Nutrition In Children With Crohn’s Disease
In Crohn’s disease it is important to eat a specific diet to relieve symptoms and avoid flare-ups. Therefore, if your child suffers from this disease, here we show you what the diet should be in children with Crohn’s disease.
What diet should children with Crohn’s disease eat?
What is Crohn’s disease?
Crohn’s disease is a type of chronic inflammatory bowel disease whose origin, although attributed to different factors, is unknown. It is more common in young adults, although it can also affect children.
What are the symptoms?
It is characterized by the inflammation of the mucosa of a delimited area of the intestine, which can lead to injuries in it and whose appearance is unpredictable. Presenting with alternation of more or less prolonged outbreaks during which the disease activity stabilizes.
Crohn’s disease can present symptoms and complications that affect the patient’s quality of life, especially during exacerbations. The main symptoms that can appear in Crohn’s disease in children are intestinal:
- Abdominal pain.
- Frequent stools, chronic diarrhea.
- Damage to the anal region (fissures, fistulas, abscesses).
- Tiredness.
- Lack of appetite, weight loss that often occurs at the same time as flare-ups.
Diet in Crohn’s disease
Epidemiological studies have proven that there are certain foods that have a protective factor. Instead. the consumption of other foods increases the cases of the disease.
For example, breastfeeding has been shown to be a protective factor in the onset of the disease, as this article published in Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics shows, possibly due to the benefits that milk transmits through the immunoglobulins and antibodies produced by the mother, as well as breast milk has oligosaccharides, which promote the growth of beneficial bacteria for the intestine.
Feeding guidelines for children with Crohn’s disease vary depending on whether they are asymptomatic or have an outbreak.
Diet in the remission or asymptomatic phase
Foods to avoid
- Flatulent foods such as cabbage, cauliflower, whole grains, carbonated drinks, legumes with skin.
- Sausages.
- Butter, milk and cheese.
- Sorbitol foods : candy, gum, drinks light .
Foods to enhance
- Blue fish, rich in omega 3. Omega 3 has a protective effect in this disease, since it is anti-inflammatory.
- White fish, white meat and pork that is lean.
- Avocado and olive oil, as they are rich in vitamin E, which helps keep the internal mucous membranes of the digestive system hydrated.
- Papaya, mango, carrot, pumpkin, for their contribution in beta-carotene.
- Probiotic foods, such as yogurt or kefir, if tolerated.
Diet during a Crohn’s flare
When there are outbreaks in the child, you have to modify the diet depending on the discomfort you have. Normally, the diet at this stage should be hypercaloric, low in fat and high in protein, with low fiber content, anti-inflammatory, hydrating and easily digestible. The recommendations are as follows:
- Avoid the consumption of insoluble fiber from whole grains, fruit skins and legumes skins.
- Do not eat foods rich in saturated and animal fat : butter, margarine, cream, red meat, cold cuts, pastries, cheeses.
- Eat a gluten-free and lactose-free diet, especially if there is diarrhea.
- Eat foods that provide soluble fiber in small amounts : quince paste, boiled or roasted apple and pear, boiled carrot.
- Hydrate through: water, vegetable broth or oral serum.
Feeding in children with Crohn’s disease. Nutritional complications
A child with Crohn’s disease may be underweight and stunted. Deficiencies of some specific nutrients are also common, resulting in problems such as anemia or low bone mineral density. So, if your child is underweight, keep these recommendations in mind:
- Instead of drinking milk alone, it is better for the child to drink a milk shake, fruit and cereal.
- The fruit can be accompanied with yogurt, if you tolerate it, and grated nuts.
- Be generous with the oil you add to your meals.
- It includes foods with a pasty texture, sometimes they are better tolerated.
- Add homemade sauces to meat or fish, without the base being neither milk nor cream.
It is a complicated disease, since it varies depending on each child and in the phase in which they are, so do not forget to consult a professional.
