Spotlight: Erin from NoMoreCrohns

We make it a priority to highlight SCD personalities from across the internet.  We love hearing success stories and want to spread the knowledge of those brave enough to share their specific carbohydrate diet stories.  

In our spotlight this week we are extremely pleased to introduce Erin from NoMoreCrohns.com.  On top of beat Crohn’s, being a mom, running one of the best SCD sites, she also published a year of bi-monthly SCD magazines called I Want to Thrive! She is an inspiration for us all!

Her website is extremely well organized and offers loads of great recipes that are superbly designed so that all you have to do is print them and take them to the kitchen!  I’m a slob in the kitchen so having print ready recipes is awesome (no laptop spillage = score)!

As the holiday season is upon us, I would encourage you to visit her holiday recipe page for some ideas.  For you parents out there you must read her mother’s story about SCD and Crohn’s.  With that I want to leave you with one of her very powerful quotes, Erin says “I decided I would much rather spend time in the kitchen than time in the hospital!”  If that isn’t motivating I don’t know what is.

1: Why did you start the diet (symptoms, health problem)?

My journey started about nine years ago when severe pain, stomach problems, and low grade fevers mysteriously hounded me as I underwent CT scans and doctors probings with no diagnosis given. Sometimes the pain was so intense that I could hardly talk. One morning I woke with such severe pain that I was doubled over. This started a week-long hospital stay where I was diagnosed with Crohn’s. I was very discouraged that I would have to stay on strong medications for the rest of my life, and that they were the only thing stopping me from undergoing another nightmare hospital visit. A friend loaned me “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” and I started right away, realizing that I had nothing to lose – I decided I would much rather spend time in the kitchen than time in the hospital!

2: How did the SCD Diet change your life?

Before I found the diet, I was like a limp dishrag; I had no energy, was in lots of pain, and had little hope of being able to accomplish basic goals for my life like finishing college, or having a family one day. After a couple of months on the SCD, I was feeling almost back to normal in energy and health, had gained back my pre-hospital weight and was almost symptom-free. I could suddenly see a full, healthy life before me again. I was able to complete a White House internship, graduate from college, get married and have two healthy babies. I can’t imagine my life without the health that the SCD has giving me, and I’m so thankful for the diet!

3: What was the biggest challenge you faced on the diet and how did you overcome it?

Probably learning to cook for myself and be ready for any given situation with the food I needed on hand. For example, packing lunches and snacks for a full school day, and taking care of all my cooking and meal-planning for my semester in Washington, D.C. or the full-time job that followed graduation. In each of these instances, I found that planning menus ahead of time was essential and packing lunches or backup food for meals out was easier if I planned it ahead of time and packed it the night before. On the website, you’ll find three weeks of menus that got me through my semester in D.C. I kept these laminated and on my refrigerator, and cooked everything ahead of time so I’d always have what I needed.

4: What is the number 1 piece of advice you would give someone thinking about starting the diet?

It is essential that you give the diet a 100% try to see if it will really work for you. The number one mistake people make when starting is including some illegal food either knowingly or unknowingly, and then thinking that the SCD doesn’t really work. Many times, if you find that you’re suddenly having symptoms again, then an illegal food has probably slipped back into your diet. You can always write to me through the website contact page and send me a list of all you’re eating and I can see if anything jumps out at me as being a possible problem. Don’t give up too quickly! The diet truly does work and it’s totally worth sticking to it 100%. You will have your life and health back!

5: Can you tell us about your magazine?

We are excited to offer a bi-monthly web magazine that is focused exclusively on the SCD! Each issue is packed with fabulous, taste-tested, photographed recipes and helpful articles! “I Want to Thrive!” web magazine was completed in 2009, and takes you through any year with recipes and articles to keep you inspired and encouraged on your journey to health.