30/30 - #24 Water Kefir

It's about time we talked about Crohn's Disease again. I don't mention it a lot on the blog since that is not the focus, but it certainly does have an effect on what I eat and drink. Medication is not the only important factor about managing this disease. Diet and lifestyle play a huge role as well. I will get into more detail later in the post, but the main reason for sharing this today is #24 on my list, Water Kefir.

I decided several years ago that I was going to do all I could to managing my disease without a lot of medication. Any symptoms that I experience only fuel my drive to better manage my health through food, and gain as much knowledge about nutrition as I can. Because, ultimately, the healthier I am, the more I can enjoy food and life!

What is Water Kefir?

I first discovered Water Kefir about a year ago at the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo. A booth under the name of GRUB was setup towards the back of the room and handing out samples of a sparkling drink. Curious, I tasted several of them and was initially hooked. I struck up a conversation with the vendor and learned that the delightful drink I was enjoying was Water Kefir, a fizzy, probiotic soda that is easy to make at home. Water Kefir contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes and has both antifungal and antibiotic properties. Although Water Kefir is made with organic cane sugar, active cultures and filtered water, the sugar content becomes very low once it is fermented. 

GRUB explained that many of their clients experienced improved digestion, clearer skin, increased overall immunity, and additional energy (just to name a few). I was sold! I purchased a Water Kefir kit and got to fermenting as soon as I was home!

The kit comes with:

• Life Active Heirloom Cultures
• Step-by-step instruction booklet and recipe
• 1 nylon strainer
• Additional resources

The cultures are the little white jelly things in the picture below. They dance around like little happy feet during the fermentation process. The best part is that they are reusable and very hard to kill. I've had the same cultures for the entire year and they have more than doubled, allowing me to share with friends!

Happy, dancing cultures!

After a year of drinking Water Kefir everyday, I can vouch for its claims! This stuff is amazing AND delicious. The Hubby has even jumped on the probiotic drink train and likes to drink a glass with dinner every night. 

What is Crohn's Disease?

Crohn's Disease is a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (not to be confused with IBS). Along with Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's causes chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which can prevent certain GI organs to function properly. This in turn can interfere with digestion and the absorption of nutrients. There are several other aspects about the disease, but the most significant one is that there is no known cause or treatment for it.

There are several therapies available to help manage the disease, including surgery. However, many IBD patients have turned to diet and lifestyle to help manage the disease, which is what I have found to be most helpful. Since all patients are different, I started with a food journal.

The journal I keep details my food, drink, medication, exercise and bowel movements (I know, I know, but it is important). What started out as a project to help me figure out trigger foods, turned into a resource for my doctors and overall health. After two years of journaling, I discovered several things and tailored my diet and lifestyle to accommodate those learnings.

One such discovery was water kefir and lacto-fermented foods. I found that by adding good bacteria into my gut through digestion, I started feeling "normal" again. My symptoms decreased while my energy levels increased. I was able to get back to a more normal work and exercise routine. I highly recommend looking into trying Water Kefir. Here are several sites that provide further information:

• GRUB
• Nourished Kitchen
• Cultures for Health
• Wellness Mama

Cheers!!

Tune in tomorrow for a sweet and crunchy treat!

The Healing Power of Pho

Seriously! Who gets sick in the middle of summertime?! Oh wait, I do!

I have to rant for a minute here. I am a very healthy person. I eat well, exercise, take vitamins and minerals. I even eat fermented vegetables and drink water kefir every day! Unfortunately one of my medications for Crohn's suppresses my immune system just enough for me to catch every sickness known to man! I missed the first NCSU football game on Saturday because of this stupid sinus cold. I got so frustrated that I decided to stack on all my cold-remedies at once to nip this thing in the bud.

And those remedies include:

1. Hot water, lemon and honey (3-4 cups a day)

2. Neti pot (twice a day)

3. Cold humidifier (next to my bed at night)
4. DayQuil for the really severe days. I try everything before going to antibiotics.

5. And, the best of all, Pho

Pho, pronounced "fuh," is a traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup. I don't have a recipe to share because it is quite complicated (and I am American). Just find the best Vietnamese restaurant in your area and when I say "best," I mean most authentic. For us, the best is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a strip mall - Pho Far East in Raleigh. My friend Nicole introduced us to this spot (she has been going for many years) and it didn't disappoint. I tried the traditional Pho the first time (which has beef and other meats), but my favorite is the chicken noodle Pho.

Hot broth, rice noodles, chicken and a lot of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, chili peppers, lime and onions. The first bite opens your sinuses right up! After several cups of hot water, honey and lemon and a run-in with the Neti pot, I was able to gather enough energy to pick up a bowl of Pho for dinner. I woke up feeling ten times better the next morning.

I am convinced, Pho is the best remedy around! Pho-real! Pho-sho!

If you are feeling brave: Pho Recipe from Steamy Kitchen

When you find that Vienamese hole-in-the-wall: How to Eat A Bowl of Pho Like You Know What You're Doing

(If you can't find a good Vietnamese restaurant, you can also make Healing Vegetable Soup).

New Year, New Eats and Cultured Vegetables

I'm back! It was amazing to take a few weeks off from work, training, cooking and, well life in general. However, now my body is in dire need of cleansing and my normal routine! Then there is the inevitable New Year's resolutions. Not me. This will mark the first year that I WON'T make a New Year's resolution. Not that I don't appreciate the whole "fresh start" mentality, I just don't think it should be limited to one day out of the year. A "fresh start" can happen any day of the year.

My fresh start comes in the form of cleansing, eliminating sugar and digestive enzymes! After all the sweets, heavy food, alcohol and several days of no exercise, my body just gets mad at me, forcing me to return to my healthy ways. I thought I would share some of the healthy habits that I have picked up over the last year, mostly in search of a better lifestyle to deal with Crohn's.

First and foremost - cultured vegetables. This has been the single-most important food I have incorporated into my diet since I was diagnosed several years ago. They are simple to make and a batch lasts about a month. The recipe I am sharing today was created by Rose, my mother (who we all know is a big part of why I am healthy today). She read a book called Body Ecology, that changed her life (and system)!

Before I get to the recipe, here are a few other healthy habits worth trying this New Year.

Raw Brownies

One of the benefits of cultured vegetables is the natural ability to control sweet cravings. Sugar is one of the biggest culprits of my flareups, and also one of my biggest weaknesses, or at least it used to be. After a year of cultured vegetables in my diet, I can honestly say, I do not really crave sweets anymore. However, when I need a little sweet treat, I turn to these Raw Chocolate Brownies (which contain no sugar). The sweetness comes from Medjool dates. I always have a little bag of these brownies in the freezer for a quick and easy sweet satisfaction.

Habit #2 (Lemon-Cayenne cleanse)

I picked up this habit from the Food Babe, a healthy food blogger that is located in NC as well. She starts every morning with hot water, lemon and cayenne. This is a natural liver cleanse that eliminates toxins from the digestive tract. Considering my condition, I jumped on this habit right away and have been pleased with the outcome ever since. Thank you Food Babe!!

If you can't quite stomach cayenne-lemon water, at least try Dandelion Tea (add a few drops of stevia for sweetness). I drink tea with lunch every day instead of water to help break down the food. I only drink water before and after meals, never during. This helps keeps bloating down and eases digestion.

Ways to Eat Cultured Vegetables

Back to cultured vegetables, which is a form of fermented food. Many people ask me why I eat fermented foods and I usually respond with "why not eat the most healing of foods?!?!"

For starters, fermented foods have been around for centuries and now come in several forms: yogurt (plain), kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and soaked grains. For this post, I am focusing on cultured vegetables (sauerkraut or kimchi), which are defined as "cut or shredded vegetables that are left in an airtight sanitary environment for several days or longer at room temperature" according to Body Ecology. This allows the enzymes on the vegetables to proliferate creating a mineral-rich food that aids digestion and eliminates toxins. They help fight yeast and other unhealthy pathogens in your intestines, which is great for controlling sugar cravings (see above). Finally, and most importantly, they are alkaline and very cleansing for the body.

First of all, NEVER heat cultured vegetables. It won't kill you or anything, it will just kill all of the digestive enzymes and good bacteria that you want. Other than just adding them to the side of any meal, here are a few other ways I like to eat them:

• with blue corn chips or other tortilla chips (the veggies act like a salsa)
• similarly, mix with avocado for a guaco-cultured-mole!
• over scrambled or fried eggs
• with cheese and crackers
• use some of the brine as a salad dressing. TONS of great nutrients in the dressing!
• spread on sandwiches in place of a condiment