Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that could affect any part of the digestive tract but normally occurs in the area covering the last part of the small intestine to the first part of the large intestine.
Symptoms of this inflammatory bowel disease usually include abdominal pain as well as diarrhea which is often accompanied with a certain amount of weight loss.
Less than 0.5% of people across Europe & North America are affected by this disease which is thought to affect those whose body’s immune system has an abnormal response to normal bacteria in their gut.
Whilst the exact cause of this disease is unknown, the occurrence of Crohn’s is more prevalent in people who smoke and is also thought to be genetic. Therefore one is more likely to suffer with this disease if a close family member suffers with this condition.
Crohn’s Disease Treatment
Whilst there appears to be no specific medication or medical procedure that can cure it, treating Crohn’s naturally consists of implementing certain lifestyle changes.
These healthy lifestyle changes would include incorporating a moderate exercise routine into your day and, more importantly, making some drastic dietary changes.
It should also be mentioned that there is certain medication that can be used to bring some relief from the symptoms of this condition, which can be in the way of over the counter anti-diarrhetics as well as anti-inflammatory medication prescribed by a medical practitioner or gastroenterologist such as steroids (corticosteroids).
Treating Crohn’s Disease With the Paleo Diet
Dr. Loren Cordain, authority on the Paleo Diet & its benefits is also Professor Emeritus of the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, has said that “many people have had success treating their Crohn’s disease symptoms with The Paleo Diet”.
He goes on to say that Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks its own body tissues which in this case are the cells lining the intestines.
As nutrients, or the lack thereof, are one of the main environmental triggers of this condition, the Paleo diet (which is a nutrient dense diet) has been successful in treating people suffering with inflammatory bowel diseases.
Whilst eating wholesome, nutrient dense foods as those found in the Paleo list of foods, there are certain foods that should never be consumed by anyone who has Crohn’s.
Foods that are to be avoided include these;
- Cereal grains, including wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn & rice – exclude gluten from your diet
- All beans and legumes
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Pseudo grains (non-grasses) including amaranth, buckwheat & quinoa
- Foods high in fibre
In conclusion, any Crohn’s disease sufferer should only include foods in their diet that contribute to healing their gut and avoid those that will aggravate their condition.
Anyone concerned with maintaining excellent gut health & avoiding other chronic diseases should consider adopting a natural wholesome eating plan such as that offered by the Paleo diet…
Start healing your gut by improving your eating habits with the help of this 30-Day Paleo Starter Program which comes with specially crafted meal plans, shopping lists, exclusive recipes, valuable tips & inspiration…
References
- Wikipedia: Crohn’s disease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crohn’s_disease
- Dr Loren Cordain, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus: Crohn’s Disease and The Paleo Diet http://thepaleodiet.com/crohns-disease-paleo-diet/
- WebMD: Crohn’s Disease http://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/crohns-disease/