Each year, millions of Americans are plagued with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) .  For some, these digestive problems can seem as if they appear overnight.  Unfortunately, once the digestive system becomes compromised, getting it to function properly again can be a daunting and seemingly impossible task.

Main stream medicine often refers to such conditions as IBD, or inflammatory bowel disease.  However, there are various sub categories that can fall under the term “IBD.”  For example, those suffering from ulcerative colitis, leaky gut, crohn’s disease, chronic constipation and diarrhea, celiac disease, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, and diverticulitis all suffer from inflammatory bowel disease.  However, intestinal inflammation is the core problem in all of these named medical conditions.

Those under intense discomfort due to IBD will often take pharmaceutical drugs which they’re told by their doctor must be taken for the rest of their lives.  Regrettably, these pharmaceutical drugs often cause health problems of their own and do not correct the root problem of IBD.  As a result, those who choose medical intervention in order to help combat IBD will never truly correct the root problem of their condition.

Luckily, IBD is not a death sentence.  In fact, there are millions of testimonials of individuals reversing their intestinal condition and becoming symptom free.  Interestingly,  this can all be done naturally through simply diet changes.

In fact, poor diet is almost always the number one factor when it comes to IBD.  It’s for this reason that we created our Intestinal Health Cook Book.  If you suffer from any type of intestinal disorder, the only way to truly correct the disorder is through diet.

With that said, below you will find a thorough explanation of what IBD is, and how to combat it naturally. 

What is Inflammatory bowel disease?

As mentioned before, there are many different sub-category conditions that fall under IBD.  However, despite what most experts will tell you, conditions labeled under IBD are always a result of intestinal inflammation.  However, those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), typically do not exhibit signs of inflammation, but rather suffer from a spastic bowel.

Regardless, all intestinal disorders are a result of poor gut health.  In fact, this condition is practically unknown in other parts of the world and in people who still consume a traditional diet free from processed foods.

To put it simply, those suffering from IBD are experiencing symptoms of intense gut inflammation due to poor diet and poor gut health.  However, once these inflammatory foods are removed from the diet, the intestines are given a chance to heal and return back to optimal function.

What are the Symptoms of IBD?

Since there are many sub-categories that fall underneath IBD, symptoms can vary widely.  However, there seems to be few common symptoms that most will experience when suffering from this intestinal disorder.  Below you will find a small list of symptoms that are typically associated in those suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.

• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Abdominal pain or cramping
• Bloody Stools
• Unintentional Weight Loss
• Poor Appetite
• Constipation

If you suffer from any of these conditions on a regularly basis, there is a possibility that you suffer intestinal inflammation (IBD).  If this is the case, we highly recommend you check our intestinal health solutions page.  Here you will find all the information you need on the proper diet needed to help combat intestinal disorders.

How Diet Contributes to IBD

As mentioned before, diet plays an extremely important role in the development of intestinal disorders.  This is because the Standard American Diet (SAD) contains extremely high amounts of inflammatory foods.  These inflammatory foods can cause severe inflammation in the gut and can completely destroy the health and integrity of the gut microbiome.

7 Specific Foods that Contribute to IBD

1. Grains

Almost all forms of grains are extremely hard on the body’s digestive system.  With the exception of only a few grains, most are extremely inflammatory.  This is because grains, such as wheat, contain anti-nutrients called Phytates.

Although cooking can reduce the amount of phytates present in grains, those with IBD will typically still have trouble with these foods.  Research has shown that the phytates present in wheat not only binds to minerals in the gut, but it also can cause intestinal inflammation (1).  Interestingly, the body will use its own mineral reserves in order to bind to phytates and carry them safely out of the body.  Unfortunately, depending on the amount phytates being consumed, this can lead to mineral deficiencies.

With that said, there are a few “Safe” grains that have extremely low levels of phytates and are considered safe for those with IBD.  In fact, we’ve included some of these grains in our Intestinal Health Cookbook.  However, the majority of individuals suffering from IBD can benefit significantly from removing all grains from the diet.

2. Nuts and Seeds

Just like grains, nuts and seeds contain a fairly large amount of anti-nutrients.  Although, the anti-nutrients present in nuts and seeds are in the form of lectins.  Just like phytates, lectins have been shown through research to have an extremely inflammatory effect on the gut (2).  Often times, allergies to certain types of nuts and seeds is actually a lectin allergy.  This typically occurs when the gut can no longer handle the damaging effects of lectins and symptoms such as food allergies result.

In fact, many of the top allergenic foods are extremely high in lectins.  Cooking naturally reduces some of the lectin content in nuts and seeds, but they can still be problematic for those with intestinal inflammation.

3. Vegetables

Many associate vegetables with “health” but this is not always the case.  In fact, those with IBD may find that vegetables, especially raw, make there symptoms much worse.  This is because vegetables, in particular green leafy vegetables, contain anti-nutrients called oxalates.  Research has shown that oxalates can disrupt normal gut function and can contribute to intestinal inflammation (3).

This becomes extremely confusing for most because many associate green foods such as salads as “healthy.”  However, these types of foods offer no real nourishment to the body and can severely aggravate an individual with inflamed intestines.  Interestingly, consuming raw vegetables such as big salads is pretty much absent in the rest of the world besides America.  In fact, Traditional Chinese Medicine often warns about the damaging effects raw foods such as vegetables can have on the body.

4. Processed Foods

Processed foods can wreak havoc on the intestines and in those dealing with IBD.  Many processed foods contain extremely high amounts of synthetic ingredients which can lead to intestinal inflammation.  In particular, most processed foods contain dietary emulsifiers.

Research has shown that dietary emulsifiers present in processed foods can cause intestinal inflammation and have been linked to metabolic disorders such as diabetes (4).  It’s for this reason that if you suffer from intestinal inflammation you will want to avoid processed foods at all costs.  This means consuming only foods that you would find growing naturally in nature.

5. Vegetable Oils

Vegetable oils can be extremely damaging to the gut lining and contribute to poor overall health.  Most vegetable oils are extremely high in omega 6, but low in omega 3.  This is problematic because experts recommend having a ratio of 1:1 of omega 3 to omega 6.  Unfortunately, the majority of the population has a ratio of 1:20 to 1:30.

When too many omega 6’s are consumed in the absence of omega 3’s, inflammatory conditions of the body can develop.  Also, vegetable oils can become rancid fairly quickly and essentially become toxic to the body.  The worst is when these oils are used to cook with.  Cooking vegetable oils such as soy, flax, canola, grape seed, and corn oil can create toxic byproducts which can contribute to inflammation in the body.  In fact, research has shown that individuals who use vegetable oils regularly are more likely to suffer from inflammatory conditions in the body (5).

6. Sugar

Sugar is one of the worst foods you can have if you suffer from IBD.  This is because sugar can feed pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungus in the gut such as candida.  When this occurs, these pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungus can overtake the gut microbiome and begin to release toxic byproducts.  Once the gut has become overtaken with these pathogens, reversing the condition can be extremely difficult.

Interestingly, recent research has shown that the majority of patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) almost always suffered from a candida overgrowth in the gut (6).  Again, sugar is the main fuel source of these pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungus such as candida.

7. Hybridized Fruits

Like sugar, hybridized fruits can feed pathogens in the gut.  This is because modern fruit contains an abundance of sugar in the form of fructose.  It’s important to understand that modern fruits are a byproduct of man; such fruits do not occur naturally in nature.

In fact, the body was never designed to handle large amounts of fructose which is present in all hybridized fruits.  All wild fruit is extremely low in fructose and is only a seasonal item.  Research has shown that diets high in fructose can contribute to fatty liver disease in the body (7).

It’s for this reason that is recommended that you only consume local fruit that is in season.  Also, choosing seasonal fruit that has not been overly hybridized, such as most berries, is an extremely good idea for those with IBD.

What is The Best Diet for IBD?

As mentioned before, if you suffer from IBD we highly recommend you head over to our Intestinal Health Solutions Page for a detailed diet outline that you should be following.  However, avoiding all foods such as the ones listed above can have a dramatic effect on improving intestinal inflammation.  Typically, this means following a diet rich in foods that will not irritate the gut lining and will initiate repair.

For your convenience, we’ve created a small table of the best foods for IBD.  These foods will not contribute to inflammation in the gut and can help in the repair process.

You may have noticed that the majority of the foods listed in this table are animal foods.  This is because animal foods contain all the building blocks necessary in order to initiate repair and healing in the gut.  Also, it should be mentioned that animal foods do not contain anti-nutrients.

As mentioned before, anti-nutrients, such as the ones found in almost all plant foods, play a significant role in the development of intestinal inflammation and IBD.  It’s for this reason that the an emphasis on high quality organic animal foods can be great for those suffering from digestive woes.

With that said, it’s imperative that you always choose organic, grass-fed, and wild caught when purchasing animal foods.  Conventional animal foods are full of antibiotics which can actually make intestinal inflammation worse!  In fact, once all junk food is cut out of the diet and replaced with quality gut healing foods, the cost difference is minimal. 

How Antibiotics Can Contribute to IBD

As well as following a poor diet, the overuse of antibiotics can also contribute to individuals developing a digestive disorder.  This is because antibiotics not only kill bad bacteria, but they also kill off all the good bacteria.  When this occurs, the gut is left more susceptible to developing bacterial and fungal overgrowth’s which can cause intestinal inflammation.

It’s important to understand that the good bacteria in the gut help keep the bad bacteria, yeast, and fungus in check.  Unfortunately,  when the gut is absent of good bacteria, the likelihood of developing a digestive disorder due to pathogenic overgrowth’s increases.

It’s for this reason that we do not recommend antibiotics to anyone suffering from IBD.  Although they may offer short term relief, in the long run they almost always make the problem much worse.  Again, this is because antibiotics kill off all the good bacteria colonies in the gut.

IBD and Nutritional Deficiencies

Another big problem that IBD sufferers face are nutritional deficiencies.  This is because when the intestines are inflamed, they lose their ability to properly absorb nutrients from food.  It’s for this reason that many with intestinal health issues often suffer from mal-absorption issues as well.

This can lead to a whole cascade of health problems since many of the necessary vitamins and minerals required for optimal health will be missing from the diet.  Depending on how long the individual has been suffering from his/her condition, correcting these nutritional deficiencies can be extremely difficult. 

In fact, the only true way to correct such nutritional deficiencies is to reduce intestinal inflammation.  Once the gut is healed and intestinal inflammation has been reduced, the gut will once again be able to absorb the necessary vitamins and minerals from food.

Cook All Your Meals!

If you’re a suffer of intestinal inflammation, it’s imperative that you begin to cook all of your own meals at home.  This allows you to control all the ingredients that go into your food.  It also lowers the risk of consuming ingredients that can aggravate your intestinal inflammation.

Although this may seem like a lot for some, cooking all your own meals really isn’t that bad.  In fact, we created our Intestinal Health Cookbook in order to help individuals prepare delicious and gut friendly meals that both taste good and are good for you!  We highly recommend our cook book to anyone new to cooking their own meals, or for anyone looking for gut friendly recipes.

However, in our experience, those suffering from IBD must refrain from constantly eating out.  Proper healing cannot take place until all problematic inflammatory foods are removed from the diet.  The only way to truly remove these problematic foods from the diet is to ensure that you are preparing your own meals at home.

Where to Begin?

At this point, you may be overwhelmed with the abundance of information on this page.  This is quite alright and we highly recommend you continue to search through this website to learn more about IBD.  However, it’s important that you begin to take the necessary steps in order to initiate the healing process.

Again, visiting our Intestinal Health Solutions Page can put you on the right track and will provide you with the information you need in order to naturally combat IBD.  Also, it’s highly recommended that you remove all problematic foods such as the ones previously listed on this page.  Once these foods are removed, gauge how your body feels.  Most of the time individuals report dramatic improvements in their condition just by removing these foods alone.

With that said, in order to get the most benefit, we highly recommend you follow a diet that will support the gut and naturally reduce intestinal inflammation.