ABSTRACT
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are relapsing, remitting chronic inflammatory diseases. Despite an unknown pathogenesis of IBD, there is some evidence that diet and nutrition may play a role. This chapter reviews alternative treatments for IBD, including diets aimed at reducing gut inflammation, probiotics to alter the microbiome, nutritional therapies shown to improve inflammation, and herbal therapies. It discusses common vitamin and mineral deficiencies in IBD patients will be discussed. Elimination diets are commonly recommended for a plethora of gastrointestinal (GI) conditions including IBD. The idea is to eliminate foods that can cause hypersensitivity in the gut for two to four weeks and then reintroduce foods one by one while maintaining a food dairy. The specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) was first introduced as a treatment for celiac disease in 1924. The concept is that disaccharide and polysaccharide carbohydrates are difficult to absorb in the human gut.
