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Foods to Avoid if You Have Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. It is a difficult disease that causes intense gastrointestinal discomfort. One of the most concerning components of Crohn’s disease is malabsorption.
Malabsorption occurs when your body cannot effectively absorb nutrients and vitamins from foods. People who have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease may be worried about what foods they should eat, what foods they can’t eat, and what vitamins and minerals they need to take to stay happy and healthy.
In today’s blog, we will be discussing a wide range of foods that those with Crohn’s disease should steer clear of. While Crohn’s disease affects everyone differently, and certain harmful foods for one person are fine for another, this is just a very basic guide so that you can be more aware of what foods may cause more gastrointestinal discomfort than others.
If you want to ensure that your body is getting the right amount of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, be sure to talk to your health care professional about Forvia®. Forvia is a multivitamin specifically designed for people with gastrointestinal conditions. Forvia is one of the best multivitamins for Crohn’s disease because it can help combat malabsorption.
If you are interested in trying Forvia, be sure to visit our website for a complete list of ingredients and nutrient content. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Inovera Bioscience™. We are happy to answer any and all of your questions about Forvia or any of our products specifically designed for those diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and other inflammatory bowel diseases.
No-Go Foods for Crohn’s Disease
As we mentioned earlier, this is designed to be a cursory list of foods to avoid if you have Crohn’s disease. This is not intended to be a definitive listing of foods to avoid, but consider it as an introductory list that should inspire you to do more personal research.
During disease flares, it is possible that some foods that didn’t trigger symptoms will now have an effect on you. Be sure to talk to your doctor or keep track of which foods impact you more than others.
- Alcohol. While many people enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, those who have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease should consider abstaining. Alcohol can damage the lining of your stomach and cause further irritation.
- Oily and fried foods. While most of us should only consume these foods in limited quantities, folks with Crohn’s disease may experience more gastrointestinal distress when they eat oily or fried foods. This also includes butter, mayonnaise, margarine, and certain nut butters, since nut butters have high amounts of oil in them.
- Coffee, tea, and chocolate. Many folks diagnosed with Crohn’s disease have difficulty consuming these delicacies because of the caffeine content.
- Carbonated drinks. Even if your favorite soda doesn’t have caffeine in it, the carbonic acid in many carbonated drinks may cause a flare. Be advised when consumer anything that has been carbonated.
- Dairy. Even if you don’t have a history of lactose intolerance, it is recommended that those diagnosed with Crohn’s abstain from dairy products. Because Crohn’s damages the digestive tract, a side effect can be lactose intolerance.
- Cured and high-fat meats. While we all love a slice or two of bacon with our breakfast, these foods are very high in fat. While it is important to consume protein in your diet, the high-fat content of cured meats and sausages can cause additional gastrointestinal distress and diarrhea.
- Popcorn. Popcorn is many cinephiles’ favorite snack, but it can wreak havoc on the digestive system of someone with Crohn’s disease. Whole grains are difficult to breakdown and process, which is why popcorn is a food you should stay away from if you have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
- Fruit and vegetable skins. The skin of many fruits and vegetables contains copious amounts of fiber. The downside? When you have Crohn’s disease and you are experiencing a flare-up, these foods can cause major digestive problems.
What Can You Do if You Have Crohn’s Disease?
One of the most important things to do if have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease is to develop an effective diet plan to ensure that you can mitigate the effects of malabsorption.
As far as foods to eat, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation recommends a variety of different foods that can help you maintain weight. Many of the foods they recommend include refined grains, low-fiber fruits, lean protein, and lactose-free dairy.
Having a diet that is paired with a vitamin and nutrient supplement is a great way to ensure that you are maintaining a healthy weight and experiencing minimal flare-ups. Forvia is an effective multivitamin that is designed specifically for people who have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. If you are interested in learning more about Forvia and how it can help reduce the effects of malabsorption, be sure to visit our website today.
What is Vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is an incredibly important vitamin for your body. In this blog post, we will be covering a variety of topics related to vitamin B12 including the following:
- Learn how Vitamin B12 is absorbed by the body
- See the medical conditions that interfere with
- Vitamin B12 absorption
- Be aware of the effects of Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Know how to determine your Vitamin B12 blood levels
- Find out how to prevent Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Vitamin B12 in FORVIA® Tablets and Chewables
If you are looking for a multivitamin supplement that can help those with gastrointestinal conditions that may be experiencing malabsorption, be sure to research Forvia. If you are ready to purchase, be sure to visit our website today.
How is Vitamin B12 Absorbed by the Body?
The body’s daily need for Vitamin B12 is small, about 2 micrograms, but even so there can be problems with absorbing enough. To understand individual requirements for Vitamin B12, it’s helpful to know how Vitamin B12 is absorbed in the digestive system. Vitamin B12 from food is absorbed in a two-step process:
- First, B12 binds to intrinsic factor, a protein secreted by cells in the stomach. B12 bound to intrinsic factor passes through the small intestine with other partially digested food until it reaches the last part of the small intestine, the terminal ileum.
- Second, intrinsic factor is attracted to a special receptor in the cells lining the terminal ileum, the Intrinsic Factor Cell-wall Receptor (IFCR). The IFCR binds the intrinsic factor, freeing bound B12 and allowing its absorption through the cells into the bloodstream.
This process of absorption of B12 is efficient, but works only if there are both a functioning terminal ileum and the B12 is bound to intrinsic factor. Some medical conditions prevent absorption by this two-step process because either intrinsic factor is missing or the terminal ileum is damaged or missing due to disease or surgical removal. Certain conditions like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and other inflammatory bowel diseases can create these conditions.
Besides the normal two-step process described above, a small proportion of B12 in tablet or capsule form can be absorbed throughout the small intestine. This happens by diffusion, or the process by which a high concentration of material on one side of a membrane, such as the membranes of cells lining the intestine, passes through the membrane to an area of lower concentration. The rate and amount of material that can diffuse varies with the characteristics of the particular material. For vitamin B12, about 1-2 percent of an oral dose can be absorbed this way.
What Conditions Interfere with Vitamin B12 Absorption?
As discussed above, Vitamin B12 must be bound to intrinsic factor for normal absorption. Because intrinsic factor is produced in the stomach, conditions affecting stomach function can interfere with the availability of intrinsic factor. Some of these include the following:
- Gastric bypass, as in weight loss surgery
- Stomach ulcer
- Low stomach acidity
- Tumors
- Gastrectomy (surgical removal of all or part of the stomach)
- Pancreatitis
Vitamin B12 bound to intrinsic factor is absorbed only in the last part of the small intestine, the terminal ileum. Conditions that affect the ileum can block or reduce the absorption of vitamin B12. Some of these include the following:
- Crohn’s disease
- Celiac disease or celiac sprue
- Surgical removal of portions of the ileum
A vegetarian or vegan diet does not interfere with absorption but does reduce intake of B12. Plants do not contain Vitamin B12, which is present only in animal products, so strict vegetarians and vegans are at risk of B12 deficiency. People on these diets should take a daily vitamin supplement containing Vitamin B12 or eat foods fortified with B12, such as cereals.
What are the Effects of Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
What are the Effects of Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
Vitamin B12 deficiency can be serious and irreversible. Prolonged B12 deficiencies are associated with neuropathy of the spinal cord and brain. Symptoms of B12 deficiency include numbness in feet and legs, difficulty walking and psychiatric or cognitive problems. Psychiatric problems include irritability, apathy, somnolence, excessive fatigue, suspiciousness or paranoia, emotional instability, confusional states, and psychosis.
How Can I Determine what my Blood Levels of B12 Are?
How Can I Determine what my Blood Levels of B12 Are?
Your doctor can order tests for determining levels of B12. A common test is plasma B12. Another test that is a sensitive indicator of B12 status is serum methylmalonic acid. If you have a condition that can reduce your absorption of B12, you may wish to discuss periodic testing with your doctor.
How can you Prevent Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
How can you Prevent Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
There are three strategies for maintaining B12 blood levels when medical or surgical conditions prevent sufficient absorption from your diet. All of them involve administering cyanocobalamin, the form of B12 generally used to enrich foods and vitamin supplements. Some people may also consider Intramuscular injections, which are generally administered monthly. Another option is to do an intranasal spray, which is a prescription product administered weekly. One of the easiest, most popular choices for getting vitamin B12 in your system is by taking oral, chewable, or sublingual tablets daily.
If there is adequate intrinsic factor and absorptive capacity of the ileum, Vitamin B12 in a tablet or chewable tablet can be absorbed like food. Oral Vitamin B12 is also absorbed throughout the small intestine by passive diffusion. About 1% of oral Vitamin B12 is absorbed through the passive diffusion route, so it takes a dose of 800 to 1000 micrograms of Vitamin B12 to meet the needs of people with conditions that prevent normal absorption. General purpose vitamin supplement products generally contain only 2 to 12 micrograms of B12.
Vitamin B12 in FORVIA Tablets and Chewables
The recommended daily dose of two FORVIA Tablets or Chewables provides 1000 micrograms of Vitamin B12. This provides enough Vitamin B12 for most people that don’t absorb B12 from food to absorb enough to maintain normal levels of Vitamin B12 without the need for monthly injections or prescription intranasal sprays. In addition, daily FORVIA supplies the other vitamins and minerals most often deficient when malabsorption conditions are present, such as those with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or have had weight-loss surgery.
For more information on FORVIA multivitamin/mineral Tablets and Chewables visit our website today.
© 2019. FORVIA is a registered trademark of Inovera Bioscience, Inc.
Chewable Vitamin Benefits
Chewable vitamins have been marketed toward children for a long time. As a kid, you may have seen them as Flintstone’s Gummy Vitamins; however, chewable vitamins are now seeing popularity among adults. There are numerous benefits to chewable vitamins and minerals, and you may want to consider switching your vitamin tablet to a chewable form.
At Inovera Bioscience, the creators of Forvia Multivitamin® decided to formulate a chewable multivitamin for adults so that those with gastrointestinal conditions can receive the proper nutrients every day without suffering from indigestion. If you want to purchase Forvia Chewable Multivitamins and Minerals, visit our website today for more information.
Chewable Vitamins and Swallowing
The days of having a tablet dissolve in your mouth and tasting the unmistakable taste of multivitamins are gone. If you have trouble swallowing pills or dislike the taste of pills, then chewable multivitamins are right for you. While many old-school tablets have an unpleasant taste or can get lodged in your throat if you don’t have immediate access to water, chewable vitamins were designed to be chewed up and more easily swallowed.
If you have a strong gag reflex, chewable vitamins should not pose any problems for you. If you also have a throat condition or are suffering from any throat-related sickness, chewable vitamins are also easier to take when inflammation is occurring in your throat.
Digestive Benefits
Vitamins can be tough on the digestive tract. Traditional tablets and pills are difficult to digest in the stomach. As a result, heartburn and nausea can occur if you take your vitamins on an empty stomach. Oftentimes, the hard lining on the outside of traditional vitamin tablets is difficult to break down, especially if the enzymes in your stomach have not been activated as they normally are when you eat and chew food.
Chewable vitamins allow your saliva and teeth a chance to break down the vitamin before it reaches your stomach. As a result, the chewable vitamin is easier on the stomach, and the tiny amount of sugar in most chewable vitamins aids with activating enzymes in your stomach to aid in digestion. If you plan on taking chewable vitamins, just be sure to still take them with a glass of water, so that the parts of the vitamin are effectively washed out of your mouth after you are finished chewing them.
Forvia Chewable Multivitamins
If the benefits of chewable multivitamins sound good to you, but you have issues with calcium or iron supplements because of a preexisting gastrointestinal condition, Forvia Chewable Multivitamins is here for you. We specially designed these vitamins to help you absorb the proper nutrients and minerals every day of your life, regardless of whether you have Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or ulcerative colitis.
Our chewable multivitamins are perfect for easy digestion and deliver vital nutrients and minerals to your body even if you have a condition that causes malabsorption. If you want to try Forvia Chewable Multivitamins for yourself, call us today at 866-619-7705 or visit our website to purchase our chewable multivitamins.