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My Recommended Diet

Note: This is the diet that my doctors recommend that I follow. Crohn's is a very individual disease and you may find that you cannot tolerate certain foods listed on this page. Always consult your own doctor before taking any advice that you find on a web page! I will be starting TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) next week due to nutrient absorption problems and plan to be on it for a month or so until I'm able to hold down my food or have surgery to resection the diseased areas or my intestinal tract.

I tend to have problems with the following: MSG (bad, bad, bad!), eggs, MSG, high fiber (wheat, bran, most vegetables), MSG, red sauces, MSG (did I mention MSG?). Please keep in mind that everyone is very different when it comes to Crohn's and diet, many Crohn's sufferer's cannot tolerate dairy products and they don't bother me in the least (well, they don't when I'm not flaring). Here is a list of Forbidden Foods from Teens with Crohn's. When I flare I go on what I coin my "white diet" which consists of turkey sandwiches on white, boiled chicken, mashed potatoes (instant is better for me), macaroni and cheese (Lean Cuisine works for me when I'm at work), lots of water (I tend to dehydrate).

Things highlight in red on the recommended list tend to trigger a flare; items highlighted in pink have been reported to bother many Crohn's sufferers and were not a part of the original diet. At the bottom of the table I have included some links to low residue "Crohn's friendly" recipes. If you have additional recipes/resources that to share, please e-mail me at putertutormail@yahoo.com.

Low Residue Diet
Food Groups	Recommended	May Cause Distress
Beverages	Milk and milk products; all other beverages	Alcoholic beverages, soda, caffeine, milk
Breads and cereals	White, refined-wheat, or light-rye enriched breads, soft rolls, and crackers; cooked or ready-to-eat cereals	Coarse cereals (eg, bran); whole-grain breads or crackers with seeds; bread or bread products with nuts or dried fruits
Desserts	Cakes, cookies, pies, pudding, custard, ice cream, sherbet, and gelatin made with allowed foods; fruit ice and frozen pops	All sweets and desserts containing nuts, coconut, or dried fruits not allowed; fried pastries (eg, doughnuts)
Fats	Butter or fortified margarine; salad dressings; all fats and oils	Highly seasoned salad dressings
Fruits	All fruit juices; cooked or canned fruit; avocado, banana, melon, grapefruit, and orange sections without membrane; other ripe, soft fruits without seeds	Other fresh and dried fruits
Meats and meat substitutes	All lean, tender meats, poultry, fish and shellfish; eggs; mild-flavored cheeses; creamy peanut butter; soybean and other meat substitutes; plain or flavored yogurt	Strong-smelling or highly seasoned meats, cheeses, or fish (eg, luncheon meats, frankfurters, sausage); yogurt with nuts or dried fruits
Potatoes and potato substitutes	Potatoes; enriched rice, barley, spaghetti, macaroni, and other pasta	Potato chips, fried potatoes
Vegetables	All vegetable juices; cooked vegetables and lettuce as tolerated; salads made from allowed foods	Raw and fried vegetables; whole kernel corn; gas-producing vegetables (eg, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, leeks, cauliflower, cucumber, green pepper, rutabagas, turnips, sauerkraut, dried peas, dried beans)
Soups	Soups made with allowed foods (watch canned soups if you have a problem with MSG)	Highly seasoned soups and soups made with gas-producing vegetables
Sweets	Sugar; syrup; honey; jelly and seedless jam; hard candies; plain chocolate candies; molasses; marshmallows	Any with nuts or coconut
Miscellaneous	Iodized salt; flavorings; mildly flavored gravies and sauces; pepper, herbs, spices, ketchup, mustard, vinegar in moderation	Strongly flavored seasonings and condiments (eg, garlic, chili sauce, chili pepper, horseradish); pickles; popcorn; nuts and coconut, MSG, Nutrasweet
Recipes/Nutritional Information
Eating Hints During Cancer Treatment - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3	While it is a resource for Cancer sufferers, I found it to be very valuable. Parts 1 & 2 have information/guidelines and suggested meal patterns for special diets that meet specific needs (Clear-Liquid Diet, Full-Liquid Diet, Soft Diet, Low-Residue Diet, Low-Lactose Diet, & Commercial Products To Improve Nutrition), sample menus, and tips when you're dealing with a loss of appetite, dry mouth, nausea, changed sense of smell and taste, vomiting, constipation, lack of energy, and lactose intolerance. There are also healthy snacks (although some are not recommended for us - high fiber and hard to digest), and recommendations for increasing proteins and calories. Finally, Part 3 is recipes that are recommended for specific diets.
Crohn's Friendly Recipes	Smoothies, french fries, desserts, main dishes, breads, soups, etc.
Razzles' Recipe Links	Mostly vegetarian/vegan recipes. May not work with all Crohn's patients.
The Culinary Couple's Creative Colitis Cookbook	Fourteen recipes from the cookbook.
Diet Nutrition and Fitness from CCFA	Nutritional deficiencies, how to eat when you have IBD, specific diets, etc.
Annie's Crohn's Recipes	Four recipes from Annie
IBS/Crohn's Nutrition at About.com	Many links to diet/nutritional resources for IBS/Crohn's patients.
Vitamins, Etc.	Vitamin deficiencies in IBS/IBD patients
Recipes for Crohn's Disease from About.com	Soy Mac and Cheese, Brownies, Quiche, Cobbler, Pies, Donuts, Muffins, Onion Rings (hummm), etc. I think these recipes may come from one of the sites listed above, but there may be some extras
Breaking the Vicious Cycle	Not a Low Residue Diet. This program is recommended by some Crohn's patients.
David's	Nutrition info, friendly foods, bothersome foods, diet guidelines, and three "Crohn's friendly" recipes
Ask the Dietician	Nutrition Resources
Food Substitutions	Not Crohn's specific, but handy when a recipe calls for something on the "no, no" list
Lactose Free Recipes	Desserts, appetizers, main courses
Cookin w/UOA (United Ostomy Association)	The Official United Ostomy Association Cookbook

This recommended low residue diet was provided to me by the hospital; original source unknown.

More Crohn's Resources

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