Aside from taking medicine, what can I do to treat the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?
For some people, changes in diet and lifestyle help control the symptoms of IBD. In terms of diet, there are no blanket rules. Dietary changes that help one person with IBD may not relieve symptoms in another. Talk to your doctor and nutritionist about what you should and should not be eating. Recommendations will depend on the part of your intestine that is affected and which disease you have. Your doctor may suggest some of the following changes in diet: • taking specific nutritional supplements, • limiting dairy products, • eating low-fat foods, • avoiding “gassy” or highly seasoned foods • avoiding foods high in undigestible fiber • following doctor-recommended diets and • eating smaller, more frequent meals. More than half of people who have CD in their small bowel develop narrowing of the lower small intestine (ileum). For these people, a special diet called a low-residue diet may help relieve abdominal pain and other symptoms. This diet restricts the amount of nuts, seeds, and r
