Tips to Avoid Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is triggered by the foods you eat, and it can also be avoided by dietary changes. Diet plays a significant role in everything and eating the right food content is crucial for your health because it provides you with the nutrition you need to go about your day. In IBD, your body faces many challenges to absorb all nutrients from the food you consume. Your small intestine is responsible for absorbing these nutrients, but in IBD, the inflammation inhibits the absorption. It can lead to many health complications, including malnutrition, weight loss, and deficiency of essential nutrients.

To prevent such complications, you need to have a close eye on the food you intake, and how your digestive system reacts to it.

IBD Diet Plan

Customizing a diet to prevent IBD is challenging as there is no specified food content for it. Every person is different and can have different reactions to food. There may be a possibility that one food suits one person, but it does not suit the next person. However, there are some changes you can incorporate into your diet as per your suiting to avoid Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). These changes are:

Eat Smaller Portions

You should eat a small portion of a meal more often in a day. Ditch the traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and switch to 6 small meals a day. It will help your digestive tract to work with less load and absorb nutrition better in smaller quantities.

Electrolytes

Frequent visits to the toilet because of diarrhea can strip your body from all the essential nutrients and water. You should drink fluids with electrolytes to compensate for all the lost nutrients. Drinks including sodium, potassium, and electrolytes should be your go-to in such conditions.

Vitamins and Minerals

People with IBD are always at risk of malnutrition and deficiencies. It can make you anemic as well. Therefore, you must take multivitamins and supplements daily along with a well-balanced and nutritious diet to compensate for all the lost vitamins and minerals.

Protein

Besides vitamins and minerals, protein is also a nutrient, and it can get wasted due to IBD. You should consume a lot of protein to recover the losses in this condition. Increase your protein intake and consume more meals in a day in smaller portions.

High Calories

You have to eat high-calorie foods when your body is having trouble absorbing all nutrients. It will help to compensate for the lost nutrients and restore strength in your body. Consuming high-calorie foods is crucial particularly when recovering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Avoid Trigger Foods

Always monitor which food does not suit your body and forms a reaction. Note all symptoms and avoid such foods in the future. Some foods will make your condition worse rather than improve anything. Therefore, it is crucial that you avoid all trigger foods.

Foods to Avoid in IBD

You must avoid the following food if you are or have suffered from inflammatory bowel disease:

• Greasy Foods
• Fatty Foods
• Hot & Spicy Foods
• Raw Vegetables
• Nut and Seeds
• Beans
• Caffeinated Beverages
• Sugary Beverages
• Alcohol
• Candy and Sweets
• High-fiber Fruits

All these foods must be avoided in IBD as they can flare another episode of severe diarrhea, making your body weak and stripped of nutrients.

Foods to Consume in IBD

The following foods are helpful in Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

Fiber

Fiber is a problematic nutrient as it can trigger more symptoms during a flare. Therefore, it is crucial that you consume soluble fiber that can help to reduce your diarrhea. Foods like oats, barley, and whole grains are rich in soluble fiber and should be consumed during IBD.

Lean Proteins

Always eat low-fat and high-protein foods as too much fat can cause a flare-up of symptoms, making your condition worse. Foods like chicken, turkey, eggs, tofu, and fish eggs are the best options for lean proteins.

Vegetables and Fruits

Consuming vegetables and fruits can provide minerals and vitamins, compensating for all the lost nutrients. Monitor which vegetables and fruits work best for you and do not trigger ant flare. Always choose foods that do not cause a reaction and worsen your symptoms.

Probiotics

Are probiotics effective for treating diarrhea? Inflammatory Bowel Disease is known to flush out all the good bacteria out of your gut. Therefore, consuming probiotics is essential to make up for all the lost bacteria.  Foods like yogurt, kimchi, miso, and other sources are great for adding good bacteria to your gut.

Calcium-Rich Foods

IBD can cause lactose intolerance in people. Therefore, you have to fulfill your calcium requirements from other food sources, including canned fish and green vegetables as dairy is not an option.

These are some effective methods to avoid and manage Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). It is always better to consult a professional for better guidance. Book an appointment with the best stomach specialist in Karachi through Marham.