. Each new dish should be served every three days, so as not to introduce the body, which has just starved, into a stressful state with a variety of foods. At the second stage of exacerbation, the following products are allowed:

• White crackers.
• Slimy broths.
• Low-fat homemade cottage cheese.
• Pure soups.
• Porridges on the water (except barley and maize).
• Meat souffle, boiled meatballs.
• Decoctions of blueberries, bird cherry or pears.
• Steam omelet.

Estimated Daily Ration

Outside of flare-ups, the diet for Crohn's disease should consist of the foods listed at the beginning of the article. Using them, you can create a similar daily menu.

• First breakfast: semolina, steamed omelet, tea.
• Second breakfast: baked apples (no crisps).
• Lunch: blueberry (or pear) jelly, third chicken broth, grated carrots.
• Snack: a light decoction of rose hips, white croutons.
• Dinner: rice with boiled chicken and tea.

Diet for Crohn's disease: menu onweek

If we summarize everything that was described above, we will get specific recommendations that relate to a weekly diet for a similar intestinal ailment. By the way, about the same diet is recommended for patients who have undergone surgery, because during this period the body needs to be given time to recover.

Well, let's divide our diet into stages, which will take us a week in total:

• The first two days are fasting. You can drink tea, fat-free kefir, and in cases of diarrhea, carrots and apples are allowed.
• Stage two - pureed soups with meat and light broths cooked on chicken meat. You can add croutons, jelly, steam omelet and cereals on the water to the menu. These restrictions are valid for 3 days.
• At the third stage, stewed vegetables are allowed to be eaten. You can also eat baked apples, cheeses, and low-fat dairy products. Allowed boiled or steamed meat (chicken or lamb), hard-boiled eggs and small pasta.

Of course, patients receive more precise instructions from their doctor. The diet should be individually tailored.