Category Archives for Crohn’s and Colitis
Is overwhelm holding you back from starting the Specific Carbohydrate Diet? Let’s change that today!
Have you thought about using a more natural approach to quiet your gut challenges?
Have you been dragging your heels on starting the SCD because you just don’t have the support you need to be successful?
Have your gut symptoms got to the point where you feel like you’ve run out of options?
If you’re shouting YES! to one or more of these questions, I’ve got a new video I made with you in mind. It’s all about helping you decide if the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is the eating plan for you.If you’re just starting out on the SCD or if you’re on the SCD fence, this is going to help you move forward on your gut healing journey.
SCD Veterans Spill the Beans: What Every Mom Should Know Before Starting the Specific Carbohydrate Diet
Why do we scour the internet when we want to know how to do something?
We search for things like “heal IBD naturally” or “what is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet”…
Or “how to remove turmeric from my carpet”—Yep, just searched for this one yesterday after an unfortunate spilling incident of my simply delicious morning detox drink… and no, I still haven’t gotten it out so if you have any ideas, send them my way.
We search the internet to find answers for the same reason we seek out the advice of wise friends and confidants.
We seek out information like this because we want to learn from people who’ve come before us. We want to soak in their knowledge and benefit from their experience, right?
I’m a HUGE fan of all the unsung heros in my life. Most of them don’t even know I exist, but their insights and knowledge have affected me greatly. In all honesty, if it wasn’t for these wise and wonderful teachers, I don’t know where I’d be.
Getting the benefit of someone who’s come before you can cut down on–
- Wasted time trying to figure out your next steps.
- All the errors we make along the way.
- Feeling lost and stressed and alone.
Win. Win. Win.
If you were to ask me what I want more than anything for you, I’d tell you it’s this. I want to cut out all the hassle and wasted time for you. I want to cut out the stress and heartache that comes with taking 20 years to find your way. Trust me, I know this all too well. I’d tell you that I want you to get to the finish line that much quicker than I did.
So– with your speedy and stress-less healing in mind, I recently went straight to the SCD source.
Afraid to Travel: You Don’t Have to Ditch Your Travel Plans When You Have IBD
Sometimes I want to curl up in a ball and head to bed when the word “travel” comes up.
Have you ever felt this way?
It’s just such a headache no matter which stage of IBD you’re in.
I remember back to my first 20 years with Crohn’s when I didn’t want to travel because I knew that no matter where we went, I’d spend more time in the bathroom than looking at the sights. And now, even 10 years into using food, lifestyle and supplements to quiet my symptoms, I still get the occasional uugghhh feeling when it comes to travel because I know all that goes into making travel a successful experience. But now, instead of all that dread about finding bathrooms, my dread is all about…
- Where can I buy the food I need away from home?
- Where do I stay that has a place for me to refrigerate and cook my food?
- Do I have all my food packed for the trip?
- What will I do if I get there and I forgot something or can’t get the food I need at a local grocery store?
But here’s the thing—I never want you to think you can’t commit to an IBD eating plan (like gluten free, dairy free or even grain free like the SCD) because you won’t be able to travel anymore.
Hell to the no, girlfriend!
You can still travel.
You can still live out your bucket list of dream destinations.
I’m proof positive that it can work. I’ve done it many times over the years and I know you can too.
And best of all, you’ll be healthy, happy and bathroom free (at least as much as everyone else) while you’re away.
Sound good? Awesome, let’s start this convo—
Crohn’s, Colitis and Comfort Food: The #1 Food You’re Only Eating Once a Year, but Should be Eating Year-Round
*Hey busy mama? Want the audio version of the blog intro? Click HERE to listen on-the-go. Then go straight to the video.*
Comfort Food.
What feelings come to mind when you hear this phrase Comfort Food?
- Warmth
- Happiness
- Feeling good all over
- Cozy
- Relaxed
- Sinfully delicious
- Blissful food coma
And of course… comfort.
Comfort food is, well in a word—comfortable. It’s like that old, but much-loved sweater. It just feels good when you put it on.
I used to be addicted to the standard American diet comfort food. French bread, my nana’s pasta, white rice, mashed potatoes with gravy, mac and cheese… I thought these foods were comforting my belly when my IBD flared. And the truth is, they did feel awfully good going down. They’re rich and gooey, creamy and delicious. But what I didn’t find out until 20 years into my struggle with Crohn’s is that all these supposed comfort foods are ENORMOUS gut disruptors, not gut comforters.
As these starchy delights digest in your achy belly, they create a sugar-filled environment. And guess what all those lovely bacterial, creepy, crawly, critters in your gut love to feed on to multiply?
The Crohn’s/Colitis Vitamin D Connection: The What, Why and How of This Gut Healthy Vitamin
Why should Vitamin D matter to you, dear mom friend?
Sure, Vitamin D is the “it” vitamin these days. Many practitioners are talking about the link between vitamin D and pretty much everything from colds to cancer.
But besides the general health benefits of Vitamin D, why do we—moms with Crohn’s and colitis—need to sit up and take close notice of this powerful vitamin?
Well, it turns out that “everything from colds to cancer” includes a HUGE effect on our Crohn’s and colitis.
If you’ve been around our free and fabulous Gut Love Community for a while, you know I love to bury my nose in research to sift through the goodness and the crap (and there are a lot of crappy studies out there paid for by big pharma and special interest groups) to come out the other side with solid, real, unbiased facts.
Because of this love affair our medical community is having with Vitamin D, I decided it was time to dig into the research to find out for myself if there’s a connection between our illness and our D levels.