If you’re having difficulty maintaining weight, a characteristic trait of severe Crohn’s disease, a good meal-replacement shake will have the concentrated nutrition you need.
“Commercially prepared shakes can be very helpful, either as meal replacements or between meals to increase calorie and protein intake,” says Patsy Catsos, a registered dietitian-nutritionist and author in Portland, Maine. “Make sure the product is free of lactose, fructose, inulin (a type of carbohydrate fiber), and sugar alcohols [sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol].”
One of the challenges during a flare-up is keeping any food, and its nutrients, in your body long enough to derive any benefit. Meal-replacement drinks may help with this.
“If somebody can’t eat real food, we want to get them nutrition,” says Danielle Gaffen, RDN, an IBD dietitian in San Diego County, California. “[We do] whatever we can do to prevent malnutrition through a flare-up, because if someone stops eating, their body doesn’t have the nutrients to fight off what’s going on.”
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