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Hello everyone. This is my first post here. I was diagnosed in 2010 with Crohn's disease. It started out with having to avoid acidic foods, like tomatoes and oranges and such. I started out taking Pentasa. A ridiculous amount of pills daily. However, I no longer had insurance and could not afford to take the Pentasa anymore. I could also no longer see my GI. I spoke to him about this at my last appointment in 2011. He gave me some dietary guidelines to follow, however he urged me to find a way to see a GI if I could. I could not and still cannot afford to do this. However, I was able to keep my disease at bay for quite sometime just by continuing to eliminate foods that obviously were bothering me. I did not cut out dairy all together, but I only really drink lactose free milk. Cheese and butter are only used sporadically, and have not seemed to cause an issue. But over the past few months, my symptoms have gotten out of control again. I think I have pretty much narrowed down most foods that bother me. Still no acidic foods like tomatoes, oranges, etc. I have to peel everything. Nothing leafy, except cooked spinach. Nothing with a hull like corn. And now I'm realizing that anything that comes out of a box or contains processed sugars or flours bothers me as well. Oh, and of course, no fried or greasy foods. I have eliminated so many foods that I feel like I don't have anything left to eat! The other problem is that I can't seem to give up sugar and processed foods for more than a day or two at a time. I need some help. I just don't know where to turn with limited funds. So I get depressed about it, I am an emotional eater, so I eat crap that I am not supposed to eat. Then I stress about eating it, my disease flares horribly, and I'm back at square one. Help...

 Reply posted for emily0822.

That chicken soup is great. I fix it all the time. It does help me.

 Reply posted for apneaerin.

Diet may help with some of your symptoms but I don't believe diet alone will keep your disease under control. If you don't have insurance or prescription coverage, you can contact Shire, the pharmaceutical company that makes Pentasa and they can possibly send you medicine for free.  Also, if you live in the US, you may be eligible for subsidies under Obamacare. Pre-existing conditions are no longer an issue and there are subsidies if you have a low income.  I feel everyone with Crohn's should be followed by a GI doc.  Diet alone won't fix the problem

HI - So sorry to hear about your insurance and loss of a doc! 
Regarding the food - yes it is very difficult and there are so many books / guides of which many contradict. After reading many of them I found several trends of similarities. I will share them w/ you as well as what tips helped me personally.  

1. Find good probiotic - one that is dairy free and gluten free.  Take it daily. Those good bacteria really help w/ discomfort and digestion.
2. Avoid any fast food, greasy food
3. When flaring avoid high fiber food; no raw veg or fruit. Cook it all.  (Organic applesauce)
4. When flaring mostly liquid w/ organic stuff and if possible no preservatives. 
5. Be careful of malodextrim (in many salad dressings and sauces and seasoning packets)... it can be an irritant.
6. Be careful of chips that have flavoring. If I really wants chips I go for organic baked potato chips.
7. No corn or popcorn.
8. Eat protein to keep energy up; grilled or baked fish, crockpot chicken recipes, eggs etc. 
9. Avoid trying Dairy instead try Almond Milk
10. Avoid Soy - it is gassy
11. Avoid peanuts and peanut butter - it is legume and gassy.
12. What to eat now? Crockpot recipes w/ chicken and other veg since cooked very well it is easier for your guts to handle.  Eggs any way, Fruit cups or cooked fruit  or cooked veg. (Sauteed spinach or peeled squash in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and dash of lemon juice.
13. Exercise -  yoga or running.  The regular endorphins actually help brain to trigger anti-inflammatory.
14. Avoid high sugar stuff like candy or cookies.  If you have sweet tooth then small amounts of dark chocolate (over 70% dark).
15. KEEP A FOOD DIARY UNTIL YOU IDENTIFY YOUR TRIGGERS. This is tough but it is really helpful as you will id which foods bother you. 

I recently purchased this cookbook compiled by a woman with IBD (ulcerative colitis): Against All Grain, by Danielle Walker. It's an aggressive paleo diet. She claims it has worked wonders for her IBD. Has some interesting recipes. That said, yes, eating this way is restrictive and expensive. But it may work for others as well. 

I have steadily moved in this direction anyway over the past several years because of concerns with GMOs. I buy organic fruits and vegies, eat fish and protein, not many carbs. Little to no packaged food due to preservatives and unnecessary/unnatural chemicals.  My next challenges are dairy.  I am newly diagnosed with Crohn's and also have type II diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis (I know. I am an autoimmune queen).  I plan to meet with a dietician attached to my gastroenterology office soon, because of my complicated profile and desire to get a handle on symptoms.  Am taking 4g Pentasa every day.  I have recently noticed an increase in my blood sugar (not caused by changes in diet), and am wondering if there are Pentasa/blood glucose interactions that can account for that. I can't seem to  find any info on a relationship between those two. Anyone with similar experience, will appreciate hearing your experience. Am sure my GP is going to be concerned with my recent lab work. 

Some diet recommendations on CCFA site are rather appalling for diabetics eating healthy proponents: 1. recommendations for "bland diet" include lots of processed pasta and white rice. These are carb-hevy and particularly bad for blood sugar (white flour, sugar, pasta, rice, etc). 
2. including canola oil as a "healthy oil" - NOT!. Canola (rapeseed) oil in US is in most processed foods; is nearly entirely a GMO crop (90% range). Healthy oil = olive or coconut oil; especially coconut.

 Reply posted for rita.

I was looking into the Paleo diet. It said no eggs, the first recipe I looked at called for eggs. I don't like when things contradict,

 Reply posted for apneaerin.

Thanks for putting the info. for the paleo diet. I think I'll try it.

 Reply posted for apneaerin.

I have been trying the SCD diet, I think it's similar to Paleo. One week in and it is extremely hard to follow, but seems to maybe be helping. Too soon to really tell. 

 Reply posted for dbrwest79.

I know it's very hard to figure out what foods work and what ones don't. I've had my ups and downs and have felt like giving up at times and just stopped eating enough. But recently I tried the paleo diet, and more specifically, the auto-immune protocol of the paleo diet. It's pretty restrictive, but at least gives you a guideline for nutritious foods to eat, while you cut out foods that are likely problematic.

I'm still on Anti-TNF drugs (Remicade) but they only kinda work for me. This diet has helped a LOT and though I know everyone's different, I think it's worth a try for people with our issues.

Here's a link to more info if you're interested: http://www.thepaleomom.com/autoimmunity/the-autoimmune-protocol