Thanksgiving with Crohn's or colitis: a practical plan

This year Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. For many people with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis the challenge isn't one particular food. It's the combination: a large, rich meal, eaten later or earlier than usual, after travel, with less control over what's served and where the bathroom is. None of that means you can't enjoy the day. It does mean a plan helps.

Before the day

• Look at your own log. If you track what you eat, check how large or rich meals have sat with you before. That is more useful than any general list.
• Offer to bring a dish. Bring something you know you tolerate, so there is always one thing on the table you can fill up on.
• Keep your usual routine the day before. Normal meals, normal sleep and your medicines on schedule.
• Pack a small kit: medicines, a spare set of underwear and wipes, and anything else your flare kit usually has. Our IBD flare kit checklist has a full list.

At the table

• Portion is often the biggest lever. A smaller plate, with the option of going back, tends to be easier than one very large helping.
• Pace it. Thanksgiving meals can stretch over hours; there is no rule that everything has to be eaten at once.
• Know your own suspects. If your log suggests rich gravies, fried sides or alcohol don't sit well, it is fine to have a little or skip them. You don't owe anyone an explanation.
• Drinks count too. Alcohol and fizzy drinks are easy to forget in the moment and are worth treating like part of the meal.

Travel and bathrooms

If you're driving, plan stops along the way and note where the rest areas are. At someone else's home it can help to find the bathroom when you arrive, so you're not hunting for it later. If a long trip is involved, our guide to eating out with IBD has more on meals away from home.

What to say if people ask

You don't have to explain anything. If you want to, a short line is enough: "I have Crohn's, so I eat smaller portions and sometimes skip things. I'm fine, and I'm glad to be here." Our guide on explaining Crohn's to others has more ways to put it.

Log it, for next year

Write down what you ate, roughly how much, and how the evening and the next day went. One holiday meal won't prove much on its own, but next November you'll know what worked last time instead of guessing.

This guide is educational and not a substitute for advice from your own care team. If you're in a flare, or have a stricture or other specific advice from your team, follow that first. To log the day, print the free 7-day food and symptom log or download the app.