Most people with Crohn’s disease can eat normal healthy diets and don’t have to eliminate foods from their diet. This is especially the case if the condition is in remission.

In active disease, you may find that certain foods make your symptoms worse and spark bouts of severe diarrhoea.

Some people find this happens when they eat too many high fibre foods, hot and spicy food or lots of dairy products. Drinking alcohol also can cause problems, including dehydration.

Changes to your diet may include eating more low fibre foods or less fatty foods or eliminating things that make your symptoms deteriorate.

The best way to find out which foods have a bad effect is to eliminate them from your diet one by one to test what effects this has. Another way to do this is to keep a food diary of what you eat and monitor how you feel afterwards.

The diarrhoea, loss of appetite and poor absorption of essential nutrients in Crohn’s disease can lead to dietary deficiencies. The best way to manage them is to eat a balanced diet.

The most common deficiencies seen in Crohn’s disease include anaemia caused by iron deficiency and vitamin B12 and folate deficiency. In these cases, some supplements may need to be considered.

Specific dietary advice can help you manage your disease. The best person to give advice about your diet is a specialist dietitian or nutritionist. It is important not to become malnourished, and good dietary advice will help you to maintain good nutrition and therefore, better health.

Ask your doctor to recommend a dietitian or nutritionist. There may be one attached to the general practice or hospital clinic you attend.

Your doctor or nutrition specialist will advise whether you need to take supplements. It is best not to take vitamins or other nutritional supplements unless advised by your health professional and if you are taking any form of supplementation, don’t forget to let your doctor know exactly what this is.

If you need to undergo an operation, ask your doctor for specific advice about what you should eat in the period before you need to go into the hospital.

The benefit of complementary medicines in managing your Crohn’s disease symptoms is uncertain. It is advisable to discuss complementary therapies with your health professional. As a rule, never discontinue medical treatment in favour of ‘alternative’ options unless and until you have discussed these in detail with your doctor.