6 Ultra-Processed Foods to Avoid if You Have IBD (and What to Eat Instead)

If you’re living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), you already know how closely what you eat can affect how you feel. Your daily diet can influence flares, energy levels, bowel habits, and overall symptoms like bloating, urgency, and abdominal pain. And while people may have different trigger foods, research is increasingly pointing to one major dietary pattern that may worsen gut inflammation: ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

Medications are the gold standard for IBD treatment, but protecting the gut’s delicate inner lining through dietary choices may play a meaningful supporting role, too.

UPFs contain ingredients that contribute to this, according to Rachel Dyckman, RDN, a registered dietitian-nutritionist in New York City and a member of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s National Scientific Advisory Committee.

“Certain food additives found in UPFs may disrupt this barrier by changing the composition of our gut bacteria, thinning the protective mucus layer, weakening tight junctions between cells, and activating our immune response,” Dyckman says.

Tight junctions are gatekeepers: “protective doorways” that open and close to allow or prevent the passage of compounds, says Amy Burkhart, MD, RD, an integrative medicine physician and a registered dietitian based in Napa, California, where she specializes in treating patients with digestive health issues. “If those tight junctions are disrupted, things go where they are not supposed to, causing inflammation and ultimately other negative health effects,” Dr. Burkhart says.

1. Processed Meats

Foods like bacon, deli meats, and hot dogs contain nitrates and emulsifiers, and tend to be high in sodium — all of which can disrupt the barrier function and promote pro-inflammatory bacteria in the gut, says Elena Ivanina, DO, a New York City–based gastroenterologist and founder of the Center for Integrative Gut Health.

2. Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages

Dr. Ivanina says sugar-sweetened beverages should be avoided because high-fructose corn syrup may promote inflammation and an imbalance between harmful and beneficial bacteria in your intestines. Scan labels for words ending in “-ose” like fructose, dextrose, or maltose, or sugar alcohol sweeteners like erythritol and sorbitol, which have been linked to more severe disease activity, Burkhart says.

3. Sauces, Spreads, and Gravies

These often contain thickeners, emulsifiers, and maltodextrin (a carbohydrate that acts like sugar in your body) to give them their taste, texture, and shelf-life, Dyckman says.

4. Packaged Breads and Pastries

Beyond refined flour and added sugar, packaged breads, cakes, and cookies often contain emulsifiers, maltodextrin, and a lot of sodium, Ivanina says. Refined carbohydrates can also spike blood sugar and promote inflammation, Dyckman says.

5. Industrial Snack Foods

Chips, crackers, and other salty snacks are typically low in fiber and high in refined oils, sodium, and additives like maltodextrin and flavor enhancers, Dyckman says. She notes that powdered seasoning blends, like sour cream and onion or nacho flavors, often contain emulsifiers and maltodextrin.

6. Frozen or Shelf-Stable Meals

While they’re convenient, these foods have a long shelf life, usually meaning plenty of preservatives, Dyckman says.

The Hidden Culprits: Additives to Watch For

• Carrageenan
• Maltodextrin
• Cellulose gum
• Artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin
• Titanium dioxide
• Polysorbate 80
• Carboxymethylcellulose

If the ingredient list reads more like an inventory from a chemistry lab than a dinner recipe, that’s often a red flag. “If [additive names] are too much to remember, try to buy foods either without an ingredient label, such as fresh produce, or with ingredients you can find in your kitchen,” Burkhart says.

• Fruits like bananas, raspberries, applesauce, and blended fruits
• Vegetables like squashes, fork-tender cooked carrots, and green beans
• Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel), walnut butter, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, and flaxseed meal
• Cooked and cooled or reheated starches like potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, and oatmeal
• Fermented foods like kefir, yogurt, miso, and sauerkraut, which are great for the gut, Dyckman says

You can modify the texture of fiber-rich food by blending fruits and vegetables into smoothies or soups, which can make them easier on the digestive system, especially during flares, Dyckman says.

If you’re unsure of how to plan your meals, consult a registered dietitian, she suggests. “Working with an IBD-specialized registered dietitian can help you tailor a dietary approach to your specific needs and disease activity.”

If you’re trying to limit ultra-processed foods, grocery shopping can feel overwhelming. But small swaps and mindful changes can add up to a more wholesome trip to the store.

Load up on whole foods. Aim to fill most of your grocery cart with whole foods in their natural state, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, legumes, and whole grains, Dyckman says. While shopping the outer aisles can steer you toward fresh produce, you’ll find nutritious IBD-friendly staples like rice, oats, canned fish, and even beans in the inner aisles too, Dyckman says.

Use the “five-ingredient rule.” If a packaged product contains more than five ingredients, or includes ingredients that are unfamiliar or difficult to pronounce, it likely falls into the ultra-processed category, Ivanina says. “Apple to simple applesauce or clean apple chips is fine. But apple to McDonald’s apple pie is not so fine,” she says.

Cook at home whenever possible. Buy ingredients to make meals yourself instead of relying on already prepared meals that may be packed with sugar, sodium, trans fats, and additives, Ivanina says. Convenience foods shouldn’t be off-limits altogether, but choosing options with shorter, recognizable ingredient lists can meaningfully reduce your overall additive exposure, Dyckman says.

Aim for progress, not perfection. Don’t strive for dramatic changes overnight, and approach your diet with a long-term mindset. “The goal isn’t perfection, but rather shifting the overall pattern toward whole, nutrient-dense foods that better support gut health,” Dyckman says.

• UPFs contain industrial additives like emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners that may disrupt the gut barrier and microbiome, worsening inflammation in people with IBD.
• Limiting processed meats, packaged baked goods, soda and artificially sweetened drinks, and additive-heavy snack foods can help support your gut health alongside prescribed IBD medications.
• Small, sustainable changes like reading labels, cooking more at home, and shifting toward a Mediterranean diet can help protect your gut health.