What are Appropriate Dinners for a Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis Patient?

Do you have a good friend or family member you would like to invite over for dinner who has Crohn's or ulcerative colitis? If you aren't familiar with a Crohn's and colitis diet you may not know what to serve. You don't want to serve anything that will be difficult on your friend's digestive track. On the other hand, you'd like to serve an appetizing meal.

Don't worry. While Crohn's and colitis diets are restricted they need not be bland. Hot seasoning and peppers are definitely off the menu, but there are other appetizing foods that will make for a fulfilling and pleasant meal.

One of the best books related to diet and nutrition for Crohn's and ulcerative colitis patients is What to Eat with IBD, by Tracie Dalessandro, MS, RD, CDN. I recently attended an ulcerative colitis forum at which Tracie Dalessandro was one of the featured speakers. Diagnosed with Crohn's Tracie altered her life course to study diet and nutrition as it relates to Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Her mission is to assist Crohn's and colitis patients in developing a nutritious diet that will help them keep their disease in remission, and offer hope and encouragement to those who have Crohn's by sharing her own life's story.

Drawing from What to Eat with IBD, by Tracie Dalessandro, enjoy preparing and serving some excellent menu items for Crohn's and ulcerative colitis patients. All of your guests will enjoy the meal and no one will know that it has been special prepared.

Bread is probably one of the top items on your menu. Be careful in your selection of bread. Whole grain breads and breads with seed and nuts are filled with insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber, as the name implies, does not dissolve well in the digestive system. Passage of insoluble fiber through the digestive tract of a Crohn's or colitis patient can increase irritation.

Selections of breads appropriate to Crohn's and ulcerative colitis patients include white, potato, soft oatmeal and sourdough breads.

Speaking of insoluble fiber, nuts, and grains, keep them out of your menu completely. For example if you are serving an appetizer with cheese and fruit do not serve whole grain crackers. Stick with Ritz®, Keebler ® Townhouse or plain saltine crackers. With enough creativity you can dress up a fruit and veggie tray with these common crackers.

A good selection of fruit to include on your appetizer tray includes pe4eled apple, apricot, avocado, banana, cantaloupe and other melons, nectarines, peaches and pears. Avoid fruits with fibrous insides or external seeds, like berries, tangerines, kiwi and grapefruit.

When it comes to serving the main course, we'll start with vegetables. Vegetables that are so often served cause tremendous gas and pressure in Crohn's and colitis patients. Beans, broccoli, cabbage, celery, onions and turnips should be avoided. Vegetables to serve your guests with Crohn's or ulcerative colitis should always be cooked, and cooked soft, not steamed. Excellent selections of cooked vegetables include acorn squash, asparagus, butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato, mushrooms and tomato, without seeds.

When cooking with oils, try to use olive oil or canola oil for the maximum benefit of your friend or friends with IBDs.

Pork, fish, and chicken, lightly seasoned and not spicy, are among the best choices of meat to serve an ulcerative colitis or Crohn's patient. Red meat is difficult to digest. It may cause gas, and if not chewed thoroughly can contribute to severe pain. Bacon, sausage, ribs and hotdogs are not good choices for IBD sufferers.

Armed with some of the foods that are beneficial and some that cause gastrointestinal problems you should be able to create a meal with very little problem.

There are several great IBD cookbooks on the market. I highly recommend Tracie Dalessandro's What to Eat with IBD, check www.roadtouclearning.com for more information about the author and the book.