I’ve been taking a little mental health break from the blog for the past month, and I will probably continue to do so at least until January; however, I wanted to share this with you. I just couldn’t resist.

In the beginning of November, I had my first successful non-SCD experiment: Sprouted Wheat. Why sprouted wheat? Because I hate nut flour, and because my elimination diet showed that my body doesn’t tolerate nuts right now anyway; because I love bread; and because I have generally been without symptoms for long enough now that I was willing to try an excursion, an SCD excursion to be precise. I wanted to try it because sprouts (not SCD legal) are super-foods, and because, after 2.5 years without it, I wanted some bread dammit.

So my wife and I sprouted some wheat berries, dried them at low temperature, ground them into flour, and made a simple soda bread: (sprouted) wheat flour, water, salt, baking soda, and a squidge of honey. I made it like a flat bread, only about 1/2″ thick and cut it into squares. It’s great with homemade jam. I tried these bread squares with homemade jam for a week in the beginning of November and… Eureka! Turns out my body (including my sickly colon) loves sprouted wheat! I’ve been eating modest amounts of it for a month now with no adverse effects. So in celebration of my first non-SCD food victory, I have written a poem that I’d like to share with you. It’s both in celebration of my success with sprouted wheat, and a tribute to my favorite author. I’m sure you’ll be able to guess the author as you read the poem. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I call it “Bread Squares with Jam.” Read the rest of this entry

Note: I couldn’t have written this post, nor could I have tweaked my diet to see results without closely tracking my diet and tracking my symptoms.

In this post, I will share yet more evidence that diet is essential to the management and treatment of inflammatory bowel (Crohn’s and Colitis). It is also essential, I believe, to the management of IBS, and many other idiopathic (of unknown origin) conditions, but I don’t have time for that here.

I have been on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for a little over two years now. As I have alluded to in past posts, the diet has gotten me most of the way (80-90%) back to normal—but it didn’t get me fully back to normal.

For two years, I’ve been saying that the SCD, while the foundational component of my treatment, is not the only treatment I will need to fully heal. Today, I may change my tune some…Let me explain. Read the rest of this entry

Diet is the foundation of healing from inflammatory conditions.

For inflammatory bowel (Crohn’s and Colitis), celiac, IBS, GERD, and other digestive issues, dietary changes are foundational in the healing process; no treatment will work long-term without dietary changes. However, with proper dietary adjustments, you can recover (heal) from these conditions by creating an internal environment that is conducive to healing. For some, diet alone alleviates their symptoms, for others diet is just the beginning of their healing journey; either way, you cannot heal from IBD without changing your diet. I can’t stress that enough.

I’ve introduced the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) in other posts. Get a primer on the diet here. If you haven’t begun to use diet to address your bowel dis-ease, then now is the time to start. If you are struggling with diet, the SCD is the most credible dietary change for IBD that I know (GAPS being a close second). It takes time and discipline, but the rewards (of a healthy, medication free life) are immeasurable.

The Podcast

Today I introduce a podcast with Jordan Reasoner and Steve Wright, from SCD Lifestyle. Both Steve and Jordan have used the SCD to heal from their digestive ailments, and have since written a book, a guide, which walks people through the first 90 days of the SCD, in a safe, systematic fashion. Using their methods of personalizing the SCD, Jordan and Steve have coached people to significant health improvements. Read the rest of this entry

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

I quit the vegan, no nuts detox diet I mentioned in my last post, after just three days. It was silly hard to do on the SCD. Without rice, potatoes, oats, or other things to fill my belly, I was left with veggies and fruit–and that’s it. I’m way too skinny for all that. So I quit, and I don’t feel the least bit of guilt. I proudly ate eggs for breakfast. Now, I think I’ll go eat some cheese, just because I can.

Just thought you might want to know.

PS–This doesn’t mean I can’t detox, fast, or further clean my diet. There are benefits from protein and calorie restriction, and fasting.

As you know, I’m always on the search for food. If you own a buffet, or have friends over for a potluck, watch the skinny kid–he’ll eat you out of house and home.

A commenter wrote me yesterday and asked about ELETE, an electrolyte add-in (their words) for athletes. Add a few drops of this to your water, and you have instant sports drink. The best part? It’s SCD friendly. Yup.

When the commenter wrote me, I thought, “Crap! I’ve had this stuff on my shelf, an SCD-friendly electrolyte supplement, for months now, and haven’t told anyone about it.”

I don’t suppose that the excuse of being too busy flies here. I just forgot. I’ve been writing about so many other things that I’ve forgotten my heart and soul: Athletes.

Read the rest of this entry