The Best Smoothies for People With Crohn’s

The Best Smoothies for People With Crohn’s

The Best Smoothies for People With Crohn’s

smoothie recipes for crohn's disease

Eating three square meals a day is a basic tenet of good health, but it’s no easy task when you have an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). More than three million Americans fall into this category, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than half a million have Crohn’s disease, a common form of IBD that causes inflammation in the digestive system as a result of an autoimmune disorder, reports Medline Plus.

Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, triggering symptoms such as cramps, diarrhea, and fatigue, according to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. That’s one reason people with Crohn’s can also experience a loss of appetite and even weight loss.

“People with Crohn’s typically don’t absorb all of the nutrients from their food,” says Laura Burak, RD, author of Slim Down With Smoothies. Up to three-quarters of patients with Crohn’s disease are malnourished, according to a study published online in 2021 in Nutrients.

“Some can even develop food fears because of the symptoms they’ll experience afterward,” Burak notes. But addressing these issues can be as simple as flipping a switch, she says — the one that turns on a blender.

The Nutritional Benefits of Smoothies

“Smoothies are one of the best ways to get your body the nutrition and calories it needs,” says Burak. “They’re really versatile, too.” Not only do they double as meals or snacks, but the ingredients can also be tailored to a person’s specific nutritional needs and tastes. Best of all, for people with Crohn’s disease, many foods are better tolerated in smoothie form.

“Blending begins the process of breaking food down, so smoothies give your digestive system a little bit of a break,” says Burak. Plenty of her clients cannot eat whole fruits and vegetables or nuts and seeds. “But throw it in a blender,” she says, “and they can get all the same minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients without the GI distress.”

One of those important nutrients is fiber, which is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. A diet enriched with fiber has been found to help people with IBD minimize inflammation, modulate immune response, restore the gut microbiome, and potentially help prevent colorectal cancer, according to a review article published online in 2022 in Biomedicines. The review authors do note, however, that these benefits can vary based on an individual’s metabolism and microbiome composition.

This post was last modified on December 9, 2024 5:56 am