Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disorder with symptoms that include pain and diarrhea. Damage from the disease can spread deep into the lining of the colon, causing serious, and sometimes life-threatening, complications. Because many drugs used to treat this condition are of limited effectiveness and have severe side effects, many patients consider natural treatments, including macrobiotics.
Medical Research on Crohn's Disease
A literature review published in the April 2011 issue of the "American Journal of Gastroenterology" found that diet correlated with the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disorders like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The studies reviewed included a combined total of over 1200 people with Crohn's disease and 4000 healthy controls. People eating large amounts of meat, fats, monosaccharides like fructose, and disaccharides like sucrose were significantly more likely to develop Crohn's disease than people eating a diet rich in fiber, fruits and vegetables.
Standard Macrobiotic Diet
The standard macrobiotic diet contains only small amounts of fats, meat and sugars, which are the foods strongly linked to the development of Crohn's disase. On the other hand, it contains high amounts of fiber, mostly from whole grains like brown rice. In fact, 50 o 60 percent of the diet consists of organically grown whole grains, with another 20 to 25 percent consisting of organically grown fruits and vegetables. Soups made with vegetables, seaweed, grains, beans, and miso are also part of the diet.
Rice Cream
If you have Crohn's disease and find large amounts of fiber irritating, you can eat rice cream instead. To prepare this dish, cook 1 cup of brown rice and a small pinch of sea salt in 4 cups of water until the rice is soft, usually after an hour; strain through a double layer of cheesecloth. This will remove the fiber, leaving only a thick liquid known as rice cream. You can eat this instead of rice until your condition improves and you are able to eat solid foods again.
Other Dietary Modifications
While you are healing, you will need to modify the macrobiotic diet slightly. During the initial weeks and months, avoid spices, beans and vegetables like cabbage and broccoli because they tend to cause intestinal discomfort. As your condition improves, slowly add these foods back into your diet. Because Crohn's disease is a serious condition, do not try to treat this condition on your own. If you decide to try macrobiotics, find an experienced macrobiotic counselor and be sure to consult your doctor.
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