Letter From the Editors 

Welcome to the September Newsletter!

Each month we analyze all the latest studies and resources relevant to nutrition in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Then we summarize them and bring you everything you need to know about using nutritional therapy to help manage Crohn’s and colitis.

This month, we’ll cover:

• Supporting Your Loved One: Our new resource for family members and caregivers.
• Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15 - 10/15): Hispanic-inspired recipes, including recipes with Spanish translation. 
• Malnutrition Week: Highlighting malnutrition concerns within the IBD community.
• Food Insecurity: Addressing food insecurity in the IBD community during Feeding America's Hunger Action Month.
• Top Diet + IBD Tweets: A roundup of the most useful tweets from the past month.

P.S. We’ve designed this mail so that clinicians and patients can skip to the parts most relevant to them. Skim-read away!

Supporting a Loved One: A New Resource PDF and Article

Caring for a family member or friend with IBD can be challenging. From understanding their emotional struggles to managing daily symptoms, your support can make a significant difference.

Our latest guide offers practical advice on how to help loved ones cope with Crohn's and Colitis, navigate their symptoms, and live life to the fullest. Learn about the importance of empathy, educating yourself about the condition, and providing emotional and practical support.

This resource is available as a downloadable PDF so patients can share it with their family members, and healthcare providers can distribute it to their patients.

Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15 - 10/15)

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re excited to share some delicious Hispanic-inspired recipes. We thank Mayra Rojas-Correa, BS, and colleagues from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus for developing the DAIN Study—a tailored nutritional program for adult patients with mild-to-moderate Crohn's Disease in Puerto Rico.

The anti-inflammatory diet followed by participants blended the Mediterranean Diet and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet using traditional foods and cooking styles. Most ingredients were low-cost, readily available in local supermarkets, and had minimal potential for triggering symptoms.

Here are two recipes provided by the study group, including a complimentary PDF for the Spanish translation:

• Savor the rich flavors of Puerto Rican cuisine with this Rice with Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules) recipe. A hearty, delicious dish perfect for any meal.
• Enjoy this flavorful Roasted Pork Tenderloin (Lomo de Cerdo al Horno) recipe. Juicy, tender, and perfectly seasoned for a delicious, hearty meal.

We’ve also recently added more Hispanic-inspired, IBD-friendly recipes to our database:

• Combine these four recipes and craft your own healthy Red Lentil Tacos with Taco Meat, Guacamole, and Pico de Gallo

• Discover these Portuguese Mussels:   infused with garlic, onions, olive oil, and lemon juice. Ready to be served within 30 minutes!

Malnutrition Awareness Week 2024 and Hunger Action Month

Last week was Malnutrition Awareness Week™, an annual campaign hosted by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) to educate healthcare professionals and the public on detecting and treating malnutrition. 

Malnutrition is more common in patients with IBD. As an official ambassador, Nutritional Therapy for IBD published a new article on best practices for detecting and managing malnutrition in patients with IBD both before and after surgery.

[Find out more about how to manage malnutrition in IBD before and after surgery]

Malnutrition Awareness Week™ is a mark of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN). Used with permission from ASPEN.

Food Insecurity in the IBD Community

Food insecurity refers to the lack of reliable access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food. It can lead to negative health outcomes, including malnutrition and chronic health conditions, and significantly impacts the IBD community.

With rising rates of food insecurity, it’s important to identify patients at risk and help them access healthy foods. The USDA's "Hunger Vital Sign" screening tool can assess food insecurity with just two simple questions. Clinicians can use this information to connect patients to local food pantries.

The University of Chicago’s Feed1st Food Pantry Toolkit offers a guide for organizations to implement food pantries in their communities.

Visit Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month page to learn more about food insecurity and ways to help.

Diet + IBD Tweets of the Month

Don’t have time to scan Twitter for the latest IBD news? We’ve got you covered. Our team selects the most informative and engaging tweets each month to keep you updated.

Here are the top tweets for September:

🍏 Why correcting the harms of malnutrition matters in IBD

🍏 The impact of food processing on IBD activity

🍏 In IBD, the key is to tailor dietary fiber intake based on disease activity and symptoms

To Our Readers

Thank you for reading, and see you next month!

- The Nutritional Therapy for IBD Team

P.S. Know someone with IBD looking for information on evidence-based nutritional therapy? Feel free to forward them this email!

If you find our content helpful, please consider donating to support our efforts in improving nutritional care for IBD.

At Nutritional Therapy for IBD, 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.*