It is important to make good food choices for your digestive system.  We would recommend that you keep a food diary, so that you know what foods you tolerate well and the ones that you don’t.  We never had a specific food that would cause a flare; however, based on my intestinal design, I don’t seem to do well with high fiber difficult to digest/breakdown foods. Try and speak with a nutritionist to get a professional’s opinion, but also listen to your body.    You might need to take vitamins or supplements depending on your diet and what type of absorption you are having of calories and nutrients.  My favorite things are coffee, fried savory foods, a glass of sparkling, and most hard cheeses. These are not on the list of most nutritionists that will visit you in your hospital room or doctor’s office; however, they are staples in my diet. I am about 5’5” and weigh around 118-120 pounds.  I still eat salad, grilled meats, and some fruits and vegetables; however, most days one or more of those items are part of my diet.  Get to know your body!

Regarding specific diet and food choices, I have listed a few that I stay away from.  Raw celery, cooked spinach, artichokes, and most Chinese vegetables don’t seem to sit well with me or can cause blockages.  Blockages are no fun, and can be a significant inconvenience, since you pretty much end up curled up in pain and can’t to eat or drink much for a few days while you massage your stomach to try and move things along.  I have never had to be hospitalized, but for those of you that have, sorry you had to experience that event.  Jill finds Kale to be her nemesis and feels like razor blades when it makes its exit and we both try to stay away from high fiber raw vegetables at night, since what goes in, must go out.  Late night fibers usually turns into interrupted sleep patterns for us.

We are both huge fans of eating protein. We try to stay with all natural options that don’t have a lot of chemicals or steroids, and are lucky because we have access to great beef from Montana Prime, although I still eat Boar’s Head Deli meats, and will visit a Chick-Fil-a, 5 Guys, Shake Shack or Burger Fi when the opportunity arises.  We eat all different types of food. We love sushi, Mexican, and American cuisine.  We can eat milk, cheese, gluten products, so we do not have any specific limitations, just what our bodies tell us they can or can’t tolerate.  Know your body.  I can drink beer, wine, liquor and not have any unusual side effects; however, I have spoken with other people that can’t tolerate alcohol or can’t eat chocolate, so again it is important to Know your Body.  It might not make the disease worse, but if it makes the symptoms worse you can be just a miserable.  When we are traveling or when I have speaking engagements I need to be at, I will usually eat food bars prior to the event – Cliff Bars and Luna Bars or my go-tos that are compact, protein rich and will satisfy my hunger and calorie needs, so that I can get through a presentation or meeting, where I don’t have the flexibility to make people wait or excuse myself.

I do make restaurant choices not just on the food options, but also on the bathrooms. We can touch on that on another post regarding the importance of the environment, but I am a huge fan of restaurants that only have single stalls. Who likes the pressure of someone knocking on the door or jimmying the handle trying to barge their way in…how secure are those locks?!

Bottom line, get to know your body and eat accordingly, so that you can have a productive day, feel good about yourself, and have the energy to heal and support a healthy body.