On Trend: Cooking for Crohn’s Disease

So, how does this trend stack up in terms of health? To start, animal products, including beef, pork, poultry with skin, butter, and cheese, contain saturated fat, which is linked to health issues such as heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. High-fat foods can also be hard to digest, triggering Crohn’s symptoms.

For people with Crohn’s disease, the plant-based trend might be a smart idea for another reason, too: Red meat and processed meats — bacon, hot dogs, salami — are pro-inflammatory, whereas whole plant foods have anti-inflammatory properties, according to Mayo Clinic.

According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, people with Crohn’s disease who have a sensitivity to lactose (a sugar found in dairy) may do better with plant-based milk and cheese alternatives made from soy, almonds, oats, or cashews.

Plant-based eating isn’t without its drawbacks, though, especially for someone with an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s. Intestinal inflammation can cause malabsorption, and certain medications along with Crohn’s symptoms, such as diarrhea, may contribute to malnutrition, according to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. This means you may have higher daily requirements for vitamins and minerals or even need to consume more calories to gain weight. Whenever you restrict your diet, it’s important to work with a dietitian to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need.

One possible challenge: “It’s harder to get enough protein,” says Feuerstein. Meat tends to be a primary source of protein in Western diets, so you’ll need to replace it with plant-based sources. Good options include legumes (beans, lentils, peanuts), soy, nuts, and quinoa.

Since many plant-based proteins are also high in fiber, consider how much fiber you can tolerate (especially if you have a stricture, and already have to limit your roughage intake). Blending, mashing, or grinding certain foods may help make them easier to digest.

“I can actually eat these things if I make a mash out of them,” Tina says. “So a cauliflower mash or mashed potatoes. This works really well for me and still allows me to include vegetables.”

Tina also recommends chopping vegetables very finely, peeling any that have fibrous skin, and cooking them very well.

Some other nutrients to make sure you’re getting enough of in a plant-based diet, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, include:

• Calcium
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B-12
• Iron
• Zinc
• Omega-3 fatty acids

You can learn more about these nutrients and plant-based sources of them in Everyday Health’s On Trend video series.

Do a quick search of the hottest food trends in 2023, and you’ll see nostalgic or ancestral eating (eating foods that remind of us of home) popping up on plenty of lists, including those from Better Homes & Gardens, Food Network, and Delish. These types of comfort foods are tied to our emotions, bringing familiarity and feelings of safety and, of course, comfort — something many of us are looking for these days.

For Americans, comfort food often brings to mind favorites like mac ’n’ cheese, pizza, oven-baked casseroles, and even chocolate chip cookies, which are all high-fat foods that may trigger Crohn’s symptoms.

“In general, comfort foods are going to be high in carbs and high in fat,” explains Feuerstein. “What these recipes are trying to do is give you food that is comforting but healthy, especially if you’re living with Crohn’s.”

Everyone’s comfort foods are different. For instance, you might be thinking of a special meal your parents or grandparents cooked when you were a kid, or a common Chinese, Indian, or Italian dish.

“As a South Asian American, I think of all sorts of other foods from the Far East as well as from different parts of Asia,” says Tina. “I’m excited that we’re talking about ethnic cuisine and how to integrate that into a Crohn’s disease–type diet.”

What all comfort foods tend to have in common is that they’re warm, hearty, home-cooked meals that help you escape with every savory bite.

Everyday Health took that traditional comfort food and combined it with another form of escape: virtual travel. Internationally and regionally inspired dishes — poke bowls, dumplings, ramen, pho, kimchi, hummus, tacos, BBQ — were already gaining popularity over the past few years. Now, many people have been looking for ways to bring global experiences into their homes. Here, virtual cooking meets virtual travel as chef Daniel Green takes you around the world to try comfort foods from Thailand and Great Britain.

Not only do these recipes provide good-for-you nutrition, but they’ve also been tailored to a Crohn’s diet so they are easy to digest and can be adjusted to your own needs and tastes — and hopefully push you a little out of your comfort zone.

“I can still get tons of flavor, and it feels like I can eat just like everybody else can,” says Tina. “So there’s no FOMO.”