CDED Diet
Phase 3: Maintenance
From week 13: 25% PEN and individualised dietary expansion within the maintenance schedule described. Follow-up by the care team is required.
Clinical safety and follow-up
These situations are not a list of absolute CDED contraindications. They require different actions and individual assessment.
Red flags: urgent assessment
- Severe abdominal pain, heavy or non-stop bleeding, or vomiting blood: seek emergency care.
- Persistent vomiting with distension and absent bowel transit, or marked deterioration in general condition: urgent assessment; do not try to manage this by changing the menu.
Do not wait to finish a diet phase or reach a fixed time point if the patient deteriorates.
Before starting or adapting the diet
- Symptomatic stricture or suspected obstruction: medical assessment before prescribing foods or textures. The CDED phase does not determine a safe texture.
- Malnutrition or very low intake: assess nutritional status and refeeding risk. In children, assess growth and anthropometry by age and sex, not a fixed adult BMI threshold.
- Malnutrition alone does not indicate parenteral nutrition. It is reserved for situations where oral/enteral intake cannot meet needs or cannot be used, and for specific complications.
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding or recent surgery: individual planning and nutritional follow-up. These do not automatically contraindicate all nutritional interventions.
- Food allergy: check ingredients and product information. With cow milk protein allergy, do not use a formula containing intact milk protein; the clinical team must select an alternative, without automatic substitution.
Contact the team for reassessment
- Ongoing weight loss, inadequate intake, poor tolerance or lack of response: bring review forward according to progress, without waiting three weeks if there is deterioration.
- Rising CRP or faecal calprotectin: interpret alongside symptoms, examination and progress. An isolated marker does not by itself determine severity or the need for emergency care.
CDED requires gastroenterology and nutrition supervision. This reminder does not replace clinical assessment or an emergency care protocol.
Weekdays (Mon–Fri)
Phase 2 diet + the following additions
Base: All Phase 2 foods remain in effect. PEN is maintained at 25% of caloric requirements.
- 1 serving/day
Plain whole-milk yoghurt
No additives, colourings, or sweeteners.
- 2 slices or 200 g/day
Artisan bread or cooked pasta
Prefer artisan bread without additives. Alternatively, use 200 g of cooked pasta; this is not the dry weight. Choose one option, not both.
- 1 cup/day
Black coffee or tea
Not instant or capsule coffee.
- In moderation
Greater variety of fruits and vegetables
Keep excluding persimmon, pomegranate, prickly pear, passion fruit, raw celery, leeks and large amounts of kale. With strictures, individualise foods and textures.
Flexible meals (Saturday and Sunday)
One breakfast and one lunch or dinner per day on those two days (4 in total). Prioritise home cooking. This calendar belongs to the maintenance schedule described; it is not a universal rule.
Free breakfast
In the morning
Free lunch or dinner
Midday or evening
May include
- Wheat (bread, pasta, home-made pastries — not ultra-processed)
- Dairy (milk, cheese, yoghurt)
- Other meats (beef, pork, lamb — home-cooked)
- Greater variety of cereals, fruits, and vegetables
Follow the weekday diet for the remaining meals. Fruit and vegetable exclusions also apply at weekends. Food restrictions are not a reason to stop the prescribed formula.
Restaurant Rule
Maximum 1 restaurant meal per week
- 1
Max. 1 restaurant meal per week
Traditional cuisine only. Avoid highly processed menus or all-you-can-eat buffets.
- 2
Compensation rule
One restaurant meal is equivalent to forgoing one full day of free weekend meals. That Saturday or Sunday follows the strict weekday diet.
Fast food — always forbidden
No exceptions. Does not count as a restaurant meal or a free weekend meal.
Always Avoid
No exceptions — even during free meals
- Fast food in any form
- Ready-made meals and commercially frozen dough
- Processed meats and cold cuts (bacon, sausages, industrial deli meats)
- Sugary drinks (soft drinks, industrial juices)
- Excess alcohol