Eat well through flares and remission, alongside your IBD team.
Nutrition support for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, from flares to remission and after surgery, with a Registered Dietitian. In person in Ottawa and Gatineau, or online anywhere in Ontario and Quebec.
Start with understanding
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mainly includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In IBD, the immune system causes ongoing inflammation in the digestive tract, with periods of flares and remission. Canada has one of the highest rates of IBD in the world.
IBD is treated by your gastroenterology team, and diet doesn’t replace that treatment. But nutrition matters at every stage. Flares can make eating difficult and lead to weight loss and low iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D or calcium. In remission, what you eat can support your gut, your bones and your energy. For some people, a specific nutrition therapy is part of treatment.
We work with adults living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis: newly diagnosed, in a flare, in remission or after surgery. We work alongside your gastroenterologist and IBD nurse, and we never ask you to change your medication.
Your path forward
What helps during a flare is often different from what helps in remission. Your plan changes with your disease.
During a flare
Smaller, more frequent meals, enough fluids and salt if you have diarrhea, softer textures if your team has found a narrowing, and nutrition drinks if you are losing weight.
In remission
Bring back variety, including fruit, vegetables and fibre if you don’t have a stricture. Guidance favours a Mediterranean-style pattern with fewer ultra-processed foods.
Long term
Keep an eye on iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D and bone health, maintain muscle and weight, and plan ahead for surgery, pregnancy or new treatments.
Every situation is different
Where the inflammation is, and what it has caused, changes what nutrition needs to do.
Your gastroenterology team diagnoses IBD and checks for inflammation. Diet changes are made alongside your medical treatment, never instead of it.
Support for your everyday
We use clinical software to follow your symptoms, your weight and your results over time, so your plan keeps up with your disease.
You log meals and symptoms in our patient portal. Your dietitian looks for patterns, which helps tell food-related symptoms apart from a change in your disease.
Your dietitian keeps track of your weight and the lab results you share, such as iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, to spot problems early.
When you avoid specific foods, the recipes we suggest are checked against your list at the portion you’ll actually eat.
With your consent, we share our notes with your gastroenterologist and family doctor, so nutrition fits with the rest of your care.
Putting it into practice
Appetite often drops in a flare. Small meals every two to three hours and nourishing drinks help you avoid losing weight and muscle.
Avoiding a food during a flare doesn’t mean avoiding it forever. Try it again in remission, one food at a time.
If you don’t have a stricture, fibre from fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains is safe for most people in remission and feeds helpful gut bacteria.
Eating fewer ultra-processed foods and more meals made from fresh ingredients is a sensible step for most people with IBD.
Drink regularly, and ask about an oral rehydration solution when diarrhea is frequent or heavy.
Calcium and vitamin D matter more if you have taken corticosteroids. Ask your team about checking your vitamin D and bone density.
WORKING WITH YOUR DIETITIAN
We review your diagnosis, treatment, recent lab results, weight changes, current symptoms and usual diet, and where you are right now: flare, remission or after surgery.
We build a plan for your current stage, from getting enough during a flare to bringing variety back in remission.
We adjust the plan as your disease changes, follow your nutrition over time and, with your consent, keep your IBD team informed.
There is no single diet that controls IBD for everyone. Current guidance supports a Mediterranean-style pattern for most people, with fewer ultra-processed foods. Your plan also depends on your type of IBD, where it is, and whether you have a stricture.
In children, exclusive enteral nutrition, a liquid formula diet for several weeks, is a recognized first treatment for Crohn’s disease. In adults, approaches such as the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet are being studied and may be used alongside medication with your team’s agreement. Diet should not replace prescribed treatment.
Only if you have a stricture, or your team advises it during a severe flare. Otherwise, fibre is generally safe in remission and good for your gut.
Possibly. Low iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D and calcium are common in IBD. Your doctor checks your levels, and we help you cover your needs through food first, with supplements when needed.
It can ease IBS-like symptoms when your IBD is in remission. It doesn’t treat inflammation, and it should be short and guided.
Many private insurance plans cover services from a Registered Dietitian. We provide receipts for you to submit. Check your plan for coverage details.
Yes. Online appointments by secure video are available anywhere in Ontario and Quebec, which can help when a flare makes travel hard. You log your meals and symptoms in our patient portal, and we go over them together at each visit.
This page is general information, not individual advice. Your needs depend on your diagnosis, your health and your goals.
We see you in person at our Ottawa and Gatineau clinics or by secure video anywhere in Ontario and Quebec, in English or French. With your consent, we share your plan with your family doctor or gastroenterologist.
Let’s take the next step
Start with a free initial consultation, in person in Ottawa or Gatineau, or online anywhere in Ontario and Quebec.
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