Crohn’s, Colitis and Comfort Food: The #1 Food You’re Only Eating Once a Year, but Should be Eating Year-Round

*Hey busy mama? Want the audio version of the blog intro? Click HERE to listen on-the-go. Then go straight to the video.*

Comfort Food.

What feelings come to mind when you hear this phrase Comfort Food?

• Warmth
• Happiness
• Feeling good all over
• Cozy
• Relaxed
• Sinfully delicious
• Blissful food coma

And of course… comfort.

Comfort food is, well in a word—comfortable.  It’s like that old, but much-loved sweater.  It just feels good when you put it on.

I used to be addicted to the standard American diet comfort food.  French bread, my nana’s pasta, white rice, mashed potatoes with gravy, mac and cheese…  I thought these foods were comforting my belly when my IBD flared.  And the truth is, they did feel awfully good going down.  They’re rich and gooey, creamy and delicious. But what I didn’t find out until 20 years into my struggle with Crohn’s is that all these supposed comfort foods are ENORMOUS gut disruptors, not gut comforters.

As these starchy delights digest in your achy belly, they create a sugar-filled environment.  And guess what all those lovely bacterial, creepy, crawly, critters in your gut love to feed on to multiply?

Continue reading