Thanksgiving is a time for gathering, gratitude, and, of course, great food. There’s the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and some pumpkin pie — but for some people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, tucking into the traditional Thanksgiving dinner can be a stressful experience, and stress can trigger symptoms.
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What’s easily digested by most people may spark symptoms in people with IBD, including diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and fatigue, says Danielle Gaffen, RDN, a San Diego–based registered dietitian specializing in IBD nutrition.
“Thanksgiving can pose several challenges for people living with IBD. It’s a large, food-centered holiday where people often eat more than usual and dishes are typically made by many different cooks, so it’s not always clear what ingredients are used or how foods are prepared,” she says. That uncertainty can be stressful for people with IBD, especially when paired with other stressors like socializing, travel, and changes in sleep.
The good news: by planning ahead, your Thanksgiving can still be full of satisfying, nourishing dishes that are gentle on the gut. Here’s a look at IBD-friendly dishes — and preparation tips — that can help you build a safer Thanksgiving menu.
1. Tender, Lean Poultry
Turkey or chicken is often the Thanksgiving centerpiece, and it’s safe for most people with IBD to include these lean proteins on their plates.
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To make poultry cuts even more IBD-friendly, stick to roasting, baking or poaching, remove the skin to cut back on excess fats, and slice the meat thinly so pieces are easier to chew and digest. If turkey isn’t your thing, you could opt for poached salmon with lemon and dill or a baked tofu in a light marinade, says Supriya Rao, MD, a gastroenterology, internal medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine physician at Tufts Medicine in the Boston area, who focuses on digestive disorders like IBD.
During flares, very soft, tender meat may reduce irritation, Dr. Rao says. Keep seasonings simple, too: Use olive or avocado oil with fresh herbs or mild spices on your protein instead of butter or spicy rubs that can cause gut irritation, Gaffen says.
That applies to gravies, too. Gaffen recommends skipping the butter and cream when whipping up a gravy to accompany your turkey. Instead, make a pan sauce using the meat’s drippings — thicken it with pureed vegetables to keep the texture smooth and ramp up the flavors without adding excess fat.
2. Baked, Mashed, and Pureed Root Vegetables
If you’re in the throes of a flare, softer, well-cooked root vegetables can reduce the chance they’ll irritate your digestive system, says Rachel Dyckman, RDN, a New York City–based registered dietitian-nutritionist and a member of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s National Scientific Advisory Committee.
She suggests baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, and roasted, skinless sweet potatoes as IBD-friendly Thanksgiving staples. They can be made with olive oil, lactose-free milk, or dairy-free milk instead of cream, Rao says.
You can even create an IBD-friendly soup course, by combining pureed butternut squash or carrots with plain Greek yogurt or nondairy milk instead of heavy cream, Dyckman says.
Vegetables prepared this way will be much easier for your digestive system to process than the raw vegetables in salads.
3. Green Bean Casserole
Don’t shy away from a green bean casserole, but be mindful of how it’s prepared, Gaffen says. “Classic sides like green beans and sweet potatoes can be made more IBD-friendly by adjusting their texture. For example, cooking them until they’re very soft and fork-tender makes them easier to digest,” she says.
Take matters into your own hands and volunteer to make the casserole so you can control how it’s prepared. Stick to classic seasonings like salt, pepper, lemon, and herbs for your green beans instead of heavy cream, cheese, and crispy fried onions. If you’re opting for a sweet potato casserole, ingredients like cinnamon, honey, and maple syrup are safer than cream, butter, sugar, and marshmallows, too.
Peel any indigestible skins, chop vegetables finely, and eat these dishes in smaller portions if you need to err on the safe side, Gaffen says.
But if you’re in remission, you have a bit more leeway to reach for other options, like raw vegetables on a plate of crudités, Brussels sprouts, or broccoli, which are full of nutrients and plant compounds that benefit health, but are harder for the digestive system to break down.
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4. Sourdough Stuffing
There are a lot of tweaks you can make to a standard stuffing recipe to make it IBD-friendly.
For starters, try using sourdough breadcrumbs, which are often better tolerated than other kinds, Dyckman says. Then bring the dish to life by using broth instead of butter, and adding finely chopped onions and celery that have been sautéed thoroughly, which will make them easier to digest. You can also mix IBD-friendly herbs and spices, including oregano, ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric into your stuffing.
Adjust your stuffing recipe based on which ingredients you know your body responds best to, Gaffen says.
“Stuffing can be made with ingredients that work for each person, and that may look different for everyone,” she says. Some might do well with a basic sourdough bread base, while others may do better with cooked rice or quinoa. Keeping it moist with bone broth can make it easier on digestion as well, she says.
5. Baked Apples and Pears With Oat Crumble
People living with IBD don’t need to say no to dessert, either. You just have to get creative, Dyckman says.
Modify your traditional pumpkin pie recipe by using a lactose-free or dairy-free milk, such as almond milk, in the filling. And pour the filling into an oat or graham cracker crust, she suggests.
Rao says you can make a tasty fruit dessert with cooked fruits, an oat crumble topping, and plant-based yogurt — all ingredients that taste good and are easy to digest. Consider using instant oats to cut down on the fiber content and increase digestibility.
“Baked apples or pears with a little maple [syrup] and cinnamon would make a great dessert or even a dairy-free yogurt parfait with warm fruit compote,” she says. But make sure to peel the fruit first, to remove its hard-to-digest skin.
“The idea is to swap ingredients, not memories. You can still enjoy your favorite holiday flavors, just prepared in a way that’s gentler on the gut,” Gaffen says.
The Takeaway
- If you have IBD, choose lean, slow-cooked proteins, such as turkey, chicken, salmon, or tofu, prepared in a way that makes them easy to digest.
- Focus on fork-soft, well-cooked vegetables that are mashed, pureed, or roasted.
- Modify ingredients, not traditions — enjoy your favorite Thanksgiving dishes like pumpkin pie or sweet potato casserole by swapping cream for lactose-free milk, butter for olive oil, and heavy toppings for herbs or oats.
