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Living with Crohn's Coping> Diet>  Diet continued
Living with Crohn's

Diet - Continued...

Although no two Crohn's Disease sufferers are alike, there are some general guidelines to what you should be consuming.  You should have a high calorie, high protein diet.  Crohn's patients should also at the very least take a multi-vitamin.  This is all to ensure that your body is getting all the nutrients that it needs.  Remember, Crohn's Disease can cause your intestines to become inflamed, this will in turn make it hard to properly digest and absorb nutrients through the intestinal wall, and this will lead to malnutrition.  Other vitamin supplements or even injections, such as Vitamin B12, may be needed as determined by your physician.  It is also very important that Crohn's Disease patients drink plenty of water to stay properly hydrated; water, like nutrients, are absorbed by the intestinal tract which may not work as efficiently when irritated.


Another suggestion is to consume Activia® yogurt, or a product with a similar strain of helpful bacteria, once a day to help keep all of the microbes in your digestive tract in balance.  Some doctors believe that overgrowth in the intestinal flora may cause Crohn's Disease or at the very least lead to an increase in the frequency of flares.

Please keep in mind that it is not all doom and gloom, yes, you may have to give up drinking alcohol, or your vanilla latte with a triple shot of espresso but it may help relieve pain associated with your disease.  Additionally, if your particular case permits, foods like pizza are high in protein and calories, so go ahead and indulge with a slice.

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created April 1, 2011      
last updated May 3, 2012