Should Children with IBD Eat Differently?

As a child or adolescent, you should still be growing and so you'll need extra nutrition to support your growth and development. This is especially important during the growth spurt which occurs during puberty. Some children, in particular those with Crohn’s Disease, may have a delay in

the onset of puberty. This may mean that your height is lower than that of your classmates, although you'll probably eventually catch up. Control of inflammation plays a prominent role in maintaining adequate growth in children. Some children may be put on an exclusive elemental liquid diet. This is a particularly good way of treating Crohn’s Disease in children because, unlike steroids, it tends to stimulate growth rather than suppress it. It provides extra nutrients which are very easy for the gut to digest, thus allowing the digestive system to rest and repair.

There is some evidence that children with oral Crohn’s may benefit from avoiding carbonated drinks containing benzoates or cinnamon. A high calorie diet may help when trying to catch up on growth between flare-ups. This may include calorie rich foods that might otherwise be seen as ‘unhealthy’. However, the diet should be as balanced as possible and include adequate amounts of vitamins. You might not want to eat ‘sensibly’ all the time - this may be put down to fussy eating or maybe you have negative associations between food and symptoms. You may need to eat as you please for a while, but aim to return to healthy eating as soon as possible.

Vitamin and mineral supplements may be recommended, such as calcium and vitamin D supplements to keep developing bones healthy. If your child is taking the elementalFood and IBD 26 liquid diet, the diet will be nutritionally balanced and additional supplementation is less likely to be required.

You can find out more in our information booklet Food and IBD.