Whole-Food Dietary Interventions in Crohn's Disease: A Literature Review

This narrative review examines advances in diet-based therapy for Crohn's disease with a focus on emerging whole-food interventions that have gained attention in the past five years. The aim is to evaluate the current evidence for the Crohn's disease exclusion diet, specific carbohydrate diet, Mediterranean diet, and newer approaches such as CD-TREAT (Crohn's disease treatment with eating diet), low-FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) strategies, and plant-based regimens. Drawing on recent randomised controlled trials and mechanistic studies, this review explores how these diets influence clinical outcomes, gut microbiota composition, and mucosal integrity, while identifying limitations, controversies, and gaps in knowledge. In addition to summarising the latest findings, we offer a critical perspective on the potential for personalised nutrition, the integration of diet with pharmacologic therapy, and the need for long-term maintenance studies. The scope is limited to mild-to-moderate Crohn's disease, reflecting the clinical scenarios where dietary interventions are most often applied. This review emphasises the potential for diet to function as a structured therapeutic intervention aligned with patient preferences, provided it is implemented within multidisciplinary care models to ensure efficacy, safety, and sustainability.