[pants2]

I'm convinced that dietary restrictions are extremely powerful for treating Crohn's and similar diseases, but patient adherence is so bafflingly low that the treatment may as well not exist in doctors' eyes.

Just as an example of a more studied case, the probability that an overweight person reattains normal weight through diet and exercise is well under 1% [1]. Now consider that diets for Crohn's (like a water fast and strict elimination diet) are considerably more difficult to follow than a weight loss diet - it's no wonder that diet appears to be ineffective for most people.

After a similar experience to yours I haven't had any foods with the 8 major allergens (and a few more select things) for over seven years, aside from a handful of accidents early on. That's not an easy diet to follow, but gets easier with time and experience.

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4539812/

[wholinator2]

What are the 8 major allergens you're avoiding? Do you avoid anything else?

[pants2]

The 8 most common allergens as identified by the FD: milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. These are called out on all packaged foods, which makes it easier, though I'm OK with some derivatives like soy lecithin. I also avoid yeast (brewer's or baker's) and a few other small things like black pepper.

I've been in remission for long enough that I could probably start eating a lot of these things again, but I have no desire to go through another Crohn's episode, so I'll probably continue to avoid these foods for the next 40-50 years (unless there's a miracle Crohn's cure in the meantime). After that, as I understand, a weakening immune system from old age makes Crohn's symptoms significantly less likely or severe.