As an Irish girl, I was pretty much reared drinking tea. At all the major events in my life, good or bad, there was always tea. Tea is probably my ultimate comfort in life. Even when my dad was really sick, the whole family would regularly gather around the kitchen table for a comforting cup of tea. Tea is something of a religion in Ireland. The rivarly between brands  (Barry’s vs Lyons) is strong. Everyone has a particular way to make their own tea: how much milk, sugar or not and how long to steep. In our house, we drank Barry’s tea red label and tea was steeped to make it strong. The ..read more

Italy and all things Italian are a huge passion of mine. Hence, why I decided to study Italian in University. When I studied abroad in Genoa as part of my degree, I fell in love with the place even more. The culture, the people, the coffee and the FOOD in general. If you told me a few years ago that I would go to Italy and not eat pasta, rice, pizza and ice-cream, I would not have believed you. Being on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is one thing. Being on SCD and visiting Italy is a whole different story. Before we went, I really thought I would cheat on the diet for the first ti ..read more

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a diet used to manage symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis) and other conditions such as coeliac diease and diverticulitis. The bible of SCD was written by the late Elaine Gottschall entitled: “Breaking The Vicious Cycle”. The basic premise of the book is that people with the above bowel conditions cannot digest carbohydrates well and so recommends a diet free from: gluten, grains, lactose and refined-sugar. As a trained biochemist, Elaine describes in detail in the book why certain foods are diffi ..read more

I decided to write a blog post about SCD products available in Ireland (and the UK) as I thought it may be useful for those following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Starting this diet can be so daunting and hopefully this list will make it a little easier for you to source some of the items you need. Just because something is listed here and is SCD-legal doesn’t mean that you can tolerate it. Even within the list of allowable SCD foods, each person is unique and tolerates things differently. If you are trying something for the first time, as always introduce a little amount at first to see h ..read more

I used to say things like, “I’m just not a gym person” and “I’m just one of those people that can’t run”. I was definitely the girl picked last in sports. I was never into exercise much as a child and although I did love Irish dancing, keeping fit was never high on my agenda. As I grew older, I began to appreciate the joy of a brisk walk to clear my mind but I never broke a sweat. When my husband and I made a list of personal goals for 2017 at the start of the year, getting fit was top of my agenda. I had no weight loss motivation but rather wanted to get fit for my overall health and as a w ..read more

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when I was 21. I had been studying in Genoa, Italy as part of my degree when I first began to feel really unwell. In hindsight, I was probably unwell for a long time before that. I always had to have indigestion remedies with me and often felt nauseous. In February 2008, I remember ringing my mom and crying down to the phone to her. I didn’t know what was wrong with me but I knew I couldn’t ignore it anymore. About a week later, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Initially, I don’t think it really hit me. I just thought I would recover and then I would b ..read more

I’ve been wanting to write a blog post on 10 Easy and Quick Snack Ideas for Kids for some time. My daughter is not on any special diet. When I started the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) over a year ago as a means of managing my Crohn’s disease symptoms better, I vowed it would not impact on my husband and daughter’s life. After all, they had no need for a diet overhaul. My breakfast and lunch would often differ from them but I only ever made one dinner. We would have the same meat (if there was some) and vegetables and then I would cook either: rice, potatoes or pasta for them. Over a ..read more

When I first decided to begin the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) back in 2015, I had one main concern. How would I maintain my weight? As someone with Crohns, maintaining a stable weight has always been on my mind. It’s important because regular Crohn’s flare ups can cause dramatic and sudden weight loss. This is emphasised by my doctor too as the first thing I do at every appointment is stand of the scales. My doctor had no problem with me beginning the SCD on one condition: that my weight remained stable. I agreed to see a dietician every few months for my first year on the diet to mo ..read more

Mason jar salads are nothing new and I certainly can’t claim that they were my idea. I have been looking at pretty mason jar salads on Pinterest for a long time and when my wonderful husband bought me some mason jars for Christmas I was so excited to try them. There isn’t a whole lot to them – although there are a few rules to avoid having a soggy mess on your hands. The best thing about mason jars salads is being able to prepare a few salads in advance on a Sunday night. Plus, they just look so pretty in your fridge. I always bring my lunch to work. Being on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet ..read more

I have been feeling so well the last couple of months that I almost forgot I had Crohn’s: almost.  This latest flare up started to rear its ugly head a couple of weeks ago and I did everything in my power to try to beat it. I tried to get as much rest as possible, kept up my usual daily walks, and went back to my “safe” foods. By that, I mean that I started making big batches of chicken soup (bone broth) and big batches of homemade grape jelly using Great Lakes Grass-Fed Beef Gelatin. I tried my usual tricks for de-stressing but alas I had to accept that once again my disease is out of my ..read more