5 Diets for IBD & Gut Inflammation

As someone who started their holistic health journey as a teen to help keep IBD under control, it’s easy to say that I have been my own health guinea pig who has tried and tested almost every “healthy diet” under the sun for the last 20 years and am still open to trying any kind of “diet” if the science behind it proves sound and promising.

For the record, the term “diet” is one that I do not advocate or regularly use, as healthy eating should form more a part of your lifestyle than a yo-yo type of eating a certain way with dietary rules “diet”, and then changing back to “normal”. However, there are exceptions where there are specific ways of eating such as we’ll discuss below, where using a “diet” as a tool for a period of time can prove to be beneficial to your health, so long as we do not form unhealthy, unrealistic thoughts around it.

Here are 5 diets, or ways of eating I regularly recommend to clients with gastrointestinal inflammation that I have also personally tried myself after studying the research over the years. Each has shown to help reduce the symptoms of IBD, support nutrient absorption and promote overall gut health including improvements in symptoms of IBS, and other common gut issues caused by inflammation which may lead to microbiome imbalance and in many cases even Autoimmune disease:

Here are the 5 Diets

Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

The SCD is an elimination diet that emphasizes the removal of certain types of carbohydrate-containing foods based on their chemical structure. The governing theory behind the SCD is that complex carbs encourage an overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria in your small intestine if you have IBD.

As these bacteria grow, they produce by-products that promote inflammation and eventually lead to reduced absorption of nutrients in your digestive tract. The SCD claims to inhibit the growth of such bacteria and restore digestive function by eliminating all carbohydrate food sources that have two or more linked sugar molecules (di-, oligo- and polysaccharides).

The diet labels any food or food additive “illegal” that contains two or more chemically linked sugar molecules. The SCD guidebook, “Breaking the Vicious Cycle,” collectively refers to these foods as complex carbs.

As you can imagine, the list of banned foods is extensive. Here are a few of the main groups of illegal foods:

• Potatoes

• Grains and pseudo grains, including rice, wheat, corn, quinoa, millet, etc.

• Processed foods and meats with additives

• Dairy, except some cheese, butter and homemade yogurt that has been fermented for at least 24 hours

• Most legumes, though certain dried beans and lentils are permitted after soaking

• Most processed sugar, artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols

• Processed foods

Autoimmune Paleo (AIP)

The AIP diet focuses on removing foods from the diet that people are commonly sensitive to, in order to lower overall inflammation.

The AIP diet is a version of the original Paleo diet which addresses underlying inflammation stemming from the gut and can be a major driver of autoimmune disease. The AIP diet aims to bring the gut microbiota back into balance, whilst optimizing overall nutrient intake.

The traditional Paleo diet eliminates all grains and processed foods. It focuses on whole, nutrient-dense foods, such as fruit and vegetables, organic meats, eggs, and wild-caught fish. However, this is often not comprehensive enough for chronic autoimmune diseases, as not enough of the immune triggers are removed.

Low FODMAP Diet

Put simply, FODMAPs refers to certain sugars known to trigger digestive problems.

The acronym stands for:

• Fermentable – meaning they are broken down (fermented) by bacteria in the large bowel

• Oligosaccharides – “oligo” means “few” and “saccharide” means sugar. These molecules are made up of individual sugars joined together in a chain

• Disaccharides – “di” means two. This is a double sugar molecule

• Monosaccharides – “mono” means single. This is a single sugar molecule

• And Polyols – these are sugar alcohols (however, they don’t lead to intoxication!)

A low FODMAP diet, or FODMAP elimination diet, refers to a temporary eating pattern that has a very low amount of these sugar compounds. The aim of this diet is to eliminate digestive symptoms by eliminating all FODMAPs, then reintroducing them gradually to see what’s triggering the symptoms.

The GAPS Diet

The Gut and Psychology (GAPS) Diet is similar to Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), ketogenic, paleo, and primal nutritional protocols with the biggest differences in dairy and macronutrient ratios. The GAPS Diet should be tailored to support individual health and lifestyle needs. Generally, 85% of what you consume daily on the Full GAPS Diet should be made out of meats (including organ meats), fish, stocks/broths, eggs, fermented dairy (if well tolerated), and vegetables (well cooked, raw, and fermented). Baked goods made from nut and/or seed flours and fruit are allowed on Full GAPS but should be consumed in moderation

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Is another elimination diet I recommend to many who present with symptoms of food sensitivity. It removes high sensitive foods such as gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, shellfish, nightshade vegetables and legumes from the diet for a period of 21 days before reintroducing them back in one at a time while monitoring symptoms in a diet and symptom diary.

When we review the food and symptom diary, we are able to ascertain which foods the individual may be sensitive to and thereby remove these foods from the diet for a period of time to reduce or avoid the inflammation they may cause to the GIT.

This is a sixth diet that I do not usually recommend, however, a Parenteral diet where food is replaced with specifically designed liquid nutrition in order to rest the gut for a period of time is another commonly used treatment to help more severe cases of IBD. Studies have shown this form of nutrition is most suitable and effective for children and teens with IBD, which have shown the most improvement.

If you would like more information on how to manage your IBD or gut inflammation through mindful, holistic nutrition, please contact me for a chat and we can discuss the most suitable approach to take for your individual health and lifestyle needs.

*Disclaimer* Any change to your diet should always be recommended after consulting with a medical professional, and continually seeking guidance and additional support from them to monitor any changes, and include nutrient supplementation to avoid nutrient deficiencies. This information is provided for education purposes and should not be used in place of a cure or treatment for any disease(s).

In health and love

Deena x