A gentle 7-day meal plan for Crohn’s disease
A week of simple meals built from foods most people with Crohn’s find easy to tolerate. They’re low in residue, high in protein and light on common triggers. Treat it as a template: swap anything that doesn’t agree with you.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Porridge made with lactose-free milk, topped with mashed banana | Chicken and white rice soup with soft carrots | Baked salmon, mashed potato (no skin), well-cooked green beans | Plain yogurt or kefir, if tolerated |
| Tuesday | Scrambled eggs on white or sourdough toast | Tuna and mayonnaise sandwich on white bread, peeled cucumber | Turkey meatballs in a smooth tomato sauce with white pasta | Applesauce |
| Wednesday | Rice porridge (congee) with shredded chicken and ginger | Blended butternut squash soup with white bread | Baked cod, white rice, steamed and peeled courgette | Rice cakes with smooth peanut butter |
| Thursday | Smoothie: banana, lactose-free yogurt, smooth peanut butter | Egg-fried white rice with soft, well-cooked carrots | Roast chicken (no skin), roasted peeled sweet potato, cooked carrots | Tinned peaches in juice |
| Friday | Cream of rice or porridge with a little honey | Jacket potato flesh (no skin) with tuna or cottage cheese | Salmon fishcakes, white rice, well-cooked spinach | Melon |
| Saturday | French toast on white bread with stewed peeled apple | Chicken noodle soup with soft vegetables | Tofu stir-fry with peeled courgette and carrots over white rice | Kefir or a smoothie |
| Sunday | Poached eggs with avocado on sourdough toast | Omelette with cheese and soft cooked peppers (skinned) | Slow-cooked turkey or chicken stew with potatoes and carrots | Banana |
Simple recipe ideas
Chicken & rice congee
Simmer 1 part white rice in 8 parts chicken broth for about an hour until creamy. Stir in shredded cooked chicken and a little grated ginger. Very gentle during flares.
Blended butternut squash soup
Soften peeled squash, carrot and a little onion (skip it if it triggers you) in broth, then blend until completely smooth. Freezes well.
Baked salmon with mash
Bake salmon at 200°C (400°F) for 12–15 minutes. Serve with potatoes mashed with lactose-free milk and olive oil. Salmon adds omega-3s and vitamin D.
Banana oat smoothie
Blend a ripe banana, a few spoonfuls of porridge oats, lactose-free yogurt or kefir and a spoon of smooth peanut butter. A useful option when appetite is low.
Adapting the plan
- Between flares, gradually add variety: whole grains, more vegetables and fruit, and legumes, one at a time.
- If dairy bothers you, use lactose-free milk and yogurt; kefir and hard cheese are often tolerated.
- If you’re losing weight, add calories with olive oil, smooth nut butters, eggs and nutritional drinks your care team recommends.
- Drink plenty of fluids, especially with diarrhoea.
- For an evidence-based structured approach, see the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet.
Related: foods to eat and avoid · Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet · flare-up guide
Common questions
What is a good dinner for someone with Crohn’s disease?
Simple combinations of a soft protein, a refined starch and well-cooked vegetables tend to work well, such as baked salmon with mashed potato and cooked carrots, or chicken with white rice and peeled courgette.
Can you eat pizza with Crohn’s disease?
It depends on your triggers. Heavy, greasy pizza with lots of cheese and processed meat is a common trigger. Outside a flare, a plain, thin-crust pizza in moderation may be fine for some people; a food diary will tell you.
What juice can you drink with Crohn’s?
Pulp-free juice diluted with water is usually easier on the gut than full-strength juice, which is high in sugar and can worsen diarrhoea. Prune juice has a laxative effect, so most people with active symptoms avoid it. Water and oral rehydration drinks are best during a flare.
Is this meal plan suitable during a flare?
It’s built from low-residue, easy-to-tolerate foods, so it’s a reasonable starting point during a mild flare. In a severe flare, or if you have a stricture, follow your care team’s specific advice.
Sources
-
Crohn’s disease: my diet during a flare up
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · UCLH
-
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics · EatRight.org
-
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation · Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
Phase 2 — in development
Where traditional research stops, our community begins
Natural compounds can’t be patented, so they rarely get the multi-million-dollar trials that drugs receive. That leaves people with Crohn’s without answers to the questions that matter most: what actually helps, at what dose, and for whom? Our Community Symptom Tracker will crowdsource those answers from real people living with Crohn’s, and our upcoming wellness store will make it easy to find quality, third-party-tested products.
- Log your symptoms, supplements and doses in a private daily tracker
- See what’s working for people with the same disease location and medications
- Contribute to the largest real-world dataset on natural Crohn’s support
- Shop curated, third-party-tested protocols from our upcoming store
Be one of the first to join
Early access is opening soon. Bookmark this page and check back — we’ll announce sign-ups here first.