IBD: Crohn’s, Celiac, Colitis and Diverticulitis

Yalda’s Experience With Ulcerative Colitis

Yalda suffers from ulcerative colitis and has researched inflammatory bowel disease since her diagnosis in 2007.

She has spent tens of thousands of pounds trying to heal her issue, but nothing truly helped. She saw numerous gastroenterologists, naturopaths, nutritionists, and healers, read many books and dozens of medical research studies, did acupuncture, kinesiology, and allergy testing, and visited numerous medical health spas and clinics worldwide. The following advice is what truly put her UC in remission after a period of no remission from 2007 until 2015 – apart from the first course of prednisone she was put on and her second pregnancy.

She took mesalamine, prednisone, azathioprine / Humira, and infliximab over the years. These drugs helped her symptoms not to deteriorate as fast as they would have without medication, but unfortunately, as time went by, she saw more side effects of the drugs, and her constant severe flare was not going away. Finally, she came off medication in 2016 and is now medication-free. 

This lifestyle aims to help you reset your gut flora and lower your inflammation levels. All non-communicable diseases are linked to chronic inflammation, and the correlation is direct in the case of autoimmune disease.

Inflammation: the main culprit for your digestive issues

Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Coeliac Disease, and Diverticulitis are all Inflammatory Bowels Diseases (IBD) and are directly linked to chronic inflammation. In some cases, scientists have established a correlation between high inflammatory markers (ESR, CRP, IL-1, IL-6)  and IBD. In others, researchers show that there can be a dysregulation in anti-inflammatory agents, leading to diseases like Crohn’s, as shown in this study.

How can chronic inflammation be measured?

We are so often asked how we can measure inflammation. Blood tests measure chronic systemic inflammation, which is the level of continuous inflammation around the entire body. The main three markers are C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), and Plasma Viscosity (PV). These markers help medical doctors measure your inflammation but aren’t always 100% accurate. In her experience, her markers were never extremely high, even when symptoms were severe. She relies on her symptoms to try and gauge her inflammation levels.

Take into account other factors which might increase your inflammation levels, such as:

• lack of good quality sleep
• poor nutrition
• periods of prolonged stress
• high-intensity exercise
• sedentary lifestyle
• high BMI (obesity fuels chronic inflammation, as seen in this study from Cambridge University)
• depression or anxiety (both linked to chronic inflammation)
• the presence of other autoimmune issues

In general, chronic inflammation can trigger the expression of diseases and potentially lead to a vicious, inflammatory cycle, where an inflammatory disease caused by inflammation fuels further chronic inflammation. This mechanism has been observed for many conditions, such as obesity, depression, and autoimmune diseases.

Chronic inflammation can express itself through an array of symptoms and diseases; consequently, there are many telltale signs of inflammation. Here is a list of signs you might want to look for:

• stiffness around the body
• joint pain
• foggy brain
• anxiety
• skin issues
• food intolerances
• bloating
• hair loss
• fatigue

This section provides targeted support for managing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis. It focuses on the role of nutrition, lifestyle, and supplements in reducing inflammation, supporting gut healing, and improving quality of life.

While these conditions are complex and vary widely from person to person, the guidance below is designed to help you build a supportive foundation through anti-inflammatory choices and gut-restorative practices.

You’ll find practical strategies to complement your medical care and support your body in managing symptoms and flare-ups more effectively.

Use this lifestyle to tune into your body and better understand the main things that trigger your system. Every single person is different, and you today have a different microbiome than you did a month ago. Our bodies are constantly evolving, and although blood and microbiome tests can be a great source of information, they give a snapshot of what is happening when they are performed.

As a result, you should pay attention to your body and what it needs, depending on all the factors you know affect your mental and physical health.

How to adopt an anti-inflammatory mindset

Change your mindset from diet to lifestyle.

Adopting an all-encompassing anti-inflammatory lifestyle is the best way to lower your inflammation levels sustainably. As you will see, this lifestyle is much more than changing your dietary habits.

Chronic systemic inflammation is related to stress, some forms of exercise, lack of good quality sleep, lack of social interactions, lack of daylight exposure, micronutrients deficiencies and insufficiencies, food additives such as emulsifiers and thickeners, as well as an array of factors we might never have control over.

The factors we can control are addressed here, so make this your lifestyle in the long run. Be patient with it and do not expect results overnight; it does take time to improve our microbiome and lower our inflammation levels. It is a long-term game and should become the way you live. When you are in remission, eat well 80% of the time, enjoy occasional treats as per the meal planner, and think yourself lucky.

Thanks to your condition, you are now massively improving your lifestyle, quality of life, work productivity, mental clarity, and looks!

When we have one autoimmune condition, we are more prone to developing others in time – Yalda was diagnosed with a second autoimmune disease five years after her first diagnosis- so by adopting this lifestyle, you are reducing the chances of that happening. See the positives and think of your condition as a blessing in disguise: it makes you take steps to be healthier earlier than you might have!

You can turn this setback in your life into a positive and make it a strength. Yalda is a massive believer in turning negatives into positives!

Be patient with your body

Be kind and patient with your body. This is an essential part of your remission. Nurture it, talk to yourself kindly, and try not to be angry or impatient if your body does not respond as quickly as you would hope.

Remember that healing doesn’t happen linearly. We all go through ups and downs, but as long as you move in the right direction, you are doing well! Keep track of your progress so you can look back at how far you have gone on days when you start losing motivation.

Yalda has coached many people over the years who were very unkind to their bodies, and she could almost sense anger towards their bodies. The issue with this is it causes further inflammation and stress!

Always embrace a nurturing approach toward your physical and mental well-being. Try to talk to yourself like you would to your child if your child wasn’t feeling well. You wouldn’t tell them off, would you? So always keep that in mind and give yourself time and care. Make sure to include positive visualizations in your morning and evening meditation routines. They genuinely help with neuroplasticity and can help support your remission.

Follow Eat Burn Sleep Movements

It is well-documented that high-intensity exercise promotes an inflammatory state in the body, as stated here:

High-intensity exercise, especially when performed with reduced recovery periods, induces a persistent dysregulation of the immune system with increased susceptibility to illness. (Cerqueira et al.).

A cohort study by The American College of Gastroenterology of patients with inflammatory bowel disease undertaking intense exercise showed that a fifth of the participants experienced increased symptoms after the exercise event.

Poor iron absorption and anemia

Many people with digestive issues have reported being chronically low in iron. Yalda, too, was anemic for many years, needing three iron infusions per year to keep her levels in the normal range.

A scientific paper links impaired iron absorption for Crohn’s disease sufferers with disease activity and inflammation markers.

As a result, lowering inflammation for Crohn’s sufferers and potentially IBD sufferers could help improve iron absorption. In Yalda’s case, she can definitely notice the correlation between her firm remission over the years and better iron absorption.

Protocol for IBD or IBS flare-ups or post-surgery

Flaring up can be dealt with through this protocol that Yalda uses for herself, her friends, and people she coaches with similar conditions. A flare-up can be brought on by eating the wrong foods, being stressed, not sleeping enough, and sometimes by travel and a change of environment.

Food to avoid

• All the red-list foods
• Too much fiber (spinach, kale, leaves, anything too green and too fibrous)
• Raw foods (harder to break down)
• Whole seeds and nuts
• Coffee
• Raw fruit
• Sugar and anything that tastes too sweet
• Cold foods and cold drinks
• Green juices
• Konjac noodles (once you are in remission, it is fine)
• Cauliflower, Jerusalem artichokes
• Food additives such as dipotassium phosphate. Studies by Sugihara et al. (2017) and Marion-Letellier et al. (2019) show that certain additives can increase inflammation, especially in those with IBD and Colitis. Dipotassium phosphate is an additive that’s used in food to regulate acidity. Always check the ingredients list.

Foods to favor

• All forms of animal protein, cooked and unprocessed (the high amino-acid content helps rebuild the gut lining)
• Slow-cooked foods (slow-cooking supports the spleen function in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which supports the digestive system) such as slow-cooked veal stew, slow cooker lamb shanks, slow cooker recipe: oxtail, tomatoes, chorizo, slow cooker Paleo Korean beef short ribs.
• Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovies) include baked salmon, salmon a l’unilateral, wild salmon spread, and smoked salmon salad.
• Healthy oils (olive oil, avocado oil) as the olive oil mayonnaise.
• Avocado
• Healthy salts (all forms of salts but fine table salt)
• Slow-cooked foods high in collagen: chicken soup, slow-cooked cuts such as oxtail, knuckle, or anything that look gelatinous (such cuts, while cheaper, are actually packed with collagen and mitochondria)
• All the soups shared on the platform (Carrot and coconut soup, Immune boosting chicken soup, sweet potato and zucchini soup, roasted butternut squash soup)
• Nut butter if you need extra energy
• Eggs (dairy-free scrambled eggs, deviled eggs, egg & mushroom scramble, perfectly boiled eggs)
• Homemade mayonnaise
• Olives
• Stewed apples (up to one a day)
• Beef or chicken bone broth (sip 3 cups a day, between meals or at the start of meals)
• Vegetable broth
• Fennel tea
• Peppermint tea
• 2 to 3 liters of water (either room temperature or warm), sipped throughout the day
• Warm foods and drinks
• Cook with warming spices such as turmeric, ginger, and saffron.

Stress and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Chronic stress has been shown to promote ulcerative colitis by disturbing the gut microbiota and triggering an immune system response, as demonstrated by this 2018 study.

This 2012 study shows a link between oxidative stress and disease activity and carcinogenesis -cancer formation- in colitis patients. This is probably not news to you that stress can be linked to the formation of cancer cells.

Studies going as far back as 1991 show a link between chronic stress and Crohn’s disease, as shown in this study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine in 1991.

For children, a recent study conducted in 2022 shows the influence of environmental stress on the onset of pediatric Crohn’s. This 2021 study also shows the link between oxidative stress and the development of Crohn’s disease.

Mental wellness protocol

Daily practice

Your mental wellness practice is absolutely essential to help you reset your central nervous system, reduce cortisol levels, promote a well-functioning nervous system, and eventually achieve a healthy immune response, allowing you to reach and stay in a state of remission.

A gratitude prayer helps instantly improve your gut health and neurotransmitter production. Adding and visualizing your goals can aid healing by tapping into neuroplasticity. Please make sure to follow your daily meditation practice linked here with your morning and evening meditations.

Evening practice

Calming the mind and body down can help promote good sleep, which is essential for resetting your immune system. Good sleep is key for your digestive and immune systems to function healthily.

On days you feel stressed, the relaxing breathing technique video linked here can help promote a state of calm in your mind and body.

Warming your stomach with a warm bath or water bottle can help reduce pain when you are flaring. The evening bath meditation is a great video to play, then.

Coping Mechanisms

Whenever you feel stressed, an easy way to instantly reduce your cortisol levels is to practice this breathing exercise: Place one hand on your heart and the other on your stomach. Inhale for a count of 5 into your tummy and feel your hand rising. Exhale for a count of 7. Do this ten times, and you should feel much calmer.

This is a perfect breathing technique to do anywhere and at any time of the day.

Another great hack to help you heal better is to make use of the placebo effect, with the technique shared in the video linked here.

Your parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for rest and digest. It supports your immune system and helps reduce inflammation. The best thing you can do when flaring is to lie down as much as possible. When lying down, cortisol levels drop immediately, and the immune system gets a chance to reset. Spend as much time lying down as possible, even if you do not manage to sleep. Lying is a magic trick that can help promote remission.

• Probiotic: VSL-3 has been shown to reduce flares for Ulcerative Colitis sufferers, as you can see in this 2014 meta-analysis
  • We suggest mixing one sachet with water and having it on an empty stomach first thing after waking up and at least 30 minutes before breakfast.
• Powdered psyllium husks: They have been shown to regulate the intestinal barrier and inflammation in normal and colitic mice in a study by the Cambridge University
  • Wonderful results occur by supplementing with powdered psyllium husk fiber, as long as it is pure and not mixed with sweeteners or artificial flavoring.
  • Mix one teaspoon with water twice daily between meals, and drink immediately. Follow with a large glass of water.
  • Make sure to drink plenty of water and hydrate when taking psyllium husks.
• Collagen Hydrolysate: Collagen hydrolysate is high in L-glutamine, an amino acid that helps to heal soft tissues. Ramadass et al. (2016) have demonstrated the healing effect on the mucosal lining of collagen for Ulcerative Colitis sufferers.
  • Choose fish collagen or pasture-fed beef collagen hydrolysate.
  • Mix one tablespoon daily in a cup of weak green tea, fennel tea, or peppermint tea.

Note that if you are dehydrated, collagen powder can make you constipated, so make sure to drink enough fluids. Avoid it if you suffer from acne, which can sometimes exacerbate sebum production. Regarding supplements, opt for powder over capsules as they need breaking down, which can burden the gastrointestinal tract.

• Vitamin D: low vitamin D levels have been linked to the presence of autoimmune conditions. John White (2018) highlighted vitamin D deficiency and the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease. Active Crohn’s disease has been associated with low vitamin D levels by Jorgensen et al. (2013).
  • Sun exposure: all you need is 20 minutes of sun exposure from April to September between 11 am and 2 pm, when the sun is high, on your forearms and shins for your body to produce adequate levels of vitamin D. Note that the body cannot store it so regular sun exposure is important.
  • Foods high in vitamin D: oily fish and eggs.
  • Vitamin D supplementation: several studies have shown the beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation for Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis sufferers. This study shows that a beneficial dosage is 5,000 IU/day.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Although omega-3 supplementation has been shown to be beneficial in reducing inflammation for many conditions, including depression, the studies we can find so far do not support such a link for IBD, as you can see in this meta-analysis. As a result, do not overload your digestive system with an extra supplement, and focus on eating more wild fish and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Vitamin B12: vitamin B12 is absorbed in the terminal ileum, and many Crohn’s disease patients have been shown to present a vitamin b12 deficiency, as you can see in this study. Many more studies support B12 supplementation for Crohn’s patients, particularly if they have an ileal resection. Take a daily supplement of B12 if you have Crohn’s, between 500mcg and 1000mcg, orally. This study shows the benefits of supplementing with B12 for Crohn’s patients.

It is essential to have good levels of B12 for healthy blood production and nervous system function. The effects of B12 deficiency can be devastating and sometimes irreversible for the nervous system. Studies have also shown that B12 supplementation is safe to take with no risk of toxicity when high dosage supplementation.

Don’t stop or reduce your medication without medical supervision. Yalda has spoken about the topic of medication on her social media outlets several times, and it is reiterated here. She has tapered down all the medical treatments she was taking with the care of her doctors, and she did it conservatively and smoothly not to put her body under any form of shock and risk another flare-up.

She followed this lifestyle in conjunction with taking medication to help her body get in a better state and be less reliant on drugs. She has always seen taking medication as using crutches to give extra support until wellness.

As you might be aware, medical treatment was insufficient to keep her in remission, which is why she developed this lifestyle. However, without prednisone, she would have probably deteriorated further and been in a terrible state of health.

If you are wondering whether you should follow the lifestyle or take medication after you have been diagnosed, Yalda’s view is that a doctor’s work and her work complete each other to give you the best support you need.

Use this platform to educate yourself, tune into your body, help your remission, and make sure to use all the help you can with your medical team. This lifestyle supports your physical and mental health, but it is crucial you reduce the risk of serious health issues by getting regularly checked by your doctors.

Once you are in remission, continue with your regular check-ups, blood work, endoscopies, and colonoscopies, as indicated by your medical team. Remember not to take on a perfectionist approach going against doctors, and opt for a damage limitation approach: use both the lifestyle and the help of your doctor to be in the best possible state of health.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects the small intestine. It is linked with gluten intolerance, but as chronic inflammation is the root of autoimmunity, avoid all grains high in omega 6 and are inflammatory. Sticking to the Eat Burn Sleep Lifestyle can help put the disease in remission by improving gut health and lowering chronic inflammation.

Many gluten-free foods on the markets are processed, high in grains and sugar, and qualify as junk foods in the EBS Lifestyle. Like all autoimmune conditions, when a person has one, the likelihood of developing another one is higher, so it is crucial to lower chronic inflammation and improve gut health to avoid that.

Avoid dairy products: Celiac disease is linked to lactose intolerance (Coleman et al., 2021). Celiac disease can cause a loss of the brush border/villi, which are tiny hairs located in the small intestine. Villi contain lactase, the enzyme needed for lactose absorption. Many celiac disease sufferers are highly intolerant to lactose and are oftentimes unaware of it. Dairy is very inflammatory in any case, so it is best to steer away from it to reduce chronic inflammation.

Endoscopies and colonoscopies are necessary to keep safe and prevent complications. However, in Yalda’s experience, they have always greatly upset her digestion. The preparation can be abrasive; the liquids people are given to drink are high in sugars/sweeteners, which feed the harmful gut bacteria. There is also a great loss of overall gut bacteria in the process.

Here is the protocol Yalda developed over the years to minimize the negative impact of colonoscopies and endoscopies on the microbiome and help you recover faster.

Preparation:

When preparing for the intervention, do not have some of the foods they suggest, such as white toast, white rice, etc. Although with low residue, such foods feed candida and bad gut bacteria. There are several choices from the green lists which comply with the hospital requirement:

• egg white
• white fish
• chicken breast
• protein powder with no extra greens, seeds, or grains (just pea protein, cacao, stevia, for example) mixed with water

Also give these recipes a try:

• • Baked Salmon
  • Pan-Fried Scallops
  • Roasted Chicken Legs
  • Homemade Bone Broth
  • Immune Boosting Chicken Soup – but only consume the bone broth and chicken

On the day of your procedure:

The first foods you’ll eat post-procedure strongly affect your gut flora and blood sugar levels as your gastrointestinal system is effectively empty. When you go to the hospital, take food with you so you have a nutritious meal supporting your recovery.

Generally, hospital food involves sandwiches, biscuits, etc. As your stomach is empty, the bacteria will feed on the foods you put in even more than usual. You must take foods that will reduce the damage.

The foods recommended are:

• Eggs or an egg-mayo salad
• Cold chicken or salmon
• No fiber or anything sweet for that first meal
• A flask of herbal tea in which I put some collagen hydrolysate powder. You can pack some collagen in a little food bag and add it to a warm drink they give you.
• Avoid coffee, anything sweet, and having too much fiber in the three days following the intervention.

After your procedure:

Your stools will not return to normal immediately after your procedure, depending on your disease’s activity level.

Follow the flare-up protocol shared above until your digestive system is settled and you feel comfortable re-introducing a greater diversity of foods from the green and orange lists.

The time it takes depends on people, but three days should be enough to get your gut back in a stable state if you were not flaring before your procedure.

Watch Yalda’s live masterclass on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: