Healthy Eating for Your Child with IBD

• A healthy diet for a patient with IBD includes a variety of foods, likeprotein foods, fruits and vegetables, and grains. Eating foods from all food groups every day helps your child get the fiber, healthy fat, and calcium they need each day.
• It may take time for your child to eat healthy. Your child may have healthy eating one day, and not the next.
• Meeting with 1 of our IBD registered dietitians can help you customize a healthy diet based on your child’s individual needs. 

• Foods high in sugar
  Too much sugar can cause discomfort and other intestinal symptoms. Sugary beverages, like sports drinks, soda, pop, juice, sweetened lemonade, or teas, should be limited or avoided.
• Foods high in lactose
  Lactose is the sugar that naturally found in dairy foods like milk and yogurt. Many people with IBD have intestinal symptoms when they eat too much lactose. If your child has issues after eating high-lactose foods, a low-lactose diet may help with symptoms. Lactose-free cow’s milk and soy milk have no lactose. Most hard cheese like cheddar, swiss, parmesan or string cheese are low lactose too.
• Processed foods
  Foods that have additives may cause intestinal symptoms. Your child may have fewer symptoms if they choose more whole foods (foods that are not pre-made or sold in a bag or box). 

Your child should continue to eat a healthy diet during a flare or when IBD is active. During a flare, or if your child is having diarrhea, your child should:

• Continue to avoid foods high in sugar, foods high in lactose and processed foods.
• Avoid foods and drinks high in caffeine. Caffeine can cause diarrhea.
• Help your child stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day, especially if your child is having diarrhea.

• Most children with IBD do not need to follow a special diet. An overall healthy diet will help your child get the nutrition they need and manage their IBD.
• Sometimes a special diet, such as Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN), Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet or lowFODMAP may be considered or recommended to help your child. 

Your child with IBD does not need to eat a gluten-free diet unless your child’s provider or registered dietitian has told your child they need to remove gluten foods from their diet. 

• Ask your child’s healthcare provider questions about your child’s condition.
• Meet with one of our IBD registered dietitians for questions about what your child should eat. We recommend all our patients meet with an IBD registered dietitian at least once a year.
• Visit the “What Should I Eat?” page on the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation website for more accurate information:
  crohnscolitisfoundation.org/diet-and-nutrition/what-should-i-eat