Can a Crohn’s Diet Help you Bulk Up?

If you’re wondering, can a Crohn’s diet help you bulk up, you might also be wondering what to eat, how to exercise, and how weight is connected. Read on and this blog will help you understand these things a little better. 

Co-written by Renata Cauchon-Robles

Lots of factors can affect being able to bulk up while living with Crohn’s, like inflammation, diet, and exercise. With Crohn’s, your body needs more protein to support your intestinal healing. In this blog, we explore important things to consider as you work to stay strong and hang on to muscle. 

What is a Crohn’s Diet?

The short answer is there isn’t just one way to define a Crohn’s diet.

Anti-Inflammatory

Since Crohn’s disease is a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a diet that supports Crohn’s often includes anti-inflammatory foods such as greens, berries, nuts, and seafood, which are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols that help protect the cells in the body.

Symptom Management

People with Crohn’s disease may experience symptoms such as abdominal cramps, diarrhea, anemia, fatigue, eye pain, etc. Choosing different foods can be a big part of managing these symptoms in order to help you feel your best.

Does Crohn’s Disease Cause Weight Gain?

There is some link between Crohn’s disease and weight, but it’s important to clarify exactly what that means. First of all, obesity is known to increase the risk of developing Crohn’s disease. So people with Crohn’s disease may tend to have extra weight before or during their diagnosis. However, Crohn’s disease is not considered to cause weight gain.

In fact, weight loss is often seen in people with Crohn’s. If obesity is someone’s starting point, some weight loss can be helpful for managing symptoms and inflammation. But other times, the weight loss can be too much, too fast, or not desired, which can potentially cause overall health and nutrition issues.

On the other hand, glucocorticoid medications are often prescribed for Crohn’s flare management, and can influence weight gain at high or low doses. A 2021 large population study found that these types of corticosteroids have less impact on weight when prescribed for inflammatory reasons, like IBD, compared to respiratory reasons like asthma. Though they did find that weight gain was more likely for younger women taking the medication.

Understanding Weight Loss from Crohn’s

Weight loss from Crohn’s is thought to be related to two main things: eating less and not absorbing enough nutrients. The irritation in the intestines from Crohn’s makes it harder for the body to soak up the nutrients it needs from the food you eat. And finding what to eat without making symptoms worse can lead to people eating less overall. This undesired weight loss is often linked with a loss in muscle mass, too.

A 2022 study reported that people with Crohn’s who smoked had an increase in unwanted weight loss, but were able to support healthy weight gain after stopping smoking. The researchers reported this is probably related to how smoking increases intestinal inflammation, alters the microbiome, and weakens the immune system.

So, whether you are trying to gain weight or trying to maintain a healthy weight, you might be wondering what are considered good foods for people with Crohn’s disease, while bulking.

How To Gain Weight with Crohn’s Diet While Bulking

Weight loss from a decrease in muscle mass can be related to not eating enough, or not getting enough protein. During a Crohn’s flare, the inflammation means you need more protein to help repair the damaged intestinal tissue.

Definitely pay attention to what triggers your IBD symptoms. For example, some vegetables or wheat-based foods can irritate some IBD warriors. Luckily, there are often alternate options that might still help you meet your nutrition goals. As you know, the IBD journey can be about continuously adjusting, learning, and resetting.

3 Ways to Bulk Up While on a Crohn’s Diet

1. Make exercise part of your regular routine. Protein cannot build muscle without you training it regularly through exercise. It’s okay to start small and low-intensity exercise has shown to be great for both building muscle with Crohn’s and healing intestinal tissue.
2. Food first. While supplements can help if you know you are deficient in something, in general, the whole food is the best option because of all the available phytonutrients, including flavonoids and polyphenols. You can think of the whole food as the whole package, with a complete balance of fiber, minerals, vitamins, and more.
3. Here are food types that can help you keep gaining muscle even while living with Crohn’s:

• Prioritize high-quality protein foods like eggs, nuts, beans, seafood, and moderate amounts of meat. More isn’t always better, and exactly how much protein you need can change with your age, level of exercise, or any disease you live with.
• Get fiber from whole fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Different types of fiber can also help regulate your bowel cycles and diversify the microbes in your gut (that’s a good thing!).
• Opt for unsaturated fats from avocado, nuts, seafood, and plant oils. These healthy fats help your body absorb important nutrients like vitamin D and vitamin E.

Take Home Message

Crohn’s disease can lead to unwanted weight loss and it’s important to get the nutrition and exercise you need to keep your muscles thriving. High-quality protein, whole fruits and vegetables, and unsaturated fats are all part of a balanced diet to support your bulking needs.

Learn More

• Download our Protein-Packed Foods List
• Learn about research done on the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet

References

1. Harvard Medical School. Foods that fight inflammation. Published March 2024. Accessed April 2025. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
2. Chan SSM, Chen Y, Casey K, et al. Obesity is Associated With Increased Risk of Crohn’s disease, but not Ulcerative Colitis: A Pooled Analysis of Five Prospective Cohort Studies. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022;20(5):1048-1058. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2021.06.049
3. Kim M, Cho M, Hong S, et al. Weight loss from diagnosis of Crohn’s disease to one year post-diagnosis results in earlier surgery. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):21101. Published 2023 Nov 30. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-48474-x
4. Palmowski A, Nielsen SM, Boyadzhieva Z, et al. The Effect of Low-Dose Glucocorticoids Over Two Years on Weight and Blood Pressure in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Individual Patient Data From Five Randomized Trials. Ann Intern Med. 2023;176(9):1181-1189. doi:10.7326/M23-0192
5. Fardet L, Nazareth I, Petersen I. Long-term systemic glucocorticoid therapy and weight gain: a population-based cohort study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021;60(3):1502-1511. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keaa289
6. Li Q, Wang J. The Effect of Protein Nutritional Support on Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Its Potential Mechanisms. Nutrients. 2024;16(14):2302. Published 2024 Jul 17. doi:10.3390/nu16142302
7. Papadimitriou K. Effect of resistance exercise training on Crohn’s disease patients. Intest Res. 2021;19(3):275-281. doi:10.5217/ir.2020.00043
8. Mayer, BA. Here’s How Much Protein You Need in a Day to Build Muscle. Healthline.com Published January 2025. Accessed April 2025. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-much-protein-per-day-build-muscle
9. Harvard Medical School. Know the facts about fats. Published April 2021. Accessed April 2025. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/know-the-facts-about-fats