You Might Never Talk About It Until You’re a Parent…Then it’s Everywhere

You Might Never Talk About It Until You’re a Parent…Then it’s Everywhere

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You Might Never Talk About It Until You're a Parent...Then it's Everywhere

Digestion is certainly never something I thought much about as a teen or young adult, or even a young wife.

When you become a mom, though, suddenly you think, worry and talk a lot about poop.

You wonder if your baby is going often enough.

Enough quantity.

When he starts food, you know the diapers will change, and you hope the way your baby’s changed is perfectly normal.

Especially when you have an autoimmune digestive disease in the family.

I’ve always wondered about the quality of my oldest’s digestion and "output," since it seemed to be looser than most other kids – yes, I know this because parents talk about poop!

You’ve heard recently about my husband’s journey with Crohn’s Disease, and if you or anyone you know suffers from IBD, you know it’s nothing to sneeze at. Our prayers as a couple often include begging God to protect our children from Crohn’s entering their lives.

But my premonition, if I had to guess, is that my oldest might have a tendency toward developing it. His bowel movements seem to follow in my husband’s footsteps and are nothing like mine – after I started learning about digestion, I realized personally that I’ve probably been constipated my entire life (more on that in tonight’s monthly newsletter – sign up here).

Eating for Output

As a family, we eat "gluten-light" because my husband definitely has some sort of sensitivity to it – but it doesn’t seem to affect him 100% of the time, so he cheats when he feels like it and rarely has digestive repercussions unless he overdoes it.

We have definitely treated grains in general differently over the past five years.

Many of our side breads are grain-free (or at least gluten-free) which often means that when we previously would have had soup, salad and bread, sometimes we just have soup, salad and veggies with ranch dressing instead.

No more will you find pasta and bread or a rice dish with a side of bread around here. Two starches/grains in one meal seems like overkill and I try to avoid it.

It’s not about eating low-carb, counting calories or losing weight…it’s about pushing back against the erroneous notion that 6-11 servings of grains with a paltry showing of "whole grains" is a healthy way to eat.

I’ve learned a lot in the past five years.

And I hope you’re on this journey with me.

What’s My Next Step?

sprouted whole wheat rolls

This summer we finally decided that rather than have my oldest in this limbo middle ground place with gluten where I don’t know that he is sensitive so I don’t restrict him from consuming it, and yet I feel like he might be so I stress out every time he eats it – not a healthy attitude for me – we ran a full spectrum gluten array blood test on him.

We have the results…which I don’t understand. So now the next step is finding a practitioner who can help us evaluate the data so we know once and for all.

I heard Dr. Tom O’Bryan speak years ago and he shared a bit of research that has stuck with me ever since – of the 16 or 17 gluten proteins, there is one that 100% of Crohn’s patients were sensitive to. 100%! That’s a statistic so rarely seen, I thought Dr. Tom was going to levitate out of his chair sharing it, he was so worked up.

Here’s hoping the one flag on my son’s gluten array isn’t that protein.

Ultimately I’m on a sort of gastro-educational journey, constantly, to try to keep my family as healthy as possible (without making it my life’s work, ideally).

The next two weeks boast a great opportunity to expand my knowledge base with The Digestive Sessions via Underground Wellness.

There are three or four HD video talks every two days available for your listening pleasure every 48 hours – free.

Would I Buy It?

Whenever I share something with you all, the ultimate test of whether it’s worthwhile or not is my penny-pinching ways – would I actually buy it for myself?

In this case, I already did.

I’m at a phase in my life with a new baby, 3 older kids and an at-home business to keep afloat, that I want my info on demand, on my phone, available to listen whenever I can. I don’t have the bandwidth right now to be organized enough to listen to all the talks I’m interested in during their 48-hour free availability.

And there are SO many that caught my eye.

Plus, when you buy the sessions, you get the video, audio, slideshow and transcripts, and I’d much rather skim for info sometimes than commit to listening to an entire hour talk. So I took the plunge.

You may not be in the same situation – if your budget needs outweigh your time, if you only see a few topics that catch your eye, if you’re not all that interested in geeking out on digestion and new recipes via video, or if you can organize your next two weeks to listen to the talks you’re most interested in, then you’re golden.

That’s why I love when others offer these sessions, summits, etc. – especially with the uber-professionalism of Underground Wellness. You can buy them if you really want to, but it’s also a SUPERB free resource that I love to be able to share with my readers.

REGISTER HERE to get in and start listening now – the free access started yesterday, so you’re halfway through the listening time for Andrea Nakayama on Gut Flora 101, Dr. Daniel Kalish on H. pylori and heartburn, Dr. Allison Siebecker on bacterial overgrowth and bloating and the first HD video recipe from Pete Servold.

Are You in the Sixty Percent?

In the United States alone, 60% of the population is dealing with at least one symptom of digestive dysfunction — gas, bloating, heartburn, candida, constipation, diarrhea, you name it. Digestive problems truly cause things like autoimmunity, asthma, allergies, mood issues, cardiovascular disease, brain fog, and joint pain – and most medical doctors aren’t drawing the connections.

Chances are, your doc is unaware of the growing number of research studies demonstrating these alarming findings:

• The toxicity of persistent constipation may cause common, everyday symptoms like fatigue, attention deficit, and brain fog.
• Autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis are almost always rooted in digestive dysfunction.
• The inflammation from gut dysfunction can spread throughout the body, causing inflammation in the brain, joints, and other important organs.

By the way, inflammation in the gut may also shut down your body’s ability to burn fat. Not good.

In the Sessions…

• Dr. Daniel Kalish reveals the hidden stomach infection that causes heartburn and reflux — 50% of us have it but don’t know it!
• Christa Orecchio outlines a step-by-step program that kicks candida for good.
• Dr. Shawn Soszka discloses how digestive problems can cause depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.
• Dr. Michael Ruscio details a stepwise approach to solving diarrhea.
• Drs. Jillian Teta and Tom O’Bryan show you how to use food to cut the inflammation and heal your gut.
• Sayer Ji breaks down what the research REALLY says about gluten sensitivity.

PLUS…

• Probiotic supplements: Why one size does NOT fit all.
• Must-know tips for managing Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis without steroidal drugs.
• A simple, inexpensive breath test that identifies the cause and treatment for abdominal bloating.
• The must-get tests for finding undiagnosed parasite infections. Plus, anti-parasitic herbs and foods you can buy at any health food store.
• Why “candida cleanses” seldom work long-term … and how to reduce your risk of GI cancer by 75%!
• Is it all in your head? Why your brain may be the true cause of your digestive problems.
• How to make simple, gut-healing meals in just minutes. Our real food chefs will show you how!

When you register, you’ll get instant access to the day’s current talks PLUS 3 hot tip videos, including:

1. 3 best tips for beating constipation
2. 3 critical lab tests your doctor (probably) isn’t running
3. how to save your gallbladder…and what to do if it’s already removed

I hope you can snag some of the talks for free and learn a ton – I can’t wait to dig in when life eases up a little (or on my phone during a nursing session, although those aren’t as solo as they were back when I was nursing the first baby!).

Be sure to check in tomorrow for my stop on our #realfoodholiday progressive dinner for my gluten-free pumpkin cookies, and I’m working on Gabriel’s birth story, too, plus a pro/con on homebirths vs. hospital births.

What questions do you have about digestive irregularities? What have you learned on your journey that surprised you?

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for the sessions, which means I’ll get some commission if you purchase – but it’s so great to share these with you for free that this part hardly matters. I just have to say it for the FTC’s sake.

Original article and pictures take www.kitchenstewardship.com site