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Dr. Ece Mutlu
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Can Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Eat Anything They Want? - Dr. Mutlu (VIDEO)

Dr. Mutlu explains the diet restrictions a woman with inflammatory bowel disease should observe.

Dr. Mutlu:
I think that the patient with inflammatory bowel disease has to do things in moderation. Yes, I think if they are not part of a research trial, they should be able to eat anything they want. However, it probably would be best for them to try to eat more fruits and vegetables if possible, especially during periods of inactivity. I know that sometimes fruits and vegetables would potentially increase symptoms during the phases of diarrhea. I think there are some data potentially that in terms of meat choices, fish might be better than red meat for some patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

So as long as they do some of the things that they do and dietary choices that a person has, is towards the more general healthier diet and it is not a junk food diet, there is no problem with an inflammatory bowel disease patient eating anything they want, but moderation is the keyword here.

The patient with inflammatory bowel disease has to be making conscious choices and has to be doing things in moderation and not in excess in terms of certain foods and in terms of eating too much of certain foods and eating too little of the others.

About Dr. Mutlu, M.D.:
Dr. Ece A. Mutlu, M.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. She specializes in gastroenterology and nutrition, and her research interests include diet therapy in inflammatory bowel disease, role of microbiological flora on gastrointestinal illness, role of nutrition in gastrointestinal disease, complementary and alternative medicine for gastrointestinal disease, and antioxidant treatment of radiation proctitis.

Visit Dr. Mutlu at Rush University Medical Center