Ep 27: Behind-the-Scenes of My 5-Step IBD Healing Morning Start

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Last week, after finishing my IBD healing morning start for the umpteenth time, I had a realization of just how powerful these 5 gut healing steps have been in my life.

And once that hit me, the power of setting yourself up for the day (mind, body, and soul), I realized I had to share my powerful morning start with you.

I hope this behind-the-scenes look at what I do to engage IBD healing and keep it going all day long sparks an “a-ha” or a “hmm…” moment for you to create your own IBD healing rituals, no matter what time of day you do them.

We’re talking about:

• How to make sure your IBD healing morning start that stays with you all day long
• The #1 mindfulness app made with IBDer’s in mind
• Why “the year of ME” is the most selfless thing you can do for your whole family

And so much more!

After the episode, you’ll be ready to put your very own IBD healing morning start into practice in the way that best fits your symptoms and your lifestyle.

Episode at a Glance:

• [08:52] The reason why a far infrared heat lamp is a must for your IBD healing morning start
• [10:30] The digestive benefits of herbal tea for your gut health
• [12:23] The perfect Mother’s Day gift you have to ask for
• [16:51] The free mindfulness app you have to get to help your Crohn’s or colitis
• [22:44] What I put in my morning pages and what you might want to write about too
• [26:50] The free and fabulous YouTube yoga sesh for beginners that you’re going to love
• [28:40] The way we fit our IBD healing into our family life too
• [31:10] The recipe for the morning detox drink that’s the perfect finish for your IBD healing morning start
• [38:18] How to bring your morning start into the rest of your day so you feel the best you can all day long
• [41:40] What putting YOU first can do for healing your IBD
• [43:20] The best way to take your IBD healing journey to the next level.

Rate, Review and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Get your FREE Morning Detox Recipes

The Gut Love Community

Additional Resources from the Episode:

Far Infrared Mineral Heat Lamp

Breville Automatic Tea Maker

Insight Timer App

The Effect of Breathing, Movement, and Meditation on Psychological and Physical Symptoms and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Episode Transcript:

[Music]

INTRO: You are listening to The Cheeky Podcast for Moms with IBD, a safe space for moms with Crohn’s and colitis, connect, explore powerful tools for healing and transform our lives to thrive in motherhood and in life. I’m your host, Karyn Haley, IBD health coach, integrative wellness enthusiast, and mom to three outstanding kids. After having Crohn’s disease for 30 years and working as a health advocate exclusively with IBD clients for the last 10 years, I know it’s time to bring the types of candid conversations I have with my clients out into the open. It’s our time to go on an IBD healing journey and do it like only a mom can. Let’s do this.

[music]

[00:50] Hello dear one and welcome to the podcast. How’s your day going? I want to take just a moment to send out some healing energy your way, especially if you’re struggling today. I feel you mama. I’ve had those lots of those days myself. I have to say though, for me, today is going pretty well, considering a lot of chaos that’s out of my control going on around me and I know that’s because I started my day in the best possible way for my IBD. I started today with my 5 step IBD Healing Morning Start. I’ve been starting my day this way for a while now, not really absorbing just how important it was for my health, and one day last week it hit me just how crucial my morning start was and when I realized that, I knew I had to share it with you. If the behind-the-scenes of how I start my day with my IBD in mind can help you move the needle in a positive direction, even just a little, I knew I had to share.

So today, like I said, I’m sharing the behind-the-scenes of what my typical morning looks like, my 5 step IBD Healing Morning Process, but I have to start by saying that sharing my 5 steps is not about you copying the way I do it. It’s about sparking a-ha’s and hmm’s for you so that you can create your own IBD healing rituals.

And my rituals take place first thing in the morning. I’m at a place in my mom life where that works best for me. My youngest is 10 and I’ve got two late in teenage years adults still living at home who love to stay up past midnight every night. My nighttime of putting the kids to bed early and enjoying some quiet time with myself or my hubby are definitely a thing of the past. These days, if I want quiet ME time, it’s got to be when the kids are still asleep in the morning.

When you’re listening to my 5 Step IBD Healing Morning Start, instead of thinking “I can’t” or tuning it out because this time of day doesn’t work for you, I challenge you instead to think about, where could I fit that in for me?

WHERE CAN I PRIORITIZE ME TO HELP MY IBD?

If you have nappers, could you commit to this during naptime, or maybe schedule it with your partner when you’re both at home with the kids? If you’re kiddos are older than nap age, but still go to bed relatively early, could you squeeze it in after their bedtime? And if you have kids my age, trust me, they are fine on their own for a bit. I promise, they won’t burn down the house—most likely. And if you’re like lots of mamas and you feel like your whole day is a zoo and 1 hour all 5 steps takes isn’t possible—what about some 20 minute chunks of time where you break up the 5 steps?

Bottom line, let my behind-the-scenes be the catalyst for you to create your own IBD healing rituals that you can do daily. And if you can’t do all 5, which 1 or 2 can you do?

THIS ISN’T AN ALL OR NONE APPROACH, IT’S ABOUT FIGURING OUT WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.

You do you mama! But I’m not buying, I don’t have any time. Like a wise professor told me once when I told her I don’t have time… she said we all have time and we make the choice what we do with it. Right now, healing your IBD needs to be right up there with your top priorities like keeping your kids alive. If you stick with this, it’s not your forever, it’s your now. And when you feel better, you’ll pour all that love back into time with the ones you love.

You deserve this time mama. You deserve health mama.  Make this your priority and you will reap the rewards with IBD health.

And at the end, we’ll recap the steps and I’ll show you how to make each of these steps your own when you Do it Like a Mom.

[06:10] It’s time to dive into my 5-step morning start. For this part, I’m going to give it to your straight. How the 5 steps work for me. And at the end, we’ll recap the steps and I’ll show you how to make each of these steps your own when you Do it Like a Mom.

STEP #1: WAKE UP EARLY AND GET SET UP FOR AN IBD HEALING MORNING

This is the most important step even though there’s not much in terms of helping your IBD because if you wake up late and get a late start, whatever time late means for you—for some mamas 5:30am is a late start, for others 9am is. So, whatever early is for you, try for that if you’re planning on doing all 5 steps IBD Healing Morning Start. The whole healing journey takes about 1 hour. To make sure I get up on time, I try (notice the word try there cause I’m far from perfect) to get a good night’s sleep. For me, that’s 8-9 hours. Ever since I was diagnosed with Crohn’s, (and that was over 30 years ago) I’ve noticed that I need more sleep than some people. I just know that my body needs it. My hubby seems to thrive on 6 hours. Everyone is different.

So, once I walk up early, I immediately turn on my far infrared lamp.  What’s a far infrared lamp and how does it help IBD? That’s a whole other conversation and one we had back in the last episode of The Cheeky Podcast. Episode #26: Far Infrared Light Therapy: A Hidden Gem for IBD. If you didn’t listen to that episode yet, it’s OK, you can go back and take a listen after this one. I go into everything you need to know about infrared light therapy and how it can help if you have Crohn’s or colitis.

In the meantime, just know that for IBDer’s, far infrared light therapy in the cliff notes version (if cliff notes are still a thing) is all about detoxifying your body, decreasing inflammation, increasing your immune function, and balancing your gut flora. Really important stuff for us IBD moms.

So, I turn on my far infrared heat lamp first thing because it takes 10-15 minutes to heat up so I want to get it started right away. And if I’m being complete in my behind the scenes take, next up is a quick trip to the bathroom for a #1. Normally, I wouldn’t classify that to just anyone, but in IBD land, the difference between #1 and #2 land is a big deal. We’re always keeping track aren’t we?

[10:15] I grab a cup of herbal tea that’s already brewed, waiting for me, from a little nook in by bedroom. Weird that I brew tea in my bedroom, I know. Well, it’s the perfect place that’s close by to pick up my tea before heading back into bed. Tea is a huge part of my healing regime. Herbal tea boasts gut healing benefits ranging from decreasing inflammation, to helping with bloating, gas, nausea, aiding in digestion, energy, immune function, depending on the type of herbal tea, it can provide us with antioxidants and nutrients like vitamin C and iron… and so many more crazy cool benefits. And my herbal tea is waiting for me to wake up because in my bedroom is one of my absolute favorite things in the whole world. An automatic, programable tea brewer.

Trust me, I know it’s the absolute definition of a true want and not a necessity, and I thank my lucky stars every time I sip tea made from it. One of the only perks of having IBD (and we deserve some perks with all we go through) is truly appreciating everything we put in our body that supports health and healing. Most people mindlessly eat without thinking about what it’s doing to their body. We, on the other hand eat and drink with intention because we know just how powerful it can be on our healing journey.

And getting that tea brewer, if I’m being really honest with you, had a lot to do with feeling jealous of coffee drinkers who could set their coffee maker at night and have perfectly brewed hot coffee waiting for them in them in the morning. So, I searched far and wide, for years really, for a tea maker that did the same thing. Finally, last year I found it. An automatic, ready for you in the morning, tea brewer by Breville and I asked my family to get it for me for Mother’s Day. Next to my Vitamix, my fantastic high-speed blender that I’ve had for 10 years, it’s probably my most favorite small kitchen appliance. I’ll link to my tea brewer in the show notes in case you’re a tea fanatic like me and want to indulge in this fancy newfangled contraption. Mother’s Day is coming up again you know.

So, I quickly grab my cup of herbal tea and settle back in bed where my infrared red heat lamp is heating up and sip my tea while I read the morning news on my phone. Gasp, phone by my bed? Yep, guilty. Well, actually, I don’t feel so guilty. Right now, I’m kind of feeling unapologetic about my phone being next to me while I sleep. Maybe I’ll feel differently a month from now, but today I like it there. It’s on do not disturb all night, I turn the wi-fi off at night so I’m not using it, but I like my morning news emails when I wake up. Katie Couric and The Skimm. Two quick email recaps of the what’s going on in the news with a little light and fluffy thrown in. Perfect to get my morning news fix.

Now, I have to give you a word of caution here, and this is definitely from personal experience. Try your hardest not to get sucked into your other emails. That’s a rabbit hole that will suck you in and never let you out. It’s into the news update emails and right back out again for me. Just some friendly advice from an ex-email addict. News fix done and my infrared heat lamp is ready to go. So how it always takes me exactly the right amount of time to finish with the news for my news fix lamp to be ready for me.

IT’S TIME FOR STEP #2 AND STEP #3

[15:06] Great, now it’s time for Step #2, where the real IBD healing power begins—mind, body, and soul. Step 2 begins with the infrared heat lamp that’s now all warm and ready for some gut love. I focus the heat lamp 12 inches above my belly, make sure the timer is set for thirty minutes. With step 2 happening in the background, I can quickly move on the step #3.  And step #3 begins with either Option A: My Long Visualization Plan, or Option B: My Short Visualization Plan.

Neither plan is better than the other, they’re just slightly different, depending on my mood and what I want to accomplish with my IBD healing start that day. Both plans do involve some sort of visualization. If this word is new to you, you can think of it like a meditation, but this meditation is specifically designed for moms with IBD who want all the gut healing benefits meditation can bring without the fear or annoyance some moms get from the complete stillness of meditation. I see it like this: meditation is about quieting the mind. Visualization is about focusing your mind on healing.

In option A: my long visualization, I spend about 20-25 minutes in a guided visualization through a free app called Insight Timer. Have you ever used this app? It’s truly incredible- just in the sheer volume of visualization/meditation options available. There’s visualizations based on time from 5 min to 60 minutes and longer. There’s visualizations based on the benefit you are looking for like pain management, healing, relaxation, anxiety, sleep and motherhood. There’s filters by type of practice like guided imagery, mindfulness, or grounding.

There’s even a parent section you can use with your kids. Visualizations for relaxation and sleep, all packaged in a perfect kid sized box. My 10-year-old loves Insight Timer!

I’m not even scratching the surface here of all that Insight Timer offers. And did I mention it’s free? You just have to check it out. I’ll leave the link to Insight Timer in the show notes.

For my option A long form visualization, I pick a 20-25 minute session from my book marked visualization list based on my gut healing needs of the day. There’s several Insight Timer contributors to Insight Timer you might want to check out are Sarah Blondin and Davidji, but my favorites are the gut directed contributors like Michelle White and Ruthie Hanan. Ruthie even has visualization sessions specific for all of us with Crohn’s and colitis. How cool is that?

This 20-25 minutes of focused energy on the health of my gut, my entire body, and my mind are more powerful than anything else I do for my gut health through the day. These moments set me up with the right mindset to move through my day with confidence and clarity. Visualizations like the ones in Insight Timer have lots of relaxing breathing built in. And studies show this specific type of meditation has great benefit for IBD sufferers. One study I’ll link to in the show notes showed outcomes of those with IBD who had a mindfulness practice had lower CRP or C-reactive protein and lower calprotectin levels—both measures of inflammation and active disease in those with Crohn’s and colitis.

Super powerful stuff.

TIME FOR THE KEGELS!!!

With my infrared lamp still gently warming and soothing my abdomen, and my visualization complete, I spend my last 5-10 minutes with a round of kegel exercises—we can’t neglect our kegel muscles mama! It might just come back to haunt us in our old age. I remember my mom needing surgery on her pelvic floor later in life after, well let’s just say things were hanging out where they shouldn’t be, and since I know this can genetic, I’m not taking any chances. The more babies you have vaginally, the more you need those kegels my friend.

Kegel exercises complete, it’s time for a prayer of hope for my family, my loved ones, our Gut Love Community moms, our world and for all I want to conquer for that day. Your prayer or offering to the world can take whatever form prayer takes for you.

And that’s option A: the long visualization plan.

SOMETIMES OPTION B IS JUST AS GOOD AS OPTION A

On an option B day, my short visualization plan, it starts very similar to option A, but I choose a much shorter visualization on Insight Timer—5-10 minutes. I follow that with 20 minutes of my morning pages. This is a free form of journaling that just helps me feel centered, grounded, ready to give my all to the day ahead.

Have you ever tried journaling before? People either love it or hate it. Before I started this practice I used to think I would hate it. But now that I’ve made it a priority, I really have taken to my morning pages. Morning pages, for me, might be a brain dump of whatever is in my head that morning, it might be a brainstorm of ideas for the podcast, it might be a rant about one of my teenagers… right now, it’s been about my mom who passed away a couple months ago. I’m writing down lots of stories about her life. Stories I want to remember from her final days, stories I want the kids to know about her after I’m long gone. It’s been really cathartic.

I like to journal in the morning, but I find that lots of my clients like to do this at night. They might have trouble sleeping and free flow journaling helps them get everything out, and literally then set aside their worries for the night so they can sleep. You pick the way that works for you. Try it, even if you go into it like me thinking you’re going to hate it. I bet you’ll like it more that you think.

Option B ends just like option A with some kegels and a prayer of hope.

Mind, body, spirit energized and ready to start the day.  Almost.

With the relaxing, introspective part of my day behind me and my morning herbal tea drank, it’s time to get the energy and juices flowing.

[24:24] STEP #4: 15 MINUTES OF MOVEMENT

What type of movement speaks to you? Is it CrossFit and kettlebells, jazzercise, or is it yoga, Pilates, or walking in nature? Whatever type of movement calls to you, do it, especially while you’re in IBD healing mode. And while you’re healing and not feeling well, it might be just going outside and breathing the fresh air. I have a client who does this. Right now for her, movement is just getting outside and getting sunshine on her face. Thankfully she lives in the part of the country where it’s sunny most of the year and walking in the sun, feeling it on her face, is reenergizing and it sets her up for a positive day. I have another client who’s a weightlifter and if she doesn’t get her reps in in the morning, she just doesn’t feel ready to start the day.

When it comes to IBD we’re all different. Find the movement routine that works for you.

For me, right now, my movement routine is a combination of yoga and light aerobics with weights. Several months ago it was Pilates. It’s also been barre class, before that just getting outside and walking my dog. Some days I don’t want to do it at all, but 6 days a week I commit. Even when I don’t want to because I know in the end, I’ll be happy that I did. And more importantly, I’ll have a better IBD day when I get my bodily energy flowing.

COMMIT TO 15 MINUTES EVERY DAY

Some days I even have more time and I’ll get in a longer workout, but I always commit to a minimum of 15 minutes.

And let me also give you a couple recommendations when it comes to movement. #1- when it comes to yoga at home, there’s no better yoga instructor than Leslie Fightmaster. Her free YouTube videos are stellar and for every level of yogi. I am not skilled at yogi by any means and I love her 30 day beginners yoga sessions. She’s got 2 complete 30-day programs for beginners that take you from never doing yoga to feeling like you could hold your own in an in person class. Sadly, Leslie recently passed away. I’ve been told that her family plans to keep her yoga videos up on YouTube so please check her out. She’s awesome!

SHOUT OUT TO MY FAVORITE FITNESS APP

Also, I want to give a shout out to my fitness app called Workout for Women. Best $9.99 I spend every month. 100’s of workouts to choose from. So many, I’d never complete them all. From catchy workout titles like Lazy Girl, Couch to Fit, Pelvic Rehab, Office Collection, Night Stretch, Ab Shred, Summer Butt, and even F is for Family workouts like HITT with Kids and Fam Jam, this app is well worth the price.

[28:40] Around this time of the morning, my youngest usually wakes up and strolls into my bedroom and I usually can get him to join me for a workout. Remember, we have to figure out how to fit this into our family’s life. We have to prioritize ourself and our health while we are in healing mode and make time for IBD Healing, but we also have to work within the parameters and constraints of our life.

I often got the kids to workout or do meditation with me when they were younger. I opened their world up to meditation and visualization so it would benefit them and so that they would understood when I needed 10 minutes to give that time to my mindful practice. And if you can get them involved too, even better.

Even teatime has rubbed off on my kids. Every Saturday morning, I brew an extra big pot of my bedroom tea and a couple of my kids will wander in an grab a cup. On days like this, I might skip my morning start in favor of a cup of tea and some connection with them. This IBD morning start isn’t about being militant with your time. It’s about setting you up for IBD success in whatever way works best for you. That tea and chatting time with my kids, especially with my usually not so chatty teenagers, it’s precious time and it’s good for my IBD too.

THE LAST STEP, STEP #5

OK, we’re in the how stretch of my IBD morning start. Step #5. The last step. And that step is heading into the kitchen and making my morning detox drink. After all that I’ve done to support my body, getting enough sleep, my far infrared lamp, my morning visualization, morning pages, my kegels, my prayer time, my movement time… it’s time to get my digestive juices flowing and detoxing any toxins that have built up during the night. My detox drink is full of immune boosting, inflammation busting nutrients. And it’s just what my body needs to get ready for breakfast.

My morning detox drink starts with room temp or warm purified water, and adds in gut loving fresh squeezed lemon, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, black pepper, manuka honey, and MCT oil. Now when I was just starting out with this morning detox drink, I didn’t include all of these ingredients. I started out slow with just water and worked my way up adding in one more ingredient at a time. Even water, first thing in the morning, before you eat breakfast, as simple as that sounds, is incredibly helpful for your digestion. If you are able to tolerate water, it’s time to add the fresh squeezed lemon, then the manuka honey, and so on. The last thing to add is the apple cider vinegar. I don’t recommend it to those in an active flare or those with ulcers in their mouth. It’s just too acidic. Add it when you’re ready no rush.

WANT THE FULL RECIPE FOR MY MORNING DETOX DRINK?

If you want the full recipe for my morning detox, you can get it by going to karynhaley.com/detox or by looking for the link in the show notes. I’m happy to share my recipe with you. In fact, there’s a recipe for normal healthy mornings and a different recipe if you’re feeling like a bug is coming on. Both morning detoxes will give your whole body support as you start the day.

So there you have it, 5 steps to build your own IBD gut healing morning start. It can set you up for a day that supports healing, strength, and confidence that you are on the right path.

Let’s quickly recap while I tell you how you can do it like a mom when it comes to these 5 steps. Hopefully, this will give you some last thoughts on how you can adapt any of these techniques to fit your lifestyle and your symptoms.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO THIS LIKE THE BADASS MOM YOU ARE?

[34:28] Step #1- Wake up, turn on my infrared heat lamp, and grab a cup of herbal tea.

Ready to do step 1 like a mom?

• Go to bed on time so you can wake up early, but be flexible with what your body needs. Occasionally, when I’m really tired or I know my body needs more rest, I only wake up long enough to turn on the heat lamp and dose again with a visualization playing for my unconscious mind while I catch up on more Zzz’s. If this is where you’re at on your healing journey, and we all are sometimes, embrace it. Trust your body. You will still get great benefit from this approach.
• And if you want your own automatic tea brewer to join you in step #1, Mother’s Day is coming up dear one. See the link in the show notes.

Step #2- Position the heat lamp, relax and let the infrared healing wash over you.

Ready to do step 2 like a mom?

• Remember that the infrared lamp isn’t a quick fix for your IBD symptoms. It’s not like you’ll do it for 30 days and feel healed. It is however an important add-on to your current healing regime. When you combine the infrared heat lamp or a sauna with everything you’re already doing in terms of your lifestyle, mindfulness practice, food, and supplements/medication… you’ve got a fantastic healing plan in place.
• Remember morning isn’t the only time of day for the heat lamp. While the kids nap… While you’re on a mom break… Even at night when you go to bed. The heat lamp I’m sharing in the show notes has an automatic shut off so no worries about it staying on too long.

Step #3– Doing some form of visualization, deep breathing, morning pages, kegels, and positive thoughts or prayer

Ready to do step 3 like a mom?

• Forget what you thought you knew about meditation in stillness, this isn’t that.
• Remember your journaling, your visualizations, your breathing from earlier that morning, and go back to this feeling anytime your unsteady, stressed, or untethered throughout the day

Step #4- Movement

Ready to do step 4 like a mom?

• There will be days when every fiber in your being says no, no, no to exercise. This is me on most days. Don’t give in to the no monster. Every time I go into movement and exercise, even when I don’t want to, I always feel grateful and energized when I’m done.
• Also, it doesn’t matter what you do—from crossfit or couch to fit, be where you’re at mama. Movement is movement.

And lastly step #5- Your morning detox drink

Ready to that like a mom?

• First, download my morning detox recipes so you know the ingredients. Go to karynhaley.com/detox and get started.
• After that, just like with movement, be where you’re at. You don’t need to add all ingredients at once. Play around with what works for your body and what doesn’t. Add in healing ingredients that work for you. It’s your detox drink. Make it your own.
• Even morning water is a great starting place.

PUT YOURSELF FIRST AND COMMIT TO GETTING STARTED

Well, where are you going to start mama? The infrared heat lamp? Are you going to download Insight Timer? What will you do today to set yourself up for IBD healing success?

I understand how difficult it can be to put yourself first when you’re a mom. We never allow ourselves to do that. We’re taught that it’s selfish. We feel guilty when we do it.

As a recovering guilt addict, I gotta call nonsense on that!

Twelve years ago, when I first started to take control and take the reins on my IBD healing journey, I made a conscious choice to put myself first. I declared it the healing year of ME. I really did. Of course, it didn’t mean that I neglected my kids, but I put everyone on notice, I’m going to do what I need to heal so I can be a better mom, wife, friend, daughter, sister, aunt, worker, teacher…

I fully committed to ME.

Commit to yourself now my friend. Find a morning or an afternoon or an evening routine that sets you up for success. 100% swipe my IBD Healing Morning Start and use it to your fullest advantage.

You’ve got this mama. Let me know how it goes for you.

Until we chat again, I’m wishing you a cheeky and healthy IBD healing journey.

Thank you so much for joining me today and for listening to today’s episode. When it comes to IBD, I know there’s a lot of resources out there, and I’m truly honored that you chose the Cheeky Podcast to get your IBD information today. If you found this information helpful, please give us a rating and review. It helps other moms find the podcast and see what we’re doing over here to help IBD moms everywhere. And if you feel called feel a call to do it, share this podcast with an IBD mom who you know could really use an uplifting message today, ’cause that’s what we’re all about over here at the Cheeky Podcast.

[43:20] One last thing, if you’re still with me, and if you are, you’re definitely my kind of gal. We have to get to know each other better. If you’re tired of living on the hamster wheel of IBD with all the ups and downs between flares and remission, if you’re struggling to get control of your abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea and other troubling IBD symptoms, go to my website. It’s karynhaley.com, and my mom had to be just a little bit different, she spelled my name with the Y. So it’s K-A-R-Y-N H-A-L-E-Y.com and schedule your very own free 30-minute IBD root cause trouble-shooting session with me where we discuss the challenges you’ve been having, we set goals to help you move forward, and we talk about how we can work together to help you get your life back. It’s a power packed 30 minutes. You don’t have to live in IBD status quo. There’s so much that can be done to transform your life so you can thrive in motherhood and thrive with IBD. I’ve seen my clients walk this path and it gives me so much joy to take that journey with them.

My entire coaching practice is run online, so you never have to leave your house and you never have to get out of your jammy or yoga pants for us to work together. You know I’m wearing them to. If you’re ready to take your first amazing step towards healing, I’m ready to chat with you. Schedule your free 30-minute IBD root cause trouble shooting sesh today at karynhaley.com. Click on the work with me tab and I’ll see you soon. It’s important to note that the information in this podcast and in this episode is for general information purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The statements made in the Cheeky Podcast for moms with IBD, either by me or my guests, is not intended to diagnose, treat, to cure, or prevent any disease. Before implementing any new treatment protocols, do yourself a favor and consult your physician first.

Thank you so much for listening, for being here, for saving this space for us to spend some time together. Until we chat again, I’m wishing you a cheeky and healthy IBD journey.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This podcast, video, and blog post is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Ep 26: Far Infrared Light Therapy: A Hidden Gem for IBD

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Far infrared light therapy (FIR) is a hidden gem of a tool that can be used to help alleviate some of your worst IBD challenges.

You definitely won’t hear your doctor prescribing this underutilized treasure to support your health, but the benefits of FIR therapy can be felt in many areas that impact your digestive system including bacterial balance, immune response, inflammation, and detoxification.

This episode explores how anyone with Crohn’s or colitis, with any budget, can experience the benefits of FIR therapy, even in your own home.

We’re talking about:

• The eight areas of health that FIR therapy can benefit (and the 3 you should focus on the most)
• Why you should ditch your electric heating pad today (and what to use instead)
• The difference between infrared vs traditional saunas
• Why infrared saunas and FIR lights will leave you cool as a cucumber

And so much more!

After the episode, you’ll be ready go out and confidently buy your first FIR machine to help you detoxify, boost your immune system, decrease your pain and inflammation, and balance your bacterial load—all music to an IBD mama’s ears!

Episode at a Glance:

• [05:10] Why far infrared light doesn’t make you sweat
• [07:29] The 8 areas of health that FIR therapy can benefit (and the 3 you’ll want to focus on
• [10:15] The biggest toxin upset for all of us with Crohn’s and colitis
• [12:00] The link between your inflammatory CRP marker and far infrared therapy
• [14:40] The difference between traditional vs infrared saunas
• [17:01] The affordable far infrared therapy you can use in your own home
• [21:35] The problem with using electric heating pads to help our IBD symptoms
• [26:41] The best infrared heating pad you are going to want to buy today
• [30:10] The best way to take your IBD healing journey to the next level.

Rate, Review and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Gut Love Community

UTK Jade Far Infrared Heating Pad

Far Infrared Mineral Heat Lamp

The 3 Best Far Infrared Heating Pads

Far Infrared Heating Pad (small one)

Additional Resources from the Episode:

Far Infrared Saunas Detoxification Benefits

Far Infrared Radiation (FIR): Its Biological Effects and Medical Implications

National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Project

Environmental Determinants of Chronic Disease and Medical Approaches: Recognition, Avoidance, Supportive Therapy, and Detoxification

Far Infrared radiation induces changes in gut microbiota and activates GPCRs in mice

Can Heating Pads Cause Cancer? Ask Dr. Weil

Episode Transcript:

[Music]

INTRO: You are listening to The Cheeky Podcast for Moms with IBD, a safe space for moms with Crohn’s and colitis, connect, explore powerful tools for healing and transform our lives to thrive in motherhood and in life. I’m your host, Karyn Haley, IBD health coach, integrative wellness enthusiast, and mom to three outstanding kids. After having Crohn’s disease for 30 years and working as a health advocate exclusively with IBD clients for the last 10 years, I know it’s time to bring the types of candid conversations I have with my clients out into the open. It’s our time to go on an IBD healing journey and do it like only a mom can. Let’s do this.

[music]

[00:50] Hey there mama, welcome to the podcast and thanks for sharing this time and this space with me today. And I’ve gotta start this episode with a question. Because I’m wondering if we have this in common. Have you ever had a work project or a project you’re working on with the kids at home where you start in one direction and then partway through the project, it becomes something completely different, equally wonderful, but in a whole different direction? One you never could have expected?

I think this happens a lot with us unbound creative types. We see so many possible directions and we feel compelled to move in new directions all the time.

Some would call us flighty. I prefer unbound creative.

Well, this episode is a case of exactly that. My unbound creativity sending me in a new direction. What started out as me thinking about a behind the scenes episode that I was so excited to share with you took off on a whole new, but equally beautiful direction. After having Crohn’s for as long as I have, I’ve realized that sometimes when life changes course, the best thing to do is just go with it.

So, this behind the scenes episode I was planning for today was about my IBD Healing Morning Start. I’ve personally been doing this health focused way to start my day forever, and I’ve have had so much success with it and have seen my clients have amazing results with it too, but instead of this week’s topic, I promise to bring it back next week. I don’t know about you, but I love a good behind the scenes. Sneak peaks into the real-life way that something gets done is always fascinating to me, and I definitely still want to share it with you. You’ll just have to come back and join me next week for that.

THE BEST PART OF MY MORNING START

But within my morning routine is this mechanism called a far infrared light therapy. It’s so important to my daily life and the more I thought about what to share with you, I felt like I needed to explain its benefits, why I use it and how I use it, different types that benefit IBD… that I just started thinking about everything I had to share with you just on this topic alone. So just know that we’ll get back my IBD morning start next week, and this week, I’ve just got to tell you about far infrared light and what it could mean for your IBD healing regime.

WHAT CAN FAR INFRARED LIGHT DO FOR YOUR IBD?

When it comes to far infrared light, we’ve got to start at the beginning. If you’ve been around The Cheeky Podcast for a while, you know that I’m incapable of glossing over things. It’s probably a strength and a weakness of mine (in an argument my husband would definitely say a weakness), but the way I see it, if you’re going to heal from this complicated chronic illness, you’ve got to have all the facts. So let’s dive into all the facts about far infrared light and hopefully by the end of this episode, you’ll see exactly how it could be a huge benefit for you.

[05:10] Sometimes shortened to FIR- far infrared light at its most basic form is the frequency of invisible light that’s generated naturally by the sun. Using FIR therapy means that you use the low energy heat that comes from the far end of the infrared spectrum. With me so far? Cool.

FIR can be a completely safe and natural addition to your IBD wheel of wellness. I definitely want to make it clear right from the start that I’m not saying FIR is a cure-all for IBD. As far as I’m concerned with all the information scientists, doctors, and researchers have on Crohn’s and colitis at this point, there is no cure-all for IBD. But when we add FIR to our healing regime of food, lifestyle modifications, mindset techniques, supplements and/or medications when we need them, and we add in FIR, it makes our IBD wheel of wellness, that imaginary and multi-pronged healing wheel we all keep close to fight IBD, it makes that wheel even stronger.

If this sounds intriguing to you, I want you to delve a bit deeper with me to find out what types of challenges and conditions can be benefited from using far infrared light. This is where the rabbit hole of preparing for the episode took over my brain because the research really fascinated me. You know I’m an evidenced-based research girl. I geek out over scientific research, and when I started looking at all the ailments that are research-backed in favor of far infrared light, I was amazed.

For our podcast, of course, since we are IBDer’s, I want to focus on the benefits for the digestive system, but I also know that we don’t live in an IBD bubble and you might be experiencing other challenges as well, so let me tell you about some of the conditions I read promising research studies about when it comes to FIR therapy. I’ll link to these studies in the show notes in case you want to dig deeper with me.

THE 8 AREAS OF HEALTH THAT CAN BENEFIT FROM FAR INFRARED LIGHT

So, I found research backing the benefits of FIR in eight areas. Those areas are: detoxification, cardiovascular issues, metabolism and fitness, decreasing both inflammation and pain, increasing longevity, neurological benefits (specifically for Alzheimer’s and dementia), boosting immune function and decreasing infections, and lastly skin and aging (mostly with wound healing and circulation).

Three of these areas are of particular benefit for us with IBD: detoxification, lowering inflammation/pain, and increasing our immune function because these are the areas that can have a big impact on our digestive system. I want to tell you a little bit more about how the studies I found talked about these three areas because this is where the healing magic can happen for us specifically.

THE BIGGEST TOXIN UPSET FOR IBDer’s

I found the most research on FIR being used as a detoxifier. This could be of large benefit for us. We all know that everyone, no matter who they are, gets exposed to toxins on a daily basis. Toxins in our environment can cause cellular and even DNA damage. Toxins can build up in our system and create oxidative stress, endocrine disruption (so disruption at the hormone level). Toxins can create carcinogenesis (or the development of cancers), toxins can create enzyme inhibition (like we were talking about on the podcast last week with foods like nuts and grains), but when it comes to toxins, the one that impacts us IBDer’s the most is that this buildup of toxins can create bacterial imbalance in our gut.

According to a study by the Human Microbiome Project, toxins and heavy metals have the potential to alter our gut flora—that’s all those little bugs and critters roaming around in our gut. Appetizing, I know! In a healthy gut, there’s a balance between the good bugs and the bag bugs, but in an IBD gut, the bug balance moves to an out of control state. When this happens, according to the study, our digestive tract starts having problems with the absorption of nutrients, with elimination of waste, with immune function. All of these digestive symptoms can be impacted when our toxic load gets too high.

All of this toxin/gut disruption is bad enough, but these effects that stem from our gut can also become more systemic, affecting our whole body system with increased inflammation.

When we’ve got IBD, we know gut disruption and inflammation all too well. FIR therapy research shows that it can be used as a detoxifier for this gut dysbiosis and the inflammation affecting the entire body. 

I also mentioned finding research on FIR helping to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation. In one study that I’ll link in the show notes, FIR therapy was able to lower blood serum levels of C-reactive protein or your CRP level. You might recognize from your bloodwork that your doctor ordered as it’s a really common marker for gastroenterologists to check to look at your inflammation levels. Lowering our CRP through FIR therapy can mean big things for us.

In terms of pain relief, I’ve seen FIR therapy work personally for myself, my hubby and my kids when they have sports related strains, sprains, or muscle pain. For me, I’ve had it help my osteoarthritis that’s creeped up after years of using prednisone back 20 years ago in my doctor prescribed steroid days.

Far infrared light has also been shown to increase cellular resistance to stress and viruses as it boosts the immune system. These are both huge wins for us.

So, lots of well-researched, scientifically proven benefits, the big bonuses for us being that FIR therapy can help with detoxification, the reduction of pain and inflammation, and boosting of the immune system.

Win. Win. Win.

[13:37] Now that you’ve heard about the benefits, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to get some far infrared light into your life. As I teased at the top of the show, I get my FIR therapy in the morning. Let’s figure out how you can get yours.

THE MACK DADDY OF INFRARED THERAPY

When it comes to FIR therapy, the mack daddy of all sources is the infrared sauna. If you’ve been in a sauna before, you can picture what I’m talking about. It’s a large wooden box with a door. You enter and either heat sweat or heat steam to feel the health benefits. An infrared sauna is similar but not as hot. Remember this is low heat we’re talking about, but because it literally penetrates under the skin, it can be just as healing and powerful.

So, where a traditional sauna heats the air around you and then in turn heats your body, the infrared heat is using invisible light at low levels. Like I said, this type of heat is able to penetrate the skin, and it penetrates at a depth of 1.5 inches. So instead of feeling all sweaty and uncomfortable (like in a traditional sauna), we feel more of a gentle, relaxing heat.

And by the way, just to give you all the scoop on infrared saunas, just know that within the world of infrared, there are actually three different types of infrared saunas to choose from. There’s far infrared, which is the type of light we’re focused on today, there’s near infrared, and full spectrum infrared light. If you decided to try out an infrared sauna or buy one for your home, it’s definitely a good idea to research the different types so you can pick the best one for you. I just wanted you to know these terms before you start your search. Most people recommend anywhere from 15-20 minute sessions in infrared saunas.

HOW MUCH DOES THE INFRARED SAUNA COST?

If you have anywhere from $2,000 to 7,000 to spend, you can have one of these babies installed right in your home. I don’t have one but it’s definitely a dream of mine. You can also search for an infrared sauna in your neighborhood by looking online. Some functional medicine providers or spas have them to be rented for use.

THE AFFORDABLE OPTION FOR FAR INFRARED LIGHT AT HOME

If the sauna isn’t an option for you, you can still get an affordable far infrared light option in your own home with a FIR lamp. Picture a smallish, four wheeled contraption with a metal long poll, bendy arm, and a heat lamp at the top. I think it looks a lot like an IV stand—you know the stand that holds an IV bag. You might have seen this if you’ve ever spent some time in the hospital. The top of the wheely stand holds a heat lamp instead of the IV bag.

This is one of the types of far infrared light that I use in my home. My acupuncturist recommended to me it a while back. She used it in our sessions and thought that I would benefit from at home use as well. I love it because it’s convenient. I keep it next to my bed so I can use it while laying down. It’s definitely become a big part of my morning routine.

The FIR lamp can be positioned anywhere on your body that you need it. Your back, your arm, your belly… You position the metal poll with the heat lamp on it about 12 inches above the part of your body you want it to focus on and heat for about 30 minutes. The lamp takes a little while to warm up (10-15 minutes) so plan for that warm up time. I’ll tell you what I do in those 10-15 minutes in my behind the scenes IBD healing morning routine episode next week. There’s not a wasted moment as I focus on morning healing to start and take through my whole day in my best health possible. The FIR lamp also has an auto shut off feature so it will automatically turn off if you decide to do it at bedtime instead of in the morning. Just in case you fall asleep.

The FIR lamp works best when it come in contact with your bare skin so just be sure to pull up your sleeve or shirt or pant leg before using it. When I use it on my belly, I pull my shirt up a bit and lower my pants to hip level. That way the lamp can focus on my small and large intestine. I’ll link to the FIR lamp I have in the show notes if you want to check it out. It’s the one that my acupuncturist has in her office. It runs about $140 on Amazon—lots cheaper than the infrared sauna.

THE FAR INFRARED SOURCE WE ALL NEED

There’s one more source of the far infrared light that we have to talk about because it’s particularly useful for us with Crohn’s and colitis. And that’s a far infrared heating pad. Shout a hell yes if ever used an electric heating pad or a hot water bottle when your abdomen becomes achy, swollen, bloated, or gassy. We’ve all done that from time to time. I’ve definitely had periods on my Crohn’s journey where my heating pad felt like my best, inseparable friend.

[21:35] Well, the problem with heating pads is that there is some preliminary evidence that repeated use may be harmful for you. Electric heating pads emit EMF’s—electromagnetic frequencies or electromagnetic radiation. One study published in the British Journal of Cancer revealed an increased risk of leukemia in children after too much exposure to EMF’s.  Most of the research studies surrounding EMF’s focuses on cell phone and wi-fi exposure, so it’s tough to find heating pad specific research. But Dr. Andrew Weil, the father of modern integrative medicine, speaks directly about heating pad risk, and I quote: Because I can’t say for sure that EMF’s pose no risks, I would advise you to use a non-electric heating pad.

Well, if electric heating pads aren’t advisable to sooth our aching bellies, what are we left with? Enter the far infrared heating pad. I seriously love this invention. Are you familiar with these? Healing, soothing heat therapy to help us get rid of the pain, the bloating, and gas, without high levels of EMF exposure.

THE POWER OF 126 NATURAL JADE STONES

I love far infrared heating pads so much that I have two of them at my house (actually 3, but I ended up giving 1 away to my younger son) so in my personal possession, there’s two. One of my two is large and heavy. It’s made by the company UTK. It’s made with 126 natural and certified jade stones that emit negative ions when they heat up. These stones promote oxygenation, detoxification, and lower inflammation throughout the whole body.

I’ll link to my large heating pad in the show notes so you can check it out. It costs about $159 on Amazon. I love that it has multiple temperature settings, and not just low, medium, and high like on a regular electric heating pad. It has actual temperature settings that go from 103 degrees to 159 degrees. It has a timer that goes up to 2 hours and an auto shut off feature. This FIR heating pad even has a memory function that remembers my time and temperature from its last use.  I love this heating pad.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE 126 JADE STONES

Now, truth be told, I bought this heating pad for my belly. I was dealing with some adhesions in my small intestine from past small bowel resections and it was causing pain and bloating after eating in my belly. I really didn’t want to use a an electric heating pad while I was working hard to try to solve this problem without surgery. I knew it was a long haul issue and I didn’t want to use expose myself to high levels of EMF’s straight to my belly every time I ate.

I was really excited to find this heating pad. But what I didn’t realize is that 126 jade stones are freakin’ heavy. And all that heaviness, for me at least, didn’t feel that great on my achy belly. It was just too heavy. But what I did realize is that this mat is the perfect cure for when my back, or arm, or leg aches. I also loved using it when for gallbladder used to act up. And I mention it here because I just want to give you all the facts. Maybe you won’t have the same problem with it. We’re all different, right? Maybe the weight on your belly feels soothing to you. This is a great FIR heating pad and I love using it for everything except my belly. Definitely worth checking out.

GOLDIE LOCKS FINDS THE INFRARED HEATING PAD THAT FITS JUST RIGHT

Now after my experience with the too heavy for my belly FIR pad, I did a little more research and found another FIR heating pad that was just right for my belly. It’s lighter, it’s very plush, and it’s the perfect fit for me. It still has auto shut off, and multiple temperature options from 113-149 degrees. Plus it’s smaller than my other one so it’s more portable and I can take it with me wherever I go. I’ll link to this lighter weight pad in the show notes so you can check it out. The lightweight pad costs about $80.

[27:05] So there you have it… far infrared devices— from high end saunas to in the home heat lamps and heating pads. These helpful additions to your gut healing regime (your wheel of wellness as I call it) are worth a first or a second look for their detoxification, inflammation, and immune benefits. Check out all the information and research studies I’m posting in the show notes and you can judge for yourself. In my extensive search to find out all the nitty gritty about how FIR works and who it works best for, I didn’t come across any studies showing a negative impact or side effects of these devices if used properly, but if you have any reason to believe that you might have a bad reaction or maybe you have super sensitive skin, or heart problems (especially with regard to the saunas), consult your doctor and see if there’s any contraindication for you.

I can’t wait to hear from you about which FIR method you choose. Let me know. Shoot me an email at hello@karynhaley.com and let’s continue the FIR conversation.

Remember next week, we’re back with another The Cheeky Podcast for Moms with IBD episode—long title right? I’m thinking of starting to refer to it as TCP as all the cool kids have an acronym for their podcast. OK, let me try it out—Next week on TCP, it’s a behind the scenes of my IBD healing morning routine. What do you think? A bit cheesy, right? The jury is still out on that. Maybe I just need to lose the announcer voice. Let me know what you think.

Anyhoo, I can’t wait to share my first behind the scenes episode with you next week. Until then, I’m wishing you a cheeky and healthy IBD healing journey.

Chat soon!

[29:33] Thank you so much for joining me today and for listening to today’s episode. When it comes to IBD, I know there’s a lot of resources out there, and I’m truly honored that you chose the Cheeky Podcast to get your IBD information today. If you found this information helpful, please give us a rating and review. It helps other moms find the podcast and see what we’re doing over here to help IBD moms everywhere. And if you feel called feel a call to do it, share this podcast with an IBD mom who you know could really use an uplifting message today, ’cause that’s what we’re all about over here at The Cheeky Podcast.

One last thing, if you’re still with me, and if you are, you’re definitely my kind of gal. We have to get to know each other better. If you’re tired of living on the hamster wheel of IBD with all the ups and downs between flares and remission, if you’re struggling to get control of your abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea and other troubling IBD symptoms, go to my website. It’s karynhaley.com, and my mom had to be just a little bit different, she spelled my name with the Y. So it’s K-A-R-Y-N H-A-L-E-Y.com and schedule your very own free 30-minute IBD root cause trouble-shooting session with me where we discuss the challenges you’ve been having, we set goals to help you move forward, and we talk about how we can work together to help you get your life back. It’s a power packed 30 minutes. You don’t have to live in IBD status quo. There’s so much that can be done to transform your life so you can thrive in motherhood and thrive with IBD. I’ve seen my clients walk this path and it gives me so much joy to take that journey with them.

My entire coaching practice is run online, so you never have to leave your house and you never have to get out of your jammy or yoga pants for us to work together. You know I’m wearing them to. If you’re ready to take your first amazing step towards healing, I’m ready to chat with you. Schedule your free 30-minute IBD root cause trouble shooting sesh today at karynhaley.com. Click on the work with me tab and I’ll see you soon. It’s important to note that the information in this podcast and in this episode is for general information purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The statements made in the Cheeky Podcast for moms with IBD, either by me or my guests, is not intended to diagnose, treat, to cure, or prevent any disease. Before implementing any new treatment protocols, do yourself a favor and consult your physician first.

Thank you so much for listening, for being here, for saving this space for us to spend some time together. Until we chat again, I’m wishing you a cheeky and healthy IBD journey.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This podcast, video, and blog post is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Ep 25: Coconut Flour 101: A Superfood Flour for Super IBD Healing

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Oh, the mysterious coconut flour. It can be a great addition to your gut healing diet because it’s anti-inflammatory, it’s high in protein and fiber, and it gives those of us on a gut healing diet a healthy way to eat baked goods like cookies and muffins.

Unfortunately, I see moms with Crohn’s and colitis try it and quickly give up. Truth be told, it’s tricky to use and it just doesn’t bake like other flours. But before you give up on coconut flour after one attempt, listen to this episode of The Cheeky Mom.

It’s going to help you look at coconut flour in a whole new way. And before it’s done, you’ll have everything you need to be a coconut flour baking pro!

We’re talking about:

• Why coconut flour is a superfood flour for those with Crohn’s and colitis
• How to not let the coconut flour learning curve deter you when it comes to figuring out how to bake with it
• 11 amazing ways to use coconut flour in your cooking and baking
• The foolproof way to get started with coconut flour if you want to try it out today

And so much more!

After the episode, you’ll be ready to start dive into coconut flour with confidence and excitement as you add this superfood to your gut healing tool belt.

Episode at a Glance:

• [04:50] What coconut flour and Duncan Hines cake mix has in common
• [06:21] Why moms with IBD are the perfect group to use coconut flour
• [09:21] If you can’t use coconut flour as a substitute in a 1 to 1 ratio, how can you use it?
• [12:55] The top 3 egg substitutes if you want to use coconut flour but can have eggs.
• [18:30] The best coconut flour cookbook to help you get stared with coconut flour
• [20:10] 3 situations where coconut flour may not be the best approach for you
• [23:20] The best places to buy the best quality coconut flour
• [26:49] The best way to take your IBD healing journey to the next level.

Rate, Review and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Get your Coconut Flour Beginner’s Recipe Collection FREE Today

The Gut Love Community

Additional Resources from the Episode:

The Healthy Coconut Flour Cookbook by Erica Kerwien

Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flour

Nuts.com Organic Coconut Flour

Episode Transcript:

[Music]

INTRO: You are listening to The Cheeky Podcast for Moms with IBD, a safe space for moms with Crohn’s and colitis, connect, explore powerful tools for healing and transform our lives to thrive in motherhood and in life. I’m your host, Karyn Haley, IBD health coach, integrative wellness enthusiast, and mom to three outstanding kids. After having Crohn’s disease for 30 years and working as a health advocate exclusively with IBD clients for the last 10 years, I know it’s time to bring the types of candid conversations I have with my clients out into the open. It’s our time to go on an IBD healing journey and do it like only a mom can. Let’s do this.

[music]

[00:51] Hello and welcome to our little slice of heaven, The Cheeky Podcast. Did you know this is our 25^th episode? Yes it is. I can’t believe it. Time has flown by and I’m still loving sharing this space with you. Thank you dear listener for spending this time with me each week. I so appreciate you for being on this IBD healing journey with me.

Let’s keep the journey going, shall we?

This week, I’m loving our topic. It’s one of my favorite IBD foodie topics. We’re talking all things coconut flour. What is it, Why you should use it, how to use it, what IBD healing diets use coconut flour, and the best places to get your hands on it.

Now, how familiar are you with coconut flour? Have you heard of it before? It’s risen in popularity in recent years, especially since grain free diets have made their way onto the gut healing stage. It often gets lumped in with almond flour, but actually it’s quite different in many respects. Let’s find out more about this amazing superfood flour so that if you want to try it out for your own gut healing (and in my opinion flavorful) journey, you’ll be able to get started today.

GET YOUR OWN COCONUT FLOUR RECIPES TO HELP YOU GET STARTED

In fact, if you’re really excited by the end of this episode, I suggest you download a copy of my coconut flour for beginner’s recipe collection. It’s three recipes with coconut flour as the star ingredient and I created these recipes specifically made with beginners in mind. You can grab your copy of my coconut flour for beginner’s recipe collection by looking in the show notes or by going to karynhaley.com/coconut

For all my coconut flour newbies out there, let’s start at the very beginning.

COCONUT FLOUR… WHAT IS IT?

Coconut flour is made from the meat that’s on the inside of the coconut. When coconut milk is made, there’s a natural byproduct of that production. These leftovers are little bits of coconut meat. They get dried and ground, and that becomes coconut flour.

[03:55] When I recommend coconut flour to clients, I often get asked about the taste. Everyone knows that coconuts themselves, shredded coconut, even coconut oil and coconut milk have a distinct coconutty taste. Some people love that taste, like me, and others, like my son who’s got the nose of a black bear when it comes to coconut, detests it. The good news about coconut flour, whether you like traditional coconuts or not, is that coconut flour doesn’t really have that strong coconut smell or taste. When you bake with coconut flour, it almost takes like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker yellow cake mix. You know, yellow cake? Not white cake, not lemon cake… yellow cake. Oh yeah, that’s gotta be good for you! Chemicals, preservatives, added sugar… Well, this “yellow cake” is good for you.

Coconut flour is denser than traditional flour and it definitely bakes differently. It’s not a 1 to 1 flour so you can’t just swap it out for any other flour. We’ll talk more about how to use it in just a bit, but for now, know that coconut flour is highly absorbent so it increases the amount of liquid you use when baking with it.

Coconut flour is highly nutritious. It’s high in fiber, high in good quality fats that are good for your brain, your heart and your gut. It’s low in carbohydrates, high in protein, and high in minerals like manganese, selenium, iron, and potassium. It’s also high in antioxidants and it’s anti-inflammatory.

I love it when something that tastes great is also great for me.

[06:21] Besides what I’ve just mentioned, why would you, IBD mama, want to start using coconut flour?

Well, for starters, coconut flour is naturally gluten and grain free. This is music to our IBD mom ears. Both gluten and grains can be challenging to digest when we have Crohn’s or colitis. It’s nice to know that there’s a flour we can use to still make the baked goods we crave and love.

Coconut flour is great because you can still use it even if you’re allergic or sensitive to tree nuts because coconuts are actually considered a seed, not a nut. Weird, but true. And even if you don’t have an allergy, it’s still a better option than almond flour because nuts and nut flours can be quite inflammatory. That’s why several gut healing diets have you wait to use them until enough healing has taken place.

Coconut flour doesn’t have this problem.

In fact, most nuts and nut flours contain enzyme inhibitors that can do a number on your digestive system and your small intestine. If you’ve ever heard about soaking nuts before eating them, this is the reason why. We have to remove as much of these inhibitors as possible before we eat them so they don’t negatively impact our digestive tract. And when we look at other grain flours, even gluten free flours, they contain phytic acid, another gut disruptor. Phytic acid gloms onto foods and prevents our body from getting the nutritional benefit we’re looking for. Coconut flour only contains small amounts of enzyme inhibitors so it’s much gentler on our digestive tract, without preventing us from benefiting from its nutritional value.

Coconut flour is probably the healthiest flour around. It actually lowers the glycemic index of the baked good it’s in. So no sugar rush. How cool is that?

I use it for all of these reasons, but mostly I use it for how it tastes in my baked goods. Rich, almost buttery, like how real baked goods should taste.

Now that we know what it is, how do we use it?

Coconut flour, as great as it tastes and as healthy as it is, is not like any other flour you’ve ever worked with. Using coconut flour takes practice because it’s just so different that other flours.

[09:25] It’s not a grain flour or even a nut flour, so you can’t use it in a 1 to 1 ratio for baking. In fact, it’s more like a 1 to ¼ ratio. So, that means for every 1 cup of traditional flour you use (gluten free or not), you’ll use ¼ cup of coconut flour. And because it’s so absorbent, you’ll also use a lot more liquid with it. Plan on about 2 Tbsp of liquid for every 2 tbsp of coconut flour you use.

I mentioned before that coconut flour is dense, so when you’re measuring it for a recipe, there’s no need to pack in down. The lighter the better. Before you measure this type of flour, I recommend that you give it a quick whisk or a fluff with a fork. This aerates the flour a bit and makes sure there’s no clumps.

COCONUT FLOUR AND EGGS TO TOGETHER LIKE PB AND J

Eggs (lots of eggs) are a big part of baking with coconut flour. In most recipes, you’ll use about 1 egg per ¼ cup of coconut flour. So for example, it’s not that unusual for a coconut flour recipe to call for 6 eggs as opposed to 2 or maybe 3 eggs in other baked good recipes. The coconut flour just soaks those eggs right up.

Sometimes coconut flour recipes call for just the yolk or extra yolks. If I’m using coconut flour to make a special dessert, one I’m serving to friends or family and I really want a moist dessert, I’ll even separate my eggs out. Yolk in one bowl, whites in another. I’ll give the yolks a quick stir and drop them in with all the other ingredients. Then, in the egg white bowl, I’ll beat those up with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Then I’ll gently fold them into the mixed batter. It makes a light, but still rich and moist dessert every time.

WHAT IF I’M SENSITIVE TO EGGS?

Now, if you’re sensitive to eggs, you might be thinking, oh no! I don’t eat eggs, but know that even if you don’t do eggs, you can still use coconut flour. Just use the same kind of egg substitutes as you would normally use. When it comes to eggless coconut flour baking, I like to use Vital proteins gelatin if I’m substituting eggs. Some people substitute with agar-agar. You can also use a ¼ cup of applesauce per egg or ½ of a ripe banana per egg. There’s work arounds there.

So now we know what it is and why how to use it, the next question to answer is: What can you make with coconut flour?

OH THE PLACES COCONUT FLOUR CAN GO!

Oh so many, many things… my favorites are breads, biscuits, cookies, muffins, waffles, crepes, scones… to name some desserty foods. But coconut flour can also be used as a coating for chicken or fish fingers, you can fry with it, and it also thickens soups and stews.

Speaking of stew, my husband’s family, being from the south, has this passed down for generations this delicious gumbo recipe. This is some seriously delish gumbo. Although my hubby used to make it for me before we were married, he would never share the recipe with me. I guess it was kind of like my family’s secret Italian sauce recipe. My grandma wasn’t sharing that for anything in the world.

But finally, on our wedding day, at the reception, I was deemed worthy of the gumbo recipe and it got passed down to me. Guess I was finally in the gumbo club. We’ll, of course, this recipe has a roux—a stir continuously, never stopping for 30 min roux that’s the whole basis for the gumbo. If you don’t have a good roux, your gumbo falls flat. And just in case you’ve never cooked with a roux before, and I never had before I met my southern hubby, a roux is this paste (I’m sure every chef is cringing at the word paste, but that’s what it looks like to me) made with meat drippings, oil, and flour. The roux thickens the gumbo and if you stir it just right for exactly 30 minutes, and you also drink a beer while you stir it (at least that’s what my hubby’s family does). It also gives the gumbo its rich, golden brown color.

Once I started the SCD, I figured I’d seen my last days of gumbo, until one fateful day when my hubs said, I’d really like you to be able to eat this gumbo. What do you say we try making a coconut flour roux? And wouldn’t you know it (or this story would have a terrible ending), the coconut flour worked beautifully. The roux was thick and golden brown, and ever since, the coconut flour roux has been our go-to for gumbo night.

[16:55] Bottom line? Coconut flour is super versatile. It’s not just for baked goods. Oh no! Stews and soups and gravies too.  I should also mention that it works great as a combination flour too. I like to blend it with almond flour, but it can be blended with traditional or gluten free flours too.

THE BEST INFORMATION FOR COCONUT FLOUR NEWBIES

This is a wealth of great information and you’ll need all of it if you want to branch off into the wilds of experimenting with coconut flour. But truth be told, it’s a tricky one so if you’re ready to give it a go, but you’ve never tried it before, do yourself a favor, pick a tried and true coconut flour recipe. And there’s a lot of them out there. I have to give a plug for my favorite one. It’s called The Healthy Coconut Flour Cookbook and it’s by Erika Kerwien. I highly recommend her waffles. Yum! And also her popovers, delish! I’ll link the book in the show notes.

And of course there’s my coconut flour beginner’s collection recipes to get you started as well. They’re great for experimenting at first and if you love them, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Erica’s cookbook. Hopefully these recipes are just the nudge you need to get started. Of course, the internet is full of recipes too. So anyway you decide to go, you’ve got to start trying this wonderful flour.

Moving on to gut healing diets. What diets do we see this flour the most?

[19:28] All of the grain free diets. Specific Carbohydrate Diet, GAPS, Paleo, Keto… of course you can use it on any diet, even gluten free diets, but those are the diets who talk about coconut flour specifically.

A WORD OF CAUTION BEFORE YOU GET STARTED ON COCONUT FLOUR

Now, I want to mention just a couple notes of caution before you start using coconut flour:

[20:10] I don’t recommend coconut flour for anyone new to a gut healing diet like SCD or GAPS. Wait until all your symptoms clear up before getting started with any type of flour. Even though it isn’t as inflammatory as almond flour, there are still mild amount of those digestive inhibitors. Plus, you want this to be a small part of your diet, not the whole enchilada. So use the broth and the veggies and other gut healing foods first, before you get started with this. But if you are just dipping a toe in, or if you already follow a whole foods or a gluten free approach to help your Crohn’s or colitis, or you’ve been remission for a while, go for it. Try trying a few different recipes to see what you like. Go for it.

Also, just like you can overdo it with almond flour, you can overdo it with coconut flour. A treat is a treat, no matter which flour you use.

And there’s two cases where I see coconut flour not go over so well with IBD moms. #1 is with people who have active gallbladder challenges. Coconut flour is high in fat. Add in the eggs, and you’ve just added in more fat. Good fat, but more fat and the gallbladder doesn’t distinguish between the good and the bad fats. If your gallbladder is not functioning properly, coconut flour may not be for you.

And the other case where coconut flour might be not advised is if you are sensitive to salicylates. These are a natural chemicals made by plant products. This sensitivity can cause headaches, rashes, hyperactivity. You’ll want to stay away from coconut flour in that case as well.

But let’s say you’ve got no problems with coconut flour, your in the right place on your gut healing journey, and you’re ready to dive in. You’re ready to buy. Let me help you get started.

If you just want to check it out in one or two recipes, don’t bother with large bags or buying online. Just buy it at your local grocery store. Most sell it now, maybe on the health food isle, but they have it. Bob’s Red Mill or Arrowhead will do, but if you decide you like it and want to get bigger bags, I’d order it online. A company called nuts.com sells organic coconut flour in bulk at a good price and Tropical Traditions organic is also a really high-quality brand.

OK mama, today we answered several common questions about coconut flour to make sure you are ready to get started—today if you want to. We talked about what it is, why to use it, how to use it, we talked about what gut healing diets it’s used on and I gave you a few cautionary ideas to think about. Lastly, we talked about where to buy it when you’re ready to get started.

ARE YOU READY TO GET STARTED?

As always, I’m here if you have any questions at all. Coconut flour is different and it can be a challenge in the beginning. Stick with it though. It’s so work your time for nutrition as well as taste.

Happy coconut flour baking and cooking my friend.

Until we chat again, I’m wishing you a cheeky and healthy IBD healing journey.

[26:12] Thank you so much for joining me today and for listening to today’s episode. When it comes to IBD, I know there’s a lot of resources out there, and I’m truly honored that you chose the Cheeky Podcast to get your IBD information today. If you found this information helpful, please give us a rating and review. It helps other moms find the podcast and see what we’re doing over here to help IBD moms everywhere. And if you feel called feel a call to do it, share this podcast with an IBD mom who you know could really use an uplifting message today, ’cause that’s what we’re all about over here at the Cheeky Podcast.

One last thing, if you’re still with me, and if you are, you’re definitely my kind of gal. We have to get to know each other better. If you’re tired of living on the hamster wheel of IBD with all the ups and downs between flares and remission, if you’re struggling to get control of your abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea and other troubling IBD symptoms, go to my website. It’s karynhaley.com, and my mom had to be just a little bit different, she spelled my name with the Y. So it’s K-A-R-Y-N H-A-L-E-Y.com and schedule your very own free 30-minute IBD root cause trouble-shooting session with me where we discuss the challenges you’ve been having, we set goals to help you move forward, and we talk about how we can work together to help you get your life back. It’s a power packed 30 minutes. You don’t have to live in IBD status quo. There’s so much that can be done to transform your life so you can thrive in motherhood and thrive with IBD. I’ve seen my clients walk this path and it gives me so much joy to take that journey with them.

My entire coaching practice is run online, so you never have to leave your house and you never have to get out of your jammy or yoga pants for us to work together. You know I’m wearing them to. If you’re ready to take your first amazing step towards healing, I’m ready to chat with you. Schedule your free 30-minute IBD root cause trouble shooting sesh today at karynhaley.com. Click on the work with me tab and I’ll see you soon. It’s important to note that the information in this podcast and in this episode is for general information purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The statements made in the Cheeky Podcast for moms with IBD, either by me or my guests, is not intended to diagnose, treat, to cure, or prevent any disease. Before implementing any new treatment protocols, do yourself a favor and consult your physician first.

Thank you so much for listening, for being here, for saving this space for us to spend some time together. Until we chat again, I’m wishing you a cheeky and healthy IBD journey.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Ep: 24 Soup’s On: The Best Gut Repair Soups to Bust that IBD Flare Up (they’re great for remission too)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

What comes to mind when I say the word soup? It seems like everyone has a relationship with soup, positive or negative.

For me, soup is full of warm, full, and rich childhood memories and also gut soothing and healing moments. If you already love soup or you’re open to using it to help fulfill your IBD flare-up busting and remission seeking goals, you’re going to love this episode.

We’re diving into the world of soup as a healing mechanism for Crohn’s and colitis. Of course, not all soup is created equal. We’re certainly not talking about the Campbell’s variety when it comes to gut healing. Find out the 3 components that must be part of your gut healing concoction and so much more in this episode.

We’re dishing on everything you need to make soup the star of your gut healing regime.

We’re talking about:

• How to include gut healing veggies in your soup if you feel like everything you eat (including vegetables) makes you sick
• The gut healing medicinal properties of herbs and spices (and which one to use for your specific IBD symptoms)
• The key difference between gut repair soup and IBD maintenance soup (you won’t believe how similar they actually are)

And so much more!

After the episode, you’ll be ready to start your own Soup’s On gut repair movement in your own home. And you’ll have all the recipes you need to get started today.

Episode at a Glance:

• [05:45] The 3 must have components every gut repair soup must have
• [09:30] Safe veggies to include in your soup, and ones you should definitely stay away from
• [12:40] The gut healing medicinal properties of herbs and spices—you’re going to want to keep these on hand in your kitchen to help make your gut healing soup with your IBD symptoms in mind
• [15:52] The spice to keep on hand to stop your kid’s vomiting in its tracks
• [21:35] The power of putting vegetables you never thought you could eat into a digestible form
• [25:25] What to do when there’s a soup ingredient you just don’t tolerate
• [29:18] How to find the best time of day (when you feel well) to make your gut repair soup
• [32:49] 3 best practice rules to using soup to keep you in remission longer
• [36:20] My gut repair Soup’s On Recipe Booklet is waiting for you at karynhaley.com/soup
• [38:16] The best way to take your IBD healing journey to the next level.

Rate, Review and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Get your Soup’s On Recipe Booklet (with 8 soup recipes) Free Today

Episode 15: Seven Healing Gems Every IBD Mom Needs to Know About

The Gut Love Community

Additional Resources from the Episode:

Super Herbs and Spices for Gut Health

5 Vegetable Broth Benefits

Episode Transcript:

[Music]

INTRO: You are listening to The Cheeky Podcast for Moms with IBD, a safe space for moms with Crohn’s and colitis, connect, explore powerful tools for healing and transform our lives to thrive in motherhood and in life. I’m your host, Karyn Haley, IBD health coach, integrative wellness enthusiast, and mom to three outstanding kids. After having Crohn’s disease for 30 years and working as a health advocate exclusively with IBD clients for the last 10 years, I know it’s time to bring the types of candid conversations I have with my clients out into the open. It’s our time to go on an IBD healing journey and do it like only a mom can. Let’s do this.

[music]
[00:52] Well hey there my friend- it’s wonderful to connect with you again. Aren’t podcasts the best invention since almond flour? I’m sure if you listen to this podcast, you probably listen to at least 5 or 6, or 10 others if you’re like me. I’m a podcast junkie and my listening tastes are really eclectic. I love cooking breakfast with my news and politics podcast in my ear in the morning, there’s motivational and life affirming podcasts I might listen to during my workout, and then there’s light and easy podcasts I like to listen while I’m in my car. The other day, I was driving to my dad’s house while smiling and laughing to myself as Amy Poehler was interviewed by Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast. I’m sure you remember Amy from SNL and Parks and Rec. She’s hilarious!

Amy said something so laugh out loud funny to me, I thought about sharing it with you as soon as I heard it. And if you’re at least 40, like me, this will be particularly funny to you. Here’s what she said: She said anybody under 30 thinks everybody over 40 is 65. This was so funny to me because it’s exactly what my kids think of me. Like Amy said, stop calling me boomer! Sorry, sons, Gen Xer all the way! It’s so funny how are kids see us isn’t it? To them there’s just young and old. Wait til they reach parenthood, and we get to see their kids give them hell for stuff like this. I’ll try not to say I told you so.

Anyway, podcasts rock. Especially during a time when we need connection more than ever. Let’s connect, shall we? We’ve got a great topic to talk about today.

SOUP IS AWESOME FOR GUT REPAIR AND REMISSION MAINTENANCE

[03:00] Soup. You might think I’m being sarcastic about it being a great topic, but I’m so not. I love talking about the power of gut healing soup.

What’s your relationship with soup? Everybody has one, whether it’s positive or negative. It’s funny, sometimes I’ll work with clients who love soup. They’ll eat 2-3 bowls a day when they’re in gut healing mode. Other times I’ll hear from a client, anything but soup. Please no soup. I hate soup.

I’m in the love soup category. To me soup is comfort food. It’s memories of my childhood and my mom, her always making us homemade chicken soup when we were sick as kids and partly because it was the last thing I fed her before she passed away—that might sound morbid to you, but it’s comforting to me. So soup, it’s my past, it’s my present, and in my Crohnie world, it will always means healing, soothing, comfort.

I like soup so much. I even, feel free to gasp here, eat it in the summer. Maybe not as much as in the winter, but I don’t say eeewww or ick if I’m offered it in the summer. It still tastes great to me. I like soup, no matter what time of year it is. If that’s the way you feel about soup, even just in the winter, you’re going to love this episode. We’re breaking down how soup can be your best go-to gut repair food.

And we’ll do this by first, examining the three components that must be in every bowl of soup if you’re using it as a gut soother and healer, we’ll talk about the two different methods of soup making to use depending on if you’re in gut repair mode or trying to maintain remission, and lastly, I’ll tell you how you can get my recipes for the best tasting gut repair soups that use the very ingredients we’re talking about today. And by the way, there’s both vegetarian and omnivore soups in the mix to suite everyone’s tastebuds and dietary needs.

THE #1 INGREDIENT EVERY GUT REPAIR SOUP STARTS WITH

[05:45] Let’s start with the three components that must be in every bowl you make when it comes to your new gut repair and remission sustaining bestie, soup. Must have component #1 is the heart of your soup. The ingredient you just can’t skimp on, no matter what and that’s the bone broth or meat stock. Every gut repairing soup starts with high quality bone broth. Homemade is best—chicken broth, beef broth… if you are vegetarian, a high-quality homemade vegetable broth. It’s really a must for the ultimate gut healing.

I’ve talked about broth and meat stock in previous episodes, probably most recently on episode 16: The Seven Healing Gems episode. I’ll link to it in the show notes if you want more in depth info on the health benefits of bone broth, but just know that bone broth is wonderfully full of collagen and gelatin which help heal the mucosal lining of our intestines and seal the gut if any leakiness is present. Bone broth can also help calm food sensitivities, help grow bacterial balance in your gut, help decrease inflammation in your entire body and boost your immune system. This is why bone broth is the basic building block in any soup aimed at gut repair.

DON’T WORRY IF YOUR VEGETARIAN, I’VE GOT YOU COVERED TOO!

If you’re a vegetarian, you can still reap the benefits of a rich, homemade, vegetable stock. And even if you’re not a vegetarian, it’s a great idea to rotate your stock to a veggie variety too. Vegetable stock is high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, it’s very alkalizing for the body. With IBD, sometimes our bodies tend toward an acidic environment and vegetable broth can help bring our pH into balance.

Both vegetable and bone broth stock are hydrating and that’s something we really need too when we are healing our digestive system or trying to keep remission going. I’m including a recipe for meat broth and vegetable broth in your soup recipes incase this is your first foray into homemade stock. I want you to be able to have this all-important soup base so you can get started right away with using soup to heal and also, so you see just how easy it is to make at home. Trust me, it’s so much healthier than store bought. You can take a couple hours to make a couple batches (and most of that time is the cooking of the stock- not you doing anything) and then freeze them to have on hand for when it’s time to make soup or drink the broth straight.

YOU’RE MUST HAVE SOUP COMPONENT #2

[09:30] What’s the second component that’s a must when it comes to gut healing soup? It’s loads and loads of veggies. The more the better. Not just any veggies though. When it comes to IBD repair, we’re talking low carb veggies. Not the kind of veggies that are high in carbohydrates that turn into sugar in your digestive system and keep the bad bacteria safe and toasty while we suffer. No, to the heck no. With gut repair and remission-based soup, we stay away from the higher carb veggies like potatoes (white and sweet), yams, corn, and chickpeas.

There are loads of lower carb, but super satisfying veggies you’ll want to stock up on when you’re making your gut repair and remission loving soup. Veggies like spinach and other greens like kale, beet greens, dandelion greens, and swiss chard. Plus, other veggies like mushrooms, onion, tomato, broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, cauliflower, all the squashes (butternut, acorn, spaghetti), zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, celery, carrot, leeks, cabbage… and if you’re thinking, she’s got to be kidding, I can’t digest any of those—I feel ya because I remember a time when I thought I couldn’t either. Hold that thought, I’m going to ask you to reserve judgement because in just a minute, I’m going to tell you how you can eat these vegetables, even in a flare.

I mentioned that these kinds of vegetables are lower in carbohydrates, but they aren’t low in nutrients. They have plenty of vitamin A and C, fiber, potassium, magnesium, and folate. All much needed nutrients for gut healing and repair. All in a form your body can digest and absorb—huge for busting that flare.

I promise, I’ll get back to how you’re going get all these nutritious veggies in, but stick with me as we round out the must have components of our soup. I will get to it. To recap, we started out our must have soup components with a rich, homemade meat or vegetable stock. We then talked about the repair power of vegetables (lots of veggies) and now we move on to gut repair component #3: herbs and spices.

IT’S TIME TO ADD SOME FLAVA-FLAV TO OUR GUT REPAIR SOUP

[12:40] Herbs and spices might just seem like a way to enliven your tastebuds and make vegetables tasty, but the cool thing about herbs is that they actually have medicinal and healing properties. So you can add a little flava flav to your gut healing soup while you make your digestive system happy. Love it when that happens. I mean, I’ll do anything to keep my gut happy, but when I get to do that and it tastes good, I’m so in.

There’s actually 10 herbs and spices I recommend you keep on hand, either as fresh herbs in a pot in your kitchen or from your garden if you’re into the fresh variety, or in a sacred spot in your kitchen in a small jar if you prefer the dried spice variety. And both are absolutely fine, and my spice cabinet is definitely a sacred, well-used spot. We all can’t have an herb garden sitting on our windowsill year-round so it’s nice to know dried spices are available at our local grocery store. And by the way, if you are using dried spices, I like to give them a little rub in the palm of my hand before adding them to the pot of soup. This re-releases the flavor in the herb and ensures you get a well flavored soup.

A TOP 10 LIST BETTER THAN DAVID LETTERMAN’S

So, here’s your Top 10 list of herbs and spices list. Move over David Letterman. Bet he never had herbs and spices on his famous top 10 lists. If you have a pen and paper handy, you might want to jot down some notes here. I’m not only going to give you the name of the herb, I’m also going to share with you the gut ailment it works best for. Personally, I keep all of these in stock in my kitchen, but it’s still nice to know which one works for which digestive symptom because then you’ll know what to grab as different challenges crop up and you’ll be all ready to make your gut loving soup when you don’t feel well, and you are in need of gut repair.

#1- Ginger– great for nausea, gas, bloating, general digestion needs

#2- Turmeric– anti-inflammatory, full of antioxidants, lowers free radicals, and oxidative damage to our cells with its active ingredient—curcumin

#3- Cinnamon- not a lot of people think about cinnamon when making soup but, taste wise, it’s a great ingredient to bring out the flavors in chili or a squash soup. Digestively, it eases nausea and upset stomach (remember that for your kids if they have a stomach bug and are vomiting, it helped my kiddos a time or two)

#4- Basil- gas, abdominal pain, lots of different types: sweet, lemon, Thai basil, and my favorite for stress reduction holy basil

#5- Bay leaves- detoxifying for the digestive system, soothing for an irritable bowel

#6- Cardamom- good for mucus build up, gas, bloating, heartburn (quick side note, I have a couple clients who chew on the cardamom pods to get relief from heartburn and it definitely helps their symptoms)

#7- Rosemary- balancing for the bacteria in the gut

#8- Cumin- anti-inflammatory

#9 & #10 both have the same benefit, so I’ll group them together: thyme and oregano- both antibacterial and antifungal.

So, there you have it, your top 10 herbs and spices list. Definitely keep these on hand for digestive health and making a gut repair soup.  Of course, you won’t use them all in one soup, but keep them on hand and rotate them with your different batches of your gut repair goodness.

JUST A FEW LAST NOTES ABOUT HERBS AND SPICES

Just a couple last notes on herbs and spices before we move on, when buying these at the store, try to buy the highest quality you can afford. Organic is best. And stand alone spices are preferred instead of spice mixes. Spice manufacturers may add in additional anti-caking ingredients to bottles like this and our sensitive guts don’t need that.

How are things looking in your kitchen? Are you already stocked with these spices? Now is the perfect time to stock up and make sure you have these on hand for your super healing soup recipes.

So far we’ve talked about three must have components for any gut healing soup: quality stock, quality veggies, and quality herbs or spices. With these three things, there isn’t an amazing gut healing soup you can’t make. But what if you’re in a flare up and you feel like you just can’t tolerate some of these vegetables I mentioned earlier? What if you’re intestines are so inflamed that the idea of anything solid going in congers up an image of a fiery inferno inside your gut?

The best thing about a well-made, nutrient dense soup is that it can heal and repair your gut just as well as it can help you maintain your IBD remission. It’s amazing in that way. It’s all about putting whatever soup you choose in the best digestible and absorbable form for where your gut is in that moment.

Let’s talk about how to best make the soups in your Soups On Recipe Booklet if you’re in flare up mode. When your disease is active, and you’re having lots of symptoms—abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, bloody poops, rectal fissures or hemorrhoids, heartburn, bloating, smelly or frequent gas… Or we’re also talking about IBD non-gut symptoms that also can creep up like arthritis, skin rashes, fatigue, brain fog or anxiety, eye inflammation, loss of appetite, or mouth sores… and of course with our lovely chronic illness, you know as well as I do that there can be other symptoms as well. So, the gut repair soup is for you if you have any active disease at all.

THE 3 RULES OF GUT REPAIR SOUP

[21:35] When we’re talking gut repair soup, there’s three important rules to follow:

#1- the most important rule- making your soup into a form you can easily digest and easily absorb. That means using an immersion blender or pureeing it in a high-speed blender. Pureeing it until it’s smooth and creamy. This puts the soup in an easy to digest form. Suddenly, veggies you thought you couldn’t tolerate become tolerable. Greens like spinach, fiberous veggies like celery… when we blend these veggies into a smooth and creamy, deliciously soothing soup, now we can digest and absorb the healing nutrients in the food and begin to give our digestive system the food it needs for fuel and to repair.

I’VE CREATED A 8 SOUP RECIPES WITH YOU IN MIND

Now, in your Soup’s On Recipe Booklet that you can get in the show notes or by going to karynhaley.com/soup, you’ll see all kinds of delish soups that are good for the health of your digestive system. Every single one of them is either already a creamy style soup or one that can be purred. Pretty much any kind of soup I’ve encountered over the years, I’ve been able to put it in a smooth and creamy form, while still enjoying the richness of the flavors. Vegetable soup, soup with meat in it like bacon, chicken or beef, all of these soups can and should be purred when you are in the initial stages of gut healing. If you’ve never done this before, I know it might seem different, but I’ve done this myself with each of the soups in your recipe booklet and they taste great. All the nutrients and health factors you need without the difficulty in digesting them. Give your body what it needs to heal with gut repairing, creamy, soothing soup.

For gut repair soup rule #2, I want you to only use ingredients you tolerate. This might mean scaling back on an ingredient or two in a recipe for a short time until enough healing has taken place. Sometimes, the reason we don’t tolerate a particular food is because of the form it’s in. When our G.I. tract is inflamed, we need food to be pre-digested or broken down for us to tolerate. Other times, even the ingredients in a pureed soup might bother us. Maybe you’re having a histamine intolerance that’s causing rashes, and itchy, flakey skin. You might need to make your broth differently until the reaction calms down. Maybe there’s an herb like garlic that gives you too much gas because you’re dealing with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, maybe you’re like me and you just have a true food sensitivity to a vegetable like peppers. And it doesn’t matter if the peppers you use are blended or not, you just don’t tolerate any pepper with skin on it—even if its blended.

Skip ingredients you don’t tolerate. Substitute them with another ingredient. For me with peppers, I always remove the skin (more like a roasted pepper) and then I can eat them. For you, it might be rosemary. Your just sensitive too it. Is there another herb you like that you could substitute? How about using thyme instead? I find it gives a great flavor to soups as well.

See what I’m saying here. No matter which soup recipe you try, if your intestines are irritated and inflamed, chances are there’s going to be an ingredient or two that doesn’t work for you. It doesn’t mean you need to scrap the idea of broth or veggies all together. It just means it’s time for some modifications and tweaks.

THE SOUP THAT WORKS FOR YOU, EVEN IF YOU’RE SENSITIVE TO ALL FOOD

I know this can be an overwhelming task if you’ve never experimented in this way before. I also know you can do it. It just takes a little bit of practice. My advice, if you don’t know what your food sensitivities are yet because right now, everything seems to bother you, start with just a very simple soup. One with very few ingredients. It might be just a vegetable broth with some carrot purred in it. I actually have a very simple soup like this in my Soup’s On Recipe Booklet. Start there, see how you do. If you need to pull back on some of the ingredients, go for it. Once some gut healing has taken place, you’ll be able to move on and add more ingredients and move on to other soups as well. The gut lining has an amazing capacity for quick healing when we give it the food it thrives on. And you never know, foods you thought you’d never be able to eat, may surprise you. I’ve personally experienced this with countless foods. It is such a beautiful thing.  

REACH OUT AND ASK YOUR QUESTION

And if you get stuck at all, know I’m here to help. I know this can be a daunting process in the beginning. Reach out and ask. I’m here to make this easy for you. Hello@karynhaley.com

So, when it comes to gut repair soup, with our 3 rules, just to remind us where we’re at, your #1 rule is blend your soup into a smooth and creamy concoction that’s easier to digest and absorb. Rule #2 is use only the ingredients you tolerate, and lastly, rule #3 when it comes to gut repair soup is: when you make it, make it count. If you’re going to all the trouble of making this healing liquid gold for your body when you don’t feel well, make a double batch to freeze the second one. The beauty of soups like this is that they freeze beautifully. In a leftover container, in mason jars, in silicon molds you can then remove and freeze for smaller portions… whatever works for you.

This will involve a little timing on your part. Something I’ve seen over and over with clients over the years is that when it comes to flares, there’s usually a time of day when we feel well and a time of day we feel worse. I wish there was a pattern to it, that everyone was the same… like everyone feels better in the morning and worse as the day goes on, but this isn’t the case. What I have seen is that many IBD mamas have patterns or cycles to their digestive symptoms. You might wake up in the morning and sit on the toilet off and on for a couple hours before things clear out and you feel well for the rest of the day. Things might flare up for you in the middle of the day where you get really fatigued and need to rest. For me, when I’m in a flare up, I always feel amazing in the morning. Before I would eat, I felt like I could conquer the world. After eating, I might feel crappy for the rest of the day.

So for me, I know that my best baking/cooking gut healing food time is right when I wake up. For you, it might be the middle of the day or at night. Find your time, and make your soup making count—make a double batch or two different soups and freeze one. I’m all about working smarter not harder so even if you don’t feel up to the double batch, never ever make a single serving. It takes just as much work to make that as a full batch of soup.

And even better still? Get your partner in on the soup making action. If you don’t feel well, it’s time for your partner to step up and help a mama out. Remember, when you feel better, you’ll pour all that love back into them.

Gut repair soup with 3 simple rules—done.

SHOULD I STILL EAT GUT REPAIR SOUP IF I’M IN REMISSION?

[31:50] OK, let’s say you’ve moved beyond the healing phase and you’re in remission. Can you imagine it mama? I want you to dare to dream my friend because it can be your reality. Once you are in remission, you want to stay that way. And it’s a tricky balance. Remission, especially in the beginning is like walking on a tight rope in the circus. One false move and splat, you’re back to ground zero. Trust me, I’ve walked this tight rope many times, it’s precarious and involves lots of maintenance and moving parts. It’s not the time to take your eye of the prize.

The same gut repair soup you’re making to heal your gut can be the same digestive remission soup you use to make sure you stay that way. It’s still full of the same nutrients and gut healing factors, but this time, you’re ready for more. Just like gut repair soup, remission soup has 3 rules or best practices too.

3 RULES FOR IBD REMISSION SOUP TO KEEP YOU HEALTHY LONGER

Rule #1- With maintenance soup, follow the recipe as is. There’s no need to puree or blend your veggies. Keep them chunky and hearty. If you’re feeling really well, you can even keep the veggies, as Italians say, al dente—with a little bite or crunch. Of course, if you prefer the smooth and creamy texture, that’s find too. Just know that when it comes to maintenance, you can branch out with your soup’s texture.

Rule #2- Now that you’re tolerating all the broths, the herbs/spices, and vegetables, it’s time to start branching out with ingredients that didn’t work for you before. Be careful not to go overboard here. We’re not talking about adding sugar or pasta noodles to your soup. We’re still talking low carb and low sugar to keep your inflammation down, and your immune system and bacterial balance in check.

Rule #3- Don’t get complacent and forget about your maintenance soup. I see this all the time. As time goes by, we feel well, we’ve got kids, responsibilities… we forget about our maintenance. There’s lots of work to be done to make sure we don’t flare and it’s easy to forget about the things you have in place that make remission possible. Your maintenance soup is a huge factor in keeping you feeling healthy.

During the early stages of gut repair soup, you’ll be consuming broth and soup 1-5 times a day. Once your symptoms resolve, it’s OK to back up on the soup, but not completely. I still have gut healing soup with the ingredients we’ve been talking about today regularly. It’s part of my healthy gut maintenance routine. And during times when I don’t feel like myself or I feel a flare up coming on, I hunker back down with gut repair soup, the flare up version.

Although homemade soup isn’t a cure all and there’s other healing options to put in place to but a flare up, when you have gut repairing soup with the quality ingredients we’ve been talking about today, it can be a hugely positive factor on your healing journey. And when it comes to remission, that is truly the most important time to keep those nutrients coming. For those of us with sensitive guts, the vigilance never stops.

ARE YOU READY TO START USING SOUP TO HELP REPAIR YOUR GUT?

Now, are you ready to start using soup for gut repair or maintenance? Let me help you get started with my Soup’s On Recipe Booklet.  I think I mentioned it earlier, but you can get my brand new Soup’s On Recipe Booklet right in the show notes, or you can get it by going to karynhaley.com/soup. This recipe guide has vegetarian and omnivore soups in it, it’s got two different stock recipes to be sure you have your must have components set before you begin, and it has several easy to make homemade soups that use the gut healing ingredients we’ve been talking about today. You’re going to love it! Head over to karynhaley.com/soup and it will be yours free now.

Can you tell how much I love talking about soup? Weird, right? This episode seriously lite me up! No matter where you’re at on your IBD healing journey, I hope you’ll start using soup to help you heal. It’s truly transformative. Happy soup making my friend.

Until we chat again, I’m wishing you a cheeky and healthy IBD healing journey.

Be well.

[37:42] Thank you so much for joining me today and for listening to today’s episode. When it comes to IBD, I know there’s a lot of resources out there, and I’m truly honored that you chose the Cheeky Podcast to get your IBD information today. If you found this information helpful, please give us a rating and review. It helps other moms find the podcast and see what we’re doing over here to help IBD moms everywhere. And if you feel called feel a call to do it, share this podcast with an IBD mom who you know could really use an uplifting message today, ’cause that’s what we’re all about over here at the Cheeky Podcast.

One last thing, if you’re still with me, and if you are, you’re definitely my kind of gal. We have to get to know each other better. If you’re tired of living on the hamster wheel of IBD with all the ups and downs between flares and remission, if you’re struggling to get control of your abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea and other troubling IBD symptoms, go to my website. It’s karynhaley.com, and my mom had to be just a little bit different, she spelled my name with the Y. So it’s K-A-R-Y-N H-A-L-E-Y.com and schedule your very own free 30-minute IBD root cause trouble-shooting session with me where we discuss the challenges you’ve been having, we set goals to help you move forward, and we talk about how we can work together to help you get your life back. It’s a power packed 30 minutes. You don’t have to live in IBD status quo. There’s so much that can be done to transform your life so you can thrive in motherhood and thrive with IBD. I’ve seen my clients walk this path and it gives me so much joy to take that journey with them.

My entire coaching practice is run online, so you never have to leave your house and you never have to get out of your jammy or yoga pants for us to work together. You know I’m wearing them to. If you’re ready to take your first amazing step towards healing, I’m ready to chat with you. Schedule your free 30-minute IBD root cause trouble shooting sesh today at karynhaley.com. Click on the work with me tab and I’ll see you soon. It’s important to note that the information in this podcast and in this episode is for general information purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The statements made in the Cheeky Podcast for moms with IBD, either by me or my guests, is not intended to diagnose, treat, to cure, or prevent any disease. Before implementing any new treatment protocols, do yourself a favor and consult your physician first.

Thank you so much for listening, for being here, for saving this space for us to spend some time together. Until we chat again, I’m wishing you a cheeky and healthy IBD journey.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.