LOOP Blog

In our overview post, ICN registered dieticians went over the Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED), including when and how it may be used as part of IBD care, how the diet is structured, and what CDED users can expect to eat and drink when following the diet. In this post, we're sharing some common hurdles that patients and families may face, including tips for navigating when kids don't like CDED food or shakes, successfully shifting to a CDED lifestyle, coping with "giving up" favorite foods, what happens if things don't work out, and how to assess whether the CDED or another dietary therapy is right for you/your child.

As a public speaker, it can be challenging to embody positivity while talking about such difficult experiences. Leela struck this balance in her Ignite Talk at our Fall 2024 Community Conference; she led us into the darkest moments of her IBD story and then turned on the light. During her recovery from abdominal surgery, when the stress, fear, and pain was palpable and all she wanted to do was cry but couldn't because "if I did, my stomach would feel like lava," Leela's Mom never gave up on her or left her side. In a pivotal moment involving a 🐞 ladybug, Leela felt her Dad's words "This too shall pass..." spring into her mind. Those comforting words woke her up and she was hit with the realization that this was her defining moment; "a moment in your life that you look back on and it fills you with motivation to keep moving forward - a time in your life where you went...yeah, I did that!” 

Be inspired by Leela's #IgniteTalk 🔥

The objectives of this study are to estimate rates and identify factors associated with erythema nodosum (EN) and pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Patient Advisory Council members have been crowdsourcing their wisdom, tips, and tricks about IBD topics that are timely and important to them. Using their insights, they have been developing brief, helpful one-pagers that are then reviewed by various members of the ICN community such as dietitians and psychosocial providers. Take a PAC Moment to check out new patient-developed resources!

The Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED) is a dietary therapy that may be utilized to help manage some forms of Crohn’s disease. In this post ICN Registered Dietitians give an overview of the CDED, when and how it may be used as part of IBD care, how the diet is structured, and what CDED users can expect to eat and drink when following the diet.

by Autumn

When I received a MyChart message from my GI, suggesting we consider changing my Crohn's treatment, it hit me like a bullet straight to the gut. I wasn't expecting it. I did not have any symptoms of a flare yet, but labs and scope biopsies said otherwise. I received that message while waiting for an appointment, just one minute before my doctor came out to get me.

We are excited to be hosting our Fall 2024 Community Conference in Baltimore, Maryland from September 25 to September 27. We look forward to engaging with healthcare providers, patients, parents/caregivers, researchers and improvers from across ImproveCareNow to all teach and all learn, to share and develop new and innovative approaches to improve pediatric IBD care and outcomes, to further our research, and to build our community. Download our draft agenda to check out topics and sessions for this event ⬇⬇

The American Heart Association recommends 25 to 38 grams of dietary fiber from food sources each day to help achieve a healthful diet pattern¹. However, the most recently publicly available National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data suggests Americans consume an average of 16 grams of fiber daily².

Not long ago, a low fiber diet was often recommended for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). It was once thought that consuming foods high in fiber could worsen IBD symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain; for this reason patients were told to avoid high fiber foods. However, recent investigation into the role of fiber in IBD has provided evidence that dietary fiber is beneficial for patients with IBD and should be consumed in adequate amounts.

🍌 What does the evidence say about the role of fiber in IBD?

Hi! I am Emma and I want to share the story of my IBD diagnosis because I think it could help others who have less common IBD symptoms and locations of inflammation. It all began when I was a senior in high school. I had this pain in my chest and upper abdomen whenever I ate or drank so I decided to go to the doctor.

Obesity is common among patients with pediatric Crohn's disease (PCD). Some adult studies suggest obese patients respond less well to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment. This study compares anti-TNF response and anti-TNF levels between pediatric patients with normal and high body mass index (BMI).