(Not) Pumping Iron

When Kitty first visited her specialist, he prescribed iron in response to her blood test results.  When the supplements didn't raise her numbers significantly, and her doctor said that she would probably have to be given iron by IV, I decided to try to improve her iron levels through diet in addition to the supplements.  This article from the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institute for Health came in handy.  It includes separate tables for sources of heme iron (comes from hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells, and is readily available to the body) and non-heme iron (comes from plants, and is not absorbed as well), and it gives suggestions to improve iron absorption.


Here are some iron-rich foods we enjoy:
11 mg./serving - Chicken Livers - fry them up in butter or olive oil
5.7 mg./serving -  Canned Oysters - try the smoked ones from Trader Joe's with a salad
5.2 mg./serving - Beef Liver - we like it cooked up with onions
6.6 mg./serving - Lentils - make a hearty soup or serve with  Spicy Tunisian Sauce (diced tomatoes, olive oil, cumin, red pepper flakes, fresh crushed garlic, chopped parsley, and salt)

Pax,
Bridget

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Here is one of our favorite cold-weather dishes.  It is warm, satisfying, and SCD-friendly:

Roasted Winter Vegetables

1.  Preheat oven to 400-425 degrees Farenheit

2.  Fill a roasting pan or oven-proof dish with any combination of the following fresh vegetables:
Acorn squash, seeded and cut into 2 in. chunks
Beets, peeled and cut into 1-2 in. chunks
Brussel sprouts
Butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-2 in. chunks (you can use a regular vegetable peeler for this)
Carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
Garlic cloves (unpeeled), or toss in an entire head with the end trimmed
Parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
Turnips, peeled and cut into chunks

3.  Drizzle with plenty of extra-virgin olive oil and toss with fresh rosemary (if you have any on hand).  Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.

4.  Bake for 30 minutes

5.  Take out of the oven and toss veggies.  Return to the oven for another 30 minutes, or until fork-tender

This goes well with lentils and a green salad.  Enjoy!

Fighting Inflammation

As part of our effort to lower inflammation marked by CRP and Sed rates, we followed some recommendations from Dr. Art Ayers, who holds a PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (U. Colo. Boulder), has done postdoctoral research in Sweden and the U.S., and has been a faculty member of several institutions of higher learning (including Harvard University). He has written many posts about inflammation in general and some on inflammatory bowel disease in particular. You can peruse his blog, Cooling Inflammation, and view his guidelines for an anti-inflammatory diet here.

Two Ways to Get Started

Here are two straightforward options for starting dietary changes that may help with Crohn's. Within a week or two, we noticed significant changes in symptoms solely as a result of using the first option:

1. Purchase a copy of The Maker's Diet, by Jordan Rubin, and use the allowed food list for phase one of the diet. Use this for your shopping list for the next two weeks.

2. Go to Jordan and Steve's SCD Lifestyle blog and download their quick-start guide for making dietary changes based on Elaine Gottschall's book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle. We would suggest, however, eliminating the grape juice and dairy products.

Both options will allow you to focus on the short list of what is allowed in the diet than to keep track of the larger list of what is not allowed.

Peace be with you in the new year,

-Bridget

Update

So much has happened in the last few months. As Kitty learned to control inflammation by natural means, she decreased her use of the prescription medicines which had started to make her lose her appetite. She increased her intake of iron naturally and continued to add new foods and supplements to her diet. By the time of her check-up in June, her inflammatory markers were completely normal. The doctor's only concern about the tests: her vitamin D levels were low. He had never seen any patient with severe Crohn's improve so quickly, and by natural means. He told her that there was no need to continue the medicine. Of course, we would have regular checkups and monitor her health and growth. Three and a half months later, her tests came back better than normal.

She is happy, healthy, and active. We will continue to help her at home under the supervision of a conventional pediatric gastroenterologist.

In the next posts, I will share more of the resources we used in Kitty's treatment. Please remember that everyone is different; you will have to find out what helps you. I encourage you to explore your options (while under the supervision of a qualified physician).

Helpful books

When my daughter, Kitty, received a working diagnosis of Crohn's in October 2010, we started reading right away and making changes to her diet. Two of the first books we read were The Maker's Diet, by Jordan Rubin, and Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Elaine Gottschall. Both helped immensely.

We found that when we tried the first phase of Jordan Rubin's plan, the unpleasant symptoms of diarrhea, bleeding, and malodorous gas disappeared within a couple of weeks. As we continued, cramping and soreness diminished. Rubin recommends whole, natural foods, and his holistic approach to health encompasses sleep, supplements, mild exercise, prayer/meditation, water, high quality food sources, aromatherapy, and avoidance of toxins. We supported Kitty's health in many simple ways which, combined, led to significant improvement.

Breaking the Vicious Cycle outlines Gottschall's Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). The SCD is straightforward and use-friendly. Gottschall provides a beginning diet plan and easy-to-use lists for successive stages of the diet. Because Gottschall does not share Rubin's emphasis on natural sources, enzymes and probiotics, her diet can be followed with conventional grocery items. Several foods not listed in Rubin's early stages (bananas and soft cow's milk cheeses, for example) are allowed in the earlier stages of the SCD diet.

We have found that combining the approaches of the two books according to Kitty's unique tolerances has led to good results. The first month, she followed the first and second phases of The Maker's Diet (TMD). She kept a log of everything she ate and recorded all of her symptoms. It was usually easy to trace new or recurring symptoms to the introduction of a new food after the basic first phase of The Maker's Diet.

It was intensely difficult for my candy-loving fourteen-year-old to completely give up sugar, grains, and cow's milk. When Kitty strayed from the diet that worked for her (usually at a dinner party) and symptoms reappeared, she returned to the first two phases of the diet. With each negative experience, she found it easier to limit herself to the foods that supported her health. As her body healed, we added foods from the SCD diet. She has gained energy and weight; she looks and feels healthy.

I encourage anyone with any form of IBD to read these books. They are available at Amazon.com and many local libraries. There are many other books, websites, articles, and resources available. In the coming months, I will write about the simple but effective ways we are supporting our family's health and the many resources we are using along the way. Please join us.

- Bridget

Welcome to Quenching Crohn's, a blog dedicated to exploring ways to rebuild health after diagnosis with Crohn's Disease and other forms of IBD. I will share resources and recipes that are working for my family as we strive to build and maintain a health-supporting diet and lifestyle.

Please join us.