Crohn's meal plan, gentle by design.
There is no single diet that works for everyone with Crohn's. This week is built for remission: cooked vegetables, soft fruit, fish, chicken and eggs at about 1,700 calories a day. Alma can fit it to your goal.
Built from NIDDK and Mayo Clinic advice.
The rules
Three habits that ease the day to day
Cook and peel your vegetables
Cooked, peeled vegetables sit easier than raw salads and skins do.
Protein across the day
Fish, eggs, chicken, yogurt or cottage cheese at most of the four meals, not just dinner.
Keep a food and symptom diary
Note meals and symptoms for two weeks, then look for a pattern.
Sample week
Seven days of gentle Crohn's meals
About 1,650 to 1,750 calories a day and 15 to 25 g of fiber. Scale portions to your needs. Find your number
During a flare, or if you have a stricture, follow your IBD team's plan, which may mean lower fiber and softer food. Ask about seeing a registered dietitian.
Day 1Monday
BreakfastOatmeal with banana and peanut butter½ cup dry oats cooked with 1 cup 2% milk, 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter, 1 banana
LunchChicken and rice soup with soft carrots1½ cups soup with 4 oz cooked chicken, 1 cup cooked white rice, ½ cup soft cooked carrots, 1 tsp olive oil
SnackCottage cheese with applesauce¾ cup 1% cottage cheese, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, a pinch of cinnamon
DinnerBaked salmon with sweet potato mash5 oz salmon, ¾ cup mashed sweet potato, 1 cup soft cooked green beans, 2 tsp olive oil
About 1,720 kcal118 g protein21 g fiber
Day 2Tuesday
- BreakfastScrambled eggs with soft toast2 eggs scrambled in 1 tsp butter, 1 slice white toast, ½ cup canned peaches, 1 cup 2% milk
- LunchTurkey and rice bowl with zucchini4 oz ground turkey, 1¼ cups cooked white rice, 1 cup soft cooked zucchini, ½ avocado
- SnackBanana with smooth almond butter1 banana, 1½ tbsp smooth almond butter
- DinnerBaked cod with mashed potato6 oz cod, 1 cup mashed potato made with milk, 1 cup soft cooked carrots, 1 tsp olive oil
About 1,730 kcal104 g protein20 g fiber
Day 3Wednesday
- BreakfastCream of wheat with banana1 cup cooked cream of wheat made with milk, 1 banana, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp butter, 1 slice white toast
- LunchTuna pasta with soft peas1 cup cooked pasta, 3 oz tuna in water, ¼ cup soft cooked peas, 1 tbsp olive oil
- SnackRicotta with canned pears½ cup part-skim ricotta, ½ cup canned pears in juice, cinnamon
- DinnerChicken thighs with squash mash5 oz skinless chicken thigh, 1½ cups mashed butternut squash, 1 cup soft green beans, ½ cup white rice, 1 tsp olive oil
About 1,650 kcal101 g protein21 g fiber
Day 4Thursday
- BreakfastYogurt with banana and honey1 cup plain whole milk yogurt, 1 banana, 2 tsp honey, 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- LunchBaked tilapia with rice and carrots5 oz tilapia, 1½ cups cooked white rice, ½ cup soft cooked carrots, 1 tsp olive oil
- SnackSmoothie with yogurt and banana1 cup 2% milk, ½ banana, ½ cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp honey, blended smooth
- DinnerGround turkey with sweet potato mash4 oz ground turkey, 1 cup mashed sweet potato, 1 cup green beans, 1 tsp olive oil
About 1,670 kcal109 g protein19 g fiber
Day 5Friday
- BreakfastPancakes with yogurt and peaches2 small pancakes, ½ cup plain yogurt, ½ cup canned peaches, 1 tsp butter, 1 cup 2% milk
- LunchChicken and vegetable soup with noodles1½ cups soup with 3 oz chicken, 1 cup cooked egg noodles, soft carrots and zucchini, 1 slice white toast
- SnackCottage cheese with banana¾ cup 1% cottage cheese, 1 banana, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- DinnerBaked trout with potato mash5 oz trout, 1 cup mashed potato, ½ cup cooked spinach, 1 tsp olive oil
About 1,690 kcal123 g protein16 g fiber
Day 6Saturday
- BreakfastFrench toast with banana2 slices white bread dipped in 1 egg and 1 cup milk, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 banana, ½ cup blueberries
- LunchTurkey sandwich with soft bread2 slices white bread, 3 oz sliced turkey, 1 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 cup chicken noodle soup
- SnackCanned peaches with cottage cheese½ cup canned peaches in juice, ¾ cup 1% cottage cheese
- DinnerBaked chicken with rice and carrots4 oz chicken breast, 1 cup cooked white rice, ½ cup soft carrots, 1 cup green beans, 1½ tbsp olive oil
About 1,720 kcal107 g protein17 g fiber
Day 7Sunday
- BreakfastEgg and cheese on soft toast1 egg, 1 slice white toast, ¾ oz cheddar, 1 tsp butter, ½ cup canned pears, 1 cup 2% milk
- LunchSoft chicken stew with rice3 oz chicken, 1¼ cups cooked white rice, stewed carrots and zucchini, 1 tsp olive oil
- SnackYogurt with banana and cinnamon1 cup plain whole yogurt, 1 banana, cinnamon, ½ cup applesauce
- DinnerBaked salmon with rice and green beans5 oz salmon, 1 cup cooked white rice, 1½ cups green beans, 2 tsp olive oil
About 1,690 kcal106 g protein16 g fiber
Shopping list
What to buy
Most days
Fish and chickenSalmon, cod, trout, tilapia, chicken breast and thighssalmonchicken breast
- Soft vegetablesSweet potato, carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, green beanssweet potatocarrots
Now and then
Canned, frozen and soft-cooked versions all work. Keep any one food to a modest portion.
Make it yours
This week is a sample. Alma builds yours.
- Meals fit to your goal and the foods you like
- Log a meal by photo, voice or text in about 10 seconds
- Every meal gets an Alma Score from 0 to 100
Questions
What people ask
What should I eat with Crohn's disease?
A varied diet with vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish, eggs and enough protein is the base. The NIDDK says your doctor may recommend more fruits and vegetables for Crohn’s. Cooking and peeling vegetables, and choosing soft fruit like bananas, is a gentler way to start between flares.
Is there a best diet for Crohn's disease?
No single diet works for everyone. The NIDDK says researchers have not found that specific foods cause or worsen Crohn’s symptoms. Mayo Clinic says there is no firm evidence that any food causes Crohn’s, though some foods seem to aggravate flare-ups. Both suggest a food diary to find your own triggers. A 2020 expert review from the IOIBD says doctors and patients still lack clear guidance on which foods are safe or harmful in IBD.
What should I eat during a Crohn's flare?
Follow your IBD team's advice, which may mean softer, lower-fiber food for a while, such as white rice, eggs, bananas, mashed potato, plain chicken, broth and smooth yogurt. This page is the remission week, not the flare week. If a stricture is part of your Crohn's, ask your team before adding fiber back.
Can you manage Crohn's with diet alone?
No. Diet alone does not manage Crohn’s. The NIDDK points to medicines and, for some people, surgery, and food works alongside them. It says your doctor may recommend diet changes, and dietary supplements if your body is not absorbing enough nutrients. Ask your care team before starting any supplement.
How many calories is this meal plan?
About 1,650 to 1,750 calories a day, with 100 to 125 grams of protein and 15 to 25 grams of fiber. Eating enough calories and protein matters in Crohn’s, because symptoms can cut appetite and absorption. Scale portions up or down, and use the calorie calculator for a starting number.
Do I need to avoid dairy with Crohn's disease?
It depends on you. Mayo Clinic suggests limiting dairy products, and lactose-free milk and yogurt are an easy swap. This week uses milk, yogurt and cottage cheese in modest amounts, so swap them if they bother you. Your food diary will show whether dairy lines up with your symptoms.
Can Alma help me follow this plan?
Log a meal by photo, voice or text in about 10 seconds. Each meal gets an Alma Score from 0 to 100, drawing on Harvard's Alternate Healthy Eating Index, and the food and symptom diary shows which meals sit well. Alma also builds a plan around your goal and the foods you like.
Sources
Written by Alma from the sources below and reviewed October 28, 2026. Calories and protein are estimates. This is general information, not medical advice. If you manage a health condition or take medication, check changes with your clinician. Editorial standards
- NIDDK: eating, diet and nutrition for Crohn's disease
- Mayo Clinic: Crohn's disease symptoms and causes
- Cleveland Clinic: Crohn's disease
- Levine A, et al. Dietary guidance from the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2020
- USDA FoodData Central, for calorie and protein estimates
Get a week built around you.
Tell Alma your goal and the foods you like. It plans the meals and scores each one.