IBD - Dietary Supplements

If you have Inflammatory Bowel Disease, good nutrition can be difficult to achieve. Certain foods may irritate the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and even if the diet is stellar, intestinal inflammation might prevent absorption of enough nutrients from the foods that are tolerated. If you have Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, consdier vitamin and mineral supplements.

Here is a list of nutrients, and their best sources, that may become deficient in Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis as a result of medications, surgical treatment, or intestinal inflammation itself.

Crohn’s Disease

• Vitamin B12
Mollusks (especially clams and mussels), beef liver, fortified breakfast cereals, sockeye salmon, trout

• Folate (folk acid) Legumes, citrus fruits and juices, whole grains, wheat bran, dark green leafy vegetables, poultry pork, shellfish, liver

• Vitamin A
Beef liver, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, cantaloupe, kale, red peppers, broccoli, mangos, apricots

• Vitamin D
Butter; eggs, fish oils, fortified milk, beef or chicken liver, some fortified cereals

• Vitamin E
Wheat germ oil, almonds, safflower oil, corn oil, peanuts

• Vitamin K
Cabbage, cauliflower, spinach and other green lea’ vegetables, cereals, soybeans

• Magnesium
Halibut, nuts and nut butters, cereals, soybeans, spinach, potatoes (with skin), black-eyed peas

• Calcium
Low-fat milk products (if you can tolerate them), kale, collard greens, bok choy, broccoli, oranges, salmon, shrimp, molasses, calcium-fortified foods (check labels)

• Potassium
Sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes and tomato products, beet greens, yogurt, molasses, white beans, soybeans, prune juice, bananas, watercress, winter squash

• Zinc
Red meat, poultry (dark meat), liver, shellfish, cheese (not processed), legumes, bran, nuts, green peas, whole grains

Ulcerative Colitis

It is recommended that people with ulcerative colitis follow the supplementation guidelines for Crohn’s Disease, with an emphasis on the following micronutrients (see the above chart for best food sources):

• Folate
• Vitamin B12
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Potassium

Iron: Best sources include soybeans, chicken liver, oysters, grits, beef, clams, poultry, dried beans, dried fruits, egg yolks, whole grains, iron-fortified cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, and almonds.