Many Crohn's disease sufferers find an elimination diet to be effective for controlling symptoms they experience with the disease. If symptoms can be effectively controlled by a diet, Crohn's sufferers may be able to put the disease in remission, allowing them to live a more normal life. Many foods can cause irritation that triggers diarrhea and abdominal cramping. Some common foods that have been known to induce diarrhea include, but are not limited to: Food high in acidity (IE. Red meat, fired food, natural and artificial sugars) Food high in fiber (IE. raw vegetables and fruit, beans, corn, popcorn, etc.) Dairy products (IE. eggs, milk, ice cream, cream, butter) Foods high in trans-fat (IE. processed foods) Alcohol Caffeine You will notice that some of the food listed above provides your body with essential nutrients it needs to remain healthy. Since you can't eliminate essential nutrients from your diet, you need to create a well-balanced diet without further irritating your Crohn's symptoms. Is this possible? Of course! However, before you can create a well-balanced diet that works, you need to first discover what foods need to be eliminated from your diet. In order to accomplish this, you need to create a food journal. Creating a food journal is easy and only takes about 5 minutes to complete per each meal you eat. You will need a pen or pencil and a small notebook you can take with you wherever you go for this project. A good idea is to organize your food journal so that each page contains 8 columns (Use one page per day) - Column 1 Food Quantity" Estimate how much food you eat. Record the size (inches/cm), weight (ounces/grams), volume (cups/liters) or number of pieces of food you ingested during the day. Note: Be honest and include all snacks, even if it was a little midnight snack of two grapes. Column 2 Food type" What type of food did you eat? Be as specific as possible and don't forget to include the condiments (IE. ketchup, mayo, salad dressing, etc.). Column 3 Time" - What time during the day did you eat the food? Column 4 Where I ate my Meal" Write down where you ate your food. Did you have it at the dining table, standing over the counter, at a restaurant, etc. Column 5 Who did I eat with?" Record who you ate your food with. Column 6 What was I doing?" Write down what sort of activity you were engaged in while eating. Were you driving, reading, watching TV, walking, etc? Column 7 How did I feel" Write down what mood you were in while you were eating. Did you feel stressed, sad, happy etc? Column 8 Symptoms" Record any symptoms you had during or after you ate (IE, diarrhea, gas, bloating, cramps, stomach upset, heartburn, etc.) It is important for you to be as honest as possible when creating the journal. You'd be surprised to find out that emotions can play a role in the way your body reacts to digestion. After a couple of weeks, make an appointment with your doctor and bring your journal so he or she can review it. Your doctor can help you establish a diet that works specifically for you based on your analysis. Although an elimination diet will not cure Crohn's disease, a diet that has been designed to personally benefit someone, and is faithfully followed, has a higher chance of decreasing the negative effects of the disease.
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