These Crohn's Disease Recipes are all soothing on the gut and easy to digest. Perfect for anyone feeling like their digestion needs a reset.
When I had active Crohn's Disease, I didn't have a clue what to eat. It seemed like anything and everything that passed my lips would result in me curled up in the fetal position nursing a stomach ache for the rest of the day. As much as I wanted to write off food completely, I knew my body really needed high quality plant based nutrients in order to heal.
So I took to the internet. You can find everything on there, right?
Wrong. I was bombarded by hundreds of articles, none with any actual recipes to get me started. So, I experimented myself until I found what worked. These 10 Crohn's Disease Recipes made up the bulk of my diet for months until my body started to heal and I was able to introduce more foods.
All of these Crohn's Disease recipes are easy on digestion while being packed with the vital nutrients your body needs. They are easy to prepare and most importantly have tons of flavor.
If you don't have Crohn's Disease don't write these recipes off! Now that I am symptom free, I still turn to these Crohn's Disease recipes whenever I feel like my body needs a reset. If my digestive system feels sluggish or I feel a cold coming on, I immediately retreat to these recipes to fuel my body with nutrients without asking it to spend energy digesting complex foods. These recipes really work wonders in getting you back to feeling your best!
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Broccoli & Avocado
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 70
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Entree
Description
Sweet potatoes get baked until they are sticky sweet and really easy to digest. Then they get stuffed with steamed broccoli and buttery avocado. A sprinkle of salt and pepper brings this simple dish to life!
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 cup broccoli floretts
- ½ avocado
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap your sweet potato in foil and place it on a baking tray. Bake until the sweet potato is soft to the touch. This could take 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes depending on the size of your sweet potato.
- Once the potato is cooked, add the broccoli to a steamer basket and steam until tender, about 7 minutes. Cut a slit in the sweet potato and stuff the steamed broccoli inside. Top with avocado and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Anti-Inflammatory Tea
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Drinks
Description
This tea is loaded with herbs and spices that have potent anti-inflammatory, gut soothing, and healing properties. The taste is something you might have to get used to, but just remember all the good this cup of tea is doing your body! Add honey to taste for extra sweetness and even more benefits.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons fenugreek seeds
- 1 tablespoon dried ginger pieces
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
Instructions
To make the tea mix:
- Add all the spices to a jar and shake well to combine.
To brew the tea:
- Add 4 cups of water to a pot and bring it to a simmer. Add in 4 teaspoons of the tea mix and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes to extract all the beneficial properties from the seeds. Remove from the heat and strain out the seeds. Sweeten with honey to taste and drink throughout the day.
Notes
I buy all these spices in the bulk section of my natural foods store. Make sure all the spices are whole, not ground into powders.
10 Minute Immune Boosting Broth
Sip the quick and easy broth throughout the day for a boost of health. Full of probiotics from miso and anti-inflammatory herbs and spices like ginger, garlic, and turmeric.
Immune Boosting Broth Noodle Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Entree
Description
This soup is packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms. Plus, it will keep you full with easy to digest rice noodles and tofu.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe 10 Minute Immune Boosting Broth
- 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 block extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
- 10 oz white rice noodles
- Scallions
Instructions
- Bring the 10 Minute Immune Boosting broth to a simmer in a large pot. Add in the shiitake mushrooms, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add in the tofu and rice noodles. Cover and simmer until the noodles are tender and the tofu is warmed through, about 7 minutes. Ladle into bowls, top with scallions, and serve.
This creamy and filling rice quinoa and rice pudding is sweetened with bananas and packed with whole rain nutrition. The grains become easier to digest thanks to the long cooking time. Great for any meal of the day.
Root Vegetable Mash
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Side
Description
This simple recipe couldn't be easier! I like to switch up the root vegetable in this mash each time in order to get in a wider variety of nutrients! Root vegetables contain prebiotic fiber that help feed our gut bacteria for a healthy digestive system.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed root vegetables (all 1 root veggie or a mix of 2)
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the cubed veggies into a steamer basket and steam until very tender, about 20-25 minutes.
- Place in a bowl and mash well. Top with oil, salt and pepper.
Notes
- I like to use squash, celery root, sweet potatoes, purple potatoes (may be a trigger for some people with Crohn's), carrots, parsnips, or turnips in this recipe. There are so many amazing root vegetables out there. Experiment and find what you like best!
Packed with health-promoting sulforaphane from broccoli! This silky smooth soup is easy to digest since it is both cooked until tender and then pureed. Omit the cheese toasts as they are much harder to digest.
A nutrient-packed low sugar smoothie that can be made in 10 minutes. Plus, it tastes like a slice of pie. Omit the granola to make it easier to digest.
This easy homemade dairy free yogurt is packed with probiotics, free of gums and other artificial ingredients, and is so much more cost effective. I try to get in a daily serving of fermented foods (like this yogurt) to keep my gut bacteria (and therefore myself) thriving.
This Golden Beet Cauliflower Soup recipe is a fast and easy 3 step dinner that is full of flavor and veggies! The pureed consistancy makes it easy to digest and absorb all the nutrients from this superfood soup!
I just got diagnosed with Crohn’s and been doing a lot of research on what I can eat. Your recipes sound great. In my searching on thing that keeps coming up is no broccoli and cauliflower!! Your recipes talk about the benefits they have for Crohn’s. I am very confused.
I am going to try the yogurt recipe. For sure
Hi Pam, I base my diet off of the studies linked in my post Crohn's Disease and Diet. It might be worth reading the studies yourself and seeing what works for you :)
Yup, that's what I've learned as well, and it holds true for me. Any Brassicaceae is simply out of the question entirely. After a full year of learning how to manage my version of Crohn's, there is no way I will ruin what I've repaired by testing any high-fiber food. It's simply not worth it for me. The set backs can happen way too quickly...and painfully.
What now works for me: Avocados, chicken and eggs, white rice, almond and/or coconut milk, coconut wraps, mango coconut black tea, gluten/dairy free pancakes with organic maple syrup (they truly are magically calming when I'm in the midst of a flare up), Oregon Chai Latte mix. I have likely left out a few other items, but these are the basics I can rely on.
Hi Ardith, It is so true that we all have our own "version" of Crohn's. And nothing, I repeat, nothing is worth a setback. Thank you for sharing what works for you!
Thank you so much, Laurel. I sincerely appreciate your kind reply. I'm on a small mission to find or create a recipe utilizing the rice noodles I just bought, so I'll be back to your site soon. Meanwhile, here's to all of us Crohnies mastering our own versions of this particular disease. Cheers, Ardith
Hi Laurel, just wanted to say a huge thank you for sharing these amazing recipes. After being diagnosed with Crohn's disease in January and as a vegetarian I was completely lost at where to start with food but I've been eating these meals since and they have been wonderful.
Hi Collette, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I am overjoyed that these meals have been working for you! They were a God-send for me. Wishing you a smooth road to remission!
Hi collette! great job in there with the recipes, it helped me with a research for my school, but I wanted to know if you did this because you have Crohn’s disease or maybe you where interested in knowing what things they could eat.
Hi Nicholas, Thank you! It is because I have Crohn's disease and diet was a huge help in healing my gut. You can read more about my story and food research here:
https://www.darngoodveggies.com/my-crohns-disease-story/
https://www.darngoodveggies.com/crohns-disease-and-diet/
Hi ,
Love your recipes, I will definitely try some of them, but it’s important to say that broccoli in flare ups is not something I would recommend to your readers to eat as it may worsen the symptoms, or any fresh nuts, or high fiber food. I know for myself that I love taking recipes from the Internet but definitely each one need to know his body, what he can and what he can not especially on flare ups!
Good luck and thank you for sharing your recipes.
Hi Kc, You're absolutely right! Each of the ingredients in these recipes are backed by information found in clinical research, but it is so, so important for us each to listen to our own bodies!