Dear Mrs/Mr/Mx ,

This month, we have many interesting updates to share with you, featuring the latest research and events from the IBD community:

• a new webpage on nutrition and IBD-related surgery
• A quick recap from our visit to  ECCO'25 in Berlin last month,
• Research highlights on FODMAPs and mucus layer strengthening dietary interventions
• Delicious vegetable recipes for National Veggie Month
• The link to rewach our webinar with COGI on reading food labels.  
•  A form so you can share your own recipes with us
• Introduction of a new organizational partner! 

So dive into this information-packed newsletter!

New Nutrition and IBD Surgery Page

Correcting the harms of malnutrition in patients with IBD undergoing surgery leads to better response to biologic therapies, shorter hospital stays, decreased inflammation, reduced steroid exposure, and reduced complications.

We’ve created a new page  on our website with good nutrition practices before and after surgery:

🔸 Nutrition checklist before surgery:

✅ Screen for malnutrition

✅ Correct over/undernutrition

✅ Consider pre-op exclusive enteral nutrition in Crohn’s disease x 4-6 weeks

✅ Avoid long periods of fasting timing leading up to surgery/anesthesia

🔸 Nutrition checklist after surgery:

✅ Offer oral nutrition on the day of surgery as safe

✅ Personalize nutrient, fiber, and hydration advice based on which parts of the gut remain

Highlights from ECCO

In February 2025, Nutritional Therapy for IBD participated in the 20th Congress of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO’25) in Berlin, Germany, with a booth and a poster.

Several sessions focused on nutrition in IBD. Richard Hansen and Vaios Svolos presented a summary of the upcoming ECCO consensus on diet and nutrition in IBD that involves, among others, diet recommendations for induction and maintenance.

👉 Stay tuned for an upcoming summary of the main nutrition topics addressed and their relevance to you as a healthcare provider or a patient with IBD.

Research Highlights

Not all FODMAPs work equally for managing IBS-like symptoms:

✅ Only fructans (garlic, grains) and galactooligosaccharides (dairy products, beans, and some root vegetables) worsened abdominal pain and bloating

Read the full article

✅ Eliminating only fructans and GOS is about as effective as the entire low-FODMAP diet and much better tolerated

Read the abstract

Science-backed dietary interventions for strengthening gut barrier mucus that is damaged in IBD: 

🔴 Dietary factors damaging the mucus layer:

✅ ⬇ of dietary fiber

✅ Emulsifiers 

✅ Unhealthy fats

✅ Refined grains

✅ Sugars

✅ Salt 

✅ Alcohol 

🟢 Dietary factors that enhance the mucus layer:

✅ Dietary fiber (a balance between dietary sources is key)

✅ Some prebiotics: germinated barley foodstuff, psyllium, and xylooligosaccharides

✅ Some probiotics (evidence only available for ulcerative colitis and pouchitis)

✅ Fermented foods

Read the abstract

National Veggie Month  

March is National Veggie Month! Vegetables are important and beneficial for everyone, including those living with IBD.

Vegetables are major sources of several nutrients that are strongly linked to:

✅ good health, particularly the health of the heart and blood vessels

✅ potassium

✅ magnesium

✅ fiber

✅ polyphenols (antioxidant plant compounds)

The choice and preparation of vegetables matter for those living with IBD. If raw vegetables are not well tolerated, consider these tips:

👉 Cook veggies thoroughly to make them easier to digest

👉 Peel and deseed tough skinned veggies

👉 Puree or blend veggies into soups or smoothies

👉 Start with small amounts and see how your body reacts

Be sure to check out these vegetable-rich recipes

New: Share Your Own Recipes!

Following a nutritional therapy can be challenging, especially when it feels like you're missing out on delicious food. But having easy, flavorful recipes at your fingertips makes all the difference!

Do you have a favorite IBD-friendly recipe? Share it with us and help others in the community discover new, tasty options.

Or browse our recipe database for dishes without images, cook one, snap a photo, and send it our way! After all, we eat with our eyes firs. Let’s make our recipe collection as visually appealing as it is delicious.

(Re)watch Food Labels webinar - Download resource

Earlier this month, Nutritional Therapy for IBD and Color of Gastrointestinal Illness (COGI) went live to explore how to read packaged food nutrition labels. It was an informative discussion focusing on:

✅ Why reading labels is very important, especially for those with IBD
✅ What do different marketing terms mean on the front of a package
✅ How to determine if a product suits your specific dietary needs

Also be sure to check out our newest Lifestyle article Decoding the Mystery: Making Sense of Food Labels, which includes a printable pdf providing all the details on packaged food label reading. 

 The  IBD Nutrition Navigator™

Finding the right nutritional approach for IBD can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Our  IBD Nutrition Navigator™ helps you and your healthcare provider find the right evidence-based nutritional starting point tailored to your needs - so you can make informed choices with confidence. 

96% of people using the IBD Nutrition Navigator find it a useful tool. Have you tried it yet? Explore it here:

Welcome to Our New Organizational Partner - The China Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

We were deeply touched when members of The China Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation visited us at the recent ECCO conference in Berlin. Thank you for your generous gifts and kind words in recognition of the work of Nutritional Therapy for IBD.  We were particularly moved by the print of a mother cooking for her child, accompanied by the phrase “Love in Our Hearts.” Dr. Yan Chen emphasized the significance of mothers caring for their sick children, such as through cooking, and noted that understanding what to prepare is their primary concern.We are honored to now call CCCF a partner and look forward to advancing nutrition and the quality of life for IBD patients together!   

Dr. Wen Hu, Dr. Yan Chen, Dr. Anthony Beall, Kim Beall, Jane Zhao, Dr. Jingwen Liu at our booth at ECCO and the print CCCF presented us. 

Support our Mission

Our resources are free so everyone can access reliable nutrition guidance for IBD. But creating and maintaining them comes with costs. If our content has been helpful to you, please consider making a donation. Your support allows us to continue improving nutritional care for the IBD community.

If you know someone interested in evidence-based nutrition therapy, please forward them this email and encourage them to subscribe!

Thank you and see you next month!

The Nutritional Therapy for IBD Team

We are grateful for the collaboration and support of our Corporate Partners!

*Please note that Nutritional Therapy for IBD does not provide medical advice. The content provided here is for informational purposes only. Patients should always talk with their healthcare providers before changing their diet.*