What is the anti-inflammatory diet for Crohn's disease?

November 13, 2025 •

4 min read

According to research, intestinal dysbiosis and dietary triggers play a significant role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) flare-ups. A structured approach, often referred to as the anti-inflammatory diet for Crohn's disease, can help modulate gut bacteria and manage symptoms effectively.

Quick Summary

This guide details the principles of the anti-inflammatory diet for Crohn's disease, including which foods to eat and avoid during active disease and remission to support gut health.

Key Points

IBD-AID Focuses on Gut Health: The diet aims to restore a balanced gut microbiome by emphasizing probiotics and prebiotics while restricting inflammatory foods.
Dietary Changes Vary by Disease State: Foods that are tolerated during remission, such as certain whole grains and fibers, may need to be avoided during an active flare-up.
Avoid Processed Carbs and Unhealthy Fats: Limiting foods high in refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and processed carbohydrates helps reduce overall inflammation and supports gut recovery.
Prioritize Nutrient Density and Hydration: During a flare, focus on easily digestible, nutrient-dense foods like pureed vegetables and lean proteins, and stay well-hydrated, especially if experiencing diarrhea.
Customize Your Approach: Work with a healthcare provider or dietitian to create a personalized plan, as there is no universal Crohn's diet, and individual tolerance varies greatly.
Consider Lifestyle Factors: Stress management, adequate sleep, and physical activity are also important components of managing Crohn's, in addition to diet.

Understanding the Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Crohn's Disease

The Anti-Inflammatory Diet for IBD (IBD-AID) is a dietary approach specifically designed to help manage symptoms and support remission in people with Crohn's disease. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a flexible framework that helps restore a healthy balance of gut bacteria and reduce overall inflammation. By focusing on nutrient-dense, whole foods while restricting specific carbohydrates and processed items, this dietary therapy can be a powerful tool alongside medical treatment. The specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) shares some similarities, but the IBD-AID has distinct components focused on probiotics and prebiotics.

The Core Principles of the IBD-AID

Embrace Probiotic Foods: These foods contain live, beneficial bacteria that help restore a healthy gut microbiome, which is often imbalanced in Crohn's patients. Examples include plain yogurt, kefir, fermented vegetables like sauerkraut, and aged cheeses.
Include Prebiotic Foods: Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that nourish the good bacteria in your gut. They promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms, which can lead to a healthier gut environment. This includes foods like bananas, steel-cut oats, and ground flaxseed.
Modify Dietary Fats: The diet emphasizes increasing omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties, while limiting inflammatory saturated and trans fats. Sources of healthy fats include oily fish (salmon, sardines), olive oil, and walnuts.
Avoid Pro-Inflammatory Carbohydrates: Certain carbohydrates, such as lactose, refined sugar, and processed grains, can fuel harmful gut bacteria and increase inflammation. The diet strictly limits or excludes these items, which may help a sensitive gut recover.
Adjust Food Texture: During flare-ups, modifying the texture of food can make it easier to digest and less irritating to the inflamed bowel. This often means focusing on pureed, blended, or very soft foods. As symptoms improve, patients can gradually reintroduce more fibrous textures.

Foods to Include During Remission

When your Crohn's disease is in remission, you can expand your diet to include a wider variety of tolerated, nutrient-dense foods. The goal is to maintain a diverse, balanced diet to promote long-term gut health. Always reintroduce new foods slowly and in small amounts to monitor for symptoms.

Protein: Lean meats like poultry and fish, eggs, tofu, and smooth nut butters.
Grains: Higher-fiber grains such as well-cooked whole oats, brown rice, and whole-wheat products, as tolerated.
Fruits and Vegetables: A wide variety of fruits and vegetables are encouraged, including cooked vegetables, low-fiber fruits (melons, bananas), and leafy greens blended into smoothies. Peeling and cooking fruits and vegetables can make them easier to digest.
Dairy: Lactose-free dairy products or low-lactose items like aged cheese and yogurt, if tolerated.
Fats: Healthy fats from olive oil, avocados, and nuts (whole or butter form).

Foods to Focus On During a Flare-up

During a flare-up, the focus shifts to minimizing irritation and nutrient loss. This often means temporarily returning to a more restricted diet of bland, soft, and low-fiber foods.

Protein: Prioritize easily digestible sources like eggs, fish, skinless poultry, and tofu.
Grains: Stick to refined grains like white rice, white pasta, and gluten-free bread. Oatmeal can also be a good option.
Fruits and Vegetables: Opt for well-cooked, peeled, or pureed versions. Examples include applesauce, cooked carrots, and pureed squash.
Hydration: Drink plenty of water, broth, or oral rehydration solutions to counteract fluid loss from diarrhea.
Smoothies: Nutrient-dense smoothies with tolerated ingredients can help provide energy when solid foods are difficult to manage.

Comparing Diet Strategies


Feature	Anti-Inflammatory Diet (IBD-AID)	Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED)	Mediterranean Diet	Low-FODMAP Diet
Core Focus	Balances gut microbiome with probiotics/prebiotics; restricts specific carbs.	Excludes specific foods linked to inflammation (gluten, emulsifiers) in phased approach.	High intake of fruits, veggies, fish, olive oil; low red meat/processed foods.	Restricts fermentable carbohydrates to manage IBS-like symptoms.
Best for...	Managing symptoms and promoting remission, often as adjunct therapy.	Inducing and maintaining remission, often with partial enteral nutrition.	General anti-inflammatory benefits and overall health support during remission.	Temporarily identifying trigger foods and reducing gas/bloating.
Key Components	Probiotics (yogurt, kefir), prebiotics (oats, banana), modified fats.	Phased elimination and reintroduction; requires dietary support formulas.	Vegetables, fruits, olive oil, fish, nuts, legumes.	Avoids foods high in certain sugars, including lactose, fructans, and sugar polyols.
Evidence	Growing body of research showing potential as adjunct therapy.	Strong evidence for inducing and sustaining remission, especially in pediatric patients.	Recommended by IOIBD for general IBD patients in remission.	Symptom management benefit shown, but not proven to reduce inflammation.

Long-Term Management and Lifestyle

Diet is a critical component of managing Crohn's, but it works best when integrated into a broader lifestyle strategy. Beyond food, other factors like stress, sleep, and physical activity all influence inflammation. A personalized approach, developed with a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian specializing in IBD, is essential to ensure you are getting adequate nutrients and managing your disease effectively. Regularly monitoring your symptoms and adapting your diet as needed—for example, shifting back to softer foods during a flare—is key to sustaining remission. For more guidance, resources from the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation are highly recommended.

Conclusion

The anti-inflammatory diet for Crohn's disease is not a cure, but a proactive strategy for symptom management and supporting gut health through nutrition. By focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods, incorporating probiotics and prebiotics, and being mindful of fat and carbohydrate intake, individuals can help reduce inflammation and improve their quality of life. The specific dietary needs of each person with Crohn's can vary, particularly between flare-ups and periods of remission. Therefore, close collaboration with a healthcare team is vital to customize an eating plan that best fits your individual tolerance and nutritional requirements while avoiding unnecessary dietary restrictions that could lead to deficiencies.

Frequently Asked Questions

The IBD-AID, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease Anti-Inflammatory Diet, is a dietary regimen for inflammatory bowel disease that focuses on promoting healthy gut bacteria through probiotics and prebiotics while restricting carbohydrates, refined sugars, and certain fats.

No, diet is not a cure for Crohn's disease. However, following an anti-inflammatory diet can be an effective way to help manage symptoms, reduce inflammation, and support remission as an adjunct to your medical treatment.

During a flare, focus on bland, soft, and easily digestible foods. Examples include well-cooked, peeled vegetables, low-fiber fruits like bananas and melons, white rice, eggs, and lean proteins.

Not necessarily. If you have lactose intolerance, you should limit or avoid dairy. However, some patients can tolerate low-lactose products like aged cheeses or yogurt, especially during remission. Some may find success with dairy alternatives fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

Processed foods, refined sugars, and unhealthy fats can promote intestinal inflammation and contribute to an imbalance of gut bacteria (dysbiosis), which can exacerbate Crohn's symptoms.

To prevent nutrient deficiencies, it is crucial to work with a registered dietitian specializing in IBD. They can help you create a personalized plan that includes fortified foods and supplements for missing nutrients like calcium, iron, and B vitamins.

Probiotics are live, beneficial microorganisms found in foods like yogurt and kefir, which help populate your gut. Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers in foods like oats and bananas that act as food for the good bacteria.