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Gut Healing Nutrition

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Gut Healing Nutrition

Counter-intuitive is a phrase I often use when describing a GAPS or SCD-style elimination diet.  In a world where raw vegetables wear glowing halos and plant protein powders are the hottest thing since sliced bread, it’s hard to explain why these foods might need to be temporarily traded for a simple diet of braised meats and boiled vegetables.  But does it matter how many micrograms of copper are in your bowl of vegetarian chili if your body can’t actually digest and absorb those beans anyway?  Nope, doesn't.  Here are the key reasons that an uber-simple diet may be the best.

Dining out on the GAPS or SCD Diet (it's possible!)

Dining out on the GAPS or SCD Diet (it's possible!)

Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays; they happen.  And sometimes right in the middle of an elimination diet.  But where most diets recommend a little "cheating" here and there for sanity, you're either on -or very, very off- the GAPS/SCD wagon.  It's tough.  It's not fair.  But it doesn't mean you can't enjoy a night out.  In today's post, we'll learn how to navigate menus during gut healing without leaving in tears of self-deprivation.

What is Keto? (and should I try it too?)

What is Keto? (and should I try it too?)

Ketosis is actually a pretty rad thing.  It's thought to be an evolved mechanism that allowed humankind to stay (relatively) healthy and functioning in times of famine or during long northern winters that were inhospitable to growing carbs (ie: fruits, vegetables, and grains).  When the body is starved of carbohydrates, blood glucose -our body's primary energy source- dries up (figuratively).  When glucose is severely limited over an extended period of time, the body responds by concocting little balls of energy called ketones, manufactured from fatty acids.  These fatty acids come both from the diet and from the body's stored fat.  What's unusual here isn't that the body is burning some fat, but that this particular form of fat is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and provide energy to the brain. 

Choosing a Treatment for Autoimmune Disease

Choosing a Treatment for Autoimmune Disease

Drug therapy for autoimmune disease is no one trick pony.  Treatments vary widely and can focus on treating the symptoms, suppressing the immune system, moderating the pain, or all of the above.  For many patients, the treatment plan starts at the shallow end of the drug spectrum and slowly creeps deeper as autoimmune symptoms progress (insert big-pharma-conspiracy-theorist rant here).

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Autoimmune Disease; what and why

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Autoimmune Disease; what and why

Autoimmune disease is on the rise.  One in twelve Americans -and one in nine females- will develop some form of autoimmune disease in their lifetime.  Between 2001 and 2009, rates of type 1 diabetes increased by 23%.  Depending on who you ask, anywhere from 80 to 100 types of autoimmune diseases have already been discovered, with roughly 40 more diseases suspected of being autoimmune in nature.  That frustrating recurring eczema?  Yep, count it

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Protein for Healing

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For many years, I subscribed to the popular belief that protein was something easily obtained from a "clean," plant-based diet.  Nuts and seeds, quinoa (!), or the ole rice and beans combo were the answers to all the body's needs.  I thought I was being the healthiest.  Animal protein wasn't exactly banned from my table, but it was mostly relegated to the dinner slot.  I had read that it was hard to digest.  My vegetarian friend told me it could turn rancid in the gut.  Neither of us knew what she was talking about but the implications were clear.

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SIBO: a primer

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SIBO: a primer

SIBO is like your adult sibling staying over in the guest room.  Everything's going great; he/she tells funny jokes, loves your dog, and even washes the dinner dishes on occasion.  Until suddenly one evening you realize that he/she has inexplicably relocated the air mattress to YOUR bedroom and, to make matters worse, invited their friends.  And friends of friends.  Talk about crowded and awkward.

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Mindfulness

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Mindfulness

Growing up, I never sat down for a meal without a book, magazine, or -in more desperate times- a shopping catalog to flip through.  Unless it was dinner, of course, where I wasn't allowed to mentally check out with a good read.  Fast forward through the years, and that distraction has morphed into a smart phone, with a side of NPR.  

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PCOS: an introduction

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PCOS: an introduction

Trying to unravel the causes of PCOS is like trying to find the start of a mobius strip, with conditions and symptoms continuously looping back on themselves.  It’s a “chicken or egg” scenario, but in this case you start to wonder if maybe it was actually the chicken coop that came first.  Or that bag of chicken feed.  Or perhaps even the friendly farmer down the road who first put it into your head that owning chickens would be your jam.