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.

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.

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?

My name is Maddie and I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease when I was 13 years old. I’ve been a part of the ICN network for almost 8 years, and I transitioned from my role as PAC Co-Chair a year ago. Now I have the opportunity to share my passion project with the ICN community! Introducing: EATS for IBD™

Some people enjoy the tradition of setting a New Year’s resolution. While adding healthy, balanced snacks into your diet sounds like a good goal for most of us, these small meals can help young people with IBD meet their nutritional needs. If solid food is currently part of your/your child's eating plan this list of snack and smoothie recipes, and dietary exceptions may be useful to you.

For all children and teens, bone health is important. The amount of bone tissue in the body is known as bone mass. It keeps growing throughout puberty. By age 20, bones have reached their maximum strength. Ninety percent of bone growth happens before age 20.

Children and teens with IBD may be at risk for low bone density (LBD). Low bone density makes bones weaker. Patients with height delay and patients with low BMI (body mass index) may be at higher risk. Long-term use of corticosteroids is also a risk factor for LBD. Malabsorption of nutrients and active disease contribute to the risk of LBD. Low bone density may lead to osteoporosis and fractures. Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones and can lead to bones becoming thinner and less dense.

Bone density and improving bone health is something to talk to your IBD care team about. Here are some things to consider:

Maddie is joined by pediatric gastroenterologist David Suskind, MD and IBD-specialized dietitian Kim Braly, RD for a podcast about diet, nutrition, the gut microbiome, and how it all relates to Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Getting enough vitamin D is especially important for growing kids, because it is involved in bone growth, bone density and bone strength, and in growth itself. Vitamin D also appears to have other health benefits.

Join Maddie, Fionna & Maha as they build on a discussion we stated in Episode 2 of the podcast about IBD, Body Image and Relationships with Food. 

Anemia is common in IBD and iron deficiency is the leading cause. Studies show up to 95% of individuals newly diagnosed with IBD are iron deficient. Learn more about iron deficiency and IBD from the ICN Registered Dietitian group, including common symptoms, as well as what to expect with testing, treatment, management and prevention.