During the holidays, people are often inseparable from these two things: participating in parties and going out to play, which are very happy things. However, all kinds of food comes one after another, which for the little ones suffering from IBD, “eat” or “do not eat” is really a very torn thing. It’s really cruel to leave a full plate of food and wine to enjoy. However, we must learn to control their own mouth, follow medical advice, according to their own type of disease, condition, etc. to choose the appropriate food, and enjoy the food properly. Remember the “eight words of the holiday”: eat in moderation and combine work and rest.
If you plan to eat out, please don’t wait until you are very hungry, you can eat something nutritious and not too full before you go to eat, this can prevent you from being too hungry and eating food that is not good for your body at once and cause discomfort.
If your condition fluctuates during the holidays, you should go to an emergency doctor promptly if your supervising doctor is off and cannot be reached.
The following dietary requirements for IBD have been compiled for the attention of the young people.
What is a low residue, low fiber diet?
About 2/3 of patients with small bowel Crohn’s disease have significant low small bowel (ileal) intestinal strictures. For these patients, a low-fiber diet or a special liquid diet may be helpful in reducing abdominal pain and improving symptoms. In addition, patients with inflammatory bowel disease who have active disease usually also require a low residue, low fiber diet. A low residue, low fiber diet requires a reduced intake of foods that are likely to increase stool residue (e.g., raw vegetables, seeds, nuts, potato skins, corn skins, whole grain cereals, etc.). In general, a low residue, low fiber diet is only temporary and patients can gradually return to a normal diet while medication or surgical treatment controls inflammation in the intestinal tract. It is important to observe whether you are over-restricting your diet during a low residue, low fiber diet, as over-restricting can make a balanced diet difficult to achieve and is not conducive to you getting balanced nutrition.
What is a liquid diet?
A liquid diet is defined as eating foods that are liquid in consistency, easy to swallow, easily digested, and not stimulating. However, these foods often contain insufficient calories and nutrients and are usually used only for a short period of time or in conjunction with enteral or parenteral nutrition. Such foods include soy milk, rice soup, vegetable soup, diluted lotus root powder, clear broth (to remove grease), drenched fruit juices (such as raw juice of orange, tangerine, watermelon, pear, grape, etc.), red bean soup (soup only), mung bean soup (soup only), silver fungus soup (soup only), lotus seed soup (soup only), red date soup (soup only), and dairy (such as milk; you need to be lactose tolerant).
What is a semi-liquid diet?
A semi-liquid diet refers to eating foods that are semi-liquid, non-irritating, less fibrous, and easy to chew, swallow, and digest. It is recommended that you eat small, frequent meals to ensure nutritional intake. These foods include porridge (such as white porridge, egg porridge, minced meat porridge, egg congee, etc.), noodle soup (such as noodles, noodles, wontons, egg soup, etc.), pureed food (such as mashed meat, mashed vegetables, mashed potatoes, etc.), frothy food (such as minced meat, shredded meat, etc.), and soup (such as steamed egg soup, tofu brain, etc.). A liquid or semi-liquid diet is usually used when you have an attack of the disease, which can help to reduce your symptoms to some extent and facilitate digestion and absorption.
What is dietary fiber?
Dietary fiber comes mainly from the cell walls of plants and contains gum, pectin, lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, etc. It is generally a substance that is difficult to be broken down by human digestive enzymes. It can be divided into water-soluble dietary fiber (such as oats) and non-water-soluble dietary fiber (such as shells, seeds, stems and parts of food that cannot be digested by bacteria).
Soluble dietary fiber has many benefits for people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Simply put, soluble dietary fiber is “fiber that dissolves in water,” which means it has a high capacity to absorb water in the gastrointestinal tract. When soluble dietary fiber passes through the intestinal tract, it produces a gel-like substance that absorbs water, which slows the passage of stool through the intestinal tract, increasing the time it takes for nutrients to be absorbed and reducing diarrhea. Foods that contain soluble dietary fiber include oatmeal, avocados, pumpkin, etc.
Insoluble dietary fiber is not absorbed in water. In essence, insoluble dietary fiber is the opposite of soluble dietary fiber in that it speeds up the passage of stool through the intestinal tract, leading to diarrhea and irritation of the gastrointestinal tract. Insoluble dietary fiber includes cellulose and lignin. Foods that contain this type of fiber include foods containing nut breads, seeds, grains, raisins, cabbage, etc. Peeling and cooking may allow you to tolerate these foods better and have a healthier and more varied diet.
Modifying your dietary fiber intake depending on your disease may be helpful. For example, avoiding hulls, peels, stems and seeds may be important for patients with constipation symptoms, but increasing soluble fiber may also be necessary.
What foods are low in crumbs and low in fiber?
Such as white bread, white rice, bread made from refined white flour, cookies, cakes, dairy products, honey, fruit juices without pulp and pomace (preferably freshly squeezed), fresh unpeeled fruits (e.g. peeled apples, pears, peaches, etc.), cooked vegetables, peeled potatoes, vegetable juices with the pulp removed, tomato paste, etc.
What foods are high in fiber?
Such as bran, wheat, oats, brown rice, nuts, whole wheat bread, raisin bread, bread with added nuts, dairy products with added nuts or whole grains, fruit peels, unripe bananas, raw vegetables, leeks, celery, corn, mushrooms, vegetable juice with leaves, juice with pulp, legumes (such as black beans, green beans, peas, green beans, adzuki beans, chickpeas, etc.), etc.
Do patients with inflammatory bowel disease consume the same amount of fiber in different conditions (e.g., different stages of the disease, presence of strictures, constipation, etc.)? Dietary fiber is equally important for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and the amount consumed needs to be adjusted to your condition. There has been a one-sided emphasis on avoiding fiber in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, but in fact, this view is wrong. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease also need food to provide the necessary fiber content. We believe that for patients in remission or with mild inflammatory bowel disease, except for those with active severe inflammatory bowel disease, we encourage you to eat a moderate amount of fiber-containing foods and vegetables, which can be beneficial to your health. If you have intestinal strictures, thickened intestinal walls (predominantly in patients with Crohn’s disease), or if your disease is active, a low residue, low fiber diet is recommended. If you are a patient with ulcerative colitis with a lesion in the left hemicolon, you are likely to be constipated instead of having diarrhea, in which case you should increase your fiber intake appropriately.
What should I do with my diet if I have intestinal strictures?
If you have intestinal strictures, you will most likely need a low-fiber diet with low residue and avoid hard foods (such as whole peas, whole corn, seeds, etc.). Due to inflammation and thickening of the intestinal wall causing narrowing of the small intestine, large amounts of fiber passing through the narrowed lumen may cause pain. Eating hard foods may not pass through the narrowed intestine, leading to abdominal pain or even intestinal obstruction. In addition, inflammatory bowel constriction may also cause you pain.
Although most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and their daily intake is important for your nutritional intake, you may be able to get around this by changing the way they are cooked. It is recommended that vegetables have their skins, seeds and stems removed, chopped and cooked before eating, either in soup or pureed. Remove the skin and seeds of fruits before eating them, either in juice or as a puree. If the stricture is located at the upper end of your small intestine, the meat should ideally be chopped. Cook by steaming, boiling, stewing, braising, etc. You may need to avoid frying and stir-frying. If you feel that the taste of the food is bland and not appetizing, you can add garlic and onions to flavor the food and remove them at mealtime to enhance appetite and avoid irritation of the intestines. Smaller and more frequent meals (about 5-6 meals per day) and chewing slowly (longer meals for better absorption of nutrients) are the best ways to eat for you. Avoid eating large chunks of undigested food (such as large pieces of cartilage, celery stems, fruit skins and pith parts). Of course, you can ask your doctor for more advice to help you enjoy your diet better.