Disclaimer: The responses from this interview are not meant to provide definitive professional, medical, or other advice to someone’s personal health.
On November 11th, I had the opportunity to host a Q&A with Registered Dietitian, Kelly Issokson, answering questions submitted by the CCYAN community. Kelly works primarily with IBD patients at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles, and she is an expert on nutrition and IBD.
While I was glad to see many attend live, I wanted to summarize the information for any of the community who were unable to attend due to time zone differences or other barriers. Below are the questions I asked, a key quote from Kelly, some of my thoughts, and my summary of Kelly’s response. If you would like to watch the entire Q&A (I highly suggest it!), you can find the link here.
What is a Registered Dietitian?
“A Registered Dietitian is considered the nutrition expert, and somebody who if you have questions about diet or nutrition, the registered dietitian is somebody who you should definitely seek out.”
I always believe in questioning where we get our information. Anybody can write articles on the internet (even me, can you believe they let me do this?!). Understanding the credibility and validity of our sources is key to making sure we are getting accurate information. I really wanted the audience to feel comfortable that they could trust the information shared in this Q&A, and thus I think it was important that Kelly gave some background on why we can trust nutrition advice from a Registered Dietitian (RD).
In her response, Kelly discussed why a RD is the person to seek out for nutrition advice. She touched on the training necessary to become a RD and how the RD is required to stay up to date on the current evidence. Kelly also highlights the difference between an RD and a nutritionist: Anybody can call themselves a nutritionist, but a RD requires years of training and has up to date knowledge on dietary therapy for specific conditions.
What is safe to eat during a flare?
“Diet is going to be very personalized, especially when you are flaring.”
This question came from somebody who was recently diagnosed, and I think a lot of us can empathize with feeling lost on what to eat during our first flare.
Kelly talks about a variety of strategies for eating while in a flare. She touches on the role of texture modification in helping people incorporate fruits and vegetables even while flaring. An example she shares is having something like applesauce instead of apples. Kelly also talks about how lactose, a sugar found in dairy products, may commonly trigger symptoms. She suggests choosing yogurt as a good source of dairy, as the fermentation process yogurt goes through breaks down the lactose.
Another strategy Kelly discusses is introducing new foods in smaller portions. This, she notes, can help give you time to see how your body will react to that food. Starting slow can also help give your gut bugs (microbiome) some time to build up. This is important, as they can help digest the food you eat and produce molecules that may help reduce inflammation! Finally, Kelly touches on how choosing low fat cooking techniques like baking, grilling, or broiling instead of higher fat ones like frying may help people expand their diet in a flare.
Do you recommend any specific diet while in a flare?
“It can be hard to know what to add or replace unless you are working with a registered dietitian or your medical team when starting a diet”
There is a lot of information on diets for IBD on the internet, and it can be tempting when you are feeling poor to pick one and run with it. I really like how this question is worded, because I think it shows a surrendering of control and a trust of the person who is the expert.
In response to this question, Kelly highlights some of the key diets with research to back them for IBD. She touches on exclusive enteral nutrition, the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD), the mediterranean diet, and the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED). Kelly also makes the point that some of these diets may lead to malnutrition or micronutrient deficiencies when not done alongside your healthcare team and/or registered dietitian.
What are your thoughts on the vegan diet for IBD? Are vegan meats okay to eat while in a flare?
“There is not a lot of evidence supporting [a plant based vegan diet] in IBD...that being said, it can be a really healthy, well balanced diet. I think vegan meats are good, I think they are fine to have while flaring…that is where it comes down to personalization.”
I think this was a fantastic question from the audience. Vegans can develop IBD just like anybody else, so I think it is important to know whether they can continue their lifestyle even after diagnosis.
Kelly notes in her response that while there isn’t a ton of evidence to support it in IBD, it can be a healthy and balanced diet. She highlights the importance of respecting her patients personal preferences and values. Kelly also talks about the different types of remission, and how even if you start a specific diet and feel good you should still be following up with your doctor to make sure that the inflammation is also improving.
In talking about vegan meats, Kelly discusses the differences between a highly processed vegan meat and one made from whole foods. She talks about the importance of variety for getting all of the different phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals the body needs to stay healthy. Overall, Kelly notes that vegan meats are fine to have when flaring, but to keep the idea of personalization (how YOU respond to a food) in mind.
What advice do you have for dealing with the anxiety around eating?
“This is a very common experience from people and it is a very natural response...so this is something that, you know, working with a dietitian and even a psychologist can really help you to re-establish those positive connections with food.”
I was really excited to hear Kelly answer this question, as this is something that I deal with often. As somebody who does fall into that category of having a lot of food restrictions, I know just how daunting it can be when trying new foods.
Kelly highlighted how this can be a normal response, especially if your disease isn’t controlled well. She notes that this is something to bring up with your doctor, and that getting the support of a dietitian and/or psychologist can really help in reestablishing a healthy relationship with eating. One piece of advice she had was to really sit with those feelings and explore them. Figure out why you feel that way. Kelly also talked about introducing foods alongside a friend for support and on the weekends instead of the weekdays.
How do you rediscover the joy of eating when you’ve lost it?
“It goes hand in hand with active and uncontrolled inflammation in the body. So once that kind of calms down your experience with food is going to be more enjoyable, more positive.”
This is definitely a big one. I just listened to a webinar where an IBD patient shared that she “eats to live” rather than “lives to eat”. We all want to be excited at mealtimes and not have it feel like a chore.
Kelly discusses the role of active disease and inflammation in making it challenging to enjoy eating. She notes that it is important to have somebody to share these feelings with and lean on as support. Kelly also talks about the role of a food journal in helping find foods that you enjoy and work well with your body.
How do you balance “healthy” nutrition with a gut sensitive to fiber?”
“I would challenge you to dissect that preconceived notion of what’s healthy and what isn’t...a healthy diet is one that meets your medical needs and brings you joy.”
I was really excited to hear how Kelly answered this question. I wrote an article earlier this year about what a “healthy” diet is and how it isn’t the same for everybody.
In her response, Kelly points out that when we remove the labels like healthy from our foods, it removes the shame and guilt around eating. She highlights how this can allow us to refocus and re-prioritize what is really important: how to nourish our body in whatever state it is in.
Closing Thoughts
Kelly also gave some key resources at the end about how to find a dietitian who specializes in IBD. She gives two places you can search: IFFGD and Eatright.org. It is important to find somebody who has the knowledge and experience in IBD to be able to best help you navigate diet to reach your goals.