If you’re on this page, chances are you suffer from poor digestive health that has plagued your life.  Also, if you’re on this page you’ve probably came to the conclusion that most medical treatments do not work and offer no long term solution to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Luckily, there is a natural solution for those suffering with IBD.  In fact, there are thousands of individuals who have reversed their condition all by simply changing diet.  This is because conditions such as IBD are always a direct result of poor diet and poor gut health.

Fortunately, we’ve put together a list of the best foods for IBD and intestinal health.  It’s important that if you suffer from IBD, or any other digestive disorder, that you begin to use the information contained on this page to better yourself.  Also, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to visit our homepage to understand why you are suffering from poor intestinal health in the first place.

How Diet can Influence IBD

As mentioned on our IBD homepage, there are various foods which can contribute to intestinal inflammation.  Many of these foods are part of the plant kingdom and contain high amounts of anti-nutrients.  For those unaware, anti-nutrients can have an extremely damaging effect on the gut and can effectively strip away the protective mucosal lining of the intestines.

This mucosal lining protects the intestines from damage and protects the intestines from becoming inflamed.  However, those with IBD can have damage to their mucosal lining and will almost always suffer from intense  intestinal inflammation.  Again, plant anti-nutrients play an extremely important role in removal and deterioration of the mucosal lining.

Furthermore, inflammatory foods such as vegetable oils, sugar, processed foods, and fast food can also disrupt this beneficial gut lining.  Interestingly, those suffering with IBD almost never make the connection that what they’re eating is causing their digestive woes.  Also, it should be mentioned that the overuse of antibiotics can severely damage the gut lining and can lead to serious digestive disorders overtime.

The Best Diet for IBD

When trying to take back control of the microbiome and restore digestive health, it’s important that you remove all problematic foods from the diet.  If inflammatory foods remain in the diet, the intestines will not fully heal and symptoms of poor intestinal health will often remain.  It’s for this reason that you will want to make sure that you are consuming gut friendly foods such as the ones list below in the table.

**All Food Should be ORGANIC!

Your diet should consist of the following foods above.  You may have noticed that there is an extremely high emphasis on high quality animal foods and animal fats.  This is because high quality animal foods and animal products have the most beneficial effect on the gut.  They also contain all the nutrients required in order to initiate intestinal repair.

It’s highly recommended that you limit your plant food intake as these foods always come with gut irritating anti-nutrients.  If your going to have vegetables, make sure they’re thoroughly cooked in some form of healthy fat.  Cooking can help significantly lower the anti-nutrient content found in these foods.

Also, high quality animal organs from a reputable source can have extremely beneficial effects on the health of the digestive system.  It wasn’t by chance that Native American tribes prized the organ meats.  In fact, due to their ability to build and restore the body, organs were often reserved for only the male hunters.

Liver, kidneys, and heart all make excellent choices.  If you’re struggling to find high quality versions of these foods in your area, we highly recommend US wellness Meats.  Also, for those interested in gut friendly recipe ideas that adhere to the list above, be sure to get our Intestinal Health Cookbook!

Foods to Avoid if you Have IBD

As you begin to consume more gut friendly foods such as the ones listed above in the table, you will want to make sure that you stay clear of the foods listed below.  These foods have been proven to be extremely inflammatory and should not be consumed by anyone with intestinal disorders.  Overtime, some of these foods may be re-introduced into the diet once the gut has fully healed.  However, it’s best to avoid these foods in the beginning.

• All Wheat Products and Grains
• Processed Foods
• Vegetable Oils
• Sugar
• Hybridized Fruit
• Starchy Vegetables (potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, etc.)
• Soft Drinks
• All forms of Alcohol
• All Raw Vegetables
• Nuts and Seeds
• Soy

All of the foods listed above can cause serious intestinal inflammation if consumed in excess.  In fact, simply removing all of the foods listed above can cause dramatic shifts and improvements in intestinal health.  Don’t fall into the trap of leaving some of these foods in your diet.  It’s imperative that all these foods are removed from the diet until the health of the gut is restored.

Why Sugar is Your Worst Enemy

In our opinion, sugar has no place in the human diet.  In fact, diets high in sugar will actually leach minerals from the individuals body in order to help cope with its toxic effects.  Also, sugar is the main fuel source of pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungus found in the gut.

In particular, a pathogenic fungus called Candida can contribute significantly to digestive disorders.  This is because candida releases several different toxic byproducts into the gut which can cause serious inflammation.  It also disrupts the body’s immune system due to its negative influence on the health of the gut.

Research has shown that the majority of our immune system is dependent on the health and integrity of our gut (1).  Unfortunately, those with candida overgrowth have serious imbalances in the gut and often suffer from a poor immune system as a result.  It should be mentioned that candida exhibits a sugar metabolism and requires sugar in order to survive and multiply.

Its for this reason that those suffering from IBD often display negative symptoms after eating something containing sugar.  Even high carbohydrate foods are often problematic for those suffering from IBD.  In fact, there is research showing positive results in patients suffering from digestive disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) when a low carbohydrate diet is put into place (2).

Fruits are Healthy, Right?

Those suffering from IBD may be surprised to hear the truth about fruits.  In fact, almost all modern fruit available to us in the grocery store has undergone a hybridization process.  Even if the fruit is organic, it most likely has undergone man made modification through selective breeding.

For those unaware, fruits that grow in the wild are extremely small, seedy, and low in a sugar.  Also, these fruits only occur for a short period of time and were traditionally consumed as seasonal food items.  At no time in history were large amounts of fruits ever present in the diets of tribes or cultures who lived primarily off the land.

Unfortunately, thanks to importation and hybridization, big sugary fruits are now available to the public year round.  Although this sounds nice, the negative effects these types of fruits can have on the body are alarming.  This is because modern fruit contains extremely high amounts of the sugar known as fructose.

Research has already proven that diets high in fructose can trigger an inflammatory response in the body (3).  Not to mention fructose can be extremely damaging to the liver and can actually contribute to fatty liver disease (4).

Like sugar, fructose can cause negative changes in the gut microbiome.  It’s for this reason that only seasonal fruits that have not undergone intense hybridization are recommend for those with IBD.  That being said, most types of berries have not been overly hybridized and are typically good choices for those with IBD.

The Problem with Starchy Carbohydrates

As mentioned before, those with IBD will most likely struggle with starchy carbohydrate foods.  Although there are several possible reasons why this occurs, the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria and fungus is likely the cause.  Not to mention many of the starchy foods such as wheat, potatoes, rice, yams, and pasta all contain anti-nutrients which can further irritate an already inflamed intestinal tract.

Interestingly, research has shown amazing success in patients suffering from IBD who restrict fermentable carbohydrates from the diet (FODMAPs) and who adhere to a more low carbohydrate style of eating (5).  Basically, anything containing high amounts of starch will ferment in the gut and increase the permeability of the gut.  By restricting starchy carbohydrates, we give time for the gut to properly heal and return to its optimal function.

Furthermore, high carbohydrate foods have a tendency to feed fungus such as candida in the gut.  Again, candida operates on a sugar metabolism and requires sugar in order to survive and multiply.  High carbohydrate foods can feed candida due to their nature of breaking down into simple sugars in the body.  Unfortunately, when this pathogenic fungus is overgrown, the intestines naturally become inflamed due to the high amount of toxins that are released by candida.

The Power of Fermented Foods

If you’re currently suffering from a chronic digestive disorder, fermented foods could be your best friend.  This is because fermented foods such as kefir, miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, and yogurt contain probiotics which can help repopulate the gut.  The probiotics found in these foods can help re-balance the gut microbiome and reduce intestinal inflammation caused by pathogenic yeast, fungus, and bacteria.

Don’t waste your money on expensive probiotics which often times don’t work and are limited on the number of strains of bacteria in which it contains.  It’s been estimated that a tablespoon of raw sauerkraut contains around 6 billion living microorganisms!  It should be mentioned that these microorganisms are extremely robust and can survive the harsh environment of the stomach.

That being said, it’s important to take it slow when first introducing fermented foods into your diet.  It’s not uncommon to experience negative symptoms when first introducing these powerful foods into the diet.  If this occurs, you need to reduce your intake to a dose that your body can tolerate.

Also, it’s important that you avoid fermented foods that have undergone pasteurization.  For those unaware, pasteurization is when heat is applied in order to kill off “bad bacteria.” Unfortunately, the pasteurization process defeats the purpose of consuming fermented foods in the first place; to increase your bacteria (probiotic) intake!

Watch Out for Histamine Intolerance

In our experience, many who suffer from IBD often also suffer from a histamine intolerance.  Histamine intolerance is when the body reacts poorly to foods containing high amounts of histamine.  In fact, many food allergies are actually a result of histamine intolerance.  Unfortunately, many healthy foods such as ferments and bone broth are relatively high in histamine.

This poor reaction to histamine containing foods is often times related to the gut.  Although there are instances where histamine intolerance can be genetic, most of the time it’s gut related.  That being said, there are various reasons why an individual with IBD may be suffering from histamine intolerance.

The biggest culprit is fungal overgrowth’s such as candida.  This is because candida naturally stimulates the body’s mast cells which in return releases high amounts of histamine in the body (6).  The body uses this histamine in order to launch an immune system attack against the fungus.  However, when poor diet is allowing candida thrive and survive, the body will be stuck in a viscous cycle of releasing histamine in order to try an combat this pathogenic fungus.  This can lead to histamine overload in the body and can contribute to an individual becoming histamine intolerant.

It’s for this reason that many IBD suffers may do well by limiting the amount of histamine containing foods they consume.  Luckily, once the gut is re-balanced through proper diet, many of these histamine containing foods can be re-introduced back into the diet.

Below is small list of histamine containing foods:

• Avocado
• Fish
• Fermented Foods
• Bone Broth
• Eggs
• Banana
• Alcohol
• Cured Meats
• Vinegar
• Aged Cheeses
• Dried Fruits

How Long Do I Need to Eat This Type of Diet?

If you’re a long time sufferer of intestinal inflammation, following the recommend diet above may need to be followed for some time.  However, it’s important not to look at this as diet, rather, look at it as a lifestyle change.  In fact, once your body begins to feel better and better health is achieved, we can almost guarantee you will have little to no desire to go back to your old eating habits.

With that said, once the gut is properly healed and intestinal inflammation is reduced, the gut will be more equipped to handle the problematic foods that can cause intestinal disorders.  That being said, it may take time to fully restore the health of the intestines.  Typically, digestive disorder do not occur overnight and adequate amounts of time is required in order reduce the inflammation.

Strategies for Sticking to the Diet

When you begin to transition into a more appropriate IBD eating plan, sticking to this new way of eating can be extremely difficult in the beginning.  In fact, it’s not uncommon for individuals to discontinue the diet thinking they are better only find that symptoms return full force.  However, once the gut microbiome is re-balanced, your body will begin to naturally crave the foods that are good for your intestinal health.

In order to make this transition as easy as possible, we have created our Intestinal Health Cookbook to help those new to this way of eating.   Our cook book contains over 20 different mouth watering recipes that both taste good and are good for you!  We highly recommend our cook book to anyone worried about sticking to the diet, or for anyone who wants delicious and healthy recipes!

Also, for those dealing with sugar cravings, we highly recommend you soothe these cravings with raw honey.  Although raw honey contains sugar, it will not inflame the intestines or feed pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungus in the gut.  In fact, research has shown that raw honey contains both anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties and can help inhibit the growth of pathogenic fungus such as candida (7).

Putting it all Together

If you suffer from IBD, it’s important that you understand that this is not a death sentence.  In fact, thousands of individuals suffering from IBD have reversed their condition through proper diet and re-balancing the gut microbiome.  With that said, healing is often slow and subtle.

Staying positive is extremely important during the healing process and can dramatically effect the speed in which you recover.  This is because both the gut and brain are interconnected and are constantly giving and receiving feedback to each other (8).

So, be sure to try out the diet recommendation laid out above and let us know how it goes!