Beating Crohn's Naturally

     I am now convinced that Crohns, Relapsing Polychodritis and many other "auto-immune" diseases are triggered by food allergies/intolerances. My trigger foods are wheat, gluten and corn. I have eliminated all of these from my diet. I have also eliminated all derivatives of these foods. This was the key. And this is all I do. I am off of all medications, especially those horrid steroids.

     My mom also has Crohn's/Colitis. She has found that her trigger foods are all dairy related. She can eat a bit of dairy foods and be fine. But if she eats too many dairy foods in a day, she gets her symptoms back.

     I have set up this blog with ways to cut out allergens in your diet. I was focused on wheat gluten and corn... Now I think I will focus on cutting all allergens including milk. Many of my recipes do contain milk. So from now on I will try to leave out this allergen also.

     My hope is that this blog will be able to help someone. I sell nothing. The products that I talk about are products that I actually use with success. I don't get paid to endorse these products.

     One of the hardest things in life to change is your diet. It brings great comfort and we feel very secure with it. Most people would rather take a ton a medicine than change their diet. Of course diet can be changed a little at a time through baby steps. But the way this has worked for me was to completely change every aspect of my diet. It is very hard, but it works for me.

     As noted previously, I am not a doctor. I am a person who has Crohn's disease and Relapsing Polychodritis. I control both through my elimination diet. I take no medicine. I have no symptoms of either. I can not say what is best for you. I am putting it out there what I do. If anyone is willing to eliminate allergens from their diet I would love to hear about it.

     Remember, Celiac was once an incurable disease. Now we know it is only a gluten allergy. Avoid the gluten and they're fine. I believe that Crohn's is a sister disease, caused by a similar allergen. It may be gluten, corn, milk, soy, fish, eggs, peanut, citric acid or any other allergen. It may be a combination of allergens. For me it was wheat, gluten and corn. For my Mom it is milk. For my daughter it was citric acid.

How to Start:
Start by elimating all major allergens, as noted above. It seems like it wouldn't leave much to eat. I started by eating plain chicken, rice and vegetables. Other good foods to start with: fruit, salad with no dressing, potatoes, gluten free noodles, hamburger (no bun), juices (watch the citric acid), steamed vegetables... No sauces or dressings.

Next, keep a logue of everything that is eaten or drunk. Everything counts, even gum and pop.

Reintroduce known allergens one at a time. Wait one week if possible. Note the reactions. you must be very patient.

I feel that I was blessed with this knowledge and need to share it. I sincerely hope that you will find help through this.

Any questions please feel free to email:
lynne1408@earthlink.net

Against the Grain

     These "Against the Grain" rolls are made with mozzerella cheese which make them really chewy and hold together well. They don't come pre-split. They are found in the freezer section. I take mine out when I want one and put it in the microwave , wrapped in a paper towel for 35 seconds. Really nice for hamburgers when I'm tired of either eating them plain or wrapped in lettuce. As an added note, I just tried these for making french toast. Yummmmmmm!

gluten free cheesecake

     Here is another product I found at my local health food store. I did make a few adjustments for the cheese cake part itself. I do not use ricotta cheese because it contains white vinegar, which is a derivative of corn. I used Daisy brand cottage cheese instead. And instead of the sour cream which is called for, I used plain yogurt. When using the cream cheese, I always start with the solid. The whipped and creamed ones contain other additives which do not agree with me. I also add chocolate chips. The crust from this brand is very good and easy to use.