#triggor

Diary entries written from Billy's perspective!

~ A cheerful manta-ray sailor haunted by a dark past. He has a husband too! Could that be who I think it is…?

Diary entries written from Billy's perspective!

~ A very knowledgeable antler-bunny who can be as "eco-friendly" as she is "pollution-hostile".

When it comes to Crohn’s disease, not all foods affect people in the same way. For example, spicy food may be a problem for some, while others never have to hold the hot sauce.

That said, there some types of food you may want to steer clear of, particularly during a symptom flare-up. You always want to make sure you’re knowledgeable and informed about your own disease. Here’s a list of food most likely to be a problem.

Nuts.

Nuts are nutritious, but when eaten raw, most people with Crohn’s won’t reap the benefits of their healthy fats and high protein content. You can’t masticate them enough to get them to a consistency that’s really easy for the gut to digest. Like other rough and hard-to-digest foods, they can further irritate the lining of your gut, worsening your symptoms.

Fruits with skin

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but if it isn’t peeled, it can cause major digestive distress for someone with Crohn’s.

The same goes for vegetables with edible peels, like cucumbers. Strip them off before you eat them. In fact, some people with Crohn’s find they can eat raw fruit and even some raw vegetables if they’ve been peeled. In general, cooked or canned fruits and vegetables are often a better choice than raw.

Popcorn

Whole grains are good for everyone—except a person with Crohn’s disease who’s having a flare-up. Popcorn is technically a whole grain, and it’s probably among the hardest of all those grains to digest. The same goes for corn on the cob. Anything that’s really rough to digest would possibly be detrimental and cause more symptoms and possibly slow the healing process.

Fried foods

Chicken, fish, and other healthy foods became major nutritional no-nos once they hit the deep fat fryer. Fried food isn’t good for anyone, and its greasiness may be especially problematic for people with Crohn’s. The more you can stay away from foods like that, the better off you’ll be.

Coffee, hot beverages, caffeine

Many coffee lovers have to swear off java after getting a diagnosis of Crohn’s. People with IBD can also have trouble with caffeinated sodas, while bubbly drinks—caffeinated or no—can be triggers as well.

Dairy

Because Crohn’s disease can damage the digestive tract, it can also cause lactose intolerance, an inability to digest the sugar found in milk and other dairy products.