A Quick View of the IBD-AID Diet

The foods included in this diet have been chosen with the goals of improving your gastrointestinal symptoms and contributing to your health and well-being. 

Here is an example of good foods - if you need to, modify their textures by pureeing:             

Fruits, including avocado	Omega-3 rich eggs
Vegetables	Farmer cheese (Dry curd cottage cheese), aged cheeses like cheddar
Yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, raw honey	Chicken, turkey (skinless)
Oats	Lean beef & other lean meats
Nuts & nut butters	Finfish, shellfish
Flours from nuts & legumes	Legumes – beans, peas, & lentils, tofu
Seeds – flax, hemp, chia, sunflower	Oils – olive, canola, coconut
Milks from soy, almond, oat, hemp, & coconut	Herbs & spices

                                                            

You may be surprised at how many delicious recipes & meals can be prepared from these foods!  To understand why you should choose these foods, it is important to understand the components of the IBD-AID diet. 

There are 4 basic parts to the diet that need to be included on a daily basis:

1) Prebiotics - choose foods that contain prebiotics – these are types of fiber (inulin, beta-glucans) that feed the good bacteria.  Good sources - bananas, blueberries, leeks, onions, garlic, asparagus, artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, spinach, oats, chia, & flax meal.

2) Probiotics - choose fermented foods that contain probiotics – these are beneficial bacteria.  Good sources - yogurt, miso, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and honey.  All of these must have live and active bacterial cultures.  

3) Good Balanced Nutrition – IBD-AID emphasizes the importance of soluble fiber, which helps increase beneficial short chain fatty acids as well as making a gel-like substance to enhance stool consistency and slow gut motility.  This means decreased inflammation, more formed and regular bowel movements.  Because we recognize the importance of soluble fiber (which is a prebiotic), we promote steel-cut oats on the diet.

• Eat a variety of fruit and vegetables. These foods are rich in micronutrients, vitamins, minerals and fiber. You may need to puree and cook these, for better absorption.  These are nutrient dense and essential for healing and anti-inflammatory response.
• Lean proteins and healthy fats.  (beans, nuts, olive oil, avocado, ground flaxseed, fish, soy)
• Avoid Trans fats (store-bought baked goods, anything containing “partially hydrogenated oil”) processed foods and fast food.

Water – as part of nourishing yourself, remember to drink plenty of water every day!  This will help you to more easily tolerate the beneficial fiber in this diet, and will also help to replace fluid losses you may have. Try to have at least 48 fluid ounces (six 8-oz servings) per day, of simple beverages such as water and tea. 

4) Avoidance of Certain Foods:

The IBD-AID diet emphasizes avoidance of certain foods that may be disturbing the normal gut flora. Foods that contain lactose, wheat, refined sugar, and corn are avoided in all phases of the diet. Avoidance can starve out the bad bacteria.

Texture - If you need to, choose ground foods and blend or puree your foods.  You may need to avoid intact fiber, such as found in seeds & stems.  This will depend upon your symptoms, and how you find you do with certain foods.    Pureeing foods may improve your absorption and tolerance of nutrients in the foods. 

 

 

Center for Applied Nutrition - UMass Chan Medical School    2015