Tips for Enjoying Fruits and Veggies While Living with IBD

Living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can make it difficult to know which foods will help you feel your best.

For many people with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, foods known for their health benefits, like fruits and vegetables, can trigger symptoms of their disease. Fruits and veggies can be especially tricky for many people with IBD to digest because of their high fiber content and texture. People with IBD have different experiences with fruits and veggies, and they can also tolerate food differently depending on the status of their disease, whether they’re experiencing an IBD flare or in remission. 

While it can be a journey to figure out which foods you tolerate well and support your remission, the good news is there are ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables with IBD.

Start soft

For people looking to reincorporate fruit and vegetables into their diet, softer textured choices are often a good place to start. 

Gastroenterologist and IBD specialist Dr. Stephanie Gold recommends bananas or avocados to her patients. Avocados are especially great for anyone looking to gain weight; they’re bursting with nutrients and wholesome fat. Eating peeled potatoes can be a gentle way to introduce vegetables into your diet. There are many ways to enjoy them, whether mashed, oven-roasted, or even as French fries.

Registered dietitian and IBD specialist Rachel Dyckman suggests soft melons like papaya and peeled ripe peaches. They’re packed with nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.

Modifying texture makes a difference

For those with active IBD symptoms, an ileostomy, or a stricture, Dr. Gold recommends texture modification to incorporate fruits and vegetables into the diet. This means changing the consistency of foods by methods such as peeling, steaming, or pureeing. 

Steaming vegetables to ensure they’re fork tender, blending fruits into a smoothie, or pureeing vegetables into a soup are great options. Through these methods, more fibrous fruits and vegetables become much easier to digest.

Dyckman likes to have her patients think about foods fitting through a strainer. If the food particle size is small, you’re more likely to tolerate it. 

Texture modification is a simple change that can make all the difference.

Don’t underestimate canned and frozen options

It’s a common misconception that frozen produce isn’t as nutrient-dense as fresh produce. However, they are frozen at peak ripeness, which preserves all their vitamins and minerals, making frozen fruit and vegetables great choices. Once thawed, they’re soft and super nutritious.

Typically, canned and frozen options come peeled and chopped, and they have expanded storage life, making them a less expensive option.

For more information, visit the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s diet and nutrition resources. 

Browse more than 500 gut-friendly recipes, offering nutritious, dietitian-approved meals for people with IBD.

You can make an impact on IBD cures! Please consider making a donation to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.