Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet

Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED)

The CDED is a whole-foods diet designed to eliminate or reduce exposure to specific foods that may be harmful in Crohn's disease, while increasing foods that may be beneficial for healing and the microbiome.

Combined picture of healthy food pictures, eggs, grilled chicken, salmon, apples, potatoes

About the Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet

The Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED) is a structured, whole-food dietary therapy developed specifically for people with Crohn’s disease. It was developed as a way to achieve similar anti-inflammatory benefits to Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN), a therapy in which all nutrition comes from a liquid formula, while still allowing people to eat selected whole foods. Because EEN has been shown to reduce inflammation and induce remission, researchers designed CDED to replicate its beneficial effects in a more practical and sustainable way. CDED is structured in phases and is used to help induce remission and support long-term disease control.

The CDED is followed in three phases and includes partial enteral nutrition (PEN), which means using a nutritionally complete formula alongside regular foods. The amount of formula gradually decreases over time, with the final phase typically providing about 25% of daily nutrition from formula (such as Modulen IBD®). The CDED is a whole foods diet designed to exclude or limit exposure to foods that may adversely affect the microbiome or alter intestinal barrier function.¹^,² In patients uninterested or unable to use Exclusive Enteral Nutrition, CDED is an effective alternative for inducing remission,³^,⁴ and it may provide a more effective option than standard diet plus PEN for maintaining it.

Clinical studies, including randomized controlled trials, have demonstrated remission rates comparable to Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN) during the induction phase, with improved tolerability and adherence reported among patients following CDED.¹ Taken together, the available evidence positions CDED as one of the most well-supported whole-food dietary options currently studied for Crohn’s disease.

A colorful timeline with graphics describing how the CDED diet began as clinical experience and is now referenced in medical guidelines

CDED: An Extensively Studied Diet

The Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet has emerged as the most rigorously studied whole-food nutritional approaches for Crohn’s disease. Multiple clinical studies, including randomized trials and real-world research, support its use, particularly for inducing remission.

Most published studies to date focus on the 6–12 week Induction Phase in both children and adults with mild to moderate active disease. As a result, the strongest scientific evidence currently supports this phase, while research on the Maintenance Phase is ongoing and continues to grow.

Overall, the existing evidence is strong enough that CDED is increasingly recognized in clinical practice and published guidelines as a research-backed dietary option for Crohn’s disease.

The effects of the six-week induction phase of CDED were first reported in pediatric Crohn's disease in 2014³.

The 12-week induction phase in children and adults failing biologics was reported in 2017² with a comparison of CDED + PEN vs EEN in 2019.¹

Data in adults with Crohn's disease was reported in 2021⁵

What is the CDED Diet?

The CDED is divided into three phases.

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Induction Phases (Weeks 1-12)

Phase 1: weeks 1-6- limit insoluble fiber to prevent bowel obstructions

Phase 2: weeks 7-12- add back in many of the limited foods by week 10

‍

Maintenance Phase (Weeks 13 and beyond)

Phase 3: begins after remission is achieved and is intended to help sustain remission over time. During this phase some foods that are not necessarily recommended can be included to promote better long-term compliance.

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The Induction Phases are the most important phases of the diet and are required for efficacy. These two 6-week phases are designed to induce remission.

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The Maintenance Phase requires five contiguous days following the diet. It allows for a maximum of two contiguous days (generally weekends) of two free meals per day (maximum of four free meals per week), excluding only hot dogs, sausages, soft drinks, luncheon meats, bacon, and frozen dough from those free meals.

Phase 1

Induction
(week 1-6)

Limit insoluble fiber

Phase 2

Induction
(week 7–12)

Reintroduce gradually some previously restricted foods

Phase 3

Maintainance
(week 13 and beyond)

Expand and diversify the diet of recommended foods based on tolerance. Also includes weekly "free meals"

Implementing the CDED Diet

The table below provides an overview of the CDED diet. It is not an all-inclusive list of included and restricted foods, nor does it define all of the details of the diet.

‍This list alone should NOT be used as a guide to following the diet. Consult with a dietitian trained in CDED.

Download and print the CDED 3-phase diet plan

References

Levine, A., Wine, E., Assa, A., Sigall Boneh, R., Shaoul, R., Kori, M., Cohen, S., Peleg, S., Shamaly, H., On, A., Millman, P., Abramas, L., Ziv-Baran, T., Grant, S., Abitbol, G., Dunn, K. A., Bielawski, J. P., & Van Limbergen, J. (2019). Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet Plus Partial Enteral Nutrition Induces Sustained Remission in a Randomized Controlled Trial. Gastroenterology, 157(2), 440-450.e8. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2019.04.021
Sigall Boneh, R., Sarbagili Shabat, C., Yanai, H., Chermesh, I., Ben Avraham, S., Boaz, M., & Levine, A. (2017). Dietary Therapy With the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet is a Successful Strategy for Induction of Remission in Children and Adults Failing Biological Therapy. Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, 11(10), 1205–1212. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjx071
Sigall-Boneh, R., Pfeffer-Gik, T., Segal, I., Zangen, T., Boaz, M., & Levine, A. (2014). Partial Enteral Nutrition with a Crohnʼs Disease Exclusion Diet Is Effective for Induction of Remission in Children and Young Adults with Crohnʼs Disease: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 20(8), 1353–1360. https://doi.org/10.1097/MIB.0000000000000110
Herrador-López M, Martín-Masot R, Navas-López VM. EEN Yesterday and Today … CDED Today and Tomorrow. Nutrients. 2020;12(12):3793. Published 2020 Dec 10. doi:10.3390/nu12123793
Yanai, H., Levine, A., Hirsch, A., Boneh, R. S.,Kopylov, U., Eran, H. B., Cohen, N. A., Ron, Y., Goren, I., Leibovitzh, H.,Wardi, J., Zittan, E., Ziv-Baran, T., Abramas, L., Fliss-Isakov, N., Raykhel,B., Gik, T. P., Dotan, I., & Maharshak, N. (2022). The Crohn’s diseaseexclusion diet for induction and maintenance of remission in adults withmild-to-moderate Crohn’s disease (CDED-AD): an open-label, pilot, randomisedtrial. The LancetGastroenterology & Hepatology, 7(1), 49–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(21)00299-5‍

CDED Research Articles

See All CDED Research Articles

January 27, 2026

Personalized AZithromycin/metronidAZole + Dietary Therapy in Pediatric Crohn Disease: Results of a Pilot Study

November 26, 2025

Beyond the "Ideal" Candidate: The Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet's Potential in Perianal Disease - A Case Report

October 20, 2025

Effectiveness of the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet for the Treatment of Crohn’s Disease in the Older-Adult Population: Real-World Experience

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