Abigail Marie the Chef with IBD
Professional Chef with IBD helping you navigate food, lifestyle, new IBD research, and patient advocacy.
One of the main goals of your body is to maintain homeostasis. This simply means maintaining physical, internal, and chemical conditions required by living systems. Some examples of this include body temperature, fluid balance, and pH level. PH refers to the ‘potential of hydrogen’, and is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration in a solution. … Read more
Living with IBD can mean lots of doctor appointments, poking, prodding, tests, and scans. Many of which are invasive. In the world of IBD the clearest picture is painted by the intestines themselves, and the best way to see that picture currently is by flexsigoscopy or colonoscopy. By being able to see the tissue and … Read more
Smoking has been shown to affect both types of IBD; Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis. However, smoking and nicotine have polarizing effects on these diseases. While smoking increases risk and severity of Crohn’s, it seems to aid in reducing some symptoms for those with UC. Now before you consider smoking to help your UC, I want … Read more
While we all know soda is not healthy, you may not know that according to a recent study, women who drank at least two sugary drinks a day more than doubled their chances of early onset Colorectal cancer. This is a rather startling statistic, as Americans consume almost 45 gallons of soda per person annually. … Read more
Living with a chronic illness is tough, no doubt about it. Over the last seven years my chronic illness of Ulcerative Colitis has changed almost every aspect of my life. Chronically being ill takes a lot out of you not only physically but emotionally as well. One of the toughest lessons for me to learn … Read more
Now that more people with IBD have been fully vaccinated, we are seeing research and data gathered on this group in particular. One study, published back in April 2021, showed positive and very promising results in those on a biologic with IBD and vaccine antibody responses. I do want to note that only Pfizer and … Read more
Living with a chronic illness will inevitably mean many doctors’ appointments. These appointments however, help guide your personal medical care story, and need your active participation to ensure you are receiving the best care possible. Being your own health advocate can seem intimidating, especially if you’re an introvert like me, but there are easy ways … Read more
At the Crohn’s and Colitis Congress, an 8-week study was presented showing promising results in using low doses of IL-2 in treating moderate to severe UC. IL-2 or, aldesleukin, is a drug commonly used for melanoma (skin cancer) and RCC, a type of cancer that starts in the kidneys. The medicine works by targeting specific … Read more
Pickling refers to a specific process of preserving food through a brine or vinegar solution. The resulting product is protected from bacteria, and the vinegar helps slow the spoiling process. This keeps the pickled food good for a much longer period of time, a major advantage before refrigeration. The technique of pickling to preserve food … Read more
When living with IBD it’s sometimes hard to know what to eat that your gut will tolerate, especially during a flare. While everyone has a different tolerance for certain foods, I have found eight foods that are generally well tolerated in people with IBD, myself included. When I am having a flare these foods along … Read more