Warning: This is a long one, so grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage, and snuggle in for this one. I hope you enjoy. As always, if you haven’t already subscribe to my email list for a weekly email telling you what I posted. I appreciate you reading. xx.

As some of you may know I have been living with Crohn’s disease for the last 10 years (learn more about my story here). This has brought with it many ups and downs when it came to my relationship with food, and although many doctors will not admit that food can effect Crohn’s and Colitis, it certainly does play a role in these diseases. Throughout my life with Crohn’s I have tried many diets including Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and many elimination diets under the supervision of my Naturopath and GI Specialist (more on how that worked for me in a future post). However, during certain flair ups my doctors have had me revert back to a low-residue, liquid diet.

A low-residue diet and a liquid diet are two different things, however, due to the stricture in my small intestine I have been encouraged to do both cohesively. A low-residue diet limits high-fiber foods, such as whole-grain breads, seeds, nuts, and raw fruits and vegetables. However, a liquid diet is taking this diet a step further by eliminating most solid foods, and eating things that are softer and easier to digest. I will break both of these down to the best of my knowledge and also offer some helpful links for anyone who needs to try a diet similar to this one. The information I am about to share should be taken with a grain of salt, and you should always consult a health care professional before proceeding.

Low Residue Diet

A low-residue diet is a great diet to go on during a flare-up or when you want to give your gut a bit of a break. Here I will break down the food guidelines on what you can and cannot eat on this diet.

Milk and Dairy

Foods Allowed:

• All Dairy Milks

• Yogurt

• Cheeses

Foods Excluded:

• Yogurt and Cheese containing nuts or seeds

Foods allowed:

• White bread/flour

• White pastas

• White rice

• Saltine and Graham Crackers

• Cereals with less than 3g of fiber per serving

Foods Excluded:

• Breads: Whole Grain with seeds, nuts, or raisins

• Crackers with seeds and/or nuts

• Popcorn

• High fiber cereals

Meats, Fish, and Eggs

Foods Allowed:

• Baked, broiled, or roasted Beef, Lamb, Chicken, or Turkey

• All Fish

• All Eggs

Foods Excluded:

• Tough meat

• Skin and bones of Fish

• Fried or Highly Seasoned Meats

Vegetables 

Foods allowed:

• All Vegetable Juice

• All (Except listed below) tender cooked or canned Vegetables without skins or seeds

Foods excluded:

• Raw vegetables/salad

• Beans

• Corn

• Peas

• Celery

• All seeds

Fruits

Foods allowed:

• Raw, ripe banana

• Cooked or canned applesauce, peaches, pears

• Plums, apricots, melon, nectarines, apples, and pears without the skin

Foods excluded:

• All other raw fruits

• All fruits with small seeds (berries)

• All fruits with tough skins

Fats

Food Allowed:

• Butter, Margarine

• Mayonaise

• Cream, non-dairy creamer

• Cooking oil

Foods excluded:

• Fried Foods

Overall, as a general rule of thumb you are going to want to avoid anything with high fiber amounts, any seeds, or nuts, and popcorn/corn.

Liquid Diet

In the traditional sense of a liquid diet it would mean that the diet would be strictly fluids in order to flush out the system. A strict liquid diet is typically done for scopes, and fast weight lose. However, this diet over a long period of time could be very dangerous, so please remember to be safe about the food you fuel your body with.

I use a liquid diet in a more realistic manor in conjunction with the low-residue diet. Meaning, that I will have all of the low-fiber foods, but will also include those foods in smoothies, soups, mashed versions, etc. This really helps me with the narrowing that I have in my intestine because liquid food is much easier for your intestines to move through the digestive system. Now although it may seem easy to do this, it is important that when having a liquid diet you still eat/drink nutrient dense foods. Some of the best ways I have found that I can do this is through juicing, making my own soups, and buying meal replacement drinks/powder.

My Diet Essentials:

• A good blender for pureed soups and smoothies

• A juicer 

• Meal Replacement powder

• Meal replacement drinks

Some of my Go-To Liquid Recipes:

Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter Smoothie

• Chocolate Carnation Powder

• 1.5 cups Almond Milk (or any Milk you prefer)

• 2 Bananas

• 1 Tablespoon of Peanutbutter

Loaded Baked-Potato Soup

Watermelon Strawberry Juice

This is a great juice for those that want a fruity juice, plus it is great for bloating and reducing inflammation.

Ingredients

• 20 strawberries
• 2 cup watermelon, cut and cubed
• 1 peeled cucumber

Juice and Enjoy. This usually makes about 3-4 glasses of juice.

Anti-Inflammatory Green Juice

This juice is a bit more on the green-juice side, but the pineapple and apple make it much sweeter. Sometimes I will add in a few oranges to make it even more tangy.

Ingredients

• 4 celery stalks
• 1 cucumber
• 1  pineapple
• 2 apples
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 lemon
• 1 knob ginger

Juice and Enjoy. This makes about a pitcher of juice