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Recently Diagnosed, looking for diet tips!

Hello Everyone!

I have been recently diagnosed with Crohns (about 3 weeks now) but I have been feeling symptoms for about 9 months. My symptoms are mainly lower abdominal pain, lower right side.

Once diagnosed I was put on 5ASA. At first I was feeling really dizzy but now my body has gotten used to them.

I am posting because I am unsure what I should/should not be eating! I have done research online and some of it has been contradictory, so I wanted to get advice from those who have Crohns and what works for them. I had also wondered about if I should taking vitamins or not.

If anyone has any tips on diet or if a specific multivitamin has worked for you, let me know!


Thanks
Rachel
 
I think it varies for everyone. I figured it out through trial and error.

Ice cream, milk, spicy foods- always a no.
Salads, apples, beef, fried foods, uncooked veggies, nuts, popcorn- ok in moderation, but for example a salad every day for lunch would ultimately give me terrible diarrhea.
Tortillas, saltine crackers, refried beans, pasta (no cream or cheese sauces)- are ok pretty much all the time.
Coffee can give me horrible acid reflux if I have more than 2 cups in a day even with taking Prilosec.
Soda- usually burns my throat and the carbonation gives me bubble guts.
Alcohol- I don't drink often, but wine is ok...beer can give me terrible gas at times.

Generally I feel better if I eat smaller meals at a time and eat less gluten and low fiber. Bigger meals can sometimes make me feel nauseous. After researching a lot about food I choose to buy mostly gluten free, organic and non-GMO foods. My body has enough issues without added hormones and chemicals.

I take the pills and supplements below. The multi-vitamin I take is made by Garden of Life and is called Vitamin Code for women. The probiotic I take is made by Jarrow and is called Jarro-Dophilus EPS.

You can message me if you want more specific info.
 
Thank you for the advice! I have always been lactose intolerant, (or maybe it was just crohns all along). But I will definitely try eating smaller portions, and look into that multivitamin!

Thanks! :emot-dance:
 
It does vary, so trial and error is needed, but there are some common "trigger" foods and "safe" foods that come up a lot more than others.

You will find contradictory advice - even from those of us who have Crohn's - so don't stress about it too much or try to follow everything you read. I would stay away from any extreme diets or any diets that people claim are certain to put you in remission or guarantee will get you healthy.

I've found a low fibre diet helpful, and generally stick to plain, soft foods when I've been very ill, and in some circumstances doctors do recommend a low fibre or low residue diet. The forum has a support group for these diets: http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=50340 A liquid diet can help settle things when you're very bad, though should only be used short term unless you're under medical supervision.

Along with dairy (as you're lactose intolerant) and high fibre foods, other common trigger foods include spicy food, alcohol, caffeine and very rich or greasy foods. Your overall diet may be more important when it comes to minimising your symptoms than individual foods - e.g. your intake of fat, fibre, etc.
 
I don't think you have anything to lose my giving the diets mentioned on this board a decent try. While they aren't foolproof, some people do have success (and more studies are starting to show some progress). You don't know if you are someone they work for unless you try. Play around on the diet section and see what posters say about the IBD anti inflammation diet, SCD, elimination, etc.

I wish you improved health!
 
The diet thing is kind of individual but generally oily,fried,raw veggie and salad bad,beer generally horrific!fish,chicken,white rice,fish and basically as varied as you can take a food diary at the start is a good idea if your desperate for a veggie fix homemade soup well cooked and or blended is good bizarrely for me a non spicy curry with turmeric and well cooked peppers is fine for me but be cautious.if your a smoker stop its bad for crohnies.i,ve found the trigger foods have changed for me I,m back eating salads even though my last check up was slightly worse.crohns is a marathon not a sprint and hopefully they,ll be a good answer in the near future.all the best good luck
 
RaRH,
I struggled with the diet question for 15 years before I found what worked for me. Everyone responds differently, so it will largely be trial and error.
In the end, for me, the Paleo diet truly made a difference in my day to day existence and lifestyle.
 

Lady Organic

Moderator
Staff member
inspired from Paleo and SCD diets, IBD-AID has been developped and under study at university of Massachusets for a few years now. fallow the link in my signature if interested and you can research more on the web for the website of this crohns and colitis nutrition team at this university, they have videos recipes, etc.. diet doesnt work for every patient, but it makes wonders for some others, definately worth a try. wishing you well.
 
Thank you everyone for the great advice! I will definitely have to check out the Paleo diet and just use trial and error to see what works for me!

And thank you UnXmas for the thread suggestion! :)
 
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