Rethinking Diet

To me diet is essential. It is THE way that I control my Crohn's disease. I do not take medicines of any kind. I have designed a diet that works for me. I discovered this diet through trial and error. By carefully journaling everything that I ate and drank I was able to figure out which foods affected my colon and sent me into a flare.

At first it seemed like the foods that upset my colon had nothing in common. Just random. Once I thought deeper about the ingredients in foods it all became crystal clear. All the foods that affected me contained either gluten or corn. Sometimes just things that were derived from gluten and corn affected me as well. These were ingredients such as soy sauce, mayo, corn syrup, ketchup, mustard, pickles and white vinegar. Eliminating these ingredients were essential.

The results were fantastic. My last colonoscopy showed NO signs of Crohn's disease. Total remission through diet. Now of course this was not a cure. If I eat any of the foods mentioned above I will start to flare again.

I have heard people say "gluten free never really worked for me". Well a lot of gluten free products use corn as a way to make them heartier and have better texture. If gluten free products make you feel even worse, then it may point to corn as the culprit.

Others have said "My Doctor said it has nothing to do with diet". I can only point to personal experience here. Keep in mind that Celiac has everything to do with diet. We now know this as a fact. I believe that Crohn's is a sister disease that is affected by gluten (like Celiac) AND corn.

This blog contains many good recipes that I am able to eat without problems. Of course everyone is different so it may not work for everyone. I also do many product reviews of gluten and corn free foods.

What I Eat: Soup

Now that it is getting back to Fall weather, I am starting back on my soup making. Nothing is more satisfying and nutritious. Yesterday I made this lovely soup with the vegetables that I had on hand plus a potato to give it bulk. Any vegetables would do. I start my broth with a large tablespoon of miso paste, whole onion and garlic in the water. Then I just add add add vegetables. I let it simmer most of the day. I did not need salt because of the miso. I also added about a teaspoon of turmeric. That was it. This soup contains onion, garlic, bok chow, celery, poblano pepper (yes the soup was a little spicy), yellow squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, miso paste, turmeric, and a can of green beans. This is so healing and easy on the digestive tract.

Note: I use miso paste because it is hard to find ready made broth that is corn and gluten free. This diet (corn and gluten free) has kept me in remission for years.

Krusteaz Gluten Free Brownies

 This brand is both gluten free and corn free. I got it at Walmart in the gluten free section. When we made it, we substituted milk for the water, and melted butter for the oil.  Milk substitute can also be used. We also used 2 eggs instead of 1. This made it even better. But I think it would still be good when original recipe is used.

What I Eat; Thai Green Curry Sauce

I have been using this sauce for quite a while now and absolutely love it! It's sweet, tangy and spicy all rolled into one. Great for leftovers, especially if they are a bit dry. Today I used it on my leftover tofu. Please note, it is not vegetarian. It does contain fish.

I got this at Whole Foods. While it was pretty expensive, around 8 dollars for a jar, you only use a little bit. A small amount goes a long way, so it contains several servings per jar.

What I Eat: Tasty Baked Salmon

This beautiful specimen is a whole salmon fillet I like to buy at Walmart. I use a combination of soy sauce (gluten free) and brown sugar. I just mix it up and put it on as a glaze before baking. Once in a while I also like to add some garlic powder.

Now, the important thing to remember here is to use soy sauce that is gluten free. I usually like to use Kikkoman Gluten Free Soy Sauce.  Sometimes I'll use Bragg's Liquid Aminos instead of the soy sauce. This sauce is also a great alternative for any gluten-free diets while tasting just as delicious!

I love to pair this salmon with rice and sautéed vegetables.

What I Eat: Apples and Quinoa

This recipe is so good and almost tastes like apple pie! I love to have this as a sweet and healthy breakfast.

Ingredients:

-  3 apples (peeled and cubed)

-  1/2 cup quinoa
-  1 1/2 cups water
-  dash salt
-  cinnamon to taste
-  1 tsp brown sugar (optional - the apples sometimes make it sweet enough)

    Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in medium pot.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Lower heat and simmer until all water is absorbed (about 20-25 minutes)
4. Serve warm and enjoy!

What I Eat: Veggie Omelet and Grilled Pineapple

Made this beauty yesterday. First I sliced up some fresh pineapple and grilled it with a little olive oil and cinnamon. Then I made a super healthy omelet with lots and lots of dinosaur kale greens.

I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread which is a gluten and corn free butter substitute. I love this stuff because it tastes just like real butter.