February 9, 2023 – Eating might be difficult for individuals with inflammatory bowel disease or chronic digestive problems. For example, some people avoid certain foods when cooking at home for fear they may trigger annoying gastrointestinal symptoms. At the identical time, individuals with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis can profit from a balanced, nutrient-rich food plan identical to everyone else.
One possible solution is a free online tool with greater than 500 recipes designed specifically for individuals with IBD. The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, in partnership with Nestlé Health Sciences, launched the Gut Friendly Recipes website on January 31 to assist people prepare meals without sacrificing nutrients.
“This is a fantastic new resource…but it's important to make sure patients and their caregivers understand that these diets and recipes are not a substitute for treatment of this inflammatory disease by their doctors and healthcare teams,” says David T. Rubin, MD, chair of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's National Scientific Advisory Committee.
Beyond the recipes, the Gut-friendly recipes The website includes information on food plan, symptoms and disease monitoring, says Rubin, chief of the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition on the University of Chicago.
Many diets, many possibilities
The tool offers some flexibility. Users can seek for specific recipes that meet their needs, filter meals by dietary exclusions, ingredients and allergens, or create a 7-day meal plan. The site also offers meals for several diets, including the Exclusion food plan for Crohn’s diseaselow FODMAP diet (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols), which Mediterranean cuisineAnd special carbohydrate food plan.
“Personally, I'm very excited to be able to share this resource with my IBD patients. It's very useful to have multiple diet types and to be able to filter out specific foods, as there is no 'standard diet' that we offer to every single IBD patient,” says Emily A. Haller, a registered dietitian and nutritionist specializing in gastrointestinal nutrition on the University of Michigan.
“Nutritional recommendations and needs are individual and it seems that this resource was developed with that in mind,” says Haller.
Simply avoiding certain foods could be a problem
People with IBD typically find that there are particular foods that trigger a disease flare-up. Some people may not tolerate raw vegetables, while others can tolerate fresh produce. Others find that they've certain food sensitivities that cause inflammation and trigger a disease flare-up, says Sonya Angelone, a registered dietitian and consulting nutritionist in San Rafael, Calif., who was not affiliated with Gut Friendly Recipes.
“Some people drive themselves into a rut by eating very little, which leads to nutrient deficiencies. They are afraid to eat and get a flare-up, so they eat very little,” says Angelone.
A correct elimination food plan may also help discover food triggers, but the method might be difficult and frustrating for the inexperienced, Angelone says. Instead, she suggests that folks work with a registered dietitian to find out the issue foods.
Many patients don't know what to eat and restrict their food plan for various reasons, Haller says. “In the clinic, we spend a lot of time working with patients on dietary liberalization and finding foods/meals that work well for them.”
In addition to stopping or correcting malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies, Haller says other dietary goals for individuals with IBD include maintaining muscle mass, promoting healing of the intestinal lining, minimizing intestinal symptoms, supporting relationship with food, and improving nutrition-related quality of life.
The recipes could evolve over time because the science advances. “There is excellent research going on to better understand how diet and food relate to IBD. Some of this work is funded by the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation,” Rubin said. “And we are making very good progress in understanding the complex relationship between food and the immune system in our gut.”
Gut Friendly Recipes is out there online at www.gutfriendlyrecipes.org.