I recommend Quirky Cooking for gut health – It saved me!

Oh no, I’ve got a flare up!!

It’s been nearly 3 years since I turned my Ulcerative Colitis symptoms around. It’s completely thrown me to have to revisit the crappy symptoms of my previous self.

I’m no stranger to diet changes but this flare up has knocked my cooking mojo right out of me. The prospect of paring back to introductory GAPS fills me with dread. I feel fragile and defeated. How am I going to manage?

To eliminate any further stressors and go easy on myself I need a master plan. GAPS is tough, even for a kitchen wiz like me! This isn’t a time for creative cooking. I need delicious, gut rescue GAPS recipes and right away.

Send me a kitchen saint, or at least someone else’s energy and inspiration. Hold on, I’ve found it! Quirky Cooking for Gut Health. The online, Gut Health program developed by Jo Whitton, of Quirky Cooking fame. It makes such perfect sense to join Jo’s program; I’ve been cooking her recipes for years.

Going back several years….

I felt miserable with gut health issues (UC and IBS) for most of my adult life. You can read my story here. I had mental health issue on top, but that comes as no surprise once you learn about the brain and the gut and how they are linked.

Changing my diet 3 years ago changed my whole life. Very quickly I opted out of the pharma approach to managing my inflammatory bowel disease and depression (insert high five in the sky here).

So, why do I have a flare up?

It could be STRESS! But mainly I blame eating out. When I enjoy digestive wellness, I do push the boundaries. Eating out is a joy. I love it. Who doesn’t? Going to a restaurant and ordering a meal like a regular person is one of my favourite things.

But when I do here are the risks I take:

1. Being ‘glutened’.
2. Eating numbers. I am a zero additive and preservative cook. I never cook with pre-made sauces. When I eat out however all is unknown. I love Asian food, so MSG and much much more is a probability.
3. Nut gut. I activate my nuts and seeds to make them easier to digest. This process to far too time consuming for restaurants.
4. Too much raw garlic and onion. (FODMAPS) These guys can make me blow me up like a balloon and want to cry.
5. Weirdo, cheap, processed oils. The wrong fats and oils can cause instant stomach pain. Watch your salad dressings!

And then there is this problem; I eat out so rarely, that when I do I sometimes break my own rules. Although I am refined sugar free, I often suggest sharing a perfectly delectable house-made, gluten free dessert. (Words often can’t describe how much I enjoy these!)

So, Quirky Cooking for Gut Health to the rescue!

I have several books with GAPS recipes but none compare to the comprehensive and easy to follow information on Quirky Cooking for Gut Health. It is jam packed with ‘food hacks’ that will save you energy and time. For anyone wishing to start out on GAPS or those who need a bit more inspiration (like me) this is the answer. I’m so into it I’ve started selling it.

Eating for gut healing had such an unbelievable impact on Jo’s family (see her son, Isaac’s story here) that it led her to create this online program, full of how-to video’s, tutorials, easy to follow meal plans, recipes and very valuable Facebook support group.

So much more than a recipe and meal planner. Jo’s step by step tutorials make it all so easy and surefire. Don’t get me wrong, there’ll still be loads to do, but at least you will feel confident you are doing it right.

All I can say is; “thank you Jo!” You saved me! What a supreme effort. So much information, and so many recipes, to make managing GAPS easier. You are a breath of fresh air and speak from the heart about your own journey and struggles.

A Lifestyle Diet

Everything, I mean EVERYTHING in my life had to change when I began GAPS the first time. I no longer could socialize in the same way, I couldn’t eat out, I needed to be super prepared; ALL THE TIME! I had to be in the kitchen more than ever before! Preparing everything from scratch! It’s a massive amount of work, but well worth it. Just don’t try to do it alone!

A Gut Feeling, is testament to the impact diet and feeling well had on me. I’ve made it part of my life, my career. I will always choose healing with food over medical intervention. Fingers crossed I can beat this flare up without drugs again…