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milk, cheese, chips, and wheat

Foods I Don't Eat Since My Crohn’s Diagnosis

Ah yes, the dreaded topic of food and IBD. It is so complicated to chat about this since everyone is so drastically different when it comes to diet and how it affects their symptoms.

But! I also think it is vital to share what does work for you with other IBD sufferers, as you may be able to help someone out there that has similar symptomatic tendencies.

So, here it goes!

The foods I don't eat to lessen Crohn's symptoms

Here are the foods I DON’T eat, in order to help keep my symptoms at bay:

1. Dairy

Dairy and I used to be the best of friends. When I was growing up, I literally had a glass of milk every single day in addition to always having cereal and milk for breakfast. I loved milk! Same went with cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and all other dairy goodness. Today, this is all a no go. I stay clear from dairy and I must say, it has made a huge difference.

And don’t be discouraged. There are many alternatives out there. Ice cream is now made with coconut milk or almond milk! And it tastes amazing. Just research online and you’ll be presently surprised with your options.

2. Grains

Yup, zero grains in my diet. This one was way harder for me to execute than dairy. Dairy, in my opinion, is pretty easy to get rid of. Grains, however, is a toughie. I’m still getting used to this one.

Yes, when I say grains, I mean ALL grains. No wheat, no oats, no nothing! This means, no bread, pasta, pizza, cakes, croissants, sandwich bread, spaghetti. Gah! I yelp when I say these magnificent food items out loud. These items used to be my dear, dear savory and delicious friends.

But! There is hope. Today there are a million and one alternatives out there that make this swap not so dreadful. Pasta is now made with chickpeas. Bread can now be made with arrowroot flour, almond flour, and coconut flour. There are chips and crackers that are grain-free. Pizzas that have cauliflower crusts and beyond. It is possible to still enjoy your favorite foods. Just do a little digging online and you’ll see the amazing alternatives.

3. Processed sugars

Yikes! Another lip-smacking staple. Sugar! But unfortunately, processed sugar is so bad for our already inflamed gut, so I stay clear of it. I stick with products that have cane sugar only. And if I need to sweeten things up, I use honey or sometimes maple syrup. And of course, I get my sugar fix from a yummy bowl of fruit if I need to tame a craving. But overall, my sugar intake is minimal.

4. Processed foods

I eat foods as fresh as possible. If it’s in a bag, I usually don’t go for it. So the typical snack foods you would find in a vending machine will not be going in my belly. GMO’s, Corn syrup, food colorings, weird chemicals are all things I pay attention to in the ingredients label. If I see some scary words I don’t know how to pronounce, I’m out of there!

What do I eat for Crohn's symptom management?

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: So what DO you eat!? Sounds like I’m just munching on cardboard at this point, huh?

Well, rest assured, I will write another post to follow up with the foods I DO eat! And they are delicious! Lip-smacking good, I tell you.

Until then, comment below and tell us the foods you stay away from to help keep your symptoms in check. Sharing is caring!

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