Playing poker seems easy… till you actually start playing.

Just understanding the rules is hard enough. When I first started playing I used to give my money to everyone like some kind of charity. Then an experienced mentor showed me simple but powerful “tells” to look for and everything changed.

I funded my first year of college fun with those winnings.

Learning to shop for SCD foods can be just as challenging.

You may be wondering:

It looks SCD legal but what if it makes me sick?

Are there any “hidden” ingredients in this product?

Both products look the same but I know one hurts me – WHY?

If you’ve had questions like that, you’re in luck!  Tomorrow, we’re going to have some fun and take you grocery shopping with us.

Here’s what we’re going to do:

• Starting at 9am EST tomorrow (2/14), Jordan and I are going to put you in our shopping cart and show you what’s really going on inside the labels at the grocery store.
• Come over to our Facebook page and hit the “like” button to join the fun!
• All day long we are going to be posting pictures of common foods you might be buying at the grocery store, BUT we’re going to make it a game and show you the simple label mistakes that can unknowingly cause you or your loved one an extra day in the bathroom.

So stop on over and go shopping with us to see if what you’re buying at the grocery store is good, bad, or ugly…

It’s going to be super fun and I can’t wait to see your face over there.

Join us tomorrow morning on our Facebook page by clicking here.

SCD can be hard…

But it’s not the food change that makes it hard.

It’s the hope, inspiration, and support you need to get through it…

… that’s what makes all the difference in the world.

And that’s why we’ve been working so hard to build that for you on our Facebook page.

That’s where we met Ankit

Ankit started making friends with us on Facebook and I was instantly inspired by his ability to offer hope and support to others that were just starting out on SCD.

He’s been through it all and back again…

So it just made sense for us to get together and share his SCD success story in this podcast interview.

And in today’s podcast with Ankit, you’ll learn:

1:36 How he went from obstructions and 8-months on a liquid diet… to full-blown Crohn’s Disease
9:20 The psychological trick that finally helped him STOP cheating on SCD
10:24 “In two months I was getting consitantly normal Bowel Movements… my acne cleared up, I had more energy, and I got significantly better”
14:06 The exact process he followed when SCD wasn’t working
17:50 How he dealt with food cravings and beat the tempations around family
21:28 His #1 piece of advice for anyone thinking about starting SCD
23:23 How he could tell he was healing and doing the right things on SCD…

Thank you for taking the time to join me Ankit – you’re an inspiration and I know this is going to help a lot of people.

If you’re looking for a place to be yourself and have fun… but also find hope, inspiration, and digestion tips – stop by and make friends with us on Facebook :-)

Hope to see you there,

P.S. – If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.   Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

Stress attacks come in two flavors… and both can hurt digestion.

The first is the acute kind, like the nervous spike in stress that happens before a public speaking appearance.  Most of us know just how fast a stressful event can send us to the bathroom.  The second type of stress is the chronic form… the one you should worry about.

Chronic stress is harder to correlate to bowel movements or stomach pain.  But make no mistake about it, chronic stress is what you need to worry about.  It causes damage to your digestive system over time, not to mention it makes it harder to recover your health if you’re already sick.

Chronic Stress is a Different Animal

It’s commonly misunderstood…

As it turns out, the chemicals released when you get the butterfly’s in your stomach before a performance are the same chemicals that get aggravated when your boss makes you mad, a driver cuts you off on the road, or when you sit in front of computer all night instead of going to bed.

Our brilliantly engineered bodies were designed to handle the first challenge.  They were built to use these chemicals to save our lives and have done so very well for millions of years.  But over the last 60 years our lifestyles have changed drastically.  In fact, I would argue that our current modern lifestyles are designed to aggravate these same chemicals.  The caffeine on street corners, the marketing commercials on TV, and the foods that surround us… they have all been carefully crafted to activate these chemicals.  To trigger us to do things like buy, sell, and yell.

Corporations Know How To Trigger Stress

Corporations have leveraged science to create products that are fascinating, engaging, and downright addicting.  The reasons have much more to do with chemicals in our bodies than conspiracy theories.  These chemicals make us feel energized, excited, and satisfied so I would argue it is natural for us to want to seek them out.  So much so, that the brain and body start to live with a constant level of them floating around.  It is so subtle that we don’t notice, it seems normal… part of society.

That’s the huge danger, that the body never gets to rest. And we think it is okay to always be on high-alert.  Things were much different 60 years ago, before cell phones, computers, and when TV ran out of shows at 12pm.

It’s rare to find people, actively un-plugging from these modern streams.  I’m constantly locked in a battle with them myself.  That’s the challenge of healing and staying healthy.  To balance these new modern conveniences and activities with plenty of old school ideas like: standing, walking in the woods, playing in the dirt, talking with friends, playing games, and watching the clouds go by…

You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me, I Don’t Have Time To Watch The Clouds!

That makes it even more important for you to schedule a time to de-stress.  Make a point to release the tension that builds during the day.  Jordan and I are serious about handling our stress this year and we want to help you do it too, that is why we created our free 7 day stress challenge… to help you live a happier and healthier life.

On today’s podcast, we cover the topics of stress and digestion and cover more of your Q and A submissions…

In Today’s Podcast We Cover:

3:55 Why stress can save your life, but usually makes you sicker

12:32 What to do if exercise is causing diarrhea

16:41 Crohn’s and horrible smelling gas? Here what could be happening…

21:32 Why Xylitol and other sugar alcohols aren’t allowed on SCD

24:47 What it means if you still have acne on SCD

28:58 Got stinky SCD yogurt? Is that good or bad?

34:10 How to tell if you’re ready (or not) for potatoes “after SCD”

36:52 What to do for egg substitutes in SCD recipes

Thanks for listening and make sure you submit your podcast Q and A questions here.

Want to join our 7-day stress challenge?

Here’s the link to go sign-up:

–> http://scdlifestyle.com/stress-challenge/

P.S. – If you can’t see the podcast audio player, download the MP3 here.   Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

On June 10^th 2005 my mom died from Cancer at the age of 52… and I miss her every single day.

I was devastated.

It tore me apart.

It didn’t make sense.

It wasn’t fair.

How could this happen?

But looking back, the signs leading up to her cancer revealed a pattern:

• Lifelong “nervous stomach” (diarrhea, gas, and bloating)
• Fertility problems
• Graves’ disease
• Endometriosis
• Migraines
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Frequent illness
• Gallbladder cancer
• Bile duct cancer
• Liver cancer

And my own Celiac Disease diagnosis in 2007 affirmed my suspicions.

Lifelong untreated Celiac Disease killed my mom…

Celiac Disease is an exploding epidemic

The latest research estimates 1% of the western population has Celiac Disease (1 in every 133 people)^[1] with nearly 3 million people suffering in the United States. Lot’s A LOT of people… but what’s worse is the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center estimates 97% of those with Celiac Disease remain undiagnosed.

So why are so many people unaware they have Celiac Disease?

The diagnosis itself can be expensive, time-consuming, and misunderstood.    The “gold standard” Celiac diagnosis looks for a positive antibody blood test confirmed by an intestinal biopsy.  The biopsy is typically ordered by a Gastroenterologist and gathered in a hospital setting during a procedure called an Endoscopy, costing anywhere from $2,000 – $5,000.  For some people, that’s just not an option.

It isn’t necessarily a lack of tests that’s the problem… it’s the lack of doing tests in the first place.

But I’ll get to that in a moment…

I used to think the Celiac Disease epidemic was there all along… that this meteoric rise in the disease was the result of new medical technology and the growing awareness in mainstream media.

But I was wrong… well sort of.

We are getting better at finding it… but recent studies provide solid evidence that a Celiac Disease “explosion” is happening because more people are developing the disease, not just because of better testing.  In fact, one study performed at the Mayo Clinic suggests the incidence of Celiac Disease in men has increased 4X since 1948^[2]!

If that’s not enough to convince you that there’s a tidal wave of Celiac Disease headed for us, let’s follow the money.  Private Industry has taken notice of the rising population of gluten-free dieters (not all of which have Celiac Disease).  Look at this data:

Gluten-free foods and beverages, once considered specialty items, had a compound annual growth rate of 30% in the U.S. between 2006 and 2010… $2.64 billion in total sales in 2010^[3]. 

New reports estimate it will be a $5.5 Billion market by 2012^[4]!

Corporations wouldn’t be pumping millions of dollars into a market if they thought it could shrink or slow down anytime soon.  Not only have that, but pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop several drug treatments for Celiac Disease.

The worst part of this story isn’t just the growing epidemic…

You Could Have Celiac Disease and Not Even Know It

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune condition of the gastrointestinal system triggered by gluten, the protein found in wheat.  When people with Celiac Disease are exposed to Gluten it stimulates the immune system to attack and damage the intestinal lining, waging war against its own intestinal tissue (villi).  The challenge with Gluten is that it’s virtually ubiquitous in today’s world, found in just about everything… from cereal to lipstick.

And because Gluten is in just about everything we eat, drink, and bathe with – it can be tough to avoid.  We could conceivably consume Gluten in every aspect of our daily lives.

Lately, public awareness has been growing for the digestive symptoms related to Celiac Disease like diarrhea, gas, cramping, and bloating.  It’s a good sign, but one problem lies in the fact that only ½ the people with Celiac Disease actually have significant diarrhea as the primary symptom^[5].

Additionally, the disease has been linked to over 300 different symptoms, many of them subtle and seemingly unrelated to digestive problems.  Other symptoms include fatigue, unexplained weight loss, depression, anxiety, joint pain, seizures, muscle cramps and many more.

That’s the problem with undiagnosed Celiac Disease… 

It’s not a lack of available testing … but a lack of recognizing the need to test for it in the first place.  The disease is like a chameleon, sometimes manifesting into symptoms that don’t exactly scream out, “Hey Doc, I’m Celiac Disease.”  Couple that with an average family physician 10-20 years out of medical school that’s not current on the latest Celiac Disease research and it’s a losing equation for everyone involved.

That’s what my story was like.  After losing my mom in 2005 I started having diarrhea more and more every day… sometimes 10 or more gut-wrenching sessions.  I was losing weight and malnourished.  And even though I had some “classic” Celiac Disease symptoms, I also had a history of depression, anxiety, “nervous stomach”, chronic fatigue, and low iron.

Over the next year, I continued to go to the doctor with worsening diarrhea and received a different diagnosis each visit.  First I got sent home with Fiber, then drugs for IBS, and then a colonoscopy looking for Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease.  It was only because of my emotional pleas the gastroenterologist agreed to take a small intestinal biopsy for Celiac Disease.

The bottom line is this: you could have Celiac Disease and not even know it… and your Doctor might not realize it either.

What Happens in Untreated Celiac Disease?

If Celiac Disease goes untreated… it’s not good.  Here’s just a few of the increased risk factors from various studies:

• 30% increased risk for GI cancer^[6]
• 40X increased risk for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the small intestine^[7]
• 77X increased risk for lymphoma^[8]

Then there’s the percentage of people with Celiac Disease that have the following associated conditions that aren’t going to go away if the Celiac Disease isn’t treated^[9]…

• Anemia (3-6%)
• Arthritis (20%)
• Ataxia (40%)
• Cows Milk Intolerance (24%)
• Dermatitis (5%)
• Diabetes-Type 1 (12%)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (20%)
• Liver Disease (42%)
• Migraine Headaches (4%)
• Nerve Disease and/or Peripheral Neuropathy (51%)
• Obesity (30-40%)
• Osteoporosis (4.5%)
• Low Bone Density (70%)
• Pancreatic & Thyroid Disorders (5-14%)

The important message here is this: it’s a good idea to rule out Celiac Disease if you have any of these problems… and it’s a REALLY good idea to treat Celiac Disease if you do get diagnosed.

A diagnosis isn’t the end of the world… as you can see, it could save your life.

The Gluten-Free Diet will save your life (maybe)…

It’s widely accepted that the first step in treating Celiac Disease is removing gluten from the diet with 100% strictness.  In fact, this is the treatment plan copied right from the National Library of Medicine and typical of most doctor-patient conversations after a diagnosis^[10]:

Celiac disease cannot be cured. However, your symptoms will go away and the villi in the lining of the intestines will heal if you follow a lifelong gluten-free diet. Do not eat foods, beverages, and medications that contain wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats.

You must read food and medication labels carefully to look for hidden sources of these grains and ingredients related to them. Because wheat and barley grains are common in the American diet, sticking with this diet is challenging. With education and planning, you will heal.

While removing gluten exposure is critical to the treatment of the disease… it isn’t THE only treatment.  It’s just part of it.  The danger lies in the promise that people with Celiac Disease who follow a strict Gluten-Free diet for life will fully heal.

I followed a strict Gluten-Free diet for two years with only minor symptom-relief.  And it turns out I’m not alone….

The Gluten Free Diet Isn’t Enough…

New research suggests that the small intestines of up to 60% of adults never completely heal from Celiac Disease despite following a gluten free diet^[11].

In one study of 241 Celiac Patients – small intestine mucosal recovery 2 years after following a Gluten-Free diet was 34% and 5 years later was only 66%^[12].

The authors stated :

“Mucosal recovery was absent in a substantial portion of adults with CD after treatment with a GFD.”

Another study of 465 Celiac patients after 16-months on a Gluten-Free Diet found that:

“Complete normalization of duodenal lesions is exceptionally rare in adult coeliac patients despite adherence to GFD”^[13]

So in other words, many of these people followed a gluten free diet for years without completely healing the intestinal damage caused by the disease.  If the intestinal damage never heals it is no wonder Celiac Disease patients are more likely to experience cancer or some other debilitating disease.

That’s incredibly depressing for people with Celiac Disease… especially if their Celiac Disease diagnosis went anything like mine:

I’d finally convinced my Gastroenterologist to order an endoscopy after years of horrible diarrhea, fatigue, and depression.  A few weeks after the procedure I got a pamphlet in the mail from her called “Living Gluten Free” with a hand-written note that said:

“Jordan – tests showed you have Celiac Disease.  Follow a Gluten-Free Diet and you’ll be just fine.”

Ummm, what?  What’s Celiac Disease and what’s gluten?!? How could gluten be causing all these problems in my life?  I’ll really be just fine if I change my diet?

I can’t help but wonder how many people around the world get the same prescription I did and feel desperate when the Gluten-Free Diet doesn’t work.

But here’s what I do know: when I followed a strict Gluten-Free diet for 2 years believing I would be “just fine” and STILL had diarrhea 5-10 times a day, I came face-to-face with insanity.

In fact, things got a little scary when I was absolutely convinced I was getting “gluten contamination” from everything (like the dishwasher, cooking pans, silverware, water, air, kissing, breathing, whatever).  It reached the lowest point when I thought I couldn’t eat anywhere but my own kitchen without getting “glutened.”  But the reality is: it wasn’t gluten contamination at all.

The gluten free diet wasn’t working for me…

How to Tell if The Gluten Free Diet Isn’t working for You

If you have Celiac Disease and you’re following a Gluten-Free diet… but still experiencing any of these symptoms, the Gluten-Free Diet isn’t working for you either.

(Remember: Celiac Disease symptoms may or may not occur in the digestive system).

• Recurring bloating and cramping
• Chronic or recurrent diarrhea
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Liver and biliary tract disorders
• Weight loss
• Pale, foul-smelling stool
• Iron-deficiency anemia unresponsive to iron therapy
• Fatigue
• Arthralgia
• Tingling numbness in the legs
• Sores inside the mouth
• Skin rashes/acne
• Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel
• Unexplained infertility or recurrent miscarriage
• Osteopenia or osteoporosis
• Anxiety or Depression

Each of these symptoms can present themselves as part of Celiac Disease and simply removing gluten can help.  Many people even see a disappearance of random symptoms after they go gluten free. 

However, if you have Celiac Disease and any of the these symptoms are still present… even on a Gluten-Free Diet, it’s likely gluten free isn’t working for you.  It might be providing some relief, but it’s not healing the underlying damage in your gut… which dramatically increases your risk for cancer and the other diseases I just mentioned. 

That doesn’t mean all hope is lost either…. 

Why My Mom’s Story Matters to You

My mom is a prime example of what can happen when Celiac Disease goes undiagnosed and untreated.  She suffered through stomach pain, an irradiated thyroid, rounds of chemotherapy, and an early medical retirement from her career.  Above all – we lost her too early.

That’s part of the reason I fought for my diagnosis… why I pressed my doctors to get the tests I wanted.  Why I followed my Gluten-Free prescription with the strictest adherence.

Yet I still suffered from life threatening symptoms.  So much so that I wrote my first will at the age of 24 because I didn’t think I’d live much longer unless they miraculously figured out what else was wrong with me.

Then I got lucky and found a new doctor with new ideas about what it meant to treat Celiac Disease.  A new doctor, that finally helped me stop my diarrhea for the first time in 6 years.

I’m one of the majority…

One of the 60% that didn’t get better from a Gluten-Free diet alone…. I needed to do more to treat my Celiac Disease.

And in this series, I’m going to reveal why the Gluten Free Diet isn’t enough to stop the symptoms of Celiac Disease and propose a step-by-step process you can follow to reverse the damage.

I played on several softball leagues last summer and during one all day tournament I was in, a sharply hit ball came up the middle. I started ranging from my shortstop position and when it was clear I wouldn’t get there in time, I dove. Stretched out horizontal, I thought for sure I was going to make ESPN on this one, but I didn’t… and when I started getting up I knew immediately something was wrong with my shoulder.

10-days ago I went under the knife to repair a labrum tear (SLAP / Bankart lesions) in my left shoulder. I was scared, I’m not going to lie. Recently, I lost one of my best friend’s Dad due to complications from an elective surgery (RIP – Rob) and it weighed heavy on my mind.

Thankfully it was successful, lots of love to modern medicine and my surgeon!

But it wasn’t a decision I took lightly.

First, I Tried to Figure Out All My Options

After going insane checking out all the angles, it turns out if the body can’t heal cartilage damage in the labrum in the first 6 months after the injury it is basically impossible for the body to reattach the cartilage. It was either surgery plus a lengthy rehab or I would have to cope with early onset arthritis and decreased range of motion (ROM) later in life.

The MRI results showed damage around the bottom of my labrum called a Bankart lesion and potentially a SLAP lesion. The doctor thought it looked typical of what he sees on a daily basis. But I still pressed him hard on all kinds of questions, to which he told me he does about 300 of these a year and works regularly with college athletes (MSU) and explained why all my crazy alternative methods wouldn’t apply in this situation, I was confident I had the right guy.

The Full Story Isn’t Known Until They Open You Up

Huge thanks to my family and friends for the support and all the questions I laid on them, my sister who has the most experience in this area (ACL surgery and exercise science degree) nailed it on the head. She told me the doctors can only tell so much the Arthrogram (MRI) results and it is likely they could find more damage once they got in there.

She was spot on, the surgeon found a chunk of cartilage floating around near the tear.  He also found that the tear was worse than he thought, the whole side of my labrum was detached from top to bottom. Lucky for me, all my tendons were in good shape. 5 sutures (think screws), 3 holes in my arm, and 2 hours later I was all put back together. The cool thing is the anchors are bioabsorbable…

Recovery starts with 4 weeks in a sling and very limited range of motion (ROM), rehab for a couple months, and full strength with ROM somewhere between 3 and 6 months. I’ve heard most people end up near 5 months, but obviously my goal is 3.

My sister gave me another great tip to talk with the surgeon and find a rehab specialist who was younger, and on the cutting edge of rehab programs. She was adamant that I find someone who would modify the rehab program and push me as I progress, instead of just going by the book. I did just that and I start in a few days.

I didn’t stop there…

My SLAP Surgery Supplement Plan

It’s just my nature and I can’t help it.  I have to push the boundaries and see what I can do to help. I consulted with Chris Kresser, Pubmed, and Tim Ferriss’s “4-hour Body”.

Here is the post-surgery supplement plan I’m following:

• A cup of bone broth 2-3 times a day (at least 6 months)
• 2-3 servings of collagen a day (at least 6 months)
• Inflammatone 2 caps a day (2 months)
• 4 tablespoons of flax seed oil (at least 6 months)
• 4 caps FCLO/Butter oil (6 months)
• Glucosamine and Chrondroitin (at least 6 months)
• Eat SCD with minimal cheats and fermented foods
• Lots of sleep and low stress
• Faithfully do the home rehab exercises
• If needed I’ll add USP Cissus RX

With the additions above, I will be creating a massive influx of all the nutrients needed to repair collagen, cartilage, ligaments, and bone (K2 from the butter oil). I will also be working hard to keep inflammation low and keep my body focused on my injury… and not fighting saber tooth tigers.

I’ll try to give you an update as I progress through rehab and let you know what I think helped!  Love to hear if you have any tips for recovery or share your surgery experiences below.

Talk soon,

Question for you: If I removed half the stress from your life, how would you feel?

Lighter? Calmer? Happier? Healthier?

As you probably know, The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is the best way to start healing your digestive problems and reverse chronic illness.

So many of you are working hard to take control of your health and getting amazing transformations.  Here’s a few emails we’ve received in the past few weeks:

“Thank you Jordan & Steve.  This was our best X-Mas ever.  My daughter was so happy to feel well again and down to 15mg of prednisone.  We are slowly weaning her and hope she will be off by end of January.” – Jenny

“Already I have seen a great reduction of cramps and diarrhea has stopped .I am just starting on phase 1 now.  Thanks for all the tips.” – Annie

“Even though I was technically in remission when I started the diet, it brought me to a whole new level of health. My energy levels went up, my GERD went away, joint pain reduced, no bloating or pain and was even getting solid stools.” – Natalie

Your commitment to this healing journey is so brave!

And if you’re already working hard following SCD and you’re ready to keep improving your digestion, then we’ve got something special for you that’s really going to help you do it.

We’ve written before about how tightly linked stress and digestion are… and how ignoring stress can trigger painful setbacks.

In fact, when someone comes to us doing “everything right” with diet and supplements, but they just can’t get symptom-free… stress is the first place I look.

And I got to thinking, there’s probably more of you that would see improvement in your symptoms if you had less stress in your life.  You don’t have to do this alone…

That’s why we created a free “7-Day Stress Reduction Challenge” to help you kick off the New Year

This “7-day Stress Reduction Challenge” will help you cut your stress in half in 2012.  If you want to overcome the most common cause of digestive setbacks and give your body the greatest chance to live symptom-free…. then JOIN THIS CHALLENGE.

We’ve combined all the most powerful stress reduction techniques and ideas that we’ve been using over the past few years into 7-days (since we all can’t hang out on a beach for a week…).

And the best part?

You only need to commit a few minutes every day to do each assignment.  We’ll work hard together for 7 days and melt away a lot of the stress in your life…

The more serious you are, the more amazing your results will be!

Here’s How The Challenge Works:

• Join the 7-day stress reduction challenge by entering your name and email in the box below
• It’s completely free
• Every morning for the next 7 days you’ll get an email delivered to your inbox
• Each email will have a different technique for you to use to lift the weight of the world off your shoulders
• At the end of the 7 days, if you use everything we show you, you’ll cut your stress in half

If you’re ready to get this part of your life handled in the New Year… and ready to do a 7 DAY CHALLENGE with us and many others…..

Join the challenge now…

[Can't see the form?  Click here to join.]

Thanks for an incredible 2011.  You’re amazing, you’re brave, and I believe in you

Talk soon,

P.S. – I can’t wait to work with you during this challenge… if you’re taking control of your health with SCD and doing your best to live a healthy life even though you have a crippling disease – this challenge will help you…

–> Join here to cut your stress in half in 7-days

A while back we interviewed Amy from RoboRanch.com about her incredible SCD Crohn’s Disease story.  What I really like about her story is that her Mom, Beth, jumped right in and followed the diet with her as a “diet buddy.”

Over time, Beth became an incredible SCD cook and started sharing her best stuff on her website: http://www.beth-spencer.com.  She’s authored a few cookbooks, and you can find some tasty recipes on her blog.

Her latest cookbook, “Turtle Soup: Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet from an SCD Mom,” is nothing short of miraculous…

The best of the best in the SCD community support the cookbook and endorse the recipes… and so do we!  With Christmas baking right around the corner, we just had to get Beth on the podcast to find out her best Specific Carbohydrate Diet baking secrets.

In this podcast interview with Beth Spencer, we cover:

0:34 How she came to master baking on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet

6:34 The story of her favorite SCD recipe and how she perfected it

11:23 Her top three baking secrets for creating perfect SCD meals

20:31 Cooking dairy and egg free on SCD?

23:07 Her best advice for someone who’s intimidated by the cooking challenges of SCD

27:30 How to find more of her recipes and order a copy of her latest cookbook, “Turtle Soup: Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet from an SCD Mom”

Thank you for your time Beth – this interview is going to help a TON of people enjoy their time in the Kitchen

P.S. – If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.   Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

“Sue, I’m sorry.  I don’t know how to tell you this, but you have Cancer… maybe 18-months to live”

Once the news hit, Sue signed early retirement papers and sold the house.

She moved to Florida to be closer to her kids and grand-babies…

She started mentoring inner city kids and helping them get into college… something she never had time for in the past.

Friends and family made it a point to spend more time with her… taking road trips and weekend getaways.

12-months later, she was back in the Doctor’s office…

“Sue – I can’t explain it, but you’re in complete remission”

Is it that far-fetched?

We’ve all heard stories that go something like this… could spending more time with friends and family help reverse chronic illness?

Is there any science to it?

Why locking yourself in the house could make you worse

Typically, when animals are critically injured in the wild they’ll run to a safe, secluded place and lie down.

They give their body the resources to start healing and in some cases, they’ll lay there for days without moving.  If the wound isn’t fatal, there’s usually a point when they know they need to get up and re-integrate with the herd….

But what’s fascinating is: once the injured animals get back with the herd; their wound tends to heal FASTER than when they were in isolation.

A 2003 PNEC study on the Social Facilitation of Wound Healing, found that:

“Social interactions buffer against stress and promote wound healing… The data imply that social isolation impairs wound healing”

The background on this study is interesting so I had to geek out on it (read the full text here).  Scientists wanted to test the impact of social interaction on wound healing.  For this study, they used Siberian Hamster models separated into two test groups:

• The first group was completely isolated from social contact.
• The second group was paired up and able to freely interact.
• Each hamster received similar injuries and had their wounds measured to track the rate of healing (I know it sounds bad… it’s in the name of science right?).

Here’s the fascinating twist: both groups of hamsters were split into two more groups and placed under stress everyday (kind of like going to work)… so it looked like this:

1. Socially isolated group: no stress
2. Socially isolated group: stressed
3. Paired up group: no stress
4. Paired up group: stressed

The result?

The wounds stayed significantly worse in the socially isolated group than in the paired up group (P < 0.05) (see the cool chart below).

[NOTE: P< 0.05 means statistical significance] 

 Image Ref: Social Facilitation of Wound Healing

The data lead the authors to conclude that social isolation impairs (slows down) wound healing. 

It made me think.

When I first started the SCD Diet and still had hardcore digestive problems… all I wanted to do was turn off my phone and lay in bed.  I usually found ways to skip family time during the holidays and avoid my friend’s calls on the weekends.

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder if I slowed down my body’s natural ability to heal by spending less time with friends and family.

But let’s dig deeper…

What’s the connection between social interaction and wound healing? 

It’s all about Cortisol… the “Fight or Flight” hormone.  Cortisol gets a bad rap, but in the days of Woolly Mammoths, it was critically important for staying alive.

During intense stress (like running for our lives), the Adrenal Glands release the “stress hormones” cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.

Why is that important?

These chemicals put our body into a state of “Flight or Fight,” which creates a short burst of heightened awareness and the energy to stay alive if we have to run away-from a threat or even fight back.

In today’s modern lifestyle, rush-hour traffic, high-stress jobs, toxic chemicals, and toxic foods all replaced Woolly Mammoths… creating chronic stress in our lives.  Chronic stress causes long-term elevated cortisol levels, and even worse, disrupts the natural up-and-down cortisol rhythm throughout the day.

This can cause a myriad of bad stuff like raising blood sugar, weakening immune system, leaky gut, hormonal imbalances, depression, anxiety, and mood imbalances^[1]…

But more importantly, chronically elevated cortisol is associated with slower wound healing^[2].  And data from both human and animal models have linked cortisol secretion with slower wound healing^[3].

Ok, so if most of us are under chronic stress and dealing with high cortisol, how does social interaction play into all this?

Well, it’s all about Oxytocin… the “love hormone”.

Oxytocin is released in response to physical contact, social contact, and social bonding.  In positive social situations, Oxytocin can suppress your body’s reaction to chronic stress and improve immune function by decreasing the cortisol concentrations that are high during chronic stress^[4].

Remember the hamsters?

Here are the cortisol concentration readings from the two groups:

Image Ref: Social Facilitation of Wound Healing

It’s been shown that psychological stress (and the correlating jump in cortisol) impairs wound healing^[5].  As it turns out, the socially isolated group experienced a profound jump in cortisol levels during the period of stress.  This data lead the authors to conclude that…

Social interactions buffer against the negative effects of stress and promote wound healing.

Though I’d like to review more studies validating this idea with humans, I think it raises an interesting point.  Since most of us are dealing with chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels (slowing down our ability to heal), it seems important to spend time with family and friends to lower cortisol and encourage faster wound healing.

I acknowledge there’s more I haven’t reviewed surrounding the different stages of wound healing and how that plays into chronic illness…

… but it might make sense to conclude that:

Spending more time with family and friends can counteract the negative effects of chronic stress… and help you heal faster.

How to “Get Your Social Interaction On” (And Reverse Chronic Illness)

When we’re dealing with Chronic Illness, especially digestive disease or fatigue, it’s easy to feel like you “just want to be alone.”

But what I’m arguing here is that social interaction can be an important part of reducing the negative effects of stress on your body and help you heal from chronic illness faster.  Many times we get the diet and supplements right, then focus entirely on managing stress, but this offers another tool in the fight against our modern stressful lifestyle.

Here’s 3-ways to incorporate social interaction as part of your chronic illness treatment.  Pick one and start testing it for the next seven days…

1.  Get out of the house and do something social 1-day a week…

Go for a walk with your family or go see a movie with a friend (assuming you’re healthy enough for it).

Plan it into your life alongside following SCD or taking supplements.  Give yourself an excuse to make new friends doing activities that don’t depend on food, things like:

1. Yoga class
2. Volunteering
3. Joining a club (like a book club, movie club, eagles, etc.).
4. Take hobby classes (Woodworking, instruments, etc.)
5. Recreational Sports (softball, volleyball, etc.)
6. Religious groups
7. College courses on topics you’re interested in, and on and on…

2.  Fix or end bad relationships…

This is a tough one, but it’s important.  Mend a bad relationship or end it and move on.  If you’re suffering with chronic illness there’s no room for the negative effects these relationships have on your ability to recover.  This is life or death…

Hostile or abrasive relationships affect physiological function and health… and slow wound healing^[6].  Not only that, but having better control over feelings of anger has been shown to improve wound healing^[7].

Mend bad relationships or remove them from your life.  You may be surprised how much better you’ll feel (and how much faster you heal) when they’re gone.  The goal is to spend more time having fun with friends and family.

3.  Practice being present and increasing your awareness…

Being present will help you have more fun with your friends and family.  Not only that, but relaxation interventions seem to facilitate faster wound healing from things like surgery^[8].

I’ve practiced meditation over the years and it increased my awareness of the present moment and allowed me experience more joy in my daily life.  It can help you experience more joy from the relationships you have with your friends and family.

If you’re just starting out, I would recommend Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book “Wherever You Go There You Are.”

I’ve been very impressed with his work in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, which combines both Meditation and Yoga to improve physical and emotional health.

You can learn more about his methods in another one of his books, “Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness.”

Social Interaction Is Just As Important As Diet…

If you want to heal your gut and recover from chronic illness – it’s important to maintain social interaction in your life.

Make social interaction as important as your diet and supplements.  Pick one of these three things and try it in your life for 7-days.  Track your symptoms and see how you feel.

Go spend some time with friends and family and let us know how you’re doing…

In good health,

P.S. – For extra credit, laugh every day!  Try looking at pictures of smiling faces when you wake up, like pictures of your family, or pictures that make you smile.

You can automate the process here: http://www.ajokeaday.com

“No offense Doc, but it feels like you have no clue what’s wrong with me.”

That’s what I said when I fired my Doctor in 2008…

As a kid I was taught to trust in my Doctor… to feel safe with them.  I was taught that when I got sick they would always make me better.

But when I started having diarrhea 10 times a day in 2007 my Doctor started shrugging more…

… and ordering more tests that didn’t give any answers

Sending me to specialists that didn’t have any answers…

… and trying to give me steroids, anti-depressants, and bowel-relaxers.

That’s when I lost my childhood trust and fired my Doctor

And I didn’t feel very trusting of healthcare professionals for a long time after that… until I got introduced to Chris Kresser L.Ac.

Steve sent me one of his articles over a year ago and since then we’ve studied and learned everything we could from him.  He’s become somewhat of a mentor for us through his blog posts and podcasts.

Over time we’ve been fortunate to find more healthcare professionals in areas like Functional Medicine, Integrated Medicine, and Naturopathy that are exceptionally AWESOME… (like our friend Dr. Allison Siebecker)

But finding Chris and his work opened my eyes to a whole new world.

So when he announced he was looking for a new podcast show host, we jumped on it…

And we’re incredibly humbled, proud, and excited to announce that:

We’re the new host/producer of Chris Kresser’s Revolution Health Radio show!

Chris just posted the first episode and I highly recommend you check it out here:

–> Can Autoimmune Disease Be Prevented And Reversed?

This episode is packed with knowledge on autoimmune disease, leaky gut, and chronic stress.

I really think you’ll enjoy it

We’re looking forward to having fun together and learning more from him along the way

(Don’t worry, this won’t impact our regular Podcasts or blog posts – it’s just an enjoyable side project).

P.S. – If this is your first time here, here’s a little more about us…

We believe that everyone struggling with digestive problems needs:

1. A custom diet like SCD
2. Customized digestive and nutritional supplementation
3. Positive lifestyle changes to relieve stress and move the body

Get to know us better:

Learn how Jordan overcame Celiac Disease here: Jordan’s Story

Learn how Steve took control of IBS here: Steve’s Story

Tell us more about you here: Contact us

Have you ever pooped yourself at the office?

I have.

So has Johanna .

Or, had a nasty reaction to Humira landing you in the Hospital?

Poked and prodded by the top doctors in Chicago, all in concert singing take more drugs or else, and said umm “No thanks”?

Started a blog, the SCD diet, weekly testing and then sharing those results setbacks and all?

Neither have I.

But Johanna over at the SCD Experiment has.

She’s a courageous, funny young woman who is chronicling her journey back to health.  She wears her heart on her sleeve and tells it like it is.

I have the utmost respect for her.  She is so truthful, raw and funny about a scary situation like Crohn’s disease and I really admire that.  It’s not easy to navigate digestive problems, drugs, jobs and hospital stays.  So when I saw that she was openly sharing it with the world I knew we needed to do a podcast.

Want proof SCD works?

Who doesn’t right, well Jo is doing her best to show it.  If nothing else check out her test results.

Raw, funny and the truth is the best way I can describe the SCD experiment.

Hope you enjoy it!

In this interview podcast with superhero Johanna, we cover:

2:45 How to know your really sick (Warning: Poop talk)

8:08 Humria puts her in the hospital, doctors say Remicade, Johanna say’s not so fast..

17:06 How she started SCD, including tweaks and supplements.

21:30 The biggest insight she had battling Crohn’s disease (It’s not what you think)

28:18 Not everyone has a doctor who listen’s and likes SCD, Johanna talks about how to handle the situation

32:38 How does Johanna know that her amazing progress against Crohn’s is because of the specific carbohydrate diet?

Thanks for coming on show Johanna, your blog is helping us all!

P.S. – If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.   Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

Ever meet someone with contagious energy that’s almost addicting?

Like a breath of fresh air in your life?

Recently, that happened to me after reading a single sentence in an email…

And I got the chance to make friends with one of the most inspirational people I’ve ever met.

Sandi Krakowski is a Mother, Multi-Million Dollar Business Owner, and Certifiable Changer of Lives…

Oh yeah – and she also whipped Ulcerative Colitis into remission using the Specific Carbohydrate Diet!

Just talking with her for a few minutes uplifted me for days…

And in today’s interview, we had the honor of interviewing Sandi all about her experience taking control of her health while still finding time to help thousands create a business from home.

I really think you’ll enjoy her uplifting and contagious energy as much as I do…

In this interview podcast with Sandi Krakowski, we cover:

3:18 Sandi’s incredible transformation from a past “that could make psychologists rich” to a stay-at-home Mom changing people’s lives

10:30 “I was preparing my kids to live without me”

20:45 “If you don’t like your Doctor…. FIRE THEM”

25:05 How she used SCD to completely shut down Colitis symptoms in two weeks…

30:15 The number one safety net she put in place to help her heal…

36:31 “I AM NOT COLITIS”

42:01 The biggest equation that put Colitis in the back seat and completely changed her life

50:05 Why taking charge of your health is absolutely essential to becoming who you really are

55:06 How to grab a FREE copy of Sandi’s book “Read Their Mind”

Thanks for your time Sandi – this interview is so inspirational and I know it’s going to help a TON of people,

P.S. – If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.   Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

Could It Really Be Possible to Wake Up Rested and Energized, With a Renewed Passion For Life?

The Answer is YES!

Recently, we sent out a survey asking what you’d like to learn more about and hundreds of you helped us out (thanks, you rock!)

Your response revealed a few key areas you’d like more help with…

In fact, almost 70% of you wanted more help creating a strong mind and body with just a few minutes of easy yoga, meditation, and exercise (see the cool graphic below)

What you’re doing isn’t easy…

You’re naturally overcoming digestive disease using the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and supplements… which is why you’re so amazing!

But here’s the thing: healing can take a longer, harder road if you don’t make it a priority in your life to create a strong mind and body.

Things like stress, anxiety, poor sleep, and depression all mess up your body’s natural ability to heal…

I’d love to show you how a few simple steps can create a “strong mind and body” everyday to help you feel more rested, refreshed, and vibrant…

… while helping you heal faster!

What you’ll discover on the tele-class: 

• Instantly relieve stress in minutes!
• Increase energy and vitality
• Get balance in all areas of your life
• Calm your mind and calm your digestion
• Relax in less than 30 seconds
• Find a smile on your face, excited for a new day
• Getting that thing called “Mindfullness”
• Naturally wake-up BEFORE the alarm
• Feel more in tune with your body
• Wake-up without feeling “rushed” or “stressed”
• Wake-up rested with sustained energy
• Start your day feeling refreshed
• Think clearly again

And much much more…

So we recorded a 4 hour tele-class… and the entire thing is based on your feedback.

It’s designed to deliver the results I just talked about and even show you how to create an automatic routine that you LOVE doing every day.

I know we can help…

I know because of the additional healing we’ve done over the last three years using yoga, meditation, and exercise along with SCD…

… without struggling to find time

… without life getting in the way

… and without having trouble staying committed.

It can all be done in a few minutes each day and you won’t need to buy anything extra to get started.

Here’s some of your survey results that shaped the tele-class:

1. What’s your biggest heath challenge?

1. Digestive Problems 63%
2. Low Energy/Fatigue 43%
3. Out of shape 22%
4. Stress 22%
5. Anxiety 16%
6. Underweight 15%
7. Chronic Pain 12%
8. Depressed 10%
9. Can’t Sleep (Insomnia)  9%

2. Which healthy habits would you like to learn or improve upon in your life?

1. Better Quality Sleep 57%
2. Strength Training 55%
3. Meditation 54%
4. Improved Diet   52%
5. Exercise 47%
6. Yoga 42%
7. Running 7%

When healing from digestive disease, knowing WHAT to focus on is everything…

I’ve been there…

If we just focused on diet and supplements we’ll probably get better…

But… not fixing things like poor sleep, high-stress, low-activity, and paralyzing anxiety can trigger setbacks all by themselves.

This is one of the biggest mistakes people make… even if diet and supplementation are perfect; these external forces can still cause awful digestive symptoms.

On this tele-class, we’ll teach you how to create a simple habit with yoga, meditation, and exercise that feels so good it hurts NOT to do it!

You’ll learn why making your mind and body strong first thing everyday is critical for healing (and for making yourself IMMUNE to setbacks!)

Remission is about diet modification first, BUT…

It’s important to have the rest of the puzzle pieces in place to naturally control digestive disease.

(Who wants to feel good for a while and have the symptoms come raging back whenever life gets a little crazy?)

This tele-class is all about taking care of yourself and creating a strong mind and body that in turn, makes you feel like yourself again.

We have personally used these techniques to take control of our health…

… to take control of our lives!

Let us show you HOW!

Easily Create a Strong Mind and Body Using Yoga, Meditation, and Exercise

– Click Here To Learn More –

Hope to see you there!

I’ve read tons of fat loss books and articles over the years, BUT I’ve never seen someone recommend that you fix your digestive problems to lose weight… until now.

Sean Croxton, author and creator of undergroundwellness.com, has done exactly that in his new book: The Dark Side of Fat Loss.

The best part?

The longest chapter in the book is all about digestion!

“You Have to Get Healthy to Lose Fat” 

Sean puts much of the obesity epidemic on having a body that’s unhealthy, stressed out, sleep-deprived, digestively damaged, and full of processed junk food.  This is the first time I’ve seen someone put all the pieces together and argue that weight gain is a symptom of an unhealthy lifestyle… which makes perfect sense to me.

I’ve read his book cover-to-cover and I think it’s an amazing resource that anyone trying to maximize their health should own. It’s like reading the cliff notes from all the best and the brightest in the holistic health field coupled with specific, actionable steps to start feeling your best today.  There’s something to learn for everyone and plenty of myths to bust.

In today’s podcast, we got to turn the tables and pick Sean’s brain on digestive problems, toxins, and stress.  I think you’re really going to learn a lot from what he shared.

In this podcast with Sean Croxton, we explore:

1:43 Sean’s amazing story – including how his in-school training didn’t lead to real world results with his initial clients and what he started doing instead

4:41 His “Just Eat Real Food” 30-day Challenge (JERF30)… which ended up having a lot in common with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet

7:39 Why 90% of Sean’s private clients complain about digestive problems, and why the other 10% aren’t able to admit it

9:40 Sean’s exact plan of attack if you hire him to help out with digestive symptoms

14:00 Digestion and stress… why everyone needs to chill out more and start hanging out with friends if they want to feel great

18:58 Why you’re probably missing the boat if your biggest problem is Candida overgrowth… and the real reason you need to be thinking about Gut Dysbiosis

23:09 Sean’s best tip from the Dark Side of Fat Loss (do this exercise if you’re questioning whether this health stuff is really worth it)

31:32 Doing P90X and experiencing digestive symptoms? Here’s why you wouldn’t be if Sean was helping out…

35:12 How today’s modern lifestyle is filled with toxins leaching into our skin, from cosmetics to the water we drink, and why many common household products could be slowly killing us…

38:35 The book no one would ever buy: “The Dark Side of Getting Healthy”… and why the one you should buy is “The Dark Side of Fat Loss”

–> Get your copy here (this is not a paid affiliate link – we just think it’s an awesome book)

Thanks for your time Sean – it was great conversation that’s going to help so many people.

P.S. – If you liked what your heard today make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review to let us know how we are doing – thanks!  Also, If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.  

Why aren’t there more studies on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet?

That question used to drive me nuts when I was thinking about starting SCD.

Until I finally found one… one that seemed very convincing.

And it played a big role in thinking the SCD Diet might work for me…

One 20-Patient Crohn’s Study Proved SCD Can Work…

Dr. Leo Galland’s Crohn’s Disease study found that:

“All 20 patients demonstrated a decrease in symptoms and reduction in medication use. Six patients have entered complete clinical remission, discontinued all medication, and maintained remission for five to 80 months.”

So when I read the hard evidence in the study, it convinced me that SCD does work… and gave me confidence that diet modification was the right treatment option for me.

And Dr. Galland’s work will continue to support SCD for years to come.

In today’s podcast, we had the honor of interviewing Dr. Galland all about his experience treating patients with IBD… and where The Specific Carbohydrate Diet fits in.

I really think you’ll enjoy it

In this podcast with Dr. Galland, we cover:

2:16 Dr. Galland shares the story of how he became involved with Integrated Medicine and putting the patient back into the healing process

9:01 How he discovered the power of The Specific Carbohydrate Diet and why he started using it with patients

13:21 Dr. Galland’s experience with SCD and treating patients with Ulcerative Colitis (as echoed by Elaine)

(Note From Jordan: Our experience with SCD and UC patients has not been the same as the experience Dr. Galland mentions here… as long as they are using the “phasing” approach to SCD we’ve seen it work well in relieving symptoms)

15:59 “For Crohn’s, I absolutely believe that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet should be the first approach to treatment”

17:15 How he approaches treatment of Crohn’s Disease… where The Specific Carbohydrate Diet fits in, and which supplements matter

19:34 How he approaches treatment of Ulcerative Colitis… where The Specific Carbohydrate Diet fits in, and which supplements matter

23:18 The specific changes he makes when SCD isn’t working for patients

30:12 The supplements he sees help… and hurt… in his treatment of IBD

39:40 The specific stool testing he finds helpful in finding parasites or bacterial infections that need to be addressed

46:30 How you can learn even more from Dr. Galland and follow his work

49:38 How healing occurs in patients and the 4-pillars of healing that you can control in order to get better

Thanks for your time Dr. Galland – this was an incredible interview that will help so many people,

P.S. – If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.   Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

Recently, we got an email about The Specific Carbohydrate Diet and Crohn’s Disease that was so inspirational I shared the story with my family…

This was how it started off:

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 1989 when I was 13 years old.  After years of medications (Prednisone, Asycol, Mesasol,…) and no control over the disease, my gastro strongly suggested that we operate.

But it quickly got awesome:

I followed the (SCD) diet very closely for about 7 years living with awesome energy, no pain, and as normal a life any teen.  I started to add new foods to the SCD and had no symptoms of Crohn’s.  Life was great.

And the coolest part?

He included a picture of his signed copy of “Food and Gut Reaction” (The original title of Elaine Gottschall’s “Breaking the Vicious Cycle”):

But There Was A Twist…

The email took an emotional turn:

In February 2004, I still had no symptoms of Crohn’s yet in the early morning of one day I woke up with unimaginable pain in my right abdomen…  I had emergency surgery to remove my ileum and appendix, unfortunately they didn’t remove the barium and after surgery the barium solidified and ruptured my intestines, spilling into my abdominal cavity…

Ever since I’ve been dealing with daily constant intense pain.

But that’s when Patrick revealed the most powerful part of his story… how SCD worked again… even after his surgery:

My progress has been solid and my pain is all but gone.  At the most I get one episode of pain per day lasting nothing more then 30 minutes or so.  I’m now ready to live on this diet for the rest of my life, I don’t want to ever get the same pain I’ve felt for so long.

And in today’s podcast, we had the honor of interviewing Patrick about treating his Crohn’s Disease with SCD… twice.

I really think you’ll enjoy it

In this interview podcast with Patrick Leger, we cover:

1:02 His incredible journey to SCD when he was still a teenager battling Crohn’s Disease… and how he ended up getting his original copy of “Breaking The Vicious Cycle” signed by Elaine Gottschall

5:04 “After a few weeks I had no more blood, no more diarrhea, and the pain was gone”

9:03 “I woke up with this incredibly bad abdominal pain… and within minutes I passed out on the flooor”

15:28 “After a very long year and half I was cleaning off my bookshelf and found ‘Food and Gut Reaction’…”

18:00 “After 3 weeks I was getting 3′s and 4′s on the Bristol Scale and the pain was less constant”

19:40 How SCD changed his life when he was only 15-years old…

23:14 He he handled friends, social life, and temptation as a teenager with Crohn’s following SCD

29:32 Trying SCD again after surgery… when no other options were left

33:34 “Starve it and then show it who’s boss… you have to take your life back”

36:30 His advice for someone thinking about starting The Specific Carbohydrate Diet…

Thanks for your time Patrick – you’re an inspiration and this interview is going to help so many people,

P.S. – If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.   Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

IBS constipation (IBS-C) sucks!  I’ve been there, straining so hard you see stars on the toilet or looking and feeling like you just ate Thanksgiving dinner for the 3^rd time this week even though your half eaten salad is still in front of you.

Most people never seek professional medical help, they hear from a friend to “try more fruits and vegetables” or “take Miralax”.  Maybe they go to a doctor who tells them it’s in their heads or they just need more fiber.

I tried these and many more common IBS relief methods, and can tell you they are only temporary band-aids that usually do more harm than good.  I’m hoping that you won’t waste as much time as I did trying to figure out your ISB-C!  I’m going to explain how I overcame my IBS-C and you can do it with a few natural changes.

Why You’re Not Pooping As Often As You Want To

There are several factors that could be at play, most of which are still not well understood.  Hence the fact that the mainstream medical community commonly prescribes things that don’t actually fix any of the root cause of constipation.  I want to focus on two known components of constipation:  The first is gut bacteria and the second is digestion speed.

Poop is 50-70% dead bacteria.  In my opinion this tells us two things, the first is that the amount of good bacteria we need in our system is important (generally more is better) and second the proper mix of bacteria is important (more of the good kind & less of the bad).

The speed at which you digest is not controlled consciously.  After chewing your food everything else is supposed to happen in harmony (on auto-pilot).  For you and I with IBS-C, something is screwing this up.  So the question I often wondered was: what am I doing that is causing my digestive problems?  Well there are many factors that could be at play speeding up (stress and digestion) or slowing down (brain or nerve damage/problems) digestion.  But what if I am asking the wrong question?

What if the correct question to ask is: is my digestion structurally sound? Could it do its job if everything was optimal?  Absent any external forces on digestion it should proceed at the proper speed.  So that begs the question, during perfect digestion what controls digestive speed?  Our current understanding is the stomach acid strength or PH is the biggest contributor.  What that means if it is low, high, not working correctly then your digestion is basically doomed before you even take a bite of food.

How To Conquer Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Overcoming IBS naturally takes a few steps.  You may need to stop some current habits and/or add some new ones.  The best piece of advice I can give you is to start taking action (oh and forget any “magic pill” ideas they don’t exist).  It’s easy to be overwhelmed by too many conflicting opinions or choices.  But the only sure way you will overcome your Irritable bowel syndrome is to try a treatment and evaluate it for yourself.  Take what works, adopt it, and leave behind what doesn’t.  If you stay true to taking action in short time you will be regularly pooping with ease.

If you are ready to take control of your IBS-C and get relief from the cramping, bloating and pain the steps are lay below.  They work best when combined together, but at the very least you should pick one habit to stop right away and one new habit to implement in its place.

Stop the Top 3 IBS-C Triggers

1.  Stop Using Artificial Means of Pooping
Your brain and body are always learning based on the stimuli they come into contact with.  If you’re regularly using enemas or laxatives to poop your body is going to start expecting and depending on them.  Each time you use one of these methods, you are strengthening a neural pathway that says “you cannot poop on your own” (there are extreme exceptions like going longer than 4 days without a bowel movement but do what you can to stop the dependence).  Stop using these helpers and give your body the chance to do its business.

2.  Remove The Food Triggers of Constipation
Diarrhea gets most of press when it comes to food reactions and food allergies but people with IBS-C can have the exact same problems, with a different symptom.  Again, this is not totally understood, but for some people dairy and gluten trigger diarrhea and others it is constipation.  Most people who have IBS-C will see improvements if they eliminate the most common food allergens from their diets: wheat, corn, egg and dairy.

3.  Don’t Strain on The Toilet
Straining on the toilet is like the sucking down your food without chewing.  You’re messing up your body’s built in programs…STOP IT!  No but seriously, just like you were given a set of teeth to crush your food into small particles for good digestion.  You are equipped with a hormonal system that will urge you to evacuate waste effortlessly when its time.  Until then, straining and pushing on the toilet is counterproductive to retaining the body to naturally poop.  Not to mention too much pushing and toilet seat time can cause hemorrhoids and anal fissures, which no one wants.

Top 3 Steps to End Constipation

1.  Get More Bacteria in Your Life (Take Probiotics)
In our digestive system lives a diverse and large population of bacteria.  Our poop is mostly made of bacteria so it is important to support the good bacteria that make perfect poops possible.  There are a couple ways of getting more good bacteria in your life.  The first is like our ancestors eat fermented foods on a regular basis.  The second way is to take probiotic pills which contain known strains of good bacteria that will help.  When I started taking probiotics I immediately saw an improvement in my bowel movements.  I also saw good results eating SCD legal yogurt (a lactose-free fermented food) on a regular basis.  So I would recommend picking one or the other to get started.  Fermented foods or probiotic pills.  The fastest change I know of is to start taking some lactobacillus acidophilus pills.

2.  Eat a Supportive, Easy to Digest Diet (like the SCD Diet)

What is a healthy digestive diet?  My definition would be one that removes food toxins, made of whole non-processed foods and filled with nourishing easy to digest foods.  That means specifically no grains (filled with toxins) or added sugars (which feed bad bacteria and cause poor hormonal changes).  The best diet specifically designed for restoring digestive health is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).  SCD encourages good bacterial growth to further heal your gut and helps to kill off bad bacteria that might be running amuck in your gut.  If you go the extra step of starting off with the intro diet (like the most successful people do) it is likely that you will start seeing results in the first week.

For a free guide to get started click here and we will email you one.

3.  Make Sure You Don’t Have Slow Digestion

IBS-C can easily be the result of slow digestion.  I said above that there are a number of things that can slow digestion down like stress, emotions, and toxins to name a few more.  But if the structural components that govern the speed are broken, then all other treatments are only going to be marginally effective.

Healthy stomach acid is the key to creating the proper bowel speed.  It all starts with the acid level, which is a first line body defense that destroys pathogens, toxins, and starts the digestive process through the intestines.  If you’re low, which is pretty typical for IBS-C people, you need to figure out how to get your acid levels up.  The best supplements are usually digestive bitters or Betaine HCL.  I use Betaine HCL very effectively and it has been a big key in getting rid of my IBS-C.

Remember these 6 steps work best in concert together to naturally get rid of your IBS-C and stop  that nagging constipation that creeps up every few days to annoy you.

I encourage you to take action today by choosing one of each and implementing them in your life.

Then come back tell me your still alive and how it went!

What convinced you to start the Specific Carbohydrate Diet?

For me, it was just a few printed words.

I read “Breaking The Vicious Cycle” twice… but I was still deeply afraid the diet wouldn’t work for me and didn’t start.

Until late one night when I was stuck on the toilet and realized I never read the forward to the book.

I had skipped over it… twice.

And that’s when a Doctor convinced me to try The Specific Carbohydrate Diet…

Dr. Ronald Hoffman wrote the forward to “Breaking The Vicious Cycle”.

So when I read about his clinical experience with SCD it was just enough to push me into starting the diet.

He convinced me to change my life… and it is the best decision I’ve ever made!

And in today’s podcast, we had the honor of interviewing Dr. Hoffman all about his experience treating patients with SCD.

I really think you’ll enjoy it

In this podcast with Dr. Hoffman, we cover:

1:04 Dr. Hoffman’s incredible journey to SCD when his patients weren’t getting any better… and how he ended up writing the forward to “Breaking The Vicious Cycle”

6:10 What he tells patients and Doctors who aren’t convinced diet affects health and his experience using SCD

13:35 The main side effect of SCD that makes some Gastroenterologist mad

15:08 Who he typically prescribes The Specific Carbohydrate Diet and how well it works for them…

18:55 The most common SCD mistakes he sees patients make that prevent the diet from working

23:30 His recommended approach for starting SCD that works best for his patients… (with the admission that this diet is not universally effective)

25:20 The specific supplements and treatments he uses alongside SCD, including which ones ACTUALLY work for his patients

30:37 How well do people handle the transition to eating more healthy fats and can the body adjust?

32:10 His thoughts on patients using SCD while taking drugs and how to tell when it’s time to back off them

41:49 The honest truth about who he’s seen respond well to SCD and the one key tweak he makes with some men

44:28 How you can learn ever more from Dr. Hoffman and listen to his radio show

45:38 How to talk to your doctor about complimentary and alternative medicine

Thanks for your time Dr. Hoffman – this was an incredible interview that will help so many people,

P.S. – If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.   Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

I don’t think about the night my Father died very often… it still hurts too much.

He had a massive heart attack on a cold night in December 2007…

And I was the one who found him.

He was already gone.

I remember screaming.

911.

Police and fire.

Shaking uncontrollably.

The Medical Examiner.

Shock.

Sobbing…

and then it got quiet again.

That’s when I had the most horrific diarrhea session I’ve ever experienced.  It was more violent than any stomach virus or food poisoning imaginable…

My body was out-of-control and I could hardly get a hold of myself.

That’s the first time I realized the incredible power that stress has over my body… and started my quest to better manage stress and the digestive system.

If you want to heal your gut and control the symptoms of digestive disease – you have to get a handle on the stress and digestion in your life… or it will undermine all the work you’re doing following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and using supplementation to take control of your health.

Stress used to keep us alive…

Stress is about more than just being stuck in traffic or fighting with a spouse over bills.

Stress causes a natural physiological (chemical) response in the body with the core purpose of keeping us alive.  In fact, this “fight or flight” chemical response used to save our ancestors everyday while they roamed the earth dodging Saber-Tooth Tigers and Woolly Mammoths.

During stress, the Adrenal Glands release the “stress hormones” cortisol, epinephrine, and norepenephine.

Why is that important?

These chemicals put our body into a state of “Flight or Fight,” which was great for our ancestors.  It gave them a short burst of heightened awareness and the energy to stay alive no matter what threat they were up against.

Here’s the problem: now we roam the earth well protected in safe cars, safe homes, and comfy work places… not running from Woolly Mammoths.

Short bursts of life or death stress like our ancestors experienced are rare in today’s world, unless you get mugged or something.

The majority of the stress we experience in today’s world is the chronic form – things like not getting enough sleep, going to work, family issues, health issues, not having enough money… and unfortunately the body can’t distinguish threat levels like our government.

Our body responds with a “code red” and activates the “Fight or Flight” response just like it’s programmed.

So physiologically, as soon as you roll out of bed, your body is acting like you’re running from saber-tooth tigers all day.

It’s just not good for us.

Chronic stress keeps cortisol levels high and disrupts the body’s natural 24-hour cortisol rhythm that rises and falls throughout the day.

Not only that, but elevated cortisol:

• Raises blood sugar
• Suppresses Immune function and healing
• Promotes leaky gut syndrome
• Causes hormone imbalance
• Increased depression and anxiety
• Altered digestive motility processes

The bottom line: chronic stress really messes with your body… especially the digestive system.

Properly managing stress can help you improve your digestion.  That’s why I’m going to focus on managing stress in your life… so you can keep working on controlling stress and the digestive system preventing you from living a symptom-free life.

But Managing Stress and digestion is tricky

Here are three tips for managing stress to improve digestion.  Pick one of these three things and test it for the next seven days…

1) Quit the news cold turkey

Before I get into the complex stuff I want to share the number one thing that helped me manage stress and the digestive system in my life.

I STOPPED reading, watching, and getting sucked into the news.

Try it for 7-days and see how you feel.

(I’ve heard that on average, 14 out of 15 news stories are negative)

Don’t worry, you’ll still find out what’s going on in the world from friends and co-workers… without being exposed to the negativity and stress that you’ll find on the news most days.

Doing just that one thing for the next 7-days will likely have a dramatic impact on the stress you feel throughout the day.

2) Meditation

I’ve practiced meditation over the years and I used to think that it reduced my stress.  But it was more indirect than that.

Meditation increased my awareness of the present moment and allowed me experience more joy in my daily life.

If you’re just starting out I would recommend Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book “Wherever You Go There You Are.”

I’ve been very impressed with his work in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, which combines both Meditation and Yoga to improve physical and emotional health.  You can learn more about his methods in another of his books, “Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness.”

For a step-by-step 30-day system to reduce your stress, boost your energy, and to help you heal your digestive problems faster check out our “Makeover Your Morning” course to wakeup in 30-days stress-free, happier, and more relaxed.

3 ) Cultivate Your Social Life

Staying cooped up inside the house can actually make you sicker and increase the impact stress has on your body.

A 1995 Cleveland Clinic study that says, “Social support appeared to play an important role in moderating the effects of pain, functional limitation and even depression on the subject’s quality of life.”

Also, a 2003 PNEC study found that, “Social interactions buffer against stress and they promote wound healing.  And the data implies that social isolation impairs wound healing.”

So how does your social life tie in to all of this?

It has everything to do with the Oxytocin that gets released in response to both physical contact and social behavior.

Oxytocin can suppress your body’s reaction to stress.

It improves your immune system and your ability to heal because it decreases the impact of cortisol during “Fight or Flight” stress response, which is crucial during the inflammatory stage of healing.

So the take-away point here is: get out of the house and have some fun with friends and family…

Not only will it help you manage stress, but it will help you heal your digestive problems.

So call your friend and make some time to catch a movie… or take your Mom out for a walk.  It matters…

Managing stress is just as important as diet…

If you want to heal your gut and control the symptoms of digestive disease – you have to learn how to manage the stress in your life.

It will undermine all the work you’re doing following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and using supplementation to take control of your health.

Make stress management just as important as the other areas you’re working on. 

If you’re really serious about managing your stress, join us for our free 7-day stress reduction challenge…

Here’s How The 7-Day Stress Reduction Challenge Works:

• Join the 7-day stress reduction challenge by entering your name and email in the box below
• It’s completely free
• Every morning for the next 7 days you’ll get an email delivered to your inbox
• Each email will have a different technique for you to use to lift the weight of the world off your shoulders
• At the end of the 7 days, if you use everything we show you, you’ll cut your stress in half

If you’re ready to get this part of your life handled to further heal your digestive problems… and ready to do a 7 DAY CHALLENGE with us and many others…..

Join the challenge now…

[Can't see the form? Click here to join.]

In good health,

In today’s mailbag podcast, we cover everything from pencil poops to elevated liver enzymes… and I really think you’ll enjoy it

We cover…

2:10 Comparing SCD to GAPS, Paleo/Primal, and FODMAP – the gloves come off… and find out what they all have in common that really matters

11:15 Our best strategy for introducing dairy – and the specific order that seems to work best

14:49 What to do about “pencil poops” and why they might be a subtle clue you need to pay attention to

20:30 How to find good quality turkey without additives that can slow your healing… and our opinion on Rosemary Extract

24:40 What to do if you fail the “stomach acid” test… and how to overcome side effects from introducing probiotics

30:13 3 things to check when you see elevated liver enzymes… especially if you’re worried SCD could be causing more harm than good

35:41 Exactly what to do if you want to try Betaine HCL… but you’re stuck taking Prilosec

40:45 The steps to avoid CRUSHING setbacks from antibiotics – and how to know when antibiotics might be exactly what you NEED

In good health,

Want your questions answered on the next podcast?

Submit your question here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

- If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.

- Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

Can boiling water get more boiled?  In other words if I crank the heat up higher and higher after my water is boiling am I achieving anything?

The answer is NO if my desired outcome was boiled water.  After heating water to 212 °F (100 °C) at standard air pressure any extra effort is wasted.  Boiled water is boiled.

This is a great example from Tim Ferriss of MED or the minimum effective dose.  MED is simply the smallest dose that produces the desired outcome.

Any effort of any kind beyond the MED is wasted.

What does that mean for our daily lives?

1. It means the goal or desired outcome is more important than ever.
2. And that more is not always better, this applies in all areas of our lives

Strength Training Will Improve Your Life If Done Right

In the first post on this topic, we found that strength training coupled with the specific carbohydrate diet can help us heal, keep us from developing age related diseases like osteoporosis and allow us to look good.  But it has a dark side, done wrong it wastes precious time and energy that we could be using to heal our gut.  Taken to an extreme, such as 1.5hr weight lifting sessions with cardio, it will even set us back and keep us from healing.

Anja Hartleb-Parson a personal trainer and life coach who has struggled with digestive problems is back to help us wrap up the subject of strength training.

Enter Anja:

Based on my previous post, in which I discussed the general principles of effective exercise and what they mean for healing and recovery, I want to now give you some specific tips on how to develop and implement an exercise routine that is right for you in the context of digestive healing.

A few caveats up front though:

1)       Having looked at the research, I consider weight training the best bang for your exercise buck. Cardio activities are ok if you enjoy them or if you are trying to achieve certain goals (e.g. a 7-minute mile). But beware that excessive cardio is not the way to go if your primary goal is to heal, gain weight, build muscle or lose fat because it strains your body’s recovery resources and may even create further inflammation.

2)       I am assuming that you have been cleared for lifting weights by a doctor, and that you feel well enough to engage in it. But be careful, take it slow and really pay attention to the signals your body is giving you.

3)       It is absolutely vital that you know how to lift weights correctly, not only to prevent injury but also to ensure that you are working the right muscles.

4)       I highly recommend you work out with a partner. A partner can check your form, lifting speed and intensity, help you reach muscle failure more effectively (see below), and motivate you.

Now that we have that out of the way, the key to finding the right routine is understanding that exercise is just like taking medicine; you need to find the right amount that is most effective but produces the least side effects. More is not better; be prepared to dial it back and do less when necessary.

Steve: Again defining MED, very important concept.

That is why I do not recommend doing more than one set per exercise. Despite what I was taught as a personal trainer, the research has not convinced me that multiple sets are necessary. Moreover, doing more than necessary is counter-productive to your goals because it overtaxes your body’s recovery resources.

That said, the determinants for setting up your exercise routine should be your goals, exercise intensity, recovery and measurement.

Know your goals

If you still have healing to do but feel well enough to start lifting, or if you have trouble gaining weight, you probably should begin with an abbreviated routine to avoid impeding your body’s recovery ability. I recommend no more than 3 compound movements, 1 set each, every 5 to 7 days.

If you are strong enough to focus on muscle gain and fat loss, you can try a routine that addresses all major muscle groups with 4 to 6 mostly compound movements, 1 set each, every 3 to 5 days.

Ensure proper intensity

As explained previously, reaching complete muscle failure is crucial. That entails choosing a heavy enough weight, moving the weight through a full range of motion, using the right number of repetitions, and a slow cadence (i.e. speed at which you move a weight) to avoid having momentum do the work for you.

Most people are not used to actually reaching muscle failure (even if they think they do) because they stop before things get too uncomfortable, and they don’t focus enough on their workout (chatty Kathy, anyone?). If you don’t get to failure during your first couple of workouts, that’s ok. But keep moving toward it.

One very effective trick I found to ensure proper form, speed and intensity is to visualize and feel the muscle I am working while I move the weight. It also helps me determine whether I have really reached muscle failure or still have some gas left in the tank to use up.

Now, without going into the technical detail here, there are three levels of strength you need to exhaust to achieve muscle failure: positive (lifting), static (holding), and negative (lowering).

Your positive strength is considerably weaker than your static and negative strengths. The best rep range I have found is 8 to 12, so choose a weight that will allow you to lift slowly, controlled and with good form for at least 8 repetitions but no more than 12. Your lifting speed should be at least 2 seconds.

Once you fail on the positive, you still need to exhaust your negative and static levels. To do that, have your partner help you lift the weight and then let you lower it in good form for at least 4 seconds.

Once you cannot lower the weight anymore without good form, simply keep pushing against it for as long as you can to exhaust your static strength.

Take enough time to recover

If you have employed the right intensity, you will require a good chunk of time to recover. This varies from person to person. In the beginning, when your body is not used to doing this kind of exercise, you may need extra time.

Generally I have found 4 to 7 days in between workouts to be sufficient, but there is no shame in taking an extra day off. It is more important to pay attention to your body’s signals, i.e. how well you feel, whether you have any soreness left, and whether you are psychologically motivated enough to work as hard as you should.

Steve: Listen to your body, if your really sick start with daily walks and some yoga as Matt suggested.  But don’t confuse this with your mind, not working out because you “don’t feel like it” or some other excuse is not “listening to your body” its just making excuses.

Also, as you advance your recovery time will increase because you need to work at greater intensity levels to keep triggering an adaptation response from your body.

Measure your results

To know you are on the right track, keep a workout log. It should include the exercises you performed, the weight you used, and how many reps at each level of strength you performed (i.e. note down how many positive, negative and partial reps you completed, and how long you were able to push against the weight at the end). A spreadsheet works great for this.

Steve: Very important to do this, just like a food journal if your not recording and tracking why are you doing it? I use a small spiral bound book and a pen that I keep in my gym bag, it never leaves my bag so I never have an excuse to forget it.  Also make sure you record things like the position of the seat or pin location on the equipment you use.  We want to keep those variables the same every time you lift if possible.

You might also want to make note of certain things you noticed, e.g. “I was kind of tired today”, “I didn’t go to complete failure on the chest fly”, etc.

Keeping a record will allow you to adapt your intensity as you progress. Once you reach the upper limit of the rep range on an exercise, you should increase the weight by at least 5 percent the next time you perform that exercise.

Your workout log can also tell you what changes to make to the routine when you are stuck. If for instance you notice you are not moving up in reps or weight on the shoulder press, your shoulders might be lagging behind in strength gains. In that case you might want to try working your shoulders first when you are still fresh, or employ some advanced protocols (see below).

Steve: I like to use a tape measure to track my gains body wise. Scale weight is nothing but a measure of gravity on the body.  I don’t use it and encourage most to throw theirs away.  Track your waist size with a tape measure instead of a scale.

Two sample routines

 I personally use the routines below, the first one when I don’t feel strong enough for a full routine, and the second one when I am 100 percent. For both, do one set of each exercise, 8-12 reps, using 2 seconds to lift and 4 seconds to lower. I use machines instead of free weights because they are safer and more effective.

1. Routine

Leg Press

Chest Fly

Row OR Pull-down

2. Routine

Shoulder Press

Row OR Pull-down

Chest Fly

Leg Press

Hamstring Curl OR Leg Extension

Bicep curl OR Triceps Extension

You can customize these routines depending on your needs and progress, for instance by modifying the order of the exercises, or by employing advanced protocols such as negative-only reps, static hold-only and strongest-range reps (this is when you do reps in your strongest range of motion only).

Steve: These advanced ideas are not needed by most people, don’t concern yourself with them, remember more does not always mean better.  When you can bench, squat and deadlift 1.5-2 times your body weight then you can start worrying about this ideas.

Advanced protocols though do require more resources to recover, so select only one or two exercises for which to use them, make note of them in your workout log and pay special attention during your recovery period to how you respond to them.

Well, I hope this post was helpful to you. Let me know what you think; I look forward to your feedback.

Anja Hartleb-Parson is Vice President of Research for an educational non-profit. As the owner of Lead Your Self Coaching she also helps people fine-tune their thinking skills for maximum achievement. Visit Lead-Your-Self.com to sign up for Anja’s free newsletter “Fine-tune In 5” to improve your thinking skills in FIVE minutes (or less) with one short weekly tip.

I just watched an ABC World News special about a secret 8-hour interview with Jacqueline Kennedy recorded only 4-months after JFK’s tragic death.

Apparently, the recording has been locked in a vault for 50 years, and now it’s finally being released to the public.

In this clip from the interview, Jacqueline reveals the “stomach trouble” JFK dealt with all his life, even calling it the “Kennedy Stomach…”

You’ll also learn how one of the most prolific president’s in history suffered through HORRIBLE symptoms consistent with Celiac Disease and Colitis throughout his campaign and presidency.

(Watch from 5:30 to 7:18 for the important stuff.  Sorry about the ad in the beginning… thanks ABC)

A little research revealed even more details…

Dr. Green, Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons said:

“In Kennedy’s adolescence, gastrointestinal symptoms, weight and growth problems as well as fatigue were described. Later in life, he suffered from abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, osteoporosis, migraine and Addison’s disease. Chronic back problems, due to osteoporosis resulted in several operations and required medications for chronic pain. He was extensively evaluated in major medical centers including the Mayo Clinic and hospitals in Boston, New Haven and New York. Among the multiple diagnoses were ulcers, colitis, spastic colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and food allergies. His medications included corticosteroids, antispasmotics, Metamucil and Lomotil. However it is not clear that his physicians obtained a definitive diagnosis. “

He goes on to say:

“Kennedy’s Irish heritage, long duration of gastrointestinal complaints (since childhood), diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome and migraine, presence of severe osteoporosis, and the development of Addison’s disease all lead to a presumptive diagnosis of celiac disease.“

If JFK was able to do such incredible things WHILE struggling with this stuff, imagine if he was diagnosed and treated with The Specific Carbohydrate Diet to stop the symptoms early on.

Then imagine what YOU could do in your life without symptoms…

Imagine if you really spent time building a custom version of SCD (and figured out exactly what to eat to feel good).

I’m betting you could do amazing things you never thought were possible…

Especially if you didn’t have to worry about your stomach messing up your daily life.

In fact, you could probably live a completely different life using SCD to control your symptoms.

That’s why we created our book, to walk you through the step-by-step process to build your personalized version of SCD and take control of your health… so you can experience the endless possibilities of a life without symptoms.

Here’s the link to find out how: Click here to learn more about our book

In good health,

What if I said, “You can gain weight and heal faster at the same time.  And you only have to commit to one extra hour a week?”

Intrigued? Well the best part is it’s true and you don’t have to tweak SCD to do it.

Gaining weight is on the minds of many who attempt the specific carbohydrate diet… healing faster is on everyone’s.  A much debated and usually misunderstood piece of healing is working out.  Elaine guarded against it for good reasons; our diseased bodies are not the same as athletes, bodybuilders or marathoners.  Our hormones, gut, and many other organs are just not functioning the way they should right now.  So for us to carry-on trying to belong to the groups above makes little sense.  That doesn’t mean you can’t be any of the above and have a digestive disease it just means there are special tweaks and rules to abide by during healing.

Here’s a few tweaks to live by if you’re just starting out:

1. Total time of training should be as low as possible to conserve body resources (less is more in the gym get in and out in under an hour, changing included)
2. Rest time is of very high importance, the body is continually fighting your digestive problems and now it has to rebuild muscles (don’t go to the gym everyday)
3. Unless training for a specific event, exercises with the smallest chance of injury should be used (if your hurt you can’t get any of the benefits of training)
4. Training intensity and exercise form are the most important things to keep in mind while training (push yourself as  hard as possible, but use proper form to stay injury free)
5. Cardio creates chronic inflammation and wastes precious resources, time and calories (just stop already, go for walks outside instead)

With these tweaks to your workout program, it will make sure you are able to start looking and feeling better right away.  There is no need to wait unless instructed by a doctor.  In fact check this out:

• Strength Training produces many positive adaptations some of which help metabolism, hormones, and blood flow
• Strength training benefits include: higher bone mass, larger lean muscle mass and promotes positive balance of chemicals in the brain

So why did I include that last bullet point?  Because I see several emails each week from people who are at risk of osteoporosis or already have it, about ½ of the people we email say they want to gain weight and one the biggest pink elephants in this community is that many of us have battled depression, anxiety and other mental problems.

Strength Training, done properly will help all of these problems!  But don’t run away yet and start chucking dumbbells around, remember we must filter the body of strength training knowledge through our lens of digestive problems.  Only then can we filter and find what we should be doing.

Luckily for all of us, Anja emailed me, it turns out she has discovered many of the same things I have.  She’s gone down the rabbit hole of working out while trying to heal, finding out what works and doesn’t.  The best part about it is Jordan and I are teaching the same ideas inside the Advanced Course right now.  So without further Enter Anja-

An Introduction to HIT

“Intensity of effort is almost the entire answer in itself; lacking the proper intensity of effort, little or nothing in the way of results will be produced by any amount of exercise—at least not in the way of muscular size or strength increases. But given the proper intensity of effort, then very little in the way of exercise is required for the production of best possible results.” – Arthur Jones, Nautilus Bulletin #1, 1970

I’ve been suffering from digestive illness for the past 8 years. Conventional medicine has not been very helpful for me unfortunately, so I began to look into alternative ways of improving my physical and mental wellbeing, including exercise.

But for most of that time, I was doing everything wrong. Even becoming a personal trainer did not make me wiser in this regard. And, I know now that I was also likely working against my own healing and recovery.

What I was missing was the recognition of certain facts of reality that must be heeded in order to reap the rewards of exercise. So, in this post I want to provide a brief overview of those facts, and then draw out the implications for digestive healing.

Exercise – The Facts

The first thing one needs to understand is that gains in muscle, strength, and cardiovascular conditioning are the result of successful adaptation—an adaptation made by the body to the demands placed upon it by exercise. The biological identity of the human body is such that while individuals vary in their maximum potential for muscle gains, the biochemical changes necessary to produce these gains are universal.

In particular, for exercise to trigger muscle growth, muscles must be engaged as fully and completely as possible and made to momentarily fail. Achieving this requires sufficient intensity—you have got to work as hard as you can.

Steve: This is an important take home point, most people I’ve met have no idea how far they could actually push themselves, including myself.  Look to go the extra mile every-time.

But—and this is crucial—since intensity is inversely related to duration, it cannot be kept up for long. You can train very hard or very long, but you cannot do both at the same time.

Moreover, the body’s adaptation response occurs not during exercise, but during rest—and the time it needs to adapt is actually much longer than is often assumed. If the exercise stimulus is reintroduced to the body before it has had sufficient time to recover, it will be hindered in producing the response intended by exercise. Too much stress will deplete the body’s ability to adequately restore itself. Exercise duration and frequency are therefore determined by how much time the body needs to recover and adapt.

Steve: Many will debate this point because they fail to define the goal of a specific training program, in some programs full recovery might not be the goal, however things are different for us coming from the digestive healing lens

Finally, since the body constantly seeks to establish equilibrium by adapting to the stress placed upon it by high intensity exercise, exercise has to progress in intensity in order to elicit a continued adaptation response over time.

So, it is the intensity of exercise that produces most of the benefits, not volume or frequency.

Steve: Again program goals can change this, but not for our group

Now, what do these facts translate to in the gym?

The most proven way to grow bigger and stronger, is to lift weights—lift as hard as you can for only the time it takes you to reach complete failure—and no more. Then rest for as long as your body needs to fully recover.

But what about Cardio?

Advocates of steady-state cardiovascular exercise claim that because it primarily stimulates the body’s aerobic metabolism (i.e. energy produced by using oxygen to break down fats and carbohydrates), such exercise plays an important role in conditioning the heart and lungs, and promoting fat loss.

However, the purpose of the heart and lungs is to support the activities of the body that involve the muscular system (e.g., hunting for food or escaping a predator). Hence, as long as strength training is sufficiently intense, the heart and lungs must work harder and thereby will be conditioned. Incidentally, intense enough strength training also prompts the biochemical process involved in mobilizing fat to be used for fuel.

In addition, aerobic exercise has some decided disadvantages over strength training:

1. The most efficient way to burning fat and keeping off weight is to grow and maintain muscle, because muscle is metabolically more expensive than fat (i.e. it burns more calories). Aerobic exercise may produce some fat loss, but since it is supposed to be kept up over a long duration, it cannot possibly be intense enough to trigger the building of muscle.
2. Worse, long bouts of such activity can deprive the body of the energy necessary to recover and support muscle growth.
3. Over the long-term it can cause overuse injury to the knees, hips, and back due to the forces imposed on them. By contrast, strength training is very safe provided it is properly conducted.

So, what does all this have to do with Digestive Healing?

There are two important points to make here.

One, building muscle has been shown to promote the kind of physical and mental environment conducive to reducing pain, preventing injury, and increasing metabolic, hormonal and psychological functioning. In other words, building muscle can not only make you look but also feel better.

Two, exercise is a stressor on the body, which means it requires substantial resources for recovery. If you overdo it in the gym (weight or cardio-wise) and do not allow your body the time to heal, you will undermine not only your goal of muscle growth and fat loss, but also your goal of digestive healing.

Splendid. Now that we have covered the basics, my next post will give you some practical advice on how to develop a training program that optimizes your exercise and digestive healing goals.

In the meantime, to learn more about HIT training, I highly recommend you read High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way by Mike Mentzer and John Little, Body by Science by Doug McGuff & John Little, and Arthur Jones’ classic Nautilus Bulletin #1 and Nautilus Bulletin #2. A good summary of the research regarding HIT’s effectiveness is provided by Smith and Bruce-Low in Strength training methods and the work of Arthur Jones. For an excellent HIT blog, check out Drew Baye’s High Intensity Training.

Anja Hartleb-Parson is Vice President of Research for an educational non-profit. As the owner of Lead Your Self Coaching she also helps people fine-tune their thinking skills for maximum achievement. Visit Lead-Your-Self.com to sign up for Anja’s free newsletter “Fine-tune In 5” to improve your thinking skills in FIVE minutes (or less) with one short weekly tip.

Have you ever met someone new and completely hit it off?

Like you were long lost friends that could talk about anything?

Recently that happened to me after a chance introduction email… and the first time we met on the phone we talked for hours about everything from poop to wine.

And the best part?

My wife is a HUGE fan of my new friend because now I have someone ELSE to talk to every time I find a new study on gut bacteria and fecal transplants.

Anyways, in this 54-min podcast I interview my new friend: Dr. Allison Siebecker from siboinfo.com.

She suffered from IBS for years until she found SCD and then became an expert in Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).  I really think you’ll enjoy hearing her clinical experience using SCD as a treatment to overcome small intestinal bacterial overgrowth…

Especially the part where she shares how to tell if you have it and what to do about it.

In podcast 25 we cover:

1:25 How she used SCD to overcome IBS – then discovered why it works for SIBO

8:25 What exactly is SIBO… so you know what you’re up against

12:50 The symptoms that you have SIBO and the specific tests to know for sure

20:21 What to do if you have SIBO and how to choose the treatment option that’s right for you

26:35 Shedding light on the “die-off’ mystery – with clinical experience on what to expect and how long it lasts

30:56 Using SCD as a treatment for SIBO – and whether or not antibiotics are really necessary

34:40 The pitfalls to avoid if you want to cure SIBO with SCD – and the mistakes that can work against your healing progress

38:27 The best answer when figuring out how long it takes to CURE SIBO

45:22 The specific steps to follow for the next 30 days, 90 days, and 1 year to overcome SIBO AND make sure it doesn’t come back again

51:56 How to become an SIBO expert by gaining access to the latest treatment strategies being taught to medical professionals

Thank you Dr. Siebecker.

I hope you enjoy the interview

In good health,

Want your questions answered on a podcast?

Submit your questions here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

- If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.

- Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

A few months ago I was listening to a podcast by Chris Kresser and he said something that shook my “etch-a-sketch.”

You know what I mean right?

I use that term whenever I learn something that erases everything I thought I knew and leaves behind a blank slate…

Here’s what he said (paraphrased):

“Humans have ten times more bacteria than human cells in their body.  So a common saying is: we’re more bacteria than we are human.”

Crazy right? What if our bodies are just puppets to carry bacteria around?

Yeah I know – I’m coming back to earth, but it’s something to think about for a minute…

If we have 10x more bacteria growing inside us than human cells, maybe we should become better friends with them.

They might play just as big of a role in our health as food, air, and water.  Some people refer to this as “tending our bacteria gardens”.  It can be one of the easiest ways to feel better faster other than changing your diet.

And that’s why I put this post together about SCD Probiotics and what you really need to know.

For starters, there are three KINDS of bacteria

Each of these three types of bacteria has a different role in our body and there’s some that are more important than others.

For the sake of making it simple, they can be separated by how they interact with each other.  With that said, here’s the best explanation I’ve seen about the different bacteria types:

1. Essential or Beneficial Flora (AKA the good guys): that’s the friendly bacteria we’re always talking about, like Bifidobacteria, Lactobacteria, and E-Coli.

(Yes, some strands of E-Coli can be friendly.)

2. Opportunistic Flora (AKA the bad guys): there’s around 500 various species of microbes in your gut that fall in this category.  And they’re actually controlled by the beneficial flora, so they keep them in check.

They can cause problems once they overgrow… this is the “bad bacteria.”

3. Transitional Flora (AKA the drifters): these are microbes from the outside environment, the ones you take in through food and drink or just living and breathing in the environment.

They can take hold and damage our guts and even cause disease.  In this case, beneficial bacteria (the good guys) usually keep those in check and prevent that from happening.

All these types have a place and a purpose, and when they start doing something other than that is when they wreak digestive havoc in our bodies.

But Probiotics are something different all together…

Probiotics are strains of beneficial bacteria that, when we take them, support our native beneficial bacteria.

They also help control the opportunistic bacteria from getting out of control and protect us so that the transitional bacteria and pathogenic organisms can’t take hold inside our damaged guts.

But the supplemental forms that we take are “transient” and don’t stay in our bodies for very long… something like two weeks.

So they aren’t really “replacing” what we’re already missing in that sense…

Which is a bummer, because research shows that the guts of IBD patients contain 25% fewer species of bacteria (on average) than healthy people.

So we’re already at a disadvantage…

So who needs Probiotics?

Well, symptoms like diarrhea and constipation are signs of “Gut Dysbiosis” AKA “really screwed up gut bacteria” – which probiotics will help with.

Remember that anywhere from 50 to 80% of the dry weight of a bowel movement is dead bacteria.

And most people with digestive disease or high inflammation are going to see a benefit from taking probiotics.  As I said above, we’re running on 75% of the gut bacteria a healthy person has so any little bit helps, in my opinion.

It reminds me of our friend Jay Baluk (Chrohnsboy), who has this “burnt lawn” analogy that I have to share with you.

He says (paraphrased):

“Imagine you have a big, beautiful green lawn but you have this big circle in the middle that’s burnt to a crisp and dead.  Would you just let all the weeds grow so you have this beautiful lawn and in the middle you have a big giant circle with all these weeds and nasty stuff growing out of it?  Or would you do what you needed to do to re-plant the seeds and let everything re-grow?”

The bad side of Probiotics

Before we get into the good stuff we have to touch on Bifidobacteria.  It’s a hot topic in the SCD community for the reason that it can “take over” and cause health problems in some cases.

It is a beneficial bacteria, but the problem is, it’s just not a good neighbor at times.  So sometimes it can overgrow in and of itself.

So just to be on the safe side we usually recommend avoiding it in the beginning of the healing journey, but later on it can really help…

Now onto the important part – how to get started using them.

How to start using Probiotics… the right way

Fermented food has been used for tens of thousands of years and getting Probiotics from naturally fermented foods is going to be the best bet long term…

That’s why I think Elaine was so emphatic about using SCD yogurt if you’re starting SCD.  It really can change lives and heal people fast, but it has its own draw backs.

Fermenting SCD Yogurt for 24-32 hours does remove 99% of the lactose sugars, BUT… it still contains the casein protein.

And we’ve seen too many people start SCD eating the yogurt, DCCC, aged cheeses, etc. and never start feeling better…but those same people try cutting it out for a little while and notice an immediate improvement.

So our current thinking on it is: once you’ve been on the diet about 30 days and you’re starting to feel better, go ahead and test SCD legal fermented yogurt slowly…

In the meantime – probiotics can help you heal start healing in the absence of these other sources.

Here’s two steps to get started today:

Step 1) Your safest bet to start healing is Lactobacillus acidophilus.   GI Pro “Scdophilus” is great because it’s non-dairy, SCD legal, very high quality, and has a long shelf life.

You can find out more about it here: http://www.giprohealth.com/scdophilusnext.aspx

Step 2) Start low and work your way up.  For example, if you go with “Scdophilus” from GI Pro Health, they have a 3 Billion CFU pill and a 10 Billion CFU pill.  So you could start by taking 1 of their 3 Billion CFU pills per day and work up slowly to 30 to 40 billion CFU’s per day by moving up to the 10 Billion CFU pills.

(For best results: take them 30 minutes before breakfast right when you wake up or atleast two hours after a meal right before bed.  That’s the best odds to get live cultures past the stomach pH and into the intestines.)

Taking Probiotics long term…

Those two steps will get us started, but it’s a long road we’re headed down.

In Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, she states:

“A good probiotic should have as many different species of beneficial bacteria as possible.  A human gut contains hundreds of different species of bacteria.  We should try and get as close to that as we can.”

She goes on to say: “making sure there are strains from different groups of probiotic bacteria is more beneficial than just one group.”

So if you’ve been cruising along for a while taking 30-40 Billion CFU’s of Lactobacillus Acidophilus and you’re feeling kind of “stuck,” consider testing a multi-strain probiotic.

It might be the next missing piece of your healing journey…

The other obvious choice here is to start testing fermented foods (Wild Fermentation is a great book to get started) OR introduce SCD 24-Hour Yogurt.

After you start feeling better on SCD + Probiotics, give SCD legal yogurt a shot…

Either one is just another step along the way.

All I do know is: Gut Bacteria is like outer space – there’s still a whole lot we don’t know about it.

In good health,

I’ve blogged before about how important I think Specific Carbohydrate Diet Yogurt can be for healing.  The truth is when I got started with SCD yogurt the whole idea was overwhelming.  Not only did I think store bought yogurt was perfectly fine (it’s not); I had never made any fermented foods (should be easy right?).  A couple of burnt pots of milk, a batch of lumpy yogurt and I was up and running.

As time went on I picked up some time saving pieces of the puzzle from readers of the blog and other places.  So when we updated our book a couple months back I created directions below based on these new ideas.  Now before I go any further just a word of caution, Jordan and I do not recommend trying diary until you’ve been on the SCD diet at least 30 days (It’s one of the 4 horseman!).

Goat’s Milk Yogurt for Everyone

Moving on, in the directions below I’m using goat’s milk because time after time we get emails from people who struggle with cow’s milk.  In our opinion there aren’t any downsides to starting with goat’s milk.  As a matter of fact there might be ton of benefits!

If you tolerate the goat’s milk just fine and are curious then try some cow’s milk.  Trust me when I say that stepping into cow’s milk like this is a much nicer transition than pouring your heart, soul and wallet into a first batch of cow’s milk SCD yogurt only to get sick and possibly have a setback.  The SCD yogurt experience is one of trial and error for most and trying to figure out if you made it wrong, are reacting to the milk, or are just not seeing healing from the diet can be extremely frustrating.  So save yourself the trouble use goat’s milk and to be completely cow milk free you will need to use GI Pro Health’s dairy-free yogurt starter.

Lastly, I’m using a Yogourmet yogurt maker.  It’s not completely ideal for making SCD yogurt, as you can see in step 6, I use a dimmer switch to adjust the temperature down to the ideal range of 100 to 110 degrees.  But I chose it for easy of clean-up, large batch size (2quarts), low price and water bath for equal heating of the milk.

Enjoy and remember at around 700 Billion+ CFU’s of probioitcs per cup this stuff can work wonders!

Goat’s Milk SCD Yogurt

1. Pour 2 quarts of milk into a 2.5 quart glass bowl.  Place the bowl in the microwave and heat on high for 10 to 15 minutes until the milk reaches 180° F.  Everyone’s microwave is different and it may take a couple of batches to figure out your specific time, but mine is 14 minutes.  The first time you try this it is a good idea to heat it for 10 minutes and check the temperature, then continue heating in 1 minute intervals until you reach 180° F (Note: You do not need to start over if you accidentally heat the milk too hot.
2. Remove the bowl from the microwave and allow it to cool covered (don’t want any extra microbes getting in there), but be careful as the bowl will be very hot.  Stir it occasionally and check the temperature.  Once it has reached about 100° F, it is ready to go.  It usually takes around 1 to 1 ½  hours to cool, this can be sped up by putting it in the refrigerator.
3. Once the milk has cooled, a separated layer of milk will have formed at the top of the bowl.  This layer will make your yogurt lumpy, so remove it by pouring the milk from the bowl through a fine mesh strainer and into the Yogourmet container.  Discard any clumps that are caught in the strainer.
4. Add 1/8 teaspoon of the GI ProStarter for every 2 quarts.  Whisk the milk very well so that everything is dissolved.
5. In my case, I add 2 cups of room temperature water to my Yogourmet Yogurt Maker (2 quart capacity) before I put the batch container in the unit.  This allows the container to float in water and evenly distribute the heat.
6. Plug in your yogurt maker in an out-of-the-way area of your house where the temperature will not change during the fermentation (for instance, not next to the stove where you will be cooking).
7. Ferment for at least 24 hours and no more than 28 hours.
8. Unplug the yogurt maker and carefully place the yogurt batch container in the refrigerator for 8 hours.  The yogurt has live cultures that are very sensitive to movement until everything is set up.  Once it has set up for 8 hours, stir gently and serve cold.  It will stay fresh for up to 3 weeks, however the good bacteria will start dying after the second week.

Do you make SCD yogurt?  If so what kind of yogurt maker do you use and what kind of milk?

P.S. -  There are many different elements to successfully taking control of your health on the SCD Diet.  Mastering yogurt is ONE piece and we’ve created an eBook to help you learn ALL of them… built from our own success and helping others heal.  You can find out how it can help you here:  http://www.scdlifestylebook.com

Have you seen those crazy pictures that totally trick your eye?

One minute it’s an old woman…

Then you focus a little harder and suddenly a young woman appears before your eyes.

Many judgments turn out to be wrong upon closer inspection.

I think digestive diseases may be another example of judging the book by the cover.

Jordan and I have talked with 1000’s of people suffering from digestive disease in the last couple years.  The majority suffering from ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s but a rising number of IBS, celiac, diverticulitis, Candida, fructose problems, undiagnosed stomach pains and many more are reaching out to us.

We often reflect and brainstorm on the conversations hoping to figure out a universal solution to all digestive related problems.

Pie-in-the-Sky right?

Maybe not, everyone seems so focused on individualism and reductionism treatments, causality and symptoms.  We often wonder what about the bigger picture?

As humans we always seem so focused on finding differences.  I think it starts as children for most people, our parents tell us we are all special snow flakes from day one.

But what they don’t tell us is that 98% of our genomes are the same.

So while no one is a 100% match, we are all pretty much rocking the same genes.

Don’t get me wrong, we preach plenty of individualism and stress the importance that your N=1 solution is always going to be different than mine.

But at the same time we have a running list, at a higher level, say 30,000 feet.

What Ties All Digestive Diseases together?

Or stomach problems of any kind for that matter…

#1 Inflammation

#2 Gut Bacteria Dysbiosis

#3 Malnutrition

#4 Malasboprtion

#5 Leaky Gut

#6 Immune Dis-regulation

This is just a start, and of course all based on our anecdotal experiences and research.

But what if the Solution is 50%… or dare I suggest 80% the same for all of us?

How would that revolutionize health care?

Wouldn’t it be crazy to know that 80% of getting your health back was STANDARDIZED?

Let me know what you think! In fact as our readers what’s your thoughts? Can you help us refine and develop this idea?  Leave a comment below with your thoughts or experiences.

To kick off today’s final free video – I have to say thank you…

We’ve gotten so much positive feedback and really kind words from the videos we’ve been doing for you.

And we really appreciate that – because we enjoy sharing these videos with you and we’re glad you’re benefiting from them…

That’s why we’re sharing them.

Now, we’ve also been getting a lot of questions about The Advanced Course.

One of the biggest questions we get is, “what’s in the course and what’s it like?”

Well, we’ll walk you through all that at the VERY END of tomorrow night’s live webinar and then open up 50 spots for those who are interested…

But not until AFTER we show you some really cool stuff for 60-minutes.

Regardless, I’m not here to put pressure on you to buy it…

I want to give you more cool free stuff

So what I’d like to give you today is more of the actual course itself.

We’ve dug through the course and found a segment that we think will be very helpful for you regardless of what point you’re at on this “healing road” that we’re all traveling along together.

And what I think you’re going to like about this video is that we pull back the curtain on the evil “inflaming fats” that can hold you back from healing your gut for good… and yes, that includes nuts and nut flours.

So in this little snippet of The Advanced Course we’ll show you a pretty cool little method that I REALLY think will help you start healing immediately…

It’s the simple way to eat nuts and nut flours that can help you avoid triggering HIGH INFLAMMATION and those crushing setbacks that come with it.

It’s super easy, too… so you should be able to implement this TODAY and avoid “The Great Nut Mistake” that causes many people to crash and burn.

I hope you enjoy it.

Here’s how to get today’s video:

These videos are part of a FREE 5-day mini-course on advanced SCD techniques and you can get access to over 2 hours of material by signing up here, completely free:

Here’s the link to get today’s video: http://scdlifestyle.com/advanced-scd/webinar-registration/

“The Great Nut Mistake”

Enjoy

I hope you’re enjoying this new series of videos on healing your gut…

Here’s what we’ve done for you now – we dug up video on one of the most popular but rarely talked about topics from our advanced course… “The Confessions of a Cheater”

Shhhh.

I know I’m not supposed to talk about it.  But here’s the thing – it happens to the best of us.

For example, I was always too afraid to cheat with something “illegal”… but I still found myself falling prey to the same behaviors by overeating “legal foods”.

Like I’d have a bad day and before I knew it, half-a-bottle of honey would be gone… or a whole quart of blueberries disappeared…

And I’d always pay dearly for it.

It was cheating just the same because I was completely disregarding “moderation.”

And whenever I cheated I swear an alter ego took over my body…

So if you’ve ever been at a family party or standing in front of the fridge late at night and found it impossible NOT to give in to those POWERFUL FORCES… you’ll probably like this video.

We’re going to walk you through “The Anatomy of a Cheat” so you can understand what’s REALLY GOING ON.

And we’ll also show you the 4 simple steps to recover from a cheat so you can get back to healing and stop hating yourself.

We didn’t invent this process.  But we did study DEEP psychology for months and months trying to figure it all out.

Anyway – shortly after we got sick of reading books, we started testing these ideas out… and started taking control of our behavior.

And it turns out this psychology stuff just plain WORKS!

So we wanted to pass this along to you right now and hopefully get you more aware of what’s going on the next time you snap out of a trance with a piece of chocolate hanging out of your mouth

We hope you enjoy it.

Here’s how to get today’s video:

These videos are part of a FREE 5-day mini-course on advanced SCD techniques and you can get access to over 2 hours of material by signing up here, completely free:

Here’s the link to get today’s video: http://scdlifestyle.com/advanced-scd/webinar-registration/

“The Anatomy of a Cheat”

Enjoy

I have another cool video for you today and I think this one is really going to help you.

This is a follow-up video from the “feel good zone” clip we gave you a few days ago and part of the really cool stuff you’re going to get all week…

Ever since we released that last video, we had a lot of people writing in saying, “Hey, tell me more about WHAT I need to reach my feel good zone.”

So to give you a little history – my first “feel good zone breakthrough” came in the form of two little pills.

Basically, my “feel good zone” story goes like this:

I didn’t feel better on SCD until I started tweaking it to work for my body.  But to be honest, I was only REALLY good 4 out of 7 days a week.

It was like a CRAZY roller-coaster ride.

Some days I’d feel pretty good… but then I’d be miserable on the toilet for two days.

It was kind of frustrating, especially since I was stuck and knew I could feel ALOT better.  And I definitely wasn’t anywhere near my “feel good zone.”

So what did I do?

Well, I had to pick my next move wisely…

And it turned out the next tweak I tested made all the difference in the world.

I started taking two supplements that finally helped me dominate my digestion.  These two supplements literally catapulted me into my “feel good zone”.

Between you and me, I don’t think I would’ve made it much longer without them.  And these two supplements were exactly what I needed to get over those crushing roller-coaster swings.

And the best part?

That’s when I finally felt good enough to start enjoying life with my family again…

I reached my “feel good zone” and I was never going back

But there’s a real art and science to using subtle clues from your body to know if these supplements are right for you.

And that’s why I’m not just naming them off right here so that you go out and try them expecting a miraculous transformation.

So what we’ve done in response to your questions is we dug out the footage from our advanced course where we actually walk you through these two supplements and show you how to know if your body is telling you it needs them.

So without further ado, let’s get right to it:

In today’s bonus video, “How to Dominate Your Digestion” you’ll learn all about how your digestion works, the master signal that makes or breaks the entire process, and how two simple supplement tweaks can straighten things back out.

I hope you enjoy it…

Here’s how to get today’s video:

These videos are part of a FREE 5-day mini-course on advanced SCD techniques and you can get access to over 2 hours of material by signing up here, completely free:

Here’s the link to get today’s video: http://scdlifestyle.com/advanced-scd/webinar-registration/

“How to Dominate Your Digestion”

Enjoy

My Grandpa had magic powers when I was growing up.

He’s a master woodworker.

And when I was a kid he’d put on some coffee in the morning and head down to his workshop in the basement.

Sometimes it seemed like he was down there for days.

But then he’d come back up with these mind-blowing pieces of craftsmanship.  Like the desk that he built for me when I was nine – the one I’m sitting at while I write this.

I seriously thought he had magic powers…

But now I realize his “magic powers” were the patience and work ethic of a regular-guy pouring his heart and soul into a masterpiece.

Kinda like what we’ve been doing lately…

We’ve been locked in the basement for three months

But we’re back.

I know, I know – we’ve been slacking off on blog posts and podcasts.

And it’s time to make it up to you.

The thing is, we’ve been pouring everything into a masterpiece just like my Grandpa: our Advanced Course.

And a small group of “founding members” went through it with us.

Here’s what they’ve been saying about it:

“Thanks so very much for all of the great info.  It is “breakthrough” kind of stuff, just what I need, and I REALLY appreciate you sharing all you have learned with us.”- Teri

“Thank you soooooo much for doing so much for sharing your research into the digestive diseases, the mechanics of the digestive system and alternative treatments.  Moreover, thank you for sharing your journey and experience through the diet.  You have inspired me and given me hope throughout my healing process.” – Amber

“First let me thank you for all of your help.  There is much important information in the advanced course, so much so  that I have not yet been able to process it all.  I am still working at it.” – Ruth

“I’m really sad that this is the last week of the sessions.  I’ve gotten a lot out of each one – especially since I can either watch them again or print them off and highlight the items that are especially relevant.  Thanks for putting on a good course.” – Sandy

“I am already missing the classes.” – Joanna

Now we’re back – ready to share some really cool stuff with you.

And we wanted to start off by saying thanks.

Thanks for putting up with us while we we’re locked in the basement for three months.

And as a thank-you for being patient during our sabbatical – we’re going to give you some of the best stuff we’ve got… absolutely FREE.

So here’s what’s coming this week…

Starting today, we’re going to give you four really cool videos on healing your gut.  It’s part of all the stuff we’ve been working on locked in the basement for the last three months.

[Note: We weren’t really locked in the basement ALL DAY, we do have day jobs]

I will say this: IF YOU TAKE ACTION from what you learn in these videos, you will make more progress in the next 10-days than in the last year.

Anyways – we’re actually giving you some cool stuff…

• Video 1: Reach Your “Feel Good Zone”. We’ll show you how to tune into your body and follow to the subtle clues telling you exactly when to add or subtract foods
• Video 2: “Dominate Your Digestion.” There are two supplements you can start using right away to maximize your healing and feel-better faster.  We’ll show you what those are and exactly why they work.
• Video 3: “The Anatomy of a Cheat.” We’ll decode the powerful forces that control cravings and cheating and show you how to negotiate around them. Including a specific recovery plan to make sure you avoid setbacks from a slip-up.
• Video 4: “The Great Nut Mistake.” Inflaming fats can hold you back from healing your gut for good.  We’ll show you why they MUST be the most cautious decision you ever make – and make specific recommendations to avoid falling prey to high inflammation.

Now, on to the good stuff…

HERE’S THE UGLY TRUTH:

You gotta listen to your body.

It’s giving you subtle clues all the time.  Subtle clues that tell you exactly what tweaks to make next.

And for the record: a universal solution to your symptoms does not exist… and anyone who tells you that is OFF THEIR ROCKER.

Listen, I want you to think about this.

You are unique…

How many people in “full remission” started out just eating everything that’s SCD legal?

Very few… most end up with a “customized” version of the diet.

How many people that can’t get the diet to work for weeks suddenly wake up feeling amazing?

None… there’s no magic waiting period, there’s only smart tweaks along the way.

In today’s 20-min bonus video, we show you the simple concept we’ve used to create our “feel good zone”.

The stuff we’re going to show you might seem like basic, fundamental info.

It is nothing fancy or mind blowing.

But that’s because we’re here to help you FEEL GOOD… not impress you with the latest “healing trends”.

The fact is, the basic fundamentals are ALL WE DO… and it works pretty good.

So if you’ve ever been frustrated by how hard it seems just to figure out what changes to make next, this video is for you.

If you’ve ever wondered why nobody walked you through the basics of creating your custom version of SCD, this is for you.

And if you’ve ever been a little confused over this whole “you’re only 1 or 2 tweaks away from feeling better”, this is for you.

I hope you enjoy today’s video…

Here’s how to get today’s bonus video:

These videos are part of a FREE 5-day mini-course on advanced SCD techniques and you can get access to over 2 hours of material by signing up here, completely free:

Here’s the link to get today’s video: http://scdlifestyle.com/advanced-scd/webinar-registration/

“How to Reach Your Feel Good Zone”

Enjoy

Have you ever wanted to get in the face of an author?

Try and figure out what their motivation was behind their work?

I have – so I know some of you must wonder about us…

Well our friend Matt actually requested it, so we felt obliged to comply.  In fact, the interview ended up being a ton of fun – mostly because we talked about our favorite topics: food, poop and our stories.

Of course, along the way we talked about writing the book and shared our best advise from the past few years of experience.

Most of you will remember Matt, who we’ve had on several podcasts including…

What Starting the Diet Was Like

SCD Intro diet Mastery

Transitioning Off of The Intro Diet

Managing and Overcoming Setbacks

SCD Family Holiday Stories

Matt has quite a bit of experience with SCD and many other natural digestive treatments so its always fun to chat with him.  To listen to the interview just head over to his blog and check it out here:

http://www.naturaldigestivehealing.com/blog/2011/06/24/scd-lifestyle-interview-personalize-your-scd/

Thanks for your support!

In Good Health,

You know those days when you just wanna lay in bed ALL DAY?

I’m talking about those REALLY bad days when you’re sick and all you want is for the rest of the world to leave you alone…

If you know what I’m talking about then you’ll relate to a song I heard recently.  It’s called “The Lazy Song” by Bruno Mars, check out the chorus:

“Today I Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything
I Just Wanna Lay In My Bed
Don’t Feel Like Pickin’ Up My Phone
So Leave A Message At The Tone
‘Cause Today I Swear I’m Not Doin’ Anythin’
Nothin’ At All”

Maybe you’ve heard it?

Back when I was sick that was EXACTLY how I felt most days.

But Most Days We Don’t Have Time to be Sick

You may know what those miserable days are like.

Those days where all we want to do is curl up in bed, turn off our phones, and have everyone LEAVE US ALONE.

And the worst part?

Most of the time we can’t do anything close to that.  We just don’t have time to be sick!

We have to suck it up and go to work, or put a smile on our face and be a parent.  We have to carry on with life despite the “black cloud” hanging over us.

And this song made me feel that all over again.

But This Time I Couldn’t Help But Smile Thinking About It…

I haven’t felt that bad in a long time… and sometimes I forget what those days were like.

The thing is, we want that for you too…

And in today’s podcast we answer more of your questions to help you get there as quickly as possible.

In podcast 24 you’ll learn:

1:04 Where to turn when you’ve eliminated everything and you’re still struggling with unexplained setbacks

6:13 How to customize SCD to overcome of most resistant E-Coli infections

8:10 Specific tips and tricks for eating out at restaurants and avoiding causing setbacks

11:54 Our opinion on Stevia and the best options for sweeteners

14:09 Quick snacks to make traveling this summer fun and easy

17:30 How to find good quality turkey and chicken without additives that can slow your healing

20:10 The exact questions to ask when you’re looking for a new Doctor or Naturopath

22:20 The best strategy for introducing digestive enzymes

24:43 Why to avoid Phytase for healing your gut and the specific enzyme to take instead

26:26 All the options for taking a multivitamin to fit your daily life

27:11 What works – and doesn’t work – when you hate the taste of coconut oil

29:37 A specific script to answer anyone concerned about your low weight

32:17 How to tell the difference between food allergies and seasonal allergies – and how that affects adding or subtracting foods

35:57 The myth of SCD legal processed foods – and what that means for your shopping list

38:08 How to test dairy elimination even if you can’t live without butter

Links from the Podcast:

The food allergy testing we’ve had done is “Intradermal Provocative Neutralization” (Intradermal P/N) and the environmental testing is “Serial Endpoint Titration” (SET): Find a practice near you here

Want your questions answered on a podcast?

Submit your questions here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

- If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.

- Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

A couple weeks ago Cheryl Cravino shared her SCD success story with us.  She mentioned that she was putting together a brand new SCD cookbook.  BOOM! – here it is…

Cheryl sent us one to review ahead of time and I must say she has some really cool and innovative recipes in it.  It is true to its name, you are not going to find entrée recipes, instead this cookbook contains tons of ideas dedicated to family parities, snacking and feel good foods.

I think the book fills a really cool niche in the SCD world.  It won’t be for everyone but it has a place in my kitchen.  Jordan and I are happy to see more and more products pop up in the SCD world.  Congrats to Cheryl!

We asked her to put together a recipe out of the book for the blog readers and below is what she sent in.  To purchase her cookbook or learn more click here (Note: We don’t have any financial interest in her cookbook)

Enter Cheryl…
*****************************************

Well the finishing touches are complete and I just received my first shipment of cookbooks from the printer, just in time for summer gatherings and barbeques!

I am so excited to share with you a “fan favorite”, we are big sports fans in my house whether it’s football, hockey or baseball there is always a gang here gathered around the big screen. In the past, as you know, these types of gatherings were impossible to be at and stay compliant, I would find myself “disappearing” when all the snack foods arrived! No one seemed to understand why I couldn’t have just a little bite, really what would it hurt they would plea. Little did they know just how much it would hurt! So my quest for a recipe that everyone could enjoy and I could eat with no worries began. It took nearly a whole football season of attempts to get it just right, I knew I found it when everyone would request a second batch at halftime!

Zesty Broccoli Dip

1 C. Dry Curd Farmers Cheese
2 C. Broccoli, steamed and chopped
¼ C. Pimentos, drained and chopped**
½ C. Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1C. Monterey Jack Cheese, coarsely grated
(easily substitutes with any aged cheeses)
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350?. Combine all but ½ cup of the Monterey Jack cheese well. Mixture will be thick, spread evenly in a quart-baking dish or pie plate. Top with remaining Jack cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

** I have an all-natural marketplace where I buy many of my ingredients. I can get pimentos there that are in olive oil. If you do not have the same ability you can substitute with a fresh pimento pepper diced and lightly steamed or forego all together, although I don’t recommend this, as their flavor is a big part of the recipe.

I like to give it just a touch of the broiler to really make the cheese on top golden and gooey. I then serve with “simple crackers” (recipe can be found on page 88) or veggie sticks. These crackers are so simple to make and the flavors can be switched up to what you are serving them with: basil & Parmesan, goes great with the tomato relish, chili powder & cilantro for a Mexican flair and cinnamon & honey for a sweet touch.

This dip travels well, and can be brought to any gathering and heated right before serving. Leftovers reheat very well; I have been told the leftovers were used on burgers the next day! Hmmmm I guess you are only limited to your own creativity!

Dip away!
Cheryl

Have you ever heard “Monkey-See, Monkey-Do”?

And how scientists studied the ‘imitation’ patterns of Monkey’s by sticking out there tongue…

You’ve seen it with kids too, right?

Like when my son started copying everything I did, it was adorable.  He’d repeat whatever I showed him and we’d fall over laughing together.

Except for one thing…

For weeks I took every moment to say, “I love you” with no luck.

Then one night before bed he finally looked up at me and smiled, “I wuv you Dada”…

And at that moment I never felt more alive.

And right then I made the decision to never be sick again.

What Monkey’s can teach us about being sick

As it turns out, we humans are pretty good at learning from ‘imitation’ too.

In fact, scientists have studied ‘social learning’ and found that it works pretty well.  You find out what works for other people and then you do it too… skipping the learning curve.

Now, not everything that works for me work will work for you… but a lot of it does.

And when you’re sick you can ‘imitate’ people that got better and see what works.

Like what worked for me when I got stuck

A few months into SCD I was completely stuck when I stumbled onto this guy Jay’s website (A.K.A Crohn’s Boy).

He was a regular dude like me and I liked his NO-BS approach.  He went from full-blown Crohn’s and Colitis to med free and symptom free in less than a year.

And that was all I needed to hear…

He posted a spreadsheet that showed how he got better.  And at one point he was sorta stuck on SCD too, but when he lowered his fruit intake and tweaked a few other things he got better.

So I tried lowering my fruit too and four-days later I felt great.

Since then Jay has become a good friend of ours – and in today’s podcast he joined us to share his best SCD advice with you.

Jay’s been helping people defeat IBD for almost three years now – and I’ve never met someone that can make complicated stuff seem so simple…

In this podcast with Jay (A.K.A Crohn’s Boy), we cover:

1:35 Jay’s compelling story – and the first sign something was wrong

7:14 Why he decided to go with SCD – and how you can learn to stay motivated

10:26 The best probiotic analogy ever…

12:15 The “scab effect” and how you can use it to heal as quickly as possible

16:18 How to make specific changes and get “un-stuck” on the diet

20:11 The right question to ask if you’re thinking “SCD isn’t working for me”

24:25 The number one reason Jay used SCD and what it means for you in the next 3-months

27:09 His advice for people that are struggling to feel better and the top 3 things to start healing faster

33:45 A specific strategy for dealing with anxiety and depression that you can use immediately

36:39 How to beat any down day by remembering this one thing

39:48 The big breakthrough he used to finally heal at a whole new level

43:09 How to figure out what works for you to overcome digestive disease

Thanks for your time Jay – awesome interview,

P.S. – If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.   Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

There are two kinds of people in this world.

Those who let their health make decisions for them.

And those who don’t.

The ones who lost control never wanted it that way.

No one starts out ‘giving away’ decisions to their health.  But when symptoms take over they learn to how to avoid doing things.  They learn how to blame their stomach, their digestion, the exhaustion, the lack of bathrooms and anything else that can suffice to make it easy.

But what about those who don’t?

Or won’t.

We’ve all been there.  Feeling like crap and curled up in a ball.  And some days we feel like making excuses.  And they roll off the tongue so easy, but we stop instead – and do what it takes to make our own decision.

Controlling our health is inside all of us.

To do what it takes.

… Or completely give up on life.

When you wake up tomorrow morning you get to decide who’s in charge of your health.  You get to make choices about what food goes in your mouth – and whether or not you’re going to have control over how you feel.

Will you be in control?  Or will your health keep deciding for you?

One day, I was fed up riding in the backseat through life…

I wanted to drive.

And as you continue to take control of your body, you can always bail.

And make excuses.

To blame the unfair card you were dealt.

Or not.

You have the choice.  Just like you have the choice to eat this or eat that.

You decide…

In today’s podcast you’ll get answers that help:

1:22 How to overcome lack of energy, even if you’re getting enough to eat and still feel exhausted

8:29 The myth that you can’t start SCD if you’re underweight – and what to do instead

17:01 Specific tips for low-protien SCD, and how to get enough calories

19:46 What really WORKS to cure constipation, and the best way to test it

24:56 What we did – and didn’t do – to get rid of Candida

27:59 The potential cause of “hairy stools” and what clues they might give about what you’re doing wrong

In good health,

Links from the Podcast:

Genova Diagnostics stool test: CDSA

Methyl-Mate B12 Drops: New Beginnings Nutritionals

SCD legal probiotics: GI Pro Health “Scdophilis”

SCD legal vitamin D3: GI Pro Health “Vitamin D3″

Poop Description: The Bristol Stool Chart

Want your questions answered on the next podcast?

Submit your question here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

- If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.

- Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

We make it a priority to highlight SCD personalities from across the internet.  We love hearing success stories and want to spread the knowledge of those brave enough to share their specific carbohydrate diet stories.  If you would like to be featured please contact us.

Our Specific Carbohydrate Diet friend of the week is Cheryl Cravino, who beat her Crohn’s Disease and now lives medication and symptom free.

Her story is one that I can relate to.  Not receiving the care we need from traditional medicine a chance meeting offers an alternative that almost everyone refuses to accept.  Diet matters. Now Cheryl is returning the favor by sharing her story.

After 3 years on SCD Cheryl has some great wisdom that I wanted to highlight:

I would start by saying don’t look at it as a “diet” (that is a four letter word that most people would define as: “something your mind struggles with, an unachievable goal”)

Expect to make mistakes……….we all have! Be patient; remember Rome wasn’t built in a day!

It (SCD) has allowed me to regain my life back, just the simple things in life, simple things often taken for granted: going for a walk, gardening, shopping, walking the dogs, and even traveling. You all understand what I mean…just no more bathroom worries.

I couldn’t agree more!

I made a ton of mistakes when I started and it was frustrating, but believe me it gets much easier once you accept and embrace the new lifestyle.  In the end Cheryl’s right it’s totally worth it I promise.

So without further ado I’ll let Cheryl tell you about her healing journey.

Why did you start the diet?

My memory takes me back almost 10 years ago, 7 of which were filled with dietary distress, dramatic weight loss, mis- diagnoses, endless prescriptions, severe medication allergies, many visits to the emergency room, countless doctors, and thousands of trips to the bathroom!

In 2008, in a last ditch effort to avoid surgery, I was told about Remicade and the promises it held for patients with Crohn’s. I was to have five infusions and while sitting in oncology waiting for my last infusion, I was questioned by another patient, waiting her turn as well. She asked why I was there, and as I was giving her my nutshell version, she was called by the nurses and taken away. She turned to me and said, “ You need to break the cycle, my daughter did and her Crohn’s is now gone.” I asked her what she meant, and her only response as she disappeared behind the curtain, was “it’s all about a diet.”

Two weeks later I learned the infusions didn’t work and my doctor began discussing my surgical options. I brought up diet, which up until now had never really been mentioned; the only dietary changes that had ever been discussed with me were to avoid spicy foods and maybe bread. He disagreed that diet alone would help the severity of my Crohn’s and he thought I was foolish to believe that. But I couldn’t stop thinking about what I was told that day and knew I had to find this diet and at least try. Extensive research brought me to the book “ breaking the vicious cycle”; I read it cover to cover in one night and have never looked back. In what seemed like forever, but was actually 104 days on the diet, my symptoms, for the first time, lessened and today nearly 3 years later, I am both medication and symptom free! Thanks to SCD.

How has SCD changed your life?

It has allowed me to regain my life back, just the simple things in life, simple things often taken for granted: going for a walk, gardening, shopping, walking the dogs, and even traveling. You all understand what I mean…just no more bathroom worries.

SCD has educated me and taught me right from wrong in living a healthy eating lifestyle, not just for me but also for my family. It has taught me patience, and that success does not happen overnight. It has shown me I will make mistakes, but I can recognize them and learn from them. It has given me will power, now I can take on anything.  And lastly it has provided me with a foundation to be creative, creative in the kitchen, something I never really spent much time doing before. I look at food very differently now, I know the enemies from the allies.

What was the biggest challenge you faced on the diet and how did you overcome it?

Don’t be fooled by my statement of 3 years medication and symptom free. That did not come easy! I did read the book cover to cover in one night, proceeded to clean out my cabinets and refrigerator, which in turn lead to a complete meltdown!

The reason for my meltdown was 2 things well maybe 3; one I was a vegetarian, although I ate somewhat healthy, my diet was composed of mostly carbs. (Which upon reading the book made me realize this was probably most of my issues?) Secondly, I was 88 pounds soaking wet, and experienced drastic weight loss every time I flared…….so what the heck was I going to eat to give me enough calories to sustain my weight and not wither away to nothing?!? And oh thirdly what about my dreaded sweet tooth and snack attacks?!?

This lasted for about a week, and then I stopped feeling sorry for myself. Realizing I had no choice and I had to do this, I began the diet. I had to find it within myself to look beyond my beliefs, and break my faithfulness to a 20-year promise and I began eating meat. My belief was not of the religious kind, but of the humane kind, so as you can imagine this dietary change still weighs heavy on me today.

This however, I would soon learn, was not to be my biggest challenge, it was keeping the menu options fresh and innovative, main meals and sides were not the issue, that seemed easy. It was the “befores”, “afters” and the “in-betweens” that were missing. I constantly looked for ideas and recipes, bought the few cookbooks I could find and even these couldn’t curb my cravings and ward off my sweet tooth. Most of the recipes were very gourmet-like and took too much time to prepare. I wanted quick, easy and tasty all in one! Easier said then done I thought, until one day I stumbled across an article on the health benefits of honey and how it can be substituted in most recipes. I began experimenting with some of my old recipes and before I knew it I had quite a collection going. Today I am putting the finishing touches on this compilation of recipes I will call “Sweet & Savory” they consist of salsas, dips, chips, salads, soups, appetizers and desserts. So whenever the snack attacks or the dreaded sweet tooth strike I can strike back and still stay compliant!

What is the number one piece of advice you would give someone thinking about starting the diet?

I would start by saying don’t look at it as a “diet” (that is a four letter word that most people would define as: “something your mind struggles with, an unachievable goal”); you will fail before you even begin.

You need to go into this thinking and knowing it is a healthy lifestyle change, it’s about eating for the good and good of your body. Get the family involved, they too will benefit health wise. Keep the menu fresh and innovative; don’t forgo the snacks and desserts you are only limited to your imagination!

Expect to make mistakes……….we all have! Be patient; remember Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Eat well, Be well, Stay well!
Cheryl

Back to SCD Lifestyle

Can we really optimize our healing like a billion dollar corporation?

You know, tweak a little bit here and there and magically increase profits 243%…

It’s something like that, but not that simple.  Like back in college, when I wound-up in the trenches of the cut-throat auto industry.

My shiny engineering degree allowed me to work on sexy industry-jargon projects like:

• Optimization
• Efficiency
• and Standardization

For example, during one project they asked me to study every robot on one section of the assembly line and find a way to save 1-second per car – resulting in thousands of dollars in cost savings.

What happened?

I learned that watching robots weld cars all day can make you a little crazy.  But I also found out saving 1 second per car really did lead to substantial savings for the company.

With some of the robots we couldn’t save a millisecond.  But with the help of two genius electricians, we saved 2-3 seconds on enough of them that we accomplished our goal.

Although the company still filed bankruptcy a few years later, I learned one simple thing that allowed me to heal my gut faster than I ever thought possible.

Little tweaks DO ADD UP to huge savings.

And in today’s SCD mailbag, we bust out the microscope and share specific techniques that optimize your healing to feel better faster.

In this podcast you’ll learn:

1:48 The best SCD vitamins and why we recommend them

4:28 Whether it’s important to supplement with fiber (like Metamucil) – and what the consequences may be

6:21 How to overcome starchy cravings and weight loss even if you’re allergic to squash and too much protein is bogging you down

9:34 The myth that a vegetarian can’t follow SCD and what to try instead of meat – especially in the beginning

13:12 Why coffee often triggers diarrhea or even setbacks on the diet, and why trying it again later can often jump-start healing

15:05 Which judo techniques work – and don’t work – for chronic constipation

18:33 The complete lack of experience with vegetarian SCD and how to start feeling better in 1-2 days

23:01 The potential cause of mysterious diarrhea and cramping every morning

28:01 Whether enteric coated or normal fish oils are a better source for colitis patients

31:30 The top three reasons our book isn’t available in print

If you want to learn even more specific tweaks to maximize your healing, click here to take our book for a test drive:

http://www.scdlifestylebook.com/

In good health,

Links from the Podcast:

SCD turkey breakfast sausage: Watch the video here

The famous four horseman: Avoid these four triggers if the diet’s not working

SCD legal vitamins: GI Pro Health “SCD Complete”

SCD legal fish oil: GI Pro Health “Omega Max”

Want your questions answered on the next podcast?

Submit your question here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

- If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.

- Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

Every once in awhile I find my diet BORING!

After I get over myself, I remember that when this happens it’s MY FAULT. 

Yep that’s right, just because I’m too lazy to open one of a half-dozen cookbooks or push my cooking comfort zone doesn’t give me the right to proclaim SCD restrictive and boring.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is really not restrictive (another SCD myth), there are hundreds of foods allowed on SCD and when combined can create hundreds of thousands of combination.  Usually the limiting factor is one’s experience or comfort level in the kitchen.

Guided by a reader of our book and a bit of Googling I decided to take on the prickly artichoke.  Prior to this I had never had a real artichoke (cooked from scratch) that I’m aware of.  At first when Nia started telling me how to do it, I was thoroughly confused and all the steps seemed really taxing.

However, once I got started it was much easier than I expected (as are most new actions in the kitchen).

I must say they tasted great, and once I started salting and putting butter on them even better!  I think in the future they will make great appetizers (thinking date nights, dinner parties and family functions)

How to Cook an Artichoke

Step 1: Choose a method of cooking, boiling, baking, steaming?  I choose boiling, if you do to, get a pot out and start heating some water to a boil.

Step 2: Clean your artichokes, by rinsing them under water and scrubbing the outsides if you have a brush.

Step 3: Chop off the top 1/2″ of the artichokes and just a small part of the stem which is an extension of heart totally edible Or if your stuffing and preparing them like Nia’s pictures cut the stem completely off.

Step 4: Season the artichokes if you want, or do as I did and just put them into your boiling water (PRO TIP: put lemon juice on the freshly cut tops to keep the yellow coloring)

Step 5: Find a small lid or plate that can be used to hold the artichokes in the boiling water

Step 6: Boil for 30 minutes, a knife should easily slip through the stem area when they are done.

How to Eat an Artichoke

Step 1: It’s about to get messy as you dig into your freshly cooked artichoke!  So get a bowl or small plate ready for all the discards.

Step 5: Eat your heart out! 

Big Thanks to Nia! for providing me the encouragement and directions to get started, she also supplied the delicious looking stuffed artichoke pictures.  To make yours sophisticated like hers, just drizzle with olive oil and then pack almond flour into the leaves before baking.

Back to SCD Lifestyle

We make it a priority to highlight SCD personalities from across the internet.  We love hearing success stories and want to spread the knowledge of those brave enough to share their specific carbohydrate diet stories.  

We are pleased to have Danielle from Againstallgrain in our spotlight this week!

Danielle’s story is remarkable, suffering from Ulcerative Colitis and receiving nothing but pharmaceutical help from her doctors, she took her health into her own hands.  Only 2 months into SCD she was not only symptom free but also Pregnant!   This is really cool as the web is filled with stories of mom’s who through diet tweaks were able to crush conception problems (Hint: get rid of grains).

She just re-did her blog and it looks Great!  She is amassing an awesome SCD recipe resource of new recipes.  The best part is she is posting some great cultural dishes that will push anyone’s boundaries in the kitchen (time to buy more spices!).  Some of the ones I’ve bookmarked and plan to try are the Thai Coconut Soup and Chicken Tikka Masala.  She has great photography skills which I think provide motivation for trying something new.  I’ve said it before but consider trying a new recipe every week your on SCD.   This simple idea will break up any boredom in the kitchen as well as force you to become an even better cook.

So without further ado here is Danielle’s story:

1.  Why did you start SCD (health problems, treatments etc)?

I started SCD in 2009 after battling with very sever Ulcerative Colitis for 2 years. I was diagnosed at the age of 21 right after graduating college, moving to a new city and getting married. As most people with the disease, Doctors aren’t sure what caused it, but I believe it was the stress of everything going on in my life that caused it to flare.  I always say “marrying my husband gave me a disease!”  Over a 6 month period, I saw 4 Gastroenterologists, and was in the ER two times before finally being diagnosed. All of the doctors I saw claimed that diet had nothing to do with the disease and refused to give me any advice on how to eat better. They prescribed medications immediately and sent me out the door with instructions to get another colonoscopy in a year.  For the next year, I found my self in and out of the hospital every few months.  I was put on 100 mg of Prednisone, was always very anemic and had 2 blood transfusions.  Despite the doctors advise, my husband and I were sure that things could be at least somewhat helped by modifying my diet. I tried gluten free, sugar free, a slew of supplements, and all of the medications, but nothing could seem to get it under control.

3.  What was your biggest challenges on the diet and how did you overcome them?

4.  What is your #1 piece of advice you would give someone getting ready to start the diet?

5.  How has your new found level of health changed your life?

- Danielle

Ever been attacked by a saber-tooth tiger?

Imagine it’s lunchtime at work.

On the way to grab some food you turn the same old boring corner only to find yourself face-to-face with a GIANT, 500 pound, saber-tooth tiger… and he’s STARVING!

What would you do?

You’d run like hell, knocking down whoever got in your way right?

When that INSANE adrenaline rush takes over, your body automatically does whatever it takes to save your life.

That’s real fear.

Now, imagine getting chased by a saber-tooth tiger every 1.5 minutes…

What would that do to your heart?

The problem is: that’s what society is like these days.  Only now the saber-tooth tiger is student loans, gas prices, mortgage payments, disease, etc.

The same fear that saves your life from a HUGE, extinct animal, now gets activated whenever we stress out about life.

These days, fear is all about the unknown… things like:

“How can I afford to pay down debt for 20-years?”

“Do I have enough money to retire?”

“What if I lose my job during the corporate restructuring?”

“What if I get cancer and there’s no cure?”

So what’s so scary about SCD?

Recently, we did a survey and asked, “What is your biggest fear about the SCD diet?”

And the answers we’re fascinating.  What’s even more interesting, each of the 100+ responses represented one of five common fears in one way or another.

Let’s call these top 5 fears “myths.”

It’s OK to have these fears.  In fact, a few of these fears stopped me from trying the diet until 30 DAYS AFTER I read “Breaking the Vicious Cycle.”

So with today’s podcast – we busted these top 5 SCD Diet Myths.

Choose your top fear and hear what we had to say about it:

#5: “I can’t have a normal social life and will lose my friends on this diet” (Time – 2:02)

Here’s some of your survey responses:

“Dining out at restaurants or at friends house who don’t understand my limitations” — Susan

“Not getting the support from friends and community” — Tania

“Being able to eat out with friends” — Dollie

#4: “There’s not enough fiber, carbs, nutrients, or calories in this diet” (Time – 9:00)

More survey responses:

“Wondering if I am getting all the vitamins/nutrients I need” — Sylvia

“Not having enough fiber” — Myra

“That I would not get enough calories” — Marie

#3: “I’m going to do it wrong (or cheat and not be able to stick with it)” (Time – 16:59)

More survey responses:

“Doing something wrong.” — Wendy

“That I might cheat and ruin my progress.” — Paul

“I have begun and stopped many times.  This is my fear, not keeping to it” — Nelli

#2: “I will be ‘forced’ to eat like this forever” (Time – 24:04)

More survey responses:

“I’ll be on it forever.” — Laura

“That I will never be able to eat regular food again.” — Candice

“That I will never be able to eat grains again.” — Susanna

#1: “This diet won’t work for me and I’m wasting my time” (Time – 32:34)

More survey responses:

“My biggest fear is that it won’t work for me.” — Kristen

“That it may not further improve my symptoms in the future.” — Roxie

“That it will fail like all the other interventions I have tried” — Cynde

For even more help overcoming the psychology of SCD, our 162-page eBook has two entire chapters devoted to specific strategies that make sure fear and cravings don’t cause you to fail before you even start.  Click here to learn more:

http://www.scdlifestylebook.com/

In good health,

Links from the Podcast:

Gain weight on SCD: How to use Fitday.com

Want your questions answered on the next podcast?

Submit your question here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

- If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.

- Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

What is it about mad scientists that makes them so captivating?

Unrelenting, explosive brain power.

They live on the edge of crazy so we don’t have to.  And every once-in-a-while they learn things that help all of us.

In today’s SCD mailbag we answer more of your questions and share what we’ve learned experimenting like mad scientists.

In this podcast we cover:

0:35 How to properly introduce probiotics, without getting nervous you made the wrong move

7:40 3 SCD tactics you can try WHILE consuming alcohol to avoid the morning-after payback

13:18 Why SCD works on system-wide inflammation to fully restore your freedom

14:48 The specific foods most people try that actually irritates the gut… and often triggers painful setbacks

17:40 7 ways to talk about “perfect poops” that show you exactly how well you’re healing

20:17 How to tell if the diet will work for you, even if your disease isn’t in the small intestine like everyone else

21:41 3 things to check with elevated liver enzymes that lets you know you’re not “destroying your liver”, and continue healing on SCD

24:15 The crucial mistake most people make when trying to introduce nuts that all but guarantees they end up in a “SCD Setback”

26:23 When the “med-free approach” isn’t a good idea and how to tell the difference

28:50 How to use your body signals to know exactly when to re-introduce alcohol and feel totally comfortable in social situations

For even more help hacking SCD, our 40-page bonus guide saves you time, money, and frustration with “25-ways to hack the SCD Lifestyle.”  Click here to learn more:

http://www.scdlifestylebook.com/

In good health,

Links from the Podcast:

Genova Diagnostics stool test: CDSA

Bristol Stool Chart post: The SCD Diet and Poop: It’s Time to Talk About It

Robb Wolf fish oil calculator: How much fish oil do I need?

SCD and alcohol: The 3-part Alcohol Series

The famous four horseman: Avoid these four triggers

Want your questions answered on the next podcast?

Submit your question here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

- If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.

- Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

What happens when the foundation is missing?  Those little things we often dismiss as not important…

For example, what if you tried to ride a bike without honing your skills on training wheels first?

You’d go down hard and fast in less than 10-seconds.  Exactly the reason we all started on training wheels.

I still remember cruising around with those squeaky wheels keeping me alive.  Every screech was a reminder that my basic biking skills weren’t good enough yet.

Then, the big day finally came when my Dad unbolted them and I never looked back… freedom baby.

All the greatest skills and procedures utilize foundational skills.  These simple steps form the support structure for more complex skills.  We don’t live in a bubble; real life is stressful and always changing.  Getting the simple steps right is the most important step for success.

This is the biggest pitfall for a person who “jumps head first” into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet without any training wheels.

The foundation is missing.

The Foundation Is Emotional

Food runs through every part of our society.  Then mix in disease and disorders that affect our happiness and it’s easy to see that SCD can be tough.

Creating a “food safe zone” gives you:

• a deep trust in a solid foundation of foods to fall back on when you can’t afford to be sick
• the unshakeable confidence to weather any storm, like stressful jobs to trans-Atlantic flights
• Remove the fear of introducing new foods by creating a rock-solid environment to test ANYTHING

Food, disease, and stress each affect us differently and having a “food safe zone” that you know makes you feel good is crucial to SCD success.

What is a “Food Safe Zone”?

In simple terms, it’s a group of easy to digest foods that make you feel good when you eat them.  It’s typically made up of:

• Any cooked non-processed meats
• 5-8 different cooked vegetables
• 1-3 different cooked fruits

Together these foods form the foundation of SCD healing, allowing medication changes, supplement tweaks and trying new foods with confidence.

Each person’s “food safe zone” is uniquely suited for their body.

Create Your “Food Safe Zone” in 5 steps

A “food safe zone” can be created anytime during your healing .  To start one now follow these 5-steps:

1. Cut out the four common triggers during this phase (No dairy, egg, nuts and eat low fruit)
2. Pick one vegetable, one fruit and rotate your meats to get started (pears or apples, carrots or squash)
3. Add one new vegetable or fruit every four days
4. Add two vegetables for every one fruit (2:1 ratio)
5. Track daily calories in 5 minutes a day using a free program like www.fitday.com for the first month

This is your personal bubble to protect your healing from everyday life and unforeseen problems that arise during recovery from digestive problems.  Each safe zone is easily tailored to accommodate any number of dietary restrictions or special circumstances.

If you want even more help creating your food safe zone, including step-by-step instructions, our book “SCD Lifestyle—Surviving to Thriving” will hold your hand every step of the way.

Click here to learn more: http://www.scdlifestylebook.com/

In Good health,

What are we supposed to do if one-size-fits-all doesn’t work?

Like last week, I was out shopping for a new hat, which I hated for 2 simple reason:

1. I have a HUGE noggin
2. I only wear fitted hats without the plastic adjustment in the back

Every hat I tried on was so tight I thought my eyes were going to explode out of my head.  And each time I pulled them off in disappointment the tag read, “One-size-fits-all.”

So what did I do when “one-size-fits-all” didn’t work for me?

I saw two options… either get a smaller head or find a bigger hat.  I figured finding a bigger hat was my best choice.

The next morning I found a place that makes custom fitted hats for people with huge noggins like me and a few days later I was comfortably wearing a brand new hat perfect for my big head.

Sometimes, we just need to tweak things to fit us just right.  And sometimes SCD doesn’t work unless you tweak it to fit YOUR body just right.

Tweaking SCD

We’re confident that SCD works for most people.  In fact, we’re convinced that if diet modification isn’t working for you – you’re probably only one or two tweaks away from becoming another SCD success story.

To make it easier for you we’ve identified four common SCD tweaks that allow the diet to work for 95% of us.

Introducing: The Four Dark Horsemen of SCD

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the Bible as four beasts that ride on horses symbolizing Conquest, War, Famine and Death while bringing about the end of the world.

The bleak imagery aligns well with the four common foods that stop the diet from working for some people.  The “Four Dark Horsemen of SCD” are dairy, egg, nuts, and excessive fruit/honey.

Why do these four foods stop the diet from working for some people?

Because so many of us come to SCD unknowingly suffering from increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut).  Leaky gut allows HUGE proteins into the blood stream that aren’t normally supposed to be there, signaling your immune defenses to ATTACK like an angry hornets nest.  An inflamed immune system makes healing on SCD an uphill battle even though you’re eating “SCD legal” foods.

Here’s the breakdown of each of the four horsemen listed in order of most problematic:

• Dairy: The protein Casein (Don’t worry – replace yogurt with dairy free probiotics like these)
• Egg: The protein Albumin (Egg and dairy free SCD is possible – even for breakfast, find out how here)
• Nuts: Nut and nut flour proteins (Find other recipes here)
• Excessive fruit/honey: Way too much sugar feeds bacteria (Read about fructose malabsorption here)

Reactions to look for: stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, sinus drainage, horrible smelling gas, headache, and brain fog.

Armed with the tools of our “Four Dark Horsemen Strategy,” we’re confident most people can customize SCD to work for them.

What to do if SCD isn’t working for you

Here’s how to tweak SCD using the “Four Dark Horsemen Strategy” and quickly get the diet working for you.

1) Start by eliminating one of the four horsemen for four days.  Here’s the key: don’t change anything else in your diet so any changes you notice are only from the food you eliminated.  Four days gives you enough time to tell if it’s the only tweak you needed.

2) If the first attempt fails, keep eliminating the remaining three horsemen until you find the culprit.  For many of us, eliminating all four together finally does the trick.

Remember, most of the time you’re just one tweak away from SCD success… remove that one trigger and you’re well on your way to perfect health.

For even more help troubleshooting SCD with specific step-by-step strategies, check out our book “SCD Lifestyle—Surviving to Thriving,”  which includes a bonus 32-page FAQ troubleshooting guide to help you tweak SCD to fit your body.  Here’s the link:

http://www.scdlifestylebook.com

In good health,

In today’s mailbag podcast, we cover everything from allergy testing to friendly yeasts – so settle in and enjoy the ride.

You’ll learn:

0:45 What healing REALLY feels like and when to try new foods

4:45 How to introduce new spices that liven up any boring meal

8:08 How to know if you’re ready to grow beyond water to lemon juice or tea

12:15 The steps to avoid CRUSHING setbacks from antibiotics

14:55 Ready-to-use scripts on asking your Doctor for specific medical tests

21:25 The best SCD legal supplement brands that give you peace-of-mind

23:58 How to know when it’s time to try a new food

26:07 The unique food allergy testing we use that ACTUALLY works

In good health,

Links from the Podcast:

The food allergy testing we’ve had done is “Intradermal Provocative Neutralization” (Intradermal P/N): Find a practice near you

SCD Legal S. Boulardi: GI Pro Health

Want your questions answered on the next podcast?

Submit your question here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

- If you can’t see the audio player below, download the MP3 here.

- Also, make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review – thanks!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day on SCD.

I can’t wait to jump out of bed every morning and fry up my Turkey Breakfast Sausage in coconut oil.

The best part?

It’s dairy and egg free for those of us that can’t do either.

I’ve been getting emails from people wanting to know more about it, so without further ado:

My Turkey Sausage Recipe

4 lbs. of ground turkey

3 tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. water

2 pinches of thyme

2 pinches of black pepper

I roll the 4 lbs. of ground turkey into a long tube on a pan, on foil.  Then I add the water, salt, and spice.  The important thing is to kneed everything into the meat and then make it into a perfect log.  Next wrap the foil around the log and poke holes throughout it.  Bake it at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 hours and check the temperature.  Cut them up into patties and freeze them for a great breakfast treat.  Makes around 12 6 oz patties.

Here’s a video explaining how I make it:

Now it’s your turn…

1) Make a batch of your own Turkey Breakfast Sausage

2) Leave a comment below telling me how it went and your cool ideas to make it better

Enjoy,

Since I got my health back I have this new found “awareness” for the little things in life.

It’s like a “spidey-sense” for all the little things that make us happy.

Like last week, I was having one of those days where I didn’t get enough sleep the night before, I had a little too much coffee, work was tough, and needed to get food after work.

Awesome right?

There weren’t any spots near the door so I parked in the way back, you know, the part of the parking lot with 50 abandoned, rusting out carts because it’s too far for the cart-guy to go get them.

And it was 10 degrees out.

I walked into the store a little flustered when I heard a soft voice say, “Good afternoon sir – you look exhausted, can I help you with anything?”

I looked up at the greeter to find an older gentleman with an ear-to-ear grin that instantly took me back to my childhood and those Werther’s Original ads with Robert Rockwell as that kind-hearted grandfather.

That was it – my entire day melted away… his contagious smile became plastered on my face.

The rest of the night nothing could take away my good vibes and I made sure to pass them on to everyone I came across.

In a flash one man changed my entire day…

The Power of ONE

Every living, breathing person was born with an innate power.

Giving away this power is one of the saddest actions.

I give away my power all the time:

• I should say Please and Thank You more often
• I should open more door
• I should smile more

But I don’t, I skip simple courtesies all the time…why?

I think it is related to the idea that most people don’t seem to value the small efforts…and some days the small things don’t seem worthwhile or all that powerful to me.

But that is precisely why I need to step it up, it isn’t about me, it is about the other humans I come into contact every day, the ones who:

• Who poop 12 times a day
• Who just lost their job
• Who just buried a loved one

A single action, an infectious smile, hearty hello or common courtesy might change this person’s day, week or month.

This is the power of one.

The best part of this power is it can multiply in a heartbeat.

I doubt the brave soldiers knew the power of their actions as they stormed the beach of Normandy.

No doubt in my mind that Rosa Parks had had enough and was ready to be heard…she had no thoughts of starting a liberation.

The man in front of the store smiled at me and brightened my night and many others, how far did his cheer spread?

Exercise Your Power Today

Everyday as we rise from bed we are presented several opportunities to enhance our lives and enrich the lives of others around us.

Rush University Medical Center in Chicago has decided to do just this.

They’ve secured the funding to do an brand new, expensive, in-depth study whose benefit is unknown.

Does diet modification change the composition of the gut flora?

No pharmaceutical or political parties win if they prove it. They are expressing their power of ONE.

Now I want to ask you to do the same.

One study might lead to One more, which might lead to One Hundred more, which might lead to a whole new IBD treatment program.

Get Involved Right Now

If you have a clinically diagnosed IBD, are over the age of 8 and are following SCD we need you to be a One.

So that together WE are the Power of ONE Study.

Use your power and sign up, find out how to participate in the new SCD study HERE:

*** UPDATE (3/11): I just got word from Rush University that this post filled all the remaining spots in the study. Thank you so much for taking action and signing up – the SCD community does it again! They do still need control subjects that aren’t on the diet so if any of your friends or family would be willing to participate please contact them.***

(To view the PDF in a new window, click here.)

Trust me, they need more volunteers than you think.

In Good health,

If you like what you hear, make sure you subscribe on iTunes (and don’t forget to leave a review – thanks!)

What if you could learn to troubleshoot the most curious SCD challenges by borrowing an engineers brain?

And what if I said that every SCD success story uses this same tactic?

You’re probably like, “come on Jordan, I just want to have perfect poops – get on with it.”

Ok – you got it.

Today we’re back with the SCD Lifestyle Solution Podcast #17: Troubleshooting Your SCD Challenges

Over the past year we’ve found that troubleshooting SCD is the secret sauce to feeling better.

The diet can be tweaked just a little – customized to fit your body – to get you the results you want.  Once you understand this key mindset, the healing happens on it’s own.

The Armchair Engineer Theory

We aren’t doctors – but we are engineers.

So why does that help you?

Because we spent years in school and at work training our brains to troubleshoot EVERYTHING.

For example, last week I spent 30-mins deconstructing my son’s $3 “Thomas the Tank Engine” toy because the little electric motor stopped driving it around.

The result?  It ran better than when I bought it.

Also, I spent the last two years troubleshooting the SCD diet until I got to a level of health I was happy with.

The result?  Increased mental clarity, never-ending energy, and perfect poops everyday.

And last night – Steve and I spent 45-mins troubleshooting your SCD questions.

The result?  Today’s podcast….

1:10 What to do if you can’t tolerate SCD yogurt and how to replace the probiotics

3:45 The fat digestion test and how to use it to gain weight on the SCD Diet

7:10 How to find SCD Legal honey

8:50 The techniques to defeat severe constipation after 5 days on the diet

12:45 Raw cows milk yogurt vs. pasteurized…

16:34 Does the SCD diet help with acid reflux/GERD?

19:30 Can the diet help you sleep better and double your energy?

22:40 The relationship between B12 and gastrointestinal disorders?

24:50 Should eggs really be allowed on the intro diet?

28:50 What to do about butter if you can’t handle dairy

32:30 The real story of fermented vegetables and when to try them

In good health,

Links from the Podcast:

Jordan’s Turkey Sausage Recipe can be found here: Podcast #3 – How we survived the intro diet

The B12 drops Jordan took in the beginning: Methyl-Mate

Chris Kresser’s 8-part series on GERD/Heartburn: The Healthy Skeptic

Want your questions answered on the next podcast?

Click this link to submit your questions:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

- If you can’t see the audio player below, click here to download the MP3.

(This post was from our last blog update – but we’ve been working hard and just finished another facelift… subtle but needed)

Today I’m excited to officially unveil the new blog layout.  It’s been a few weeks of blood, sweat, and tears and now it’s finally here.

If you want to help us create the best resource to help people take control of their health and reclaim their lives, read on and find out how…

Our old blog was so ridiculous.  I’ll never forget how we wanted it be perfect and we had this image in our head’s of what that would look like.  We even hired programmers to build it for us and it took almost a month for them to finish.

But, it was a looooooong way from perfect.

I still remember when we first published it in early 2010.  I was so proud, I sent the link to my entire family grinning like an idiot.

All I cared about was having a blog about the SCD Diet that people could read. That was perfection for me.  But what’s interesting is that once I accomplished that goal the blog started to lose it’s appeal very quickly.

Sometimes perfection isn’t really what it seems.

The Perfect Diet

When my Doctor first told me about the SCD Diet I was infused with a renewed sense of hope, so I immediately bought “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” and read the whole thing that night.

But it seemed daunting. I went on to research the diet for 3 weeks trying to decide if it was worth trying or not.  What was I stuck on?

• Elaine mentioned that many people can go off the diet after 1 year and return to normal foods and I just plain didn’t believe it.
• I already changed my diet once and it didn’t work
• I had a genetic disease, so what did diet have to do with it?
• There was no way my family would buy into it

But after talking it over with my wife I realized that for me, perfection didn’t have to be a “cure”.  Perfection meant three things:

1. Not having diarrhea everyday
2. Being able to hold a poop for 30 seconds
3. Not taking 10 Imodium AD just to go see a movie

Once I realized what my “perfect” was, the mountain got a whole lot smaller.

What’s your vision of ideal health?

We always ask people what their “vision of health” is… and you’d be suprised, it’s NEVER “to be completely cured”.  It’s ALWAYS about those things that make life miserable… like these:

“My goal is to stop the bleeding and the mucus.” – Rebekah

“Being in control of when I go to the toilet.” – Mike

“No more diarrhea/bloody stool/constant gas, more energy and strength” – Paul

“Off medication. Feeling strong. Having energy.” – Alyse

Your vision of health will always be changing.

In the beginning I just wanted to be able to hold a poop for more than 30 seconds, now I get cranky if I’m a little gassy.

In the beginning I just wanted a blog on the web, now I want it to be the best resource people have to take control of their health and reclaim their lives.

As we grow and change the moving target of perfection keeps us improving.  Whether its your health or athletics or some blog on the web.

The key is taking the first step.  And if I never took the first step to stop the diarrhea, I never would have the level of health I have now.

If we never started this blog together, we never would have had the opportunity to help you feel better.

So, as we grow together, can you help us make this a better resource, so we can help you take control of your health?

Here’s How:

1) If the SCD Diet has helped you, click here to send us your success story:
http://scdlifestyle.com/contact-us/

2) Leave a comment below and tell us what you’d like to see on the blog

In good health,

If you like what you hear, make sure you subscribe on iTunes (and don’t forget to give it a rating – thanks!)

When I was growing up I always felt safe going to the doctor.  It didn’t matter how sick I was – I knew that when I went in to see my Doc he was going to make it all ok.

Being a grown-up makes things complicated doesn’t it?

That safe and secure feeling around my doctor quickly disappeared when I was having diarrhea 10 times a day and he couldn’t help me.

So I did what any engineer would do – I started asking a lot of questions.  And I didn’t stop until I had answers that made sense to me.  And eventually, I asked the one “right question” in front of the “right” doctor and found the SCD Diet.

The point is that asking the right questions is the most important thing you can do for your health… and we want to make it easy for you.  Today, the SCD Lifestyle Solution Podcast #16 dives into the questions you’ve been submitting.

If you want to learn how many times a day we poop, what we eat, and the supplements we take – then listen to this podcast.  This podcast is all about answering your questions.  And if you still have more, please click the link at the bottom of the post to send them to us.

2:03 Question #1 – We update our stories completely transparent

8:02 3 foods Jordan doesn’t eat that allow him to have perfect poops

11:53 What is Steve’s current diet

16:17 Question #2 – What supplements should you be taking?

21:40 What you should know about blood tests at the doctors office

24:27 Question #3 – How to end hunger with filling foods

30:50 Question #4 – When to start SCD yogurt for the fastest success

Want your questions answered on the next podcast?

Click this link to submit your questions: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7DZJJTT

If you can’t see the audio player below, click here for the source file.

If you like what you hear, make sure you subscribe on iTunes.

This week on the show we were pleased to be joined by our friend Tiffany Reilly.  She had lifelong GI problems (they told her it was

IBS) until a hospital stay in which she learned it was actually Crohn’s disease.  After trying many combinations of conventional drugs she found the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and decided to give it a shot.

She had to overcome several large obstacles along the way.  For instance she couldn’t even go shopping to get the food to start the diet she was so sick!  After that she had to learn to cook from scratch and then she made a brave decision against her doctors wishes to stop taking Pentasa.

Now just over 6 months since she started, she’s converted her entire family over, including her young son.  Not only that but she is the owner of the SCD Support Group on Facebook and also moderates on other Chron’s and Colitis discussion boards.  I think you are going to find her story inspiring and her unique experience helping others on a daily basis very value added.

1:13 Tiffany shares her story

7:01 Her experience starting SCD

13:00 Tiffany’s decision to stop Pentasa

22:54 The #1 problem she hears from others about SCD

28:43 Learning to cook should be fun

35:30 Should your family and kids do SCD?

43:28 Her #1 piece of advice for SCD

Thanks to everyone for the questions, keep them coming!  We will start answering them soon, if you haven’t submitted your questions take a moment and go here.

If you are anything at all like Tiffany or us and are looking for a source to teach you how to cook natural foods, look no further than our book!  One of our biggest goals for the book was to make sure we covered the cooking in depth to save others time, money and embarrassment.  Go here to learn more.

Back to SCD Lifestyle