Carrot Juice & Crohn's Disease

Carrot juice contains lots of vitamins and minerals -- ideal for people with Crohn's disease, who can struggle to absorb vitamins from a normal diet. If you have Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel condition, your doctor may suggest you follow a low-fiber/low-residue diet. Carrot juice and other vegetable juices fit into this type of diet. Not everyone with Crohn's disease will tolerate carrot juice. Experimenting with a little carrot juice at a time will help test your reaction.

Your body digests carrot juice far more easily than raw, hard carrots. Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

Fiber

Some people with Crohn's cannot tolerate high-fiber foods. This includes raw vegetables such as carrots, which some people may find difficult to digest. Juicing a carrot removes most of the fiber, but keeps lots of the nutritional value. However, fiber makes up an important part of a healthy diet. Drinking carrot juice with some of the pulp retained in the liquid helps improve the fiber content of the juice without putting too much stress on the bowel.

Carrot Juice Benefits

At times, Crohn's patients may struggle to get nutrients and vitamins from their diet. Common deficiencies in Crohn's patients include folic acid, calcium and zinc, as well as vitamins A, K and D. Drinking carrot juice offers a way to get a whole range of vitamins and minerals. It includes vitamins A, K and D, as well as B, C and E. Carrot juice also contains minerals such as calcium, which may play a role in helping the integrity of intestinal walls. You also get B vitamin complexes such as folic acid from carrot juice.

Water and Diarrhea

Diarrhea is a common symptom of Crohn's disease. Diarrhea dehydrates the body, which can leave you feeling weak and sick. Steven D. Erlich, N.M.D., at the University of Maryland Medical Center suggests that carrot juice makes an ideal drink to get fluids back into the body and restore your balance of electrolytes when experiencing diarrhea. A cup of carrot juice also contributes to your daily water consumption. MayoClinic.com recommends getting at least eight to nine cups of water each day.

Considerations

To make carrot juice, you'll need around a pound of carrots to make an 8 oz. cup of juice. Electronic juicers offer the most convenient and speedy way to juice carrots, though using a standard blender makes a fine alternative. Carrots juice well with some other vegetables, particularly celery. A squeeze of lemon, orange or lime juice gives the juice added zest. However, some people with Crohn's are sensitive to citrus fruits, so take care not to add too much.

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