Food & Nutrition

The Practical Food Guide for Crohn’s & Colitis

What to eat, what to watch, and how to tell the difference between a trigger and a coincidence.

The Practical Food Guide for Crohn’s & Colitis

Food is one of the most-asked-about parts of living with IBD, and one of the least straightforward. There is no single “IBD diet” that works for everyone: this guide is a starting framework, not a meal plan to follow blind.

What the Full Guide Covers

  • Why unsupervised elimination diets are a common route into malnutrition
  • Different rules for eating during a flare versus in remission
  • Commonly reported trigger foods: individual, not universal
  • Nutrients worth watching: iron, B12, vitamin D and calcium, protein
  • Named approaches with real trial evidence (EEN, CDED, low FODMAP), and why they’re dietitian-led, not DIY

The full PDF has the complete guidance and a food-and-symptom-diary method. Download it below.

Download the full PDF

About the Author

Team Vance

Team Vance is the editorial team at Vance Medical, the medical foods company behind this hub. Vance Medical has spent more than thirty years in gastrointestinal medicine, developing nutritional products under the same regulatory frameworks that govern prescription medicines. The Hub exists to make that ground accessible, to people living with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS and related conditions, and to the clinicians treating them. Articles are written and edited in-house, and clinical claims are referenced to published research, with each study linked to its DOI so you can read the source rather than take our word for it. We publish primarily for a UK audience. Nothing here replaces advice from your own GP, gastroenterologist or dietitian.

For general information only. This article is for general information and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It reflects the best available evidence at the time of writing and may not capture the most recent developments. Always talk to your GP, pharmacist or healthcare team before acting on anything you read here, and never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something on this site. Where we mention products from Vance Medical Foods Ltd we identify this clearly.
Last updated 4 September 2026
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