Hello!
I was referencing this old thread https://crohnsforum.com/threads/plant-based-diets-in-crohns-disease.82312/ because I also came across these studies which matched my line of thinking before I had the need to research such things related to Crohn's. I thought I'd start a new one since it's several years old by now. My 15 y/o son was recently diagnosed with Crohn's and has been put on the Crohn's Disease Elimination Diet which I feel just panders to the standard American. Fortunately vegan formula shakes exist now so he's been able to stick to his ethics.
Let me start off by saying I am not interested in non-vegans opinions, I'm strictly looking for other plant-based folks' support and suggestions. 100% vegan foods only. One of the criticisms in the other thread of the studies was that a vegetarian dr. was promoting the benefits of his vegetarian diet as if almost every other study not promoting veg-diets isn't written by non-vegs. It's probably the worst argument out there.
I was non-veg for 36 years and went vegan 8 years ago strictly because of overwhelming science showing the preventative and healing benefits of an exclusive whole foods plant-based diet.
My son has been vegan for 6 years. I know you're probably wondering if veganism was so good then why was my son so bad in the first place...because of a variety of reasons, we ended up consistently eating at restaurants and take-out food sometimes 5 days a week, not proud, where he'd specifically go for the spiciest foods, "Indian hot" was his preference. I'm certain this is what really kicked things off for him. And then his breakfasts and lunch were a typical teenager diet of either nothing or nutritionally subpar foods. He was far from "whole foods", there's a lot of vegan junk food out there these days no doubt. My son was also neglecting to tell us everything that was going on until things were bad.
While we were waiting for his first labs, colonoscopy, and diagnosis, I put him on a bland diet that consisted of almost daily miso soup, baked simple tofu (minimal amounts of Bragg's), kombucha, turmeric, chaga tea, and lion's mane mushrooms specifically for their beneficial and healing properties, along with simple things like lower fiber veg, rice, bananas, etc. This is when his diarrhea stopped and energy improved, until he started Cipro which threw everything out of whack again. The soy was not bothering him, at least from what we could see but not sure how his blood and fecal counts were changing.
His dr. assigned nutritionist has been worthless to us. He finished Phase 1 of the CDED diet with excellent improvements in his labs. We are in phase 2 of the CDED and things are getting a little less stable from Phase 1 but possibly leveling out again. I'm sure it's because he went from practically 0 fiber to eating beans, quinoa, hummus, and a lot more veg rather quickly. I just got his dr to okay miso and seaweed but she's still saying no to tofu. My gut says it's not harmful and a lower fiber, higher protein option would be beneficial to him in place of beans sometimes, but I'm choosing my battles with his dr. for now.
Is anyone here following an exclusive vegan diet and having good results? Does it include tofu? Did you do a vegan version of the Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet? I know foods effect everyone differently with Crohn's, and it's trial and error, just curious what other's experience has been.
I was referencing this old thread https://crohnsforum.com/threads/plant-based-diets-in-crohns-disease.82312/ because I also came across these studies which matched my line of thinking before I had the need to research such things related to Crohn's. I thought I'd start a new one since it's several years old by now. My 15 y/o son was recently diagnosed with Crohn's and has been put on the Crohn's Disease Elimination Diet which I feel just panders to the standard American. Fortunately vegan formula shakes exist now so he's been able to stick to his ethics.
Let me start off by saying I am not interested in non-vegans opinions, I'm strictly looking for other plant-based folks' support and suggestions. 100% vegan foods only. One of the criticisms in the other thread of the studies was that a vegetarian dr. was promoting the benefits of his vegetarian diet as if almost every other study not promoting veg-diets isn't written by non-vegs. It's probably the worst argument out there.
I was non-veg for 36 years and went vegan 8 years ago strictly because of overwhelming science showing the preventative and healing benefits of an exclusive whole foods plant-based diet.
My son has been vegan for 6 years. I know you're probably wondering if veganism was so good then why was my son so bad in the first place...because of a variety of reasons, we ended up consistently eating at restaurants and take-out food sometimes 5 days a week, not proud, where he'd specifically go for the spiciest foods, "Indian hot" was his preference. I'm certain this is what really kicked things off for him. And then his breakfasts and lunch were a typical teenager diet of either nothing or nutritionally subpar foods. He was far from "whole foods", there's a lot of vegan junk food out there these days no doubt. My son was also neglecting to tell us everything that was going on until things were bad.
While we were waiting for his first labs, colonoscopy, and diagnosis, I put him on a bland diet that consisted of almost daily miso soup, baked simple tofu (minimal amounts of Bragg's), kombucha, turmeric, chaga tea, and lion's mane mushrooms specifically for their beneficial and healing properties, along with simple things like lower fiber veg, rice, bananas, etc. This is when his diarrhea stopped and energy improved, until he started Cipro which threw everything out of whack again. The soy was not bothering him, at least from what we could see but not sure how his blood and fecal counts were changing.
His dr. assigned nutritionist has been worthless to us. He finished Phase 1 of the CDED diet with excellent improvements in his labs. We are in phase 2 of the CDED and things are getting a little less stable from Phase 1 but possibly leveling out again. I'm sure it's because he went from practically 0 fiber to eating beans, quinoa, hummus, and a lot more veg rather quickly. I just got his dr to okay miso and seaweed but she's still saying no to tofu. My gut says it's not harmful and a lower fiber, higher protein option would be beneficial to him in place of beans sometimes, but I'm choosing my battles with his dr. for now.
Is anyone here following an exclusive vegan diet and having good results? Does it include tofu? Did you do a vegan version of the Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet? I know foods effect everyone differently with Crohn's, and it's trial and error, just curious what other's experience has been.
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But I think for the first 6 months at least you have to give it a good ole college try to give it the best chance of success. We think of it this way, you wouldn't accept a drug that is typically dosed everyday and say, "yeah but I will only do it 6 days a week" and expect. it to work. At the 6 month mark if you achieve remission, it is a little easier to add an "illegal" food and especially on CDED as they have 4 cheat meals built into every week in the maintenance phase. 
