What I’ve learned: Healing and staying healed with FOOD

As I was recovering from a life-threatening flare up of the autoimmune disease Ulcerative Colitis back in 2010/2011, I began my intensive search for the foods that would not only be healing for me but that would keep me healed. 

This involved countless hours spent reading tons of nutrition books and blogs, searching websites, and watching as many documentaries as I could find, as well as in-person conversations with other autoimmune sufferers. 

It was an exciting but bumpy road.  I made TONS of mistakes along the way.  I overdid this.  I underdid that.  I overcomplicated things frequently.  I berated myself for not eating “perfectly.”  I researched, read, studied, experimented, analyzed, rinse/repeat.  In a nutshell, I learned a whole lot.  And over the years as I remained free of disease flare-ups, what became more and more clear to me is that it’s actually very simple. 

We need to eat REAL food. 

This is what I follow and it has served me well.

• The more vegetables and fruits we eat, the healthier we will be.

• The less highly-processed, packaged foods we eat, the healthier we will be.

• The more we are able to vote with our dollar, by buying organic, grass-fed, and locally grown foods as much as possible, the healthier we will be.

• The less refined sugar we consume, the healthier we will be.

• The more we listen to our bodies when they tell us what does and does not make us feel good, the healthier we will be.

For me, what it ultimately boils down to is really that simple.  I will get into more granular detail of what exactly I did, what worked and what didn't, in future posts, but for now, meditating on and applying the above points is the most essential and urgent thing. 

I’ll also add that finding a good Naturopath to help guide me has been a tremendous help.  Getting food sensitivity (IgA/IgG) tests to find out what foods my body is negatively responding to has also been a tremendous help.  But if you do nothing else, I firmly believe following the above points will make a positive difference no matter what state your health is in.   

It is only when we take responsibility for our own health and wellbeing that lasting changes are made (i.e. a “diet” truly becomes a lifestyle).  The big thing I’ve realized is that in order to make a big change we all need something that is a powerful motivator driving us.  

For you, this motivator might be a current battle with an autoimmune disease or other illness, or a strong wish to avoid future illness, or simply a strong desire to take care of yourself as best as possible so you can not only be around for many years with your kids/grandkids, but so that you can be healthy enough to enjoy it!  

My big motivation to change was to never, ever again be powerless against a dreadful disease and to live medication-free.  As of today I have been flare-free since early 2011 and medication-free since the end of 2011, and now that is what motivates me to keep doing what I’m doing and keep going.  

No, I can’t guarantee that I will never find myself ill again.  But so help me, I will do whatever is in my power to prevent that.  In a society where disease rates continue to skyrocket more every year, I want to stack the odds in my favor for lasting health.  

Whatever YOUR motivation is, let the above bullet points guide you into beginning your own journey by starting your search for information, then making your own mistakes, followed by learning, then finding your own way.  The Standard American Diet (it really is SAD!) has wreaked it’s havoc for far too long.  

You do not have to be sick and tired all of the time.  You can travel your own crazy path to health.  I believe you CAN be healthy and well.  Now YOU have to believe too.  I have lived to tell the story, and my hope is that through this blog you might find encouragement, as well as support, guidance, and peace.  

Here are some enlightening suggested resources as you begin your journey.  None of these are the magic pill or are a sole source of definitive answers, but rather are chock full of tidbits of good information that you can pull from, and they will surely inspire you to keep digging.   

Recommended Books for those currently suffering from Autoimmune Disease:

- Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet, by Elaine Gottschall (for those suffering from autoimmune disease flares, particularly Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns Disease)

- The Maker’s Diet, by Jordan Rubin (for those suffering from autoimmune disease flares, particularly Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns Disease)

Other Recommended Books:

- In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan

- The Food Babe Way, by Vani Hari

- Food Fix: How to Save Our Health, Our Economy, Our Communities, and Our Planet--One Bite at a Time, by Dr. Mark Hyman

Recommended Documentaries:

- In Defense of Food 

- Hungry for Change

- Fed Up