ULCERATIVE COLITIS : CELIAC DISEASE, GLUTEN SENSITIVITY & INTOLERANCE

NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS HEALTHY FEELS!

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Remember to always talk to your doctor about any and all health related concerns. Remember to tell your doctor about any and all medications you may be taking.

Our current incarnation as human beings, also known as homo sapiens, arrived on this planet about 200,000 years ago. For about 190,000 of those years or so, humans were mostly nomadic wanderers, hunting and gathering from what their environment provided. All natural foods

Sometime around 10,000 years ago, humans invented farming. Instead of chasing food the way the wind blows, we planted grains, among them wheat, thereby creating a sense of security for our fragile human population. We also domesticated and herded animals. Providing a steady food supply enabled trade and the growth of civilizations. A surplus of food allowed people to have more time to diversify and to develop the skills of artisans, builders, and all sorts of jobs and professions.

As nomads, we hunted and gathered. We ate seeds, nuts, fruits, plants, roots, wild fish and game. When farming was invented, grains were what was planted first. With grains on the menu, we began eating more and more grains. And, then, with flour from these grains, we made other grain products.

"Let them eat cake!" someone said, and you could tell, things were tasting good! They may have been running to the bathroom, but things were tasting good!

WHAT IS CELIAC DISEASE ?

CELIAC DISEASE, along with ULCERATIVE COLITIS, make up the top two diagnoses under the category of INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE, also known as IBD.

Scientists and doctors now know CELIAC DISEASE has an environmental precursor: GLUTEN. CELIAC DISEASE is a multi-system disorder affecting primarily the small intestine. A delayed diagnosis increases the risk of developing neurological problems, osteoporosis, infertility and, yes, even cancer.

DIAGNOSING CELIAC DISEASE is done with two tests: 1) Blood and 2) Biopsy.

Blood Test

a blood test is administered to determine the presence of specific antibodies being produced by your immune system. These can be seen as biological markers. If certain antibodies are detected, there's the mandatory biopsy.

Biopsy

A positive blood test must be followed by an intestinal biopsy, in which a thin tube is inserted down the throat of a sedated patient to extract tissue samples. A positive biopsy is the leading indicator of a CELIAC DISEASE diagnosis.

Fortunately for CELIAC DISEASE sufferers, once diagnosed, their solution is easy: Eliminate GLUTEN and symptoms subside.

Unfortunately for CELIAC DISEASE sufferers, like ULCERATIVE COLITIS, THIS IS a lifelong diagnosis. Don't ever believe you're "cured". You stray, you pay. You can never have GLUTEN again if you're to stay well.

WHAT IS GLUTEN AND GLUTEN INTOLERANCE?

GLUTEN is a protein found in certain grains including wheat, rye, barley, and triticale. Gluten is what gives baked goods that wonderful mouthfeel and taste. Soft wheat grain found in flour contains a higher percentage of gluten and helps give pastry and cake that great, springy, creamy mouthfeel. Thanks to modern science and bioengineering, today's wheat reportedly contains almost twice as much gluthen than the wheat just a century ago. For some, especially those diagnosed with Celiac disease (affecting an estimated 3 million Americans), gluten is ANTIGENIC, that is, it elicits inflammation in the small intestine, an adverse immune response, symptoms of an AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, which Celiac Disease is.

Other people may have a NON-CELIAC GLUTEN SENSITIVITY that causes digestive unrest. (Maybe just a sensitivity to too much dead food, methinks...I don't know.)

Those diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac Disease, or other inflammatory auto-immune diseases, and you know who you are yes you do, often benefit by eliminating all gluten products.

Some thoughts point specifically to GLIADIN, a substance found in GLUTEN, as the specific culprit. People allergic (gluten intolerant), when they eliminate wheat products in particular, symptoms they previously experienced, subside. It means giving up packaged, processed foods such as cereal, crackers, cookies, pasta, pizza, burritos, hamburger and hotdog buns, tacos, flour tortillas, bread of all kinds, bread sticks, churros, pastries, cupcakes, and, of course, cake.

And ditch all the fast food, of course. No more drive thru for a while. A LOOOONG while. I know. I've been through the drive thru many a time. I finally came to the realization that all I was giving up was the mega-size, mega-fat, mega-sugar, mega-wheat, megamega-salt, mega-carbolicious, corn-fed, antibiotic treated, hormone-injected, heartburn inducing, heart attack in the making, factory farms and slaughter houses. Like I said, it took me 20 years to fully unwind THAT clock. Pavlov's Dog, I was.

Regarding the antibiotic treatment that many farm factory animals undergo, meat producers are supposed to give the treated animal enough time to flush the antibiotics from their systems before they are slaughtered. Methinks that's probably not checked up on as closely as Id like as there are a lot of cattle being harvested and not enough government agricultural inspectors to oversee or even catch the offenders. This leaves open the possibility that the antibiotics are getting into our food supply and we're consuming the prescriptive medication unknowingly. All I know is, I got questions.

But, like I've said, if I'm good and 'eat clean' all of the time, well then when I go to Dodgers Stadium, I'm gonna have a Dodger Dog and slather it with mustard. No soda, though. Never again. Like drinking acid, for me. Bottled water. And two fishoil capsules. The fishoil and the hotdog together make for my smooth elimination later, with no constipation or bearing down intensely, ever. EVER. Smooth as a yogurt machine. I've said that before.

I'm simply not going to deny myself tastes every once in a while. I feel I can only do that because my immune system is no longer fighting me and I'm no longer fighting it. We're intimate partners and I'm going to do my best to protect my best friend, my immune system, from toxins and exacerbators. I'm worth the extra effort to do right for me.

UNLIKELY SOURCES OF WHEAT - REMEMBER TO READ ALL LABELS :

Processed meats, all snack foods, BEER (omg, did I say beer?? I did...!), soups and sauces, salad dressings, supplements, vitamins and - be aware of this one - IN MEDICATIONS! Some of the GLUTEN in medications comes in the form of disintegrating agents. I understand lists of these drugs have been compiled but but be aware that pharma formulas are subject to change. ALWAYS contact your doctor, pharmacist and the pharmaceutical company, if you have questions about GLUTEN SENSITIVITY and your medication.

THE IRONCLAD RULE : READ ALL PACKAGE LABELS

Ever notice a banana doesn't have a bar code? That's because it's naturally unprocessed. Fruits and veggies don't come with bar codes. Only processed foods have bar codes. Like everything that comes in a box or a can or shrink wrapped.

READ THE LABELS OF ALL PROCESSED FOODS ! Before you buy any processed food, any food that comes in a jar, can, plastic container, paper or shrink wrap packaging or a box. I was amazed at how wheat is in most everything I had been consuming outside of fresh, whole foods.

READ THE LABELS because your health depends on knowledge and knowledge is the power that makes change possible. Know the grains that carry gluten and avoid them. Once you discover the sources, it's a real eye-opener.

READ THE LABELS simply because it's what's about to be consumed, by you or someone you love.






GLUTEN FREE GRAINS

NON GMO, organic rice, corn, millet, buckwheat, sorghum, quinoa (pronounced: KEEN-wah), and amaranth.


THE CHALLENGE :

In learning the ingredients of many packaged products, guess what? Wheat is in so many processed foods, it's almost in everything that comes in a box or can. Once I started reading labels, I felt I could make an informed decision that was best for me.

I've come to believe that bread, much of it marketed with the 'whole-grain goodness' and heart-healthy seal, has ingredients (mostly gluten-rich, whole wheat flour) that have simply been over-processed to favor taste over nutrition. I believe our factory food processing ends up killing much of the nutritional value of the original ingredients leaving us with nutritionally shallow ingredients, ingredients that end up starving our cells if not kept in balance by real, whole foods. We cannot live on processed grains, injected with fat, salt and sugar or artificial sweeteners, without having the nutritionally dense counterpart of running the bad bacteria out of town with fresh whole foods. With many Americans getting 62% of their nutrition from processed foods and only 10% of their nutrition from fruits and veggies, the living content of our food is far outweighed by the nutrient shallow or dead nutrition of processed foods.

I believe, for all intents (taste and mouth-feel), a lot of processed food is dead food. Not simply 'junk food,' which leaves open the possibility that it's somehow still food. DEAD food. Food with no value except as taste and mouth-feel. And junk food is also, simply: dead food. I'm just saying it's my belief, you understand. It's because I was a zombie.

No surprise then, I'm not getting any calls to be an agribusiness marketing director. Probably because I have no credentials and I'm not a scientist or doctor and I don't eat their products all that much anymore. I get it. I'm not the mascot, ra ra cheerleader for factory processed food.

However, I AM the RAW RAW cheerleader for REAL food. My philosophy: My food choices should come as close to the earth with as little processing as possible.






So, modern American meals might look like this:

BREAKFAST (If eaten at all):

A $5 Coffee at the drive-thru, maybe an energy shot with a granola or protein bar

A breakfast of champions with milk, a slice of whole wheat buttered toast or maybe a bagel with cream cheese and a glass of orange juice. Add a cup of coffee with cream and sugar. Take some coffee for the road, too.

LUNCH (Ofen grabbed, convenient, fast and tasty):

A sub sandwich, burger, burrito, or pizza and fries and a soda or energy shot

DINNER (rarely the same time each night) :

More bread, breaded chicken or fish, some burger/chicken creation with noodles or meatballs with spaghetti; chips, crackers, tortillas, stuffing, tacos, burritos, ramen noodles, dessert.

DESSERT (If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding, and you can't have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!

Some combination of sugar, more sugar, high-gluten pastry flour, butter or cream, milk chocolate and egg. In my mind, it's a lot of dead food. The bread, spaghetti, pasta, and cookies have been refined to where my body thinks it's just pure sugar; the dairy, ice cream, milk, cream cheese and orange juice has all been boiled to death - using a process called pasteurization - and then has had stuff injected back into the science experiment, like extra calcium and vitamin D.

When I eliminated wheat from my food choices, I eliminated two of my potential exacerbators at the same time: gluten and refined sugar. For me, these two are also two of the offenders in the accumulation of free radicals and oxidative stress.

When I eliminated concentrated fruit juice, coffee, and soda, I eliminated a lot of dead food choices as well as a considerable amount of acid. Concentrated juices, particularly orange juice, has a wallop or both acid and sugar, soda and coffee are also sugary and acidic. And my body runs smoothly without these personal exacerbators of mine.

Not to mention the perpetual confusion my body has had regarding dead food. My living cells continuously tell me, they love real living foods. Would I feed my dog dead food? How about my fish? Would I feed my plants acid? Of course I wouldn't. So, I should treat my body as good or better than my pets or plants. Certainly, it's a goal.

For me, knowledge is power. If the right answer is out there and I find it, I'm going to keep it. My tongue ain't gonna rule alone. My brain, and feeding it good ideas, is how I work best. My journey has allowed me to discover a lot about how our food is made and how it might be a clue to an environmental contributing factor to my dis-ease.

GLUTEN PLUS all the processed sugar PLUS the possibility that it truly is dead food, ADD UP to food choices guaranteed to screw up my digestive system. Like gifts of crap I don't know what do do with, guess what happens? My body reacts to white refined flour as if I was eating a bowl of ice cream. Over-processed, dead food that is mostly recognized as sugar by my body, is no longer welcome in my smorgasbord of real food choices.

I've concluded that, for myself, the substances marketed to me as bread, pasta, pastry, donuts, mac and cheese, and especially those floury confections large and small that have that wonderful mouth feel and deliciousness, are not only possible antigens contributing to my digestive distress, it helps me to view these items as dead food.

Grains pulverized beyond recognition, dairy and juices pasteurized so that anything good is killed by also being boiled to death, it's all, just sayin' now: DOA...Dead On Arrival.

ULCERATIVE COLITIS : PREBIOTICS & PROBIOTICS

PREBIOTICS, PROBIOTICS, AND GUT HEALTH



What do the terms PREBIOTICS and PROBIOTICS refer to?



The term PREBIOTICS refers to the good food for the good bacteria. Good bacteria like to multiply and the love PREBIOTICS (such as fructooligosacharides - pronounced: frookto-ahleego-sakarides) for food. Fortunately for us, we don't have to pronounce it, we just have to provide it. And where are all these fructoligosacharides lurking?

In all the plants we are capable of eating. PREBIOTICS are found in all fruits and vegetables.

PROBIOTICS love to reproduce in an environment loaded with PREBIOTICS and other PROBIOTICS for friends and lovers. Since they're the good bacteria, we want a fit family of friendly flora.

The bacteria that reside in our gut are, in effect, an organ of the body. Each of us has over three pounds of bacteria in our small intesting alone. Our conventianal high-carb diet in America, being heavy on sugars and processed foods, is a formula for digestive dis-ease, also known as DYSBIOSIS, or poor digestive function.

The term PROBIOTICS refers to the good bacteria, or probiotic organisms, that reside in a person's gut. PROBIOTICS help the digestive processes stay smooth and help support efficient overall digestion and utilization of the energy consumed. PROBIOTICS have a reputation of being able to help with one's ability to manage internal stressors and inflammation. Probiotics are happiest when there is more of them and fewer bad guys. When the bad bacteria overruns the good bacteria, that's when there's possible trouble brewing.

Like a volcano sometimes. Been there done that, thank you very much. Had to cool down the hot lava, if you know what I mean.

In addition to eating my fruits and veggies on a daily basis, with each meal, I have found a PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENT that I also take.

I take a PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENT that has been combined with a PREBIOTIC (fructooligosacharides) so as to help the probiotics on their way to the small and large intestine. Remember, they have to get through the bath of stomach acid, survive that, and then colonize in the lower intestines.

A CAUTIONARY NOTE ABOUT PROBIOTICS

Always consult your doctor before introducing any supplements into your food choices.
Supplements can have unpleasant side effects or conflicts with any medication you're now taking.






When I first started with PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTATION, I didn't know what to expect. What I discovered was that it's a delicate balance of bacteria in my gut. I noticed at first that there was extra activity in my gut. Noises, flatulence, gas. I learned that this is a common reaction in the first phase of PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTATION.

What I pictured was going on was something like this: There was inflammation and damage and there was a lot of work to do. Things down there had been badly connected. Things were shredded, inflamed and not able to do their job. Well, probiotics were the reinforcements, the cavalry so to speak, coming to the rescue of my poor depleted gut. And for the first week, it was farty party time.

My gut was overrun by bad bacteria. I sent in the good bacteria which went to work immediately at cleaning up the toxins and waste and bringing balance back to my gut. PROBIOTICS are extremely hardy and hard working. But to overcome the advantage that the bad bacteria had, the good bacteria had to both colonize and get rid of the bad bacteria. In the beginning this was a heavy lift.

I learned the extra gas and flatulence I was experiencing was a common reaction that many people have.

Good thing was, when the good bacteria got back into balance and took over ruling my gut, all the gas and flatulence went away. It was like the good guys, the good bacteria, was working in an immune system that had become a sewer of criminal bad bacteria guys. It took a while for the good guys to kick the bad guys out. That noisy gas and flatulence was only temporary, yet a logical consequence. For me, it lasted less than a week. I continue to take them regularly although not every day. Now that my system is built up again, fruits and veggies do a great job without PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTATION.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

If I took an extra capsule (say I took two instead of one), it was like I put party hats on all my good bacteria. They worked TOO well to the point that they were causing me to have an extra urgency to go when I had to go. It was like they were so happy, they couldn't wait to get my ass to the bowl to show me.






So, because I'm always listening to my body, I cut my PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTATION down to just one pill (even though the dosage is for two). When I take my PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENT of one capsule, I found that's just right for me. Presently, because I get most of my pre- and probiotics through the consumption of fermented dairy, fruits, nuts, and veggies, I now supplement with pre- and probiotics 4 days a week, average. It's all about balance. And it's an everyday process.

If you decide with your doctor that PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTATION is a course for you to take, be aware of these possible reactions. For me, the gas and flatulence was temporary and cleansing in the short run. I wasn't afraid of the gas knowing that it was the result of the PROBIOTICS doing their work.

And now you know why broccoli might give you gas: PROBIOTICS. You just can't stop them from doing their work unless they're overrun by the bad guys. Unless, of course, you followed your steak and broccoli with that hot lava cake ala mode.

FINAL NOTE OF CAUTION REGARDING PROBIOTICS

If you've never taken probiotics before, and your doctor has given you the ok, follow your doctor's orders.

Supplements can have powerful effects and you'll want to ease into them. No two of us respond the same way.

I found that, for myself, I go slowly at first with any new supplement I want to take. Whatever the bottle says, I cut the dose in half. I take this half-dose for about a week to see how my body responds. At that point, I usually know how well my body is tolerating the new addition.

So, for me and only me, a daily multi-strain probiotic is essential to me managing my inflammation and gut health. Doctors are slowly beginning to understand the benefits of taking PROBIOTICS after a dose of ANTIBIOTICS. When you have to take an antibiotic, many doctors are now advising their patients to follow your antibiotic 2 hours later with a quality, multistrain PROBIOTIC. It will help the good bacteria stay strong in spite of the onslaught of antibiotics.

Ask your doctor about all of this nonsense, of course.

REMEMBER, ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY AND ALL OF YOUR HEALTH CONCERNS. I AM DEFINITELY NOT A DOCTOR OF ANYTHING. I MAY BE AN ALIEN FROM ANOTHER PLANET. I'VE BEEN ACCUSED.




Dr. John Bergman gives an overview of the prevalence of anti-bacterial agents in our environment and food and how to counteract the effects through avoidance as well as consuming probiotics through the foods we choose. Discusses the benefits of home-fermentation of veggies.  Imperative protocol in the search for gut healing.

ULCERATIVE COLITIS : SUPER FOODS TO FIGHT INFLAMMATION

NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS HEALTHY FEELS.

For more ideas regarding IBD management, copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.pinterest.com/graybecker/IBD/

Also check out: http://www.pinterest.com/graybecker/FoodforGoodHealth



Excellent overview of the power of Spirulina.  Add to smoothies!

ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES IN YOUR FOOD CHOICES. MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT ALLERGIC TO FISH OR ANY OF THE FOODS MENTIONED IN THIS BLOG. BE AWARE THAT CERTAIN FOODS CAN AND WILL INTERFERE WITH YOUR MEDICAL TREATMENT. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR AND PHARMACIST ABOUT ALL POSSIBLE DRUG AND FOOD INTERACTIONS AND THEIR SIDE EFFECTS.


WHAT ARE SUPER FOODS?

SUPER FOODS are the foods many nutritionists recognize as having the best reputations for nutrition and ease of digestion. By their nature, SUPER FOODS have a nourishing, calming and soothing effect. SUPER FOODS in the plant family add vital MICRONUTRIENTS to the digestive process, leaving behind a healthy intestinal flora, also known as the good gut bacteria necessary for the immune system to manage inflammation caused by consuming processed foods. The more (organic) Super Foods I include in my daily energy consumption, the better my whole body seems to operate.

And my reward? I'm going to say it... there is nothing like a nice, daily, smooth as a yogurt machine, healthy bowel movement. Remember, it wasn't always like that for me. It took me a long time to learn about my body. I come from a meat and potatoes background: Cereal, eggs, bacon, hamburgers and fries, grilled steaks and potatoes, maybe a green bean or some iceberg lettuce with bottled dressing, Pizza and Pasta, all the tasty stuff. Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less? I was SO THERE. Change didn't come easy. It took me 20 years...

In the beginning stages after my IBD diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis, I didn't know there was so much more to possible food choices, choices that would be better for my condition. I had to open myself to new taste adventures.

I had to be open to the change so the change could open me. It wasn't easy getting used to having fish and some of these Super Foods on a regular basis. Some of them had a definite 'yuck' factor when I was growing up. Spinach and broccoli and Brussels sprouts? Uh, no thanks. Pass the mashed potatoes and gravy please. Ok, I'll put some peas in there and mix it up.

Here are the Super Foods I try to eat. Maybe not all of them, maybe some on occasion, some not at all. But if I eat from the list, pick and choose what I really like, I feel I'm doing my body good. Making a list of these items makes it a no-brainer when I get to the market.

FISH

I always buy wild caught fish. Farmed fishes are not the same as wild caught. There are lots of fish farms overseas and, quite frankly, I'm not clear about the way farmed fish are fed, how much room they have to swim around, if they've been treated with antibiotics, what kind of feed they're getting, and if they've been exposed to toxins or disease while being raised.

As a consequence, I only go for the wild caught fishes. I always ask my butcher about their recommendations, too.

Here are some of the fish with the best reputations. I got this list from AARP THE MAGAZINE / AARP.ORG. They had an article on nutrition written by Jessica Girdwain.

You can see, there's a lot to choose from.

Wild Caught: Salmon - Copper River Salmon (when in season) - Tuna (canned, dolphin-free label) - Rainbow Trout - Pollock - Catfish - Canned Sardines - Mackerel - and Barramundi.

All these fish are rich in EFA's, essential fatty acids, among them is probably the best known: Omega 3. Remember, we cannot synthesize EFA's on our own, we must consume EFA's from food sources. I take the word to heart: Essential, as in, gotta have.


SUPER FRUITS and VEGGIES -

Blueberries
Broccoli
Bananas
Brussels Sprouts
Dried Plums (prunes)






COOKING WITH SPICES

A COUNT-DOWN OF THE TOP TEN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY SPICES - Gourmet Italian Spice, Thyme, Sage, Marjoram, Oregano, Apple Pie Spice and Ginger, Jacaican All-Spice, Cinnamon, Cloves, and, the number one anti-inflammatory spice....Turmeric.


There are abundant choices and variety all season, all year long. I've had to learn to cook a little bit. The great thing about fish is that you can use a similar recipe on each kind of fish you like. Soft, flakey goodness, every mouthful, soft and tender and delicious. Smooth and easy.


As much as possible, I go organic with all food items. Naturally, it's more difficult when eating out as the possibility of cross contamination in a high volume cooking environment, unless it's exclusively organic. I eat more plants than meat, a lot more plants. And I eat plants with my meat proteing. And the meat I buy is either cut, whole or ground free-range organic poultry, ground organic turkey and organic, grass-fed beef. When I buy my meat this way, I feel more confident that antibiotics, hormones, and corn-fed nonsense is not part of the life history of what I'm consuming. Here are the foods I eat, by category. If you see an asterisk after an item ( * ), it has been reported by others as an allergen/exacerbator.

MY ORGANIC PROTEIN SOURCES

ORGANIC EGGS* - I buy organic, large or extra large eggs. I eat the whole egg, one or two at a time, just as our ancestors did. Versatile preparation.

WILD CAUGHT FISH - Salmon (Copper River Salmon, when in season), sodium-free Yellowfin, albacore or chunky Tuna, Dover Sole, and Tilapia. All mild.

LEAN, ORGANIC, GRASS-FED, PASTURE-RAISED BEEF. Taste: Delicious. No more than 4-5 ounces at a sitting. A big dose of quality Omega 3's, too! Figure that!

ORGANIC VEGETARIAN FED FREE-RANGE POULTRY I prefer chicken and turkey. NATURADE SOY-FREE VEG PROTEIN BOOSTER in my Vegetable-Fruit-Nut Smoothies. The product I use is Naturade's Soy Free Veg Protein Booster

NUTS AND SEEDS * My probiotics, my good gut bacteria, love my daily consumption of nuts and seeds. Cholesterol free, good fats, quality plant protein. All in a little nut. And if you are what you eat, then I'm thoroughly nuts about nuts.

I eat the following combinations of nuts throughout the day. A little handful keeps the munchies away. This habit also allows me to control my blood sugar during the whole day. No spiking allowed. I fear not the fat because these nuts provide me with essential fats, fats that my body needs but doesn't produce on its own, fats that all my functions need to function. I am not fat-free. But the fats I consume have a good reputation. Fish provides those good fats, too. We'll get to fish in a moment, but they call fish brain food because the essential fatty acids provided by fish are necessary for healthy brain function. If your body doesn't produce something, like Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) or Vitamin C for example, and yet your body needs this in order to run like a smooth machine, where you gonna go? Of course, you're going to go to the sources so your body is happy. Nuts and fish and organic meat protein can be trusted sources.

Peanuts (really not a nut; technically a legume)(Allergen Alert: You probably already know if you're allergic)
Almonds
Cashews
Pistacios
Sunflower seeds

Other seeds I eat: Hemp seeds (probably the perfect food), Chia Seeds (excellent fiber and health and gut benefits) and Flax Seeds (healthy fat). I add the seeds mentioned to salads, tuna, baked or grilled fish, veggies, greek yogurt, and I add a bunch to my peanut and almond nut butters for additional nutrition.

FRUIT

I eat all my fruit as a meal or snack all by itself itself. I always add a variety of nuts and seeds to sliced bananas. I eat the whole fruit and make my own smoothies with the whole fruit.

Papaya - great for smooth digestion Bananas - probiotics, my good bacteria, love bananas. I will often have one or two a day.
Blueberries - Powerful Antioxidant reputation.
Antioxident Apples - gentle fibre, a sweet treat.
Cherries
Red and Black Berries
Grapes
Guava
Pineapple
Mango
Watermelon and all melons
Lemons and Limes, sparingly






DAIRY - I MAKE ONE EXCEPTION

Fermented foods, like yogurt and kefir, are food choices of mine. They come pre-packed with valuable probiotics, the good bacteria, for my gut. I don't overdo it, but I do enjoy a few dollops of Trader Joe's Organic, plain, Greek or fat-free yogurt as well as their Strawberry Kefir. I'll often place those dollops on bananas along with some nuts, cacao powder

I'll add it to my smoothies and I find it goes great with all fruit. I'll add a sprinkle of cinnamon and drizzle some honey on top of that. I will then top everything off with shavings of Trader Joe's 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate. The higher the cacao content, the better. Cacao is pronounced like the word "Kapow!" with the emphasis on the second syllable. I consume maybe an ounce of dark chocolate a day, so it takes me about two weeks to consume the huge, 17oz bar. That's over a pound of dark chocolate, about a half a pound a week. I could never feel deprived of chocolate.

And not only do I get my sweet tooth satisfied, my probiotics love the cacao content in dark chocolate, too. I've tried bars with up to 85% cacao, and I like the Trader Joe's 72% Dark Chocolate the best.

SUGAR DO'S AND DON'T'S


When I have a sugary treat or some fruit, I want to enjoy it. Getting a stomach ache and taking antacids to feel better doesn't make me feel better. As a consequence, I never combine fruit with beef or poultry protein. A little mango salsa might be the exception as a condiment that can be ok because the portion is small. With fish, because fish is a quick protein to digest, you can get away with a fruit condiment and not suffer any consequences. But when you have a big meat protein meal and polish it off with coffee with sugar and cream and a slice of pie with ice cream or some chocolate lava cake, you're asking for the double whammy. And if you've been nursing that fruity alcohol drink that you can drink all night long, well a special treat is in store for you.

Why? Because a meat meal takes longer to digest than (fruit) sugar and when the two are conbined, usually the sweets are last to enter the tummy, the result is fermentation, gas and flatulence. It would actually be better if dessert and all the sugary stuff was eaten first. That way, the quicker digesting sugar would have a headstart and not get plugged up by all that protein.

However, that's not what we like to do. We like to follow a nice, rich, salty, fatty meal, with s sugary dessert and drink. It's so much nicer to have a sweet taste in your mouth at the end of a delicious meal. Over and over, we pay for that in intestinal discomfort.

And don't tell me I can take an antacid or some other OTC (Over the Counter) pill or tablet for that. Why do you think they come with a two-week warning?

Because they're for emergencies only, not for everyday use. They're just an over the counter, stomach acid inhibitor. Antacids are not good for my condition except immediate relief once in a while. Like the ad says, don't get heartburn in the first place. Over time, it would only make me worse.

I tell you though, it does take all the fun out of gorging myself. I once ate like eight slices of cheesecake. I was so full, I nearly exploded. I was driving to Los Angeles from San Diego. My stomach kept honking the horn. My stomach was tight as a drum, it was so full. It was before I was diagnosed with UC.

VEGGIES

These are the real superstars and heroes in my arsenal. The good news, you can eat ALL YOU WANT! Steam or Cook veggies until they are soft for easier digestion. Veggies go with anything so explore and choose from the rainbow of colors and flavors.

In the beginning of my journey, I wouldn't eat the stalks of certain veggies like asparagus or broccoli, only the soft, flowering tops. Easy breezy.

Avocado - Awesome, simply awesome. Cut one in half, scoop into a bowl, smoosh together with a little lemon and powdered garlic. Add a hard boiled egg, lunch. Side of wild salmon, asparagus or broccoli, dinner.

Asparagus
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Zuchini
Bell Peppers, Green, Red, Yellow, Orange
Celery, great with nut butters Onions Garlic Jalapenos (probiotics love peppers) Peas

ROOTS

I always wash thoroughly and buy organic whenever possible. I also eat the skins.

Sweet Potatoes
Yams
Parsnips
Beets - challenging to cook, but a real superstar

SPICES

Adds the flavor; again, try to go organic whenever you can.

Cinnamon - powerhouse anti-oxidant properties reported. Sprinkle and drizzle with honey on your favorite fruit.

Turmeric
Vegetable salt
Kosher Salt
Black or White Pepper
Chili Powder, for my organic turkey beef chili

SWEETENERS

Think: all natural, organic

Raw Honey
Stevia (no calorie, natural plant-based super sweetener) A couple of drops in a cup of tea is plenty. Experiment, it's potent
Coconut Crystals (a low-glycemic sugar alternative) Looks and satisfies like brown sugar.



Dr. Mercola talks about the benefits of coconut oil



Dr. Mercola talks about the benefits of coconut oil in his diet.

VIDEO - CROHN'S COLITIS CELIAC DISEASE : SUGAR - #1 DEAD FOOD

HI. THANKS FOR SHOWING INTEREST IN MY BLOG. I AM NOT A DOCTOR NOR DO I PRETEND TO BE. I HAVE NO CREDENTIALS OF ANY KIND RELATED TO THE TOPICS I TALK ABOUT. THIS IS NOT AN ADVICE BLOG, AS I'M NOT DISPENSING ANY ADVICE ABOUT ANYTHING. IF YOU PERCEIVE I'M GIVING ANY ADVICE, THEN PERCEIVE THIS: NEVER TRUST THE PERCEIVED ADVICE OF A STRANGER ON THE INTERNET, IS MY ADVICE. THIS BLOG IS NOT TRYING TO DIAGNOSE ANY DISEASE OR PRESCRIBE ANY COURSE OF ACTION. DON'T ASSUME OR CONCLUDE MY STORY IS YOUR STORY. IT ISN'T. DON'T CONCLUDE THAT WHAT WORKED FOR ME WILL WORK FOR YOU. MOST PROBABLY, IT WON'T WORK FOR YOU. YOU'RE YOU AND I'M ME AND THIS IS JUST A STORY I'VE WRITTEN. ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY HEALTH CONCERNS YOU HAVE, USE UP THE ENTIRE PRESCRIPTION YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN, AND NEVER STOP YOUR TREATMENT OR ADD OR TAKE AWAY ANYTHING FROM YOUR FOOD OR SUPPLEMENT CHOICES WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING WITH YOUR DOCTOR. AMEN.


REFERENCES : VIDEOS TO WATCH

"SUGAR: THE BITTER TRUTH" by Dr. Robert Luster is now viewable on YouTube. www.uctv.com Copy and paste to view video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sugar+the+bitter+truth+&sm=1

"IS SUGAR TOXIC?" 60 minutes Investigates TV program. Dr. Sanjay Gupta interviews Dr. Robert Luster. Copy and paste to view video on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n29ZIJ-jQA

"FAT CHANCE: FRUCTOSE 2.0" www.uctv.com Copy and paste to view YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceFyF9px20

The Men Who Made Us Fat ''Episode 1/3'' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6nGlLUBkOQ

The Men Who Made Us Fat ''Episode 2/3'' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owekbSp7wU0

The Men Who Made Us Fat ''Episode 3/3'' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlQHXkOUjeI

BOOKS TO READ

"Pure, White and Deadly", by John Yudkin



HOW SWEET IT ISN'T

Thank you to Chris Woolston who wrote an article titled "How sweet it isn't" for the L.A. Times

Dr. Robert Lustig, professor of clinical pediatrics at UC San Francisco, has a recorded lecture from 2009 on YouTube called "Sugar: The Bitter Truth." So far, his lecture has logged more than 2 million views. He personally has called for new taxes on added sugar and age limits for certain sweet treats. Interviewed April 1, 2013, on "60 Minutes", Dr. Lustig posited that added sugar is a "toxic" substance that has "created a public health crisis." He believes people should simply choose more food that doesn't have nutrition labels at all. He suggests we eat more real food.

SUGAR IS KNOWN BY A VARIETY OF NAMES - Thank you Sherry Brescia at www.greattastenopain.com for the following list of sugar's aliases

Agave
Barley malt
Beat sugar
Brown sugar
Cane sugar
Carob syrup
Corn sugar
Corn syrup solids
Corn syrup
Date sugar
Diatase
Diastatic malt
Dextrose
Ethyl Maltol
Evaporated cane juice
Fructose
Fruit juice
Fruit sweetener
Galactose
Glucose
Glucose solids
Grape sugar
High Fructose corn syrup
Honey
Invert sugar
Lactose
Malt syrup
Maltodextrin
Maltose
Mannitol
Maple sugar or maple syrup
Moslasses
Pancake syrup
Raw sugar
Refiner's syrup
Rice sugar
Sorbitol
Turbinado sugar
White sugar or sucralose

WHY DO WE CRAVE SWEETS?

Sugar triggers a human brain to release opioids and dopamine, "feel-good" neurochemicals. Some research suggests we can become addicted to sugar and physically crave it. Some have likened sugar's properties to the addictive qualities found in alcohol, cocaine and nicotine. In 2007, psychological researchers at Princeton University reported that when rats are fed sugar, they become dependent on the opioids ("feel good" neurochemicals) that their brains produce. These are interesting results that may also apply to humans. Check your head, I say.

SOME SWEET STATISTICS

- One teaspoon of sugar = 4 grams of sugar. I urge you, Read All Food Labels. And notice that fresh fruits and veggies don't come with labels. Only processed foods in boxes and cans and bottles come with labels. So read labels first to find out what you're considering consuming. Just because it's on the shelf, staring at you, begging you to buy it, doesn't mean it's going to be healthy to ingest over a long period of time. So, be wary of ingredients and know what the long words refer to. Do your own searching, of course. Knowledge is empowerment.

Ingredients are often measured in grams per serving. Most consumers eat the amount they want rather than what the 'per serving size' might be. Try this little experiment: Look on the label of a box of cereal and read the part about how they measure a single serving. It's usually in the range of 2/3 of a cup to 1-1/4 cups a serving. Take a measuring cup and see what they're talking about. Like me, you'll probably be surprised. I mean, I look at an empty bowl, and I fill it. I'm usually doubling or tripling the single serving as the company describes it. So, then I have to double or triple the ingredients and calories I'm consuming. It wouldn't take much to get up to 1,000 calories or more if you add in fruit, juice, a couple of cups of coffee with cream and sugar, and maybe toast with butter, cream cheese or jelly.

Often times, too, a single bottle of liquid refreshment is considered two servings by the company selling it. Don't just look at the calories. It may say 100 calories per serving but if you drink the whole bottle, it's counted at two servings which means you're consuming 200 calories, not 100 calories.

It's a little tricky at first, but once you understand what those labels say, then you can make the most informed choice for yourself.






The consumption of fructose or high-fructose corn syrup has be collated with heart attack risk, risks of cholesterol trouble - such as low levels of good (HDL: High density lipoprotein) cholesterol, raising blood levels of insulin and triglycerides as well as elevating blood pressure, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes

DOES SUGAR CAUSE CANCER?

What cancer researchers have discovered is that some cancers come equipped with insulin receptors. What this enables this type of cancer to do is act like a normal cell. Normal cells use glucose for energy. Cancers with insulin receptors now have that same capability. These cancers are now using glucose for their energy, just like normal cells. How do you fight a cancer that the body thinks is a normal cell?

REDUCING YOUR INTAKE OF SUGAR

To see if a product contains added sugar, you have to look in the ingredients list on the package for words such as “syrup,” “cane,” “sweetener” and “sugar,” as well as anything ending in “-ose.” Look for food products with the fewest grams of sugar listed under “Carbohydrates.”

Boost your natural sugar intake by buying fresh or dried fruits, or opting for frozen and canned varieties with no syrup. Use spices such as cinnamon and ginger and extracts such as almond and vanilla to give dishes natural sweetness.

The American Heart Association reports that you can cut the refined sugar in recipes by one-third to one-half without tasting the difference.

On a label of ingredients, always included on a side panel on all processed foods that come in boxes, cans or bottles, sugar is always listed in grams, often as 'gms'. Counting by four's, every four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon of sugar. 4 gms = 1 tsp. So, if one serving has 8 gms of sugar, then that would equal two teaspoons of sugar per serving.

- For humans, there may be a threshold level in the body below which sugar causes little or no harm... but once you pass it, health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer, are likely to emerge

- In the US, the average American eats 40 or more teaspoons of sugar per day. 40 teaspoons = 160 grams/day

- Added sugars make up 17 percent of the average American's diet.


- Sugar is highly addictive; limiting or eliminating your sugar intake is the most effective way to break free from this disease-causing cycle.

Check out this article by Dr. Mercola at www.mercola.com, "9 Foods with more sugar than a Krispy Kreme donut" by Dr. Mercola.
I also urge you to check out Dr. Mercola's website at www.mercola.com.

Some of the specific information being referred to can be found by copying and pasting the following into your browser: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/16/9-sugary-foods.aspx

According to Dr. Mercola, luna bars, a latte, orange juice, yogurt, and certain restaurant salads and superfood smoothies have much more sugar than a doughnut.

9 Foods With More Sugar Than a Doughnut

While you may consider yourself savvy when it comes to spotting sugar-laden foods, the report revealed some real sugar shockers. Before we get into just how troublesome all of this excess sugar may be, let's first look at how stealthily it is hidden in some seemingly healthful foods.

Although added sugars represent 17 Percent of the Average U.S. Diet, when all forms of sugars are included, the data suggests that sugar makes up 38 percent of the typical US diet. Yikes.

The following nine foods all have more sugar than a Krispy Kreme doughnut:

Note: 1 Teaspoon = 4 grams

Krispy Kreme doughnut: 10 grams of sugar
Luna bar: 11 grams of sugar
Grande Starbucks latte: 17 grams
Subway 6" sweet onion teriyaki chicken sandwich: 17 grams
Tropicana orange juice, 8 ounces: 22 grams
Yoplait original yogurt: 27 grams
A&W Root Beer, 8 ounces, 32 grams
Vitamin Water, 20 ounces: 33 grams
Sprinkles red velvet cupcake: 45 grams
California Pizza Kitchen Thai chicken salad: 45 grams
Odwalla superfood smoothie, 12 ounces: 50 grams

In all, the major sources of added sugars in the typical U.S. diet are as follows:

Regular soft drinks (33 percent)
Sugars and candy (16.1 percent)
Cakes, cookies, pies (12.9 percent)
Fruit drinks (9.7 percent)
Dairy desserts and milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt and sweetened milk) (8.6 percent)
Other grain-based products (cinnamon toast and honey-nut waffles) (5.8 percent)


ALL CALORIES ARE NOT THE SAME!


LIQUID BEVERAGE CALORIES vs. SOLID FOOD CALORIES

It's now known that calories in liquid form are processed differently by your body than those consumed in solid form. Among added sugars, 43 percent come from sweetened beverages. Ingesting sugary beverages does not appear to impact the amount of calories ingested during a subsequent meal. In other words, those liquid calories count in terms of ingested calories, but they don't sustain any energy or offer any nutritious value and therefore are "empty calories" in the sense that the body doesn't count them in terms of nutritious value. After consuming a sugary beverage, you won't consume fewer calories the next meal, is the point. They are 'empty calories' because they contain no nutrients the body can recognize as nutrition. Mainly, sugar and caffeine simply rush into the blood stream almost untouched. Your body counts the calories as calories only; there's nothing nutritious there.

In contrast, when a solid food is consumed, the number of calories that were ingested in the following meal and in the following 24-hour period was reduced, suggesting the solid calories were processed in a different way, either in the intestine or in the central nervous system, so that the body appropriately adjusted its subsequent calorie intake.

In brief summation, with liquid beverages, the calories are "added on" to what the person would have ingested anyway.

Indeed, the notion that "a calorie is a calorie" has been firmly debunked by science. Not all calories count equally. And the "calories in, calories out" hypothesis for maintaining weight has equally been shown to be incorrect. It is in fact FAR more important to look at the source of the calories than counting them if you're trying to lose weight.

In short, you do not get fat because you eat too many calories and don't exercise enough. You get fat because you eat the wrong kind of calories. At the end of the day, your consumption of carbohydrates, whether in the form of grains and sugars (especially fructose), will determine whether or not you're able to manage your weight and maintain optimal health. This is because these types of carbs (sugar, fructose and grains) affect the hormone insulin, which is a very potent fat regulator. Fats and proteins affect insulin to a far lesser degree.


Natural vs. Added Sugar Thank you http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/usda-recommended-sugar-intake-8628.html

In different amounts, sugar occurs naturally in all foods containing carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, dairy and whole grains. Since these foods also contain fiber and/or protein, your body digests them more slowly, resulting in a steady supply of glucose, or fuel, to your cells. However, many food manufacturers use added sugars to lend their products flavor and appeal and to extend their shelf life. These simple sugars digest quickly, causing blood glucose spikes and crashes.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require manufacturers to distinguish between natural and added sugars on food labels.






UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE: GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

The Institute of Medicine sets the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for nutrients. Since sugar isn’t a required nutrient in the diet, the institute has not issued an RDA for it. However, it does suggest that no more than 25 percent of calories come from added sugars – or between 38 and 55 percent of all calories taken from carbohydrates. In the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, the USDA’s recommendation is more vague, advising that combined calories from saturated or trans-fats and added sugar be limited to 5 to 15 percent of total daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, this would mean limiting yourself to between 100 and 300 calories from these two types of ingredients, but the USDA offers no separate recommendation for sugar.


SUGAR AND HEALTH

The calories that added sugars contribute to your diet can pack on pounds without your even realizing it, leading to being overweight. This, in turn, becomes a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. In addition, excess sugar consumption has links to high triglycerides, which can put you in danger of developing heart disease.

Given these health implications, the American Heart Association has issued guidelines for added sugar consumption. The association suggests that women get no more than 100 calories a day from added sugar, or about 6 teaspoons. For men, the association recommends limiting consumption to 150 calories daily, or 9 teaspoons.

GLYCATION


Glycation is reported to be a possible by-product of sugar consumption. Glycation refers to the stiffening of certain joint areas, such as those in your hands, fingers, arms, hips, knees, feet, and toes, as well as all along your spinal column, from coccyx (tail bone) to brain stem. Once glycation occurs and collects in these areas, it's very difficult if not impossible to reverse, leading to a stiffening of joints and the ligaments around those joints.


PROCESSED FOODS AND SUGAR

62% of what Americans consume is processed food.

Our western food choices favor processed foods, foods that are often high in sugar. Over the course of a lifetime, sugar consumption has been reported to be the culprit in advanced aging as well as a host of nutritionally related maladies. Hidden sugar can be found almost everywhere. Again, when you can, read product labels.

Maybe it's just me, but look at some of these stores that sell different forms of sugar. Cupcake and yogurt shops come to mind. There's a cupcake place that, I swear, the line is always out the door and down the street. It's a guilty-pleasure social-scene. Generally, we won't wait in lines for many things, but for sugar, we make an exception. Our social networking now depends on us doing that. And the latest sweet confection discovery is what everyone will be talking about tomorrow. I'm putting my money on frosting shots.

Of course, I've waited in those lines. So, I had to reprogram my brain, consciously. I have to be smarter than that part of my brain that is addiction-prone. At least, that's the way I look at it. It's an effort every day, believe me. But I undid it. I undid the damage I was doing to myself.


WHAT IS HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, ALSO KNOWN BY ITS INITIALS, HFCS?


High Fructose Corn Syrup, also abbreviated as HFCS, refers to a sugar that is currently controversial because the sugar industry says it's just sugar while opponents claim it has hidden addictive qualities and is something akin to sugar on steroids. HFCS has a reputation whose jury is still deliberating.

Regardless of the controversy, sugar in all its refined forms when minimized in human consumption seems to be a health benefit. Humans who consume mass quantities of sugar every day of their lives in the forms of cereal in the morning, processed bread or pasta for lunch, rice, white potatoes and more bread for dinner. Plus sweets, cookies, snacks, energy drinks, energy bars, coffee drinks, soda, and 100% apple, orange or grape juice. Over a lifetime, one might make a connection between a lifetime daily consumption of sugar and the stiffening of a joint or two. Melt sugar in a recipe and you can see it crystallize and harden. I use that visualization when I think about the possible effects of sugar on body funtions. It's also been mentioned in type II diabetes as a contributor to pancreatic exhaustion. Just like a heart, if the pancreas is overtaxed, over time it will exhaust itself and at that point a person becomes a candidate for medical treatment.

I came to believe, because I felt the quality of my life depended on it, I had to be smarter than my eyes and mouth, smarter than my nose, ears and emotions, smarter than the average guy with the appetite of a bear. In short, I had to be smarter than my brain. I've come to believe that the amount of sugar in our western diet is tolerated so well because it tingles the same part of the brain that cocaine tingles. It's addictive, in my opinion.


WHAT IS ACIDIFICATION?

Acidification refers to the alkaline/acid balance, the PH balance, of the human body. If a body become too acidic, dis-ease can enter the body and express itself in a variety of ways. In an acidic body, there is almost certain to be chronic inflammation, and that includes the arterial and venal pathways that carry nutrient throughout our body, transfered by blood. And when our arterial and venal pathways, due to chronic inflammation, begin to show wear on the inside and begin to shred and these shreds, still attached to the arterial or venal wall, wave in the blood stream until good old cholesterol comes along and tries to repair the damage by patchwork. Once patched, if inflammation remains chronic, it becomes a little bump on the interior wall of your arterial or venal pathway. Over time, this bump can gather more chosesterol until there's a clot. If the clot can't be removed, it will eventually cause a blockage. That's when you hear about stents and quadruple bypass surgery.

WHAT'S THE SOURCE OF ALL THIS ACIDIFICATION ?

Soda in particular is very acidic. I was drinking a six pack of diet cola, every day. 12 oz cans. And then I'd swap a can of soda for a tall cup of coffee, another highly acidic drink. I loved that stuff. These two drinks coincidentally are exacerbators of mine. When I connect the dots: soda/coffee/acid/inflammation: It just makes sense to me because I've been with the stuff and I've been without it. Without it, I feel no pain. I miss soda and coffee, I really do; but I don't miss the pain.

Other sources of acid include citic acid in citrus fruit, especially the juices, and tomatoes and tomato juice (never mind the sugar content). I always eat just the fruit, never the juice (unless it's lemon juice squeezed on my fish).

ULCERATIVE COLITIS : FREE RADICALS & OXIDATION

HI. THANKS FOR SHOWING INTEREST IN MY BLOG. I NEED TO BE CLEAR AND TRANSPARENT WITH YOU AS I'M NOT OUT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AN ALREADY FRAGILE SITUATION. I AM NOT A DOCTOR NOT DO I PRETEND TO BE. I HAVE NO CREDENTIALS OF ANY KIND RELATED TO THE TOPICS I TALK ABOUT. I'M JUST ANOTHER PERSON ON THE INTERNET. THIS IS NOT AN ADVICE BLOG IF YOU PERCEIVE I'M GIVING ANY ADVICE, THEN PERCEIVE THIS: THE ONLY ADVICE I CAN GIVE YOU IS TO NEVER TRUST A STRANGER ON THE INTERNET. TO REVEIW: THIS BLOG HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DIAGNOSING OR PRESCRIBING ANY COURSE OF ACTION. DON'T ASSUME MY STORY IS YOUR STORY. IT ISN'T. SO DON'T FOR A MINUTE THINK THAT WHAT WORKED FOR ME WILL WORK FOR YOU. THIS IS JUST MY STORY ACCORDING TO ME, SO TAKE IT LIKE THAT. ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY HEALTH CONCERNS YOU HAVE, USE UP THE ENTIRE PRESCRIPTION YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN, AND NEVER STOP YOUR TREATMENT WITHOUT CONSULTING WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST. ALRIGHTY THEN.

FREE RADICALS, OXIDATION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS

Big words, but here's the visual I use: Internal Rust

This visual refers to possible long term effects associated with metabolic activity, that is, (eating, drinking, digesting, breathing, moving and exercising. Like the tin man frozen in place, I might be left the exact same way - compromised or paralyzed by dis-ease - if I didn't feel I understood their sources and how they might affect me. Taken on the surface, the tin man had some serious stiffness in his joints. Until he got some oil.

And then he wanted a heart, for goodness sakes. Sheesh. Some people want everytin (of course, pun intended).

OXIDATION AND OXIDATIVE STRESS

Here's a simple demonstration to show the process of oxidation and also the power of anti-oxidants. I believe that antioxidants are my soldiers in the fight against my cells' premature death due to a more intense oxidative stressors. For this demonstration, I'll need a paper towel, two fresh cut slices of an apple and a slice of lemon or a small amount of lemon juice.

I'm going to place one slice of apple on the paper towel, untreated, open to the air, skin side down, with both sides of the slice exposed to the air. The other slice of apple, I'm going to treat by first squeezing lemon juice on it, making sure to cover the entire slice. I'll set the treated slice right next to the untreated slice for easy comparison. Why Lemon juice? Lemon juice is just one of many natural antioxidants.

A little while later...

Lo and behold, the untreated slice of apple is turning brown. But the slice treated with the lemon juice, still looks freshly cut.

Hmmm, what's happening here?

Well, the untreated slice of apple is experiencing 'oxidation', which in this case occurs when the surface cells of the apple are exposed to the open air. The surface cells on the untreated apple begin to die and decompose, turning brown in the process.

The visual of a browning slice of apple is what I keep in mind regarding my gut cells. If I want them to be the healthiest they can be, I have to consciously act in their own best interests. I must be their advocate. They are demanding it of me and I can't let them down. I've learned they will scream at me if I don't treat them well. My cells want to do the right thing and I want to give them the best chance to succeed with the greatest army of collective soothants and anti-inflammatory supplements, foods and activities.

The treated slice, on the other hand, still looks like it was freshly cut, with hardly any brown at all. Why less brown in the treated slice? The power of the antioxidants in the lemon juice. In effect, the antioxidants in the lemon juice has extended the health and life of the surface cells.

I believe a similar thing occurs in my body. When cells in my body experience oxidation due to my body's natural metabolic processes, they exhaust their energy and die. My oxidated cells then become part of the waste material that my body is designed to eliminate. But when I add antioxidants to the environment of my cells' life cycle, my cells, I believe, live healthier, stronger, longer lives. And over the course of my lifetime, I'm thinking: Less oxidative stress on my internal environment means a healthier longer stronger life for the host of all those cells. Just my thinking, you understand.






My personal hypothesis, then, is this: When my cells are exposed to a steady, consistent environment of antioxidants, my cells live healthier, stronger, AND longer. My filtration system feels supported, and I think my cells metabolize energy more efficiently.

And my bowel movements are perfect. Did I say my bowel movements are perfect? I did? Well, they are. Perfect. Imagine, perfect. Healthy.

And that could be a reason all by itself not to believe a word of this story...it's so atypical, so seemingly unattainable, and really unconvincing, that this story just can't be true. I don't blame you. Really, I don't. And here's another disclaimer so there's no misunderstanding.

I have no credentials and no training. You can trust me on that. Just a man, alone with his thoughts.

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU'RE TAKING ANY MEDICINE FOR ANY REASON AND ARE UNDER A DOCTOR'S CARE, SOME OF THE FOLLOWING FRUITS OR VEGETABLES COULD INTERFERE WITH THE EFFICACY OF YOUR MEDICAL TREATMENT. CONSULT BOTH YOUR DOCTOR AND YOUR PHARMACIST TO SEE IF ANY OF THESE FOODS INTERFERE WITH OR AFFECT YOUR TREATMENT IN ANY WAY. ALWAYS BE INFORMED ABOUT HOW FOOD INTERACTS WITH YOUR MEDICINE AND ABOUT ANY POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS. ALWAYS GO OVER THE DETAILS OF YOUR TREATMENT WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANY AND ALL OF YOUR HEALTH CONCERNS. AMEN.


ANTIOXIDANT POWERHOUSES, NATURAL DETOXIFIERS: PART OF ALL PLANTS, WHOLE FRUITS, ROOTS AND VEGETABLES


Interestingly, Vitamin C, much like EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids), cannot be synthesized or produced by the human body and MUST be acquired through food or supplementation. Funny how nature creates a situation demanding that you eat these items or be sick. Point: Consuming Vitamin C prevents the disease known as scurvy, a challenging and often fatal ailment common among sailors and passengers long ago during their long voyages across the sea. In short, a body must have a consistent and sufficient source of Vitamin C or that body will get ill and maybe die. Turns out that Vitamin C, similar to vitamins in general, is a vital nutrient, a nutrient only available from a food source, and a powerful antioxidant.

Know that there are many antioxidants, fully discoverable, each one doing something different to support human energy metabolism and filtration. Vitamins being only one category, antioxidants are contained in all plants, roots, fruits, and vegetables. By eating primarily a variety of these food items, I feel I'm getting a good dose of the antioxidants I need to keep my living processes running smoothly.

Vitamin C, one of nature's powerful antioxidants and probably best known from orange juice fame, is available through plant tissues. High concentrations can be found in all citrus fruits including lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, mandarins; also, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbages and green, yellow, orange, and red peppers.

Ever wonder how the idea of taking Vitamin C to fight a common cold came about? Well, it's similar to what I'm talking about here. The idea is that by me adding antioxidants to my cold treatment arsenal, I can somehow speed up the healing process. More good guys to fight the bad guys add up to eventual victory. It kind of makes sense to me.

Daily sources of antioxidants are included in my food choices in the forms of fruits, veggies, roots, and leafy plants. I believe these food choices keep my cells happier and healthier and living stronger and longer.

I highlight Vitamin C, but it's just one example in a whole universe of antioxidants that can be found is all edible plants, fruits, roots and veggies. I choose a bunch of all those food choices feeling I'm doing my body good. My body certainly doesn't scream at me anymore.

There are many other antioxidants and other great stuff contained within the goodness of all plants, roots, fruits and vegetables. This part is really a no brainer for me. By eating more plants, roots, fruits and vegetables, I feel I've brought down and eliminated my internal inflammation.

Or maybe this is all just a coincidence and I was never really sick at all. Can this really be someone's truth, even for one writer, Graham Becker? If you did your own research about you, that certainly wouldn't be wrong. Because none of this is about you. It's all about me. Or so I claim. Always check with your doctor and check your sources. Don't believe a word I'm laying down. I'm serious.

So, I eat plants, roots, or vegetables with every meal. For me, veggies with my meat or fish protein make for groovy and smooth bowel movements.

I eat all fruit separate from any kind of meat protein. Protein powder in smoothies is the exception for me. I add fruit and protein powder and blend together. The protein fruit combination in a smoothie doesn't disagree with me or cause me any digestive discomfort or distress and digests nicely. The protein works to slow down the digestion of the sugar in the liquid smoothie, helping to moderate blood sugar spikes and excessive stress to the pancreas.

OXIDATIVE STRESS


If my body can't keep up with the amount of internal oxidation occurring, if my body can't filter the toxins efficiently, I believe they build up in my system. Like bad guys, they're cell delinquents with nothing to do but loiter amd then hang around like carcasses in the surrounding, accumulating, cell sludge. That, I believe, is a piece of the mosaic that helps describe my personal internal inflammation. For me, intense oxidative stress occurs when I indulge in exacerbators, especially processed food and soda.

There is always a certain amount of internal stress that I feel. I'm exposed to air,food and water toxins as well as to the toxic effects from stress and worries and concern about life's daily challenges and problems. When oxidants, also known as free radicals, accumulate en masse in my body, the result is oxidative stress. There's too much for my body to filter. I believe they make up part of the mozaic of internal inflammation. Oxidative stress may cause my body to try to work overtime to filter out the toxins. A steady accumulation of oxidants might be a contributor to my body's oxidative stress.






My body is made up of trillions of cells. Each cell has a life-cycle. As long as I'm alive, every minute of every day, cells are born, they live, and they die. When cells OXIDATE, that's pretyy much their final stage of life. When cells die, and they are dying all the time, our body is designed as a giant filter to recognize and flush these dead cells out through our pores - through our breath, our perspiration, our skin, nails, eyes and ears and nose, as well as through our solid and liquid waste elimination. I view my body is a huge energy factory designed to nourish my cells, energize my entire body and mind, and then, finally, to filter and remove toxins, dead cells and metabolic wastes.

All of this, I believe, has enabled me to continue to live because my body is designed to metabolize energy from the air, the sun, plants and animals, as well as other humans. Plus I believe my body is a natural detoxifier with internal defenses designed to attack and eliminate intruders, toxins and infections.

As the miracle organism that it is, the body is asked to filter everything it ingests and to eliminate waste along with toxins. When the body takes in more toxins than it can adequately filter, an accumulation can occur.

This is where a potential increase of FREE RADICALS, primarly dead cells due to the processess of a body's metabolism, may become problematic for some. For some, this inability of their body to efficiently remove waste and toxins can lead to chronic inflammation. The body is simply asked to do too much for too long and can't keep up. After a while, decades maybe, parts start to go bad and break down. Sometimes, earlier on, a complete systemic breakdown.

Here's another way I look at it. The human body is an amazing processor of energy - sunshine, food, air and water.  Our body's main purpose is to make sure every cell is nourished and then filtered out upon reaching the end of its lifespan. Its an ongoing process that is occuring in all of us, even as you read this. We don't feel the process so much as experience the results of that process.

A body hungers for attention every day of its life. As the body's owner and guide through this thing called 'Life', if you don't provide these energy sources to your body efficiently - if you're not able to get enough sunshine, your food sources are inadequate in terms of fresh, whole food, you don't drink enough water, or the air you breath isn't clean - your body is going to tell you by having a part break down or you can have a complete system malfunction, like I experienced.

Weight gain and stress can exacerbate internal inflammation. We also consume toxins such as alcohol, caffeine, prescription and recreational drugs, as well as antibiotics and chemicals in our food, water and soft drinks, not to mention cigarette smoke and air and highway driving pollution.

So, how do we maintain this filter known as the human body?

Well, we know that good health is tied to a healthy immune system.  A compromised immune system is more vulnerable to dis-ease.  So, how do we grow the good bacteria in our gut so that they can crowd out the bad bacteria and more ably lower inflammation and fight infection?  Is it even possible after months or years or decades of medication and toxin ingestion?

The wonderful thing about the human body is that it strives to live healthy and with a balanced PH.  The immune system wants its host to live long and prosper.  That's why, when it shuts down, you need to listen to your body. Because you're the only one it's talking to and you're the only one who can figure out what it's saying. It all starts with LISTENING. Once we listen, we can act.

ULCERATIVE COLITIS : ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

PLEASE BE REMINDED, I AM NOT A DOCTOR AND I HAVE NO BACKGROUND IN HEALTH OR HEALTHCARE OR TREATMENT OF ANY KIND. THIS BLOG IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. FOR ALL YOU KNOW, I'M A DERANGED LUNATIC CAUGHT IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE. YOU WOULD NEVER LISTEN TO A PERSON LIKE THAT. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER BUT ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SOURCES. DON'T ASSUME OR CONCLUDE FOR A MINUTE THAT WHAT WORKS FOR ME WILL WORK FOR YOU. ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR, CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ALL OF YOUR HEALTH CONCERNS BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR DOCTOR'S ADVICE, USE UP THE ENTIRE DOSAGES OF MEDICINE YOU'RE GIVEN AND CONTINUE TREATMENT AS LONG AS YOUR DOCTOR SAYS YOU SHOULD. FURTHERMORE, NOTHING HERE SHOULD BE INTERPRETED AS ME, GRAHAM BECKER, GIVING ANYONE ADVICE ABOUT ANYTHING. I'M NOT. NEVER TAKE THE ADVICE OF A STRANGER ON THE INTERNET IS MY ADVICE. HERE'S TO YOUR HEALTH!

MY GIFTS, MY BLESSINGS

I didn't create me. No surprise, I didn't create the earth, the clouds, the sky, my parents, my siblings, or really anything at all. All the big stuff happened before I got here. Somehow, the big stuff along with a lot of little stuff, made my existence possible. The universe was patient and timed my appearance to be right now. I don't know how that was done, but 'I think, therefore I am.' And, according to scientists, the 'Big Bang' was like almost 5 BILLION years ago. And don't forget, too, the 120 million years the world was ruled by dinosaurs. We humans are only about 200,000 years old. There was a lot of time when we weren't here at all.

And, now, after all the kerfuffel, tadaa, I'm here with you and, miracle of miracles, you're here with me. All those millions and billions of years of history by the time I popped my head in, or out as the case may be, and, because the same has happened to you, here we are, together in the ether of the internet.

Honestly, probably just like you, I haven't a clue as to why we're all here together on this little floating stone in space. All I know is that the whole universe and more existed before I got here and I don't remember being here before. And since my current experience lets me believe I am here now, I want to be the smartest I can be about the tiny space I hold.

Of course, sometimes it feels like I'm balancing plates on sticks, while standing on one leg perched on an open air steel beam of a high-rise under construction. And it's starting to rain. UhOhhh...I hear thunder...and LIGHTNING!

None of this is lost on me. Taken simply, creation favors life, as complicated as life can be, and as such has given me a little window of time in which to say 'hi.' In the meantime, I've come to believe that my creation, and all creation really, is somehow rooted in a purposeful trajectory in its cosmic timing.

That also might be my cosmic ego wishing it to be true so as to secure my concept as a singular little purpose in the universe.

And, one might also consider, if creation favors life, then creation also favors love and care. Because there is no life without all creatures caring for their vulnerable newborns. Humans, more than others, seem to have the singular ability to love or not love. Love can be scary because it implies a commitment beyond friendship. It can not be done alone. You can love a movie but that's different than loving another person. Love means being open to pain, and that's scary. For the universe, love is built-in. For humans, love seems to be a choice.

The rest of the living world, however, is simply operating from instinctual love and care. We may choose to show or not show our love, but LOVE appears to be among the trajectories of creation. And because love is already part of the equation, and because my universe begins with me and me alone, I've chosen to love my body, to love myself, and to fight for my best health, every day, just for me. It's the right thing for me to do, I think.

So, I truly believe that creation is loving in its intent. That leads me to try to act in loving, patient ways. I do try. I am human, though.

By choosing to love my body, I've helped myself to focus on a debt of gratitude to that creative power. If life is a gift, I'm not giving this one back. In the meantime, I'm going to take care of it so I can enjoy what's left to my brief existence.

My health has been challenging, but I really feel I'm one of the lucky ones. I count my blessings and stay positive. I truly feel everything I've been given: my life, this beautiful planet, the sunshine, the company of family and friends, are wonderful gifts and make the space we occupy, tolerable. Gifts, too, that can only be appreciated while I'm here. I don't know if or where I'm going after my body wears out, so I only have now. Since I'm pretty sure this existence, my life with this human body, is a one-off, I'm not getting this gift again. I've decided to give my gift the best possible care I can. That way it stays the gift that keeps on giving.

I can honestly say, so far, my IBD diagnosis, specifically my UC diagnosis, opened up an opportunity for me to actually be healthier than I might have been had I never had the diagnosis. My diagnosis changed my life. And, in the end (pun intended), for the better.

My mental and behavioral decisions in response to my diagnosis, my dogged determinism, my willingness to follow wherever my personal investigation took me, led me back to health. I wasn't going to fight the process of healing. I was going to listen to my body's messages, even when it was screaming at me. Admittedly I backslid several times, but I never flagged in my focus to solve the riddle of my body's immune system. It took me 20 years to come to full remission of my symptoms.

I should have known a 100 calorie soda wasn't equivalent to 100 calories of vegetables. But I didn't really make that connection at first. Like all humans, I have to sustain myself everyday. Generally, I like to do that with food. I'll bet you do, too. Besides, eating can be just plain social and fun in its best moments. People share recipes, are remembered for their recipes as well as their ability to be artistic with food. We gather our families and friends around food. Oh, and we LOVE it when food has that perfect combination of mouth-feel and flavoriciousness which results in contented satiety infused with ardor. Food is simply a recipe for love. I love to eat and I know a lot of other people who also love to eat. For me, food is an emotional experience for sure, especially when I'm cooking. I find the whole process of cooking, from idea to creation, therapeutic. And I love being in control of all the ingredients. I eat home a lot so I can do that, be in control. And I'm careful when I go out.

And since I got healthy, I'm not letting go. I have convicted my criminal bacteria and they are no longer welcome to my gut party. This has been part of my story that has resulted in my immune system being symptom-free since 2001. For me, my journey has been like that movie "Sliding Doors". If I hadn't done what I claim I've done, I would be in another place for sure.






KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Being diagnosed with ULCERATIVE COLITIS and living with that diagnosis since 1980 has underscored and highlighted for me the importance of that adage: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

The mental strategies I use are these:

ASK QUESTIONS. BE OPEN TO ANSWERS. BE OPEN TO SECOND OPINIONS. THE TRUTH FOR YOU IS ALL THAT MATTERS. PURSUE THE TRUTH ALWAYS. MAKE EDUCATED GUESSES. ANALYZE. SELF-TEST. REFINE YOUR APPROACH. STAY OPEN TO NEW INFORMATION. FOLLOW LEADS. KEEP IT POSITIVE. DON'T GIVE UP. PURSUE, PURSUE, PURSUE. THE INTERNET IS YOUR FRIEND, BUT BE WARY AND CONSULT MULTIPLE SOURCES IN YOUR QUEST FOR THE TRUTH. DON'T STOP. DON'T BE INTIMIDATED BY OTHERS. BE BRAVE. ASK THE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS. REMEMBER, THERE ARE SOME WHO DON'T WANT YOU TO HAVE ANY ANSWERS. GET THE ANSWERS YOU DESERVE, ANYWAY.

As a child, it started with my dad's weight. He was always a big guy to me. As an adult, I came to believe my Dad had a physical addiction to processed foods, especially sugar and fat washed down with cases of diet soda. Ice cream and pancakes were a particular weakness. He lived to eat and oh how he loved to eat! Not only did he enjoy good tasting food, he ate copious amounts of it. A high-end buffet was his best friend.

I loved my Dad. I saw his bigness as something I wished was smaller because, as a consequence, I was always worried about his health. He had a stroke when he was 66 and died young, of heart failure, at age 71. He gave me unconditional love and supported me even when it was challenging, shared his larger-than-life personality with me, made me laugh, and, being the eternal optimist, gave me my positive outlook on life. I'm always grateful and I miss him a lot.

I miss my Mom, too. She died of cancer when I was just 15. She was an actress and loved to laugh and, like Dad also loved me unconditionally. I learned early that, as big as we might be, our hearts are all about the same size, about the size of a fist. The same size heart can be asked to work in a body with 125 or 175 or 300 lbs. At 5'11", my dad was at the upper end of that scale. His heart was being asked to work too hard for too long.

Hearts can break early under those circumstances. More than one heart, sometimes.

Before my diagnosis, I ate everything. I was young and so I was able to work it off, no problem. After my diagnosis, I couldn't seem to eat anything without feeling like I was eating shards of glass awash with acid. I had to recondition my mind in the face of pop culture marketing forces promoting fast, convenient, tasty, prepared, cooked and attractively packaged, food stuffs.

Without medication, it took me 20 years to accomplish complete health and total remission.

You read that correctly. 20 years of backsliding and flareups.

Thankfully, the flareups were never as bad as I had it when I was initially diagnosed. I would always catch it as soon as I felt the cramping and gurgles and felt that telltale slippery slide of a bloody stool. And then I'd have to heal all over again. Fortunately I never had too far to go, maybe 4 weeks back to full recovery.

Eventually, I turned the negative into a positive. The avoidance of that pain is of paramount importance in my life. I will continue to do everything I can to keep my good health. For me, myself and I, rethinking my food choices was a 20-year process. The allure of processed foods was strong and kept pulling me back. In my rethinking, I've learned to feed my body in such a way that, as a direct result I believe, I am now symptom free, and have been since 2001. For me, a nutritionally-based solution was the answer to my healing.

Today, I thoroughly enjoy my daily, smooth as yogurt, bowel movement. No trace of inflammation anywhere. Never constipated, never any diarrhea. Normal.

Imagine, totally normal. That's right, I'm an atypical freak of nature. I'm not alone though.






My success at controlling my IBD, my Ulcerative Colitis, has reinforced my behavior to the point where my will power has merged with my everyday thought processes. The new behavior is now a good habit. It's not a struggle. It's become a lifestyle choice. And I found flavors and foods I never knew existed.

And I learned to cook for myself. I thought, I can read a recipe, how hard can it be? Well, I found out it's not that easy but it sure is rewarding. And now I really love to cook. Our American culture encourages a love-hate relationship with food. Love to eat; hate the weight. I MADE FRIENDS WITH FOOD.

Fast food commercials rotate with weight loss programs on the telly, the internet, and in print all day, every day. Fast food companies spend billions of dollars every year to sway you to their latest offerings. It's a beautiful marriage, fast food and dieting. They're perfect for one another, don't you think? It's a lot of fun to eat fast food and when I eat it I feel wonderful, happy and content. And really full. I like that feeling and you can get a lot of fast food for $5. I sure miss the kids' toys they used to include in their meals, tying the latest cartoon movie to the fast food experience. Another wonderful marriage. Especially for the kids.

And when I would notice a little weight creeping up on me, I could go on a diet of the same food choices, with strict portion sizes so I didn't have to think, packaged, prepared and frozen meals I could microwave. I loved the convenience of diet food because after a hard day's night, I don't want to have to think about food because it's bad enough I have to deprive myself being on this damn diet, so I want it tasty and hot in 2 mins. And, for sure, I'll pay $2.00 to do just that.

And, really, let's hear it for those frozen dinners! Processing a frozen dinner meal includes the research and development and consumer testing of a patented recipe, cooking, portioning, freezing, designing and printing the packaging, assembling the packaging around the frozen food, keeping the frozen food frozen for transit, marketing and advertising the item, paying truck drivers in wages and benefits, providing transportation in refrigerated trucks, and delivery with a smile... all of this, from field/farm to factory to market basket and microwave, all for the price of $2 when on sale?? And they are still making a profit?? Who cares how they do that!! Hurry, at 5 for $10, we're stocking up!

Microwave Marvels, I call them. At $2, however, you really don't want to look at the ingredients acquisition and formation process and how that stuff got formed to look and taste like food. So we won't. Suffice it to say, it's the perfect confluence of taste and savvy marketing. It's easy to develop a love/hate relationship with food. You can love it when it's plentiful and you're satiated, hate it the next day and then hate it even more when you feel deprived by dieting. Only to love it again after being finished with dieting. After a while, I would ditch those frozen delectables and gain all the weight back. Yo-Yo dieting. Gotta love it. Makes me want to go back for seconds.

My journey led me to love food again. I'm not afraid to eat anymore. I'm not afraid of the reactions my body might have. I have bouncers called antioxidants, phytochemicals, flavanols and polyphenols who will kick any exacerbator's ass.

Remember that sailor man who ate spinach and got muscles? That sailor man was correct about one important thing. It's important to eat more plants.

Although not really clear to me at the beginning of my journey, it became obvious I needed to make friends with better food choices. At first, I really didn't know what that meant. I thought all food was pretty much equal and all I had to do was just watch my caloric intake.

IN SUMMARY

At this stage in my health, I can pretty much eat anything except my exacerbators, which literally gives me unlimited healthful choices of real, living, organic and unprocessed food. I'VE CHOSEN TO USE MY HEAD. IT MAKES GOOD DECISIONS WHEN I LET IT. When it comes to will-power, I have to use my head. My brain is torn between what my tongue would prefer, my heart's desire, and all the images of gumdrops marketers have placed in my head. My head holds my only hope to overcome my powerful emotional connection to processed foods. Processed foods contain ingredients that make me hungry for more soon after I've eaten them. And 6 weeks later I could have another flareup. The combination of fat, salt, sugar and mouth-feel is so hard to resist. But, uh uh, no way. Not on my watch. I'm not chowing down on meds, antacids, or processed food. A wise and healthy person once said to me, "If man made it, don't eat it." Powerful. I've taken it to heart.