Healing My Gut: What I Eat

I make a big batch of soup every two days or so, because if I haven't emphasized enough, I am undergoing a major digestive healing protocol. My soups almost always contain carrots and chicken thighs with the skin on and bone-in, that I let simmer alongside any variety of vegetables that floats my boat for that day: celery and leek, peas and turnip, broccoli and parsley. Right now I am still at the relatively early stages of a combination of the SCD, GAPS and AIP diets; diets that are designed to give your system a much needed break while supporting the healing of the intestinal lining to improve absorption, seal leaky gut, and reduce overgrowth of bad bacteria.

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Since I developed post-infectious IBS and a number of food intolerances after my C. Diff infection in 2011, I've always made a note in my mind to try my best to avoid grains, legumes, refined sugar, and dairy, because I feel worse if I consume too much of those things. However, even as a nutritionist with the knowledge I have, it hasn't always been easy, or at least, I haven't always been strict enough about it. Not that I was eating unhealthily, I was just eating the wrong foods for me. It really wasn't until close to a month ago after dealing with 6 consecutive months of this flare-up, that I really knew I needed to make changes.

It's been about three weeks of following a very strict dietary regimen, but I must say, my symptoms have certainly improved. I am not yet where I'd like to be, but just knowing that my body is getting the break it needs and is less reactive, is extremely encouraging.

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A typical day of eating for me right now includes a lot of simple soups, bone broths, roasted chicken, fish, squash and other vegetables; my newest muse of cauliflower "rice" stir fry with beef and vegetables; sweet peas for a snack, zucchini "noodles" and lots of water and herbal teas (namely ginger, peppermint, or fennel). It can get repetitive but I can't say I'm sick of it just yet, in fact, I really quite enjoy the simplicity and ease of it all. It's really all very easy to prepare and I'm enjoying eating so many fresh ingredients.

If it seems like I'm not eating anything besides meat and vegetables, that's entirely the case. I am not eating fruit, nuts, dairy, legumes, grains or even starchy vegetables like potato. Restrictive? Absolutely. Am I feeling better because of it? Yup.