It's November 1st, the start of the month that us Americans are starting to prepare for Thanksgiving. It's a time when we're encouraged to be thankful, show gratitude and recognize our blessings. 

Lately, I've been struggling with this. Really struggling. 

I was diagnosed with PMDD several years ago. PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (a great resource from the Mayo Clinic for information can be found here) and is something I only recently have begun to talk about publicly. For years I felt shame around the depression and anxiety I experienced throughout my cycle. I told myself that women around the world deal with hormones and have since the dawn of time, so I could suck it up and wait it out. Since around the age of sixteen, I had experienced monthly episodes of near debilitating depression mixed with a feeling of hopelessness, anxiety and severe panic. In high school, this presented itself as going to bed feeling perfectly fine, and waking up in the morning feeling like some creature had taken over my body and my mind and I had zero control over what I was thinking or feeling. I was spiraling, out of breath, in complete panic and the only thing I knew was that I could not go to school that day. Hell, I couldn't even leave my bed that day out of fear that something (to this day, I've never figured out what that 'something' is) tragic would happen and the mere thought of stepping foot outside was not an option. It wasn't a matter of teenage hormones or having a bad hair day-it was something far more significant that I only recognized when I finally would come to a day, a few days or a week later and wonder what the hell happened to me. I would breathe a sigh of relief every month when my period came and I would return to my normal self again. My parents sent me to see a therapist, who told me it was part of being a teenage girl and encouraged me to go to 'mixers' and try to get out more. 

In my twenties, I would blow through my sick days at work halfway through the year, convinced that my "mental health" days were just me being lazy when in reality, there were days I could barely find my voice to pick up the phone and call in that day. Note: I am ever so grateful for this time in society when mental health days are much more socially acceptable and not seen as an excuse to get out of work and watch television all day (but let's be real, sometimes when we're struggling all we can do is sit and watch television all day). 

It wasn't my mid-thirties and years of therapy when a medical doctor finally diagnosed me with PMDD. To have the diagnosis was an absolute relief-but what now? Was there a magic pill that cured this illness I had suffered from for so long and would send me frolicking through the meadow a changed woman? 

Well, I would be lying if I didn't say that medication did help me to some degree. I'm not a medical doctor or prescriber and because of that, my personal medication history isn't important in the context of this story. I will say in my years working in the field of nutrition, I've found pro's and con's to just about every drug or supplement out there and you have to do what works for you. Bio-individuality is key, so if any of this resonates with you I would encourage you to work with a doctor you trust to determine what's best for your own health. I did find though, that no medication out there miraculously gave me the drive to hop out of bed each day with a smile on my face, ready to greet the day with nothing but sunshine and rainbows radiating from my being. This was a learned skill, and one I'm about to teach you, so listen up. 

Here are the five top ways that I manage my PMDD. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a therapist, and the tools I'm sharing are from my personal experience only. 

​

If you hate going to work because you hate your job and the only thing you do in the morning is get ready for said job that you hate, then you're going to hate getting out of bed in the morning. Seems pretty obvious, right? For years I'd seen my only 'free' time as the precious hours after I finished work and before I went to bed, but what if you changed your perspective and saw your free time as also including the hours between waking up and whatever you viewed as your daily obligation? I once tried getting up hours before work just to go to the gym. It lasted about two weeks, I felt more refreshed at the start of my work day but I worked such long hours, I just couldn't justify the amount of sleep I was losing to see it working long-term for me (I was working full time and in school at night so my rest time was precious). We recently got a kitten and I've started getting up an hour before I have to get ready for work just to sit down with a cozy blanket and play with him. Before we got him, I woke up an hour before work and sat outside on the porch to read or listen to my favorite podcast. Sometimes I do a quick yoga session in the morning, or sometimes I just catch up on the latest episode of my favorite TV show. I feel like I've gotten more time back to myself and the cost is only waking up an hour or so earlier each day.

​

I always knew that during various points of month I felt all sorts of feelings, but it wasn't until I started tracking my emotions and moods that I began to notice patterns around the times of month and time frames. I use the Flo app but there are a lot of others that allow you to track your menstrual cycle and physical symptoms or emotional state each day. The app shows you insights into how your cycle tracks and trends, and many of these types of apps include a journal feature so you can write more detailed notes if you'd like. By tracking I'm now able to anticipate roughly when these feelings will arise, and make a plan for myself in advance so I'm not caught off guard. Usually my plan looks something like this: 

1. Block out the time frame from any major social obligations that could cause more stress if I need to cancel or postpone. For example, if I want to make plans for a special dinner with a friend I haven't seen in ages, I usually plan it for a different time in the event I'm not up for going and breaking the plans makes my mental state even worse. 

2. On the contrary, I try to make easy, non-committal plans with someone close to me who I trust that understands my disorder. This usually looks like a quick walk in the park or half hour face time-something short where I can come as I am and know the person I'm with will take me for whatever state I'm in that day. Having the distraction of someone comforting can allow you to get out of your head and I usually find that I return in a better frame of mind. 

3. If you're able, confide in someone close that this time of month is approaching. I usually find just having someone be able to hold that space and uneasy feeling along with me makes me feel not so alone, even if I don't need to or want to spend hours actually talking about it. 

4. If you're fortunate enough to have PTO to use up, this can be a great use of your time and something you can even plan ahead for. In the past, I have strategically planned long weekends around when I thought I may need the mental break due to shifts in my cycle and it's always a win win-I have the space if I need it, and if not I get a fun day off to do whatever I want. 

on tList out the top three things that make you feel a hundred times worse when you're anxious or depressed. What would it look like if you avoided those things for this period of time? A top trigger for me is social media. Our brains aren't meant to process or carry the weight of that many people's opinions and feelings in such a quick period of time. Combined with triggering feelings of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and feeling less than every time you see the random girl from high school's perfectly decorated home, you really truly will survive a social media break for a few days and your brain can use that free space to think about things that actually make you happy. 

Along these lines, I should address other influences like caffeine or alcohol. Again, I'm not a medical doctor but from personal experience, I've never woken up after a depressive episode thinking "Well thank God I drank wine last night." Usually, it just puts a very loose band-aid on whatever I'm feeling and I wake up with a slight headache and my mental state is even worse than it was before. Am I saying I'll never touch a glass of wine or a cup of coffee when I'm feeling down? No, but I can say from personal experience that I have never regretted saying no. Plus, a wine headache and caffeine withdrawal on top of existing depression are THE worst. 

I saw meme once about someone trying to force themselves to do things despite feeling crappy, saying something like "Here I am going for my stupid little walk" and I remind myself of it every time that I am utterly convinced I cannot leave the couch for at least two more days. When my PMDD symptoms are at their worst, even walking to the kitchen can feel like running a marathon. I've heard it compared to walking through mud-even the smallest, slightest thing seems to just take so much energy. The last time I experienced this, I looked at the clock and gave myself an hour of forced recreational "fun" time. I told myself if after the hour I wanted to go home and sit on the couch for the rest of the night, I could. I begrudgingly threw a scrunchie in my dirty hair, found a hoodie from the dirty laundry pile and headed to the park. I didn't even bring my headphones because when I'm that deep in it, there isn't a single thing in the world that I could possibly listen to that would bring me joy. I did one loop around. I began to notice the breeze. My breathing started to relax. I did three more loops and found the energy to hop in my car and grab a decaf coffee (with pumpkin cold foam because #ideserveit ) and suddenly the world seemed a little brighter. I stayed out for three hours. Win. 

At the end of the day, if you've tried doing all the things to snap out of your depression and nothing's cutting it, remember that it's okay to not be okay. The feeling of failure for not being able to lift myself out of the darkness made things even worse for me until I realized that we're human, and we're not going to feel like the best version of ourselves every minute of every day. Sometimes, just accepting it for what it is and allowing myself the space to feel whatever I need to feel in these moments is exactly what I need, and it doesn't mean I'm broken. I always try to go to bed with some shred of hope that the next day will be better, and if not-I go back through each of my practices, continue to work with my amazing medical team and know that I'm not alone in this (and you aren't, either). 


In love and health,
Kacie Leigh

Last week I talked about dipping my toes into the concept of intuitive eating and the challenges I faced trying to "ditch the diet" mentality that had plagued me for as long as I could remember. The thing about overcoming something is that for a lot of us, it's still always there-in the background, behind the curtain, ready to show up if we allow it. Through using the Intuitive Eating workbook (link below) and the help of my amazing therapist, I started to understand that allowing space for those thoughts and feelings and letting them have their place was much more realistic than shaming myself for ever thinking about a diet ever again. How could we not, when it's plastered on every billboard, commercial and social media advertisement? What we do with those thoughts-that's where the real work begins. 

Exercise? Never heard of her.  
I said I would talk about how I began to fall in love with exercise-I wouldn't probably call it falling in love as much as something slapping me in the face and making me realize I had to begin treating my body with more respect. During the first year of the pandemic, I rarely left my house which was a good thing, but I was also doing very little except sitting at my desk for work each day and sitting in front of my television at night. One day when I pulled a muscle from shaving my legs, I realized my journey of becoming one with my couch cushion needed to be addressed. The truth is, I have always loathed exercise. I saw it as something people did to get smaller. If I was trying to get over my disordered eating and ditch the diet mentality, where the heck did exercise fit into this? I hated getting sweaty. I hated having more clothes to wash each week because of leggings and sports bras. I couldn't see how it fit into my life. One day, a friend asked if I wanted to join a virtual lifting class she did with a colleague of hers. She said it was "Thirty minutes and we drink wine after."  You had me at thirty minutes and wine. Within a few months, this bi-weekly class completely transformed my life. I no longer got out of breath from picking something up off the floor. I no longer pulled a muscle in the shower. I actually-get this-got excited about moving my body. I think something about the no pressure environment really helped me to push myself (also being able to do it in sweatpants in the comfort of my own home helped). I've now been doing these classes for close to a year, and I can't imagine my life without them. Point is-you're not going to love every form of movement, just like anything in life. Finding what you do like is the key. Something that you don't dread doing, something that brings out the best in you. If you are like I was, I promise there is something out there for you, too!

Embracing the "new me" 
My body has changed since the beginning of the pandemic. I attribute this to a number of reasons, many of which you may have also experienced and none of which are worth diving into-why? Because I know myself enough and my patterns enough to know that analyzing the reasons why my jeans no longer fit will only trigger me to figuring out how to make them fit again and gaining weight isn't always a bad thing! For a lot of us it can mean healing-mentally and physically. Being kind to our bodies. Loving ourselves. It can also mean going through something difficult- like a serious health issue, a loss or-hey, a global pandemic. I try to remind myself these days how blessed I really am, and that the fact that I had to retire my favorite skinny jeans doesn't mean anything other than a sign that my glorious self is ever changing. 

Potatoes: A love story 
Somewhere along the way in the height of my disordered eating I made a mental list of off-limit foods. All of these were foods I was convinced would lead to instant death-or at least immediate diabetes, heart disease or cancer. I made a lot of progress in the years since starting to address my issues, but there were still a few foods lingering that I couldn't quite stop the guilt trip on. Potatoes were at the top of that list. I managed to selectively eliminate from my brain what I learned in school about the health benefits of potatoes (more to come on this amazing food in a later blog post) and that they would cause nothing but trouble. One weekend this past Summer my husband broke out his electric smoker and made pounds and pounds of smoked brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage. We had leftover smoked meat for days and days and let me tell you, as delicious as it was-after day three I just could. not. stomach. meat...at all. This lasted about a month, and when my hunger cues kicked in from lack of protein I started assembling some plant-based alternative meals to get me through my meat aversion period. Many of these meals included potatoes-air-fried potatoes, roasted potatoes, steamed potatoes. Potatoes as a side, potatoes on a salad, potatoes dipped in ranch dressing (my favorite plantifulkiki.com/ranch-dressing/ )...my life revolved around potatoes. And guess what? I didn't immediately develop a chronic disease or drop down dead from turning into a potato. In fact, I felt full and satisfied for the first time in a long time. I've started eating meat again (thanks, Intuitive Eating) but potatoes...I will love you forever.

I'd love to hear what your eating journey has been like during this pandemic! Drop a comment below. Thanks for reading! 

In love, health and french fries,
Kacie Leigh 

Resources:
 www.amazon.com/Intuitive-Eating-Workbook-Principles-Relationship/dp/16262562255 

Long time no chat! What have you all been up to? Living in the midst of a global pandemic and trying to balance work, life, family, friends, mental health and overall well-being and happiness...? Same.

In March of 2020 I was in the exciting stages of wedding planning. We had just gotten our engagement photos done and I was eagerly mailing out our "save the date" magnets one weekend. I had no idea (I think most of us didn't) that a year and a half later, I would still be working from home and the life I knew would be so totally different. 

There have been a lot of downsides to these horrible, uncertain times we're living in, but having the extra time to focus on myself has proven to result in more than a lot of failed craft projects. That extra time for self-reflection has given me the ability to really focus on myself, my eating habits and the roadblocks that were still there in my disordered eating journey. I learned to do something I didn't think I would ever be able to do-eat intuitively. 

The question of "What is intuitive eating?" is much better answered by one of the its' founders in an article that can be found here:  www.intuitiveeating.org/what-is-intuitive-eating-tribole/ Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch are the brilliant masterminds behind a concept that so many of us, through years of living in a world filled with dieting, disordered eating and body image issues have forgotten how to do-listen to our bodies. 

Having the extra bandwidth meant having a lot of hard conversations with myself. I asked myself things like Why do I restrict my eating? What am I gaining from not eating (blank)? What am I afraid of happening if I allowed all foods into daily life? What's the worst that could happen (or better yet-what's the best that could happen?) Truthfully, my lifelong need to be perfect was preventing me from seeing how great life could be when it's messy, chaotic and imperfectly human. I had been holding onto the need to not make 'mistakes' when in reality, what I was afraid of wasn't a mistake at all-it was human and the way it should have been all along. 

One of the most important parts of this journey was rejecting the diet mentality. This is not only the first principle of Intuitive Eating but absolutely necessary in order to move forward. As long as we hold onto the notion that our life will be amazing once we discover the next perfect diet, we're never going to move forward to enjoy the freedom we were meant to live. For me, this meant a period of mourning. Mourning the idea that I'd someday achieve the perfect body, the perfect weight, the perfect sized jeans and the perfect life because of those things-this was where it got messy (hint: It's still messy but you learn to embrace and actually love the mess). I won't get into the steps I took to work through this because we all have our own roads to travel and have to do the work for ourselves, but I can say...it's worth it. Trust me. 

In part two we'll talk about how I learned to stop hating exercise, embraced my new body (kind of) and developed a new obsession with potatoes. 

In love, health and french fries,
Kacie Leigh

Long time no talk! I took a break from the blog to focus on moving into my new home and begin wedding planning! I sometimes think I’m crazy for trying to plan a wedding the same year as buying a new house, but I tend to thrive on chaos and am taking it one day at a time!

A couple weeks post-move I came back from a much needed mini-getaway with my Mom and decided on the long drive home that I would start my first round of Whole 30. I’m a firm believer in “No time like the present” so instead of waiting until Monday, the first of the month or the first of the year I usually just start now. Like…right now (I’ll talk more about why this works for me at some point). So, on that ride home I started. I said no to the cream in my coffee, and started mentally planning my meals for the week. While I knew I wouldn’t have time to go to the grocery store that night, I had enough food to throw together a few meals for the following day and would make that my official first day of my Whole 30!

My Why
I had a few reasons for wanting to try a round of Whole 30. I did a trial run of 14 days a couple years ago, which I don’t like to talk about because if it isn’t an entire thirty days does it even count? The only thing I remember from it was being mad that I had to drink my coffee black and missing cheese…a lot. Fast forward to 2019 and between the recent selling of our old house and moving into the new one, I had definitely let my health become less of a priority. We were eating take-out, I was grabbing food on the go and while I think sometimes this is totally okay and necessary (and delicious), after a while you just want to fuel yourself properly. I was feeling sluggish, irritable and became a little too reliant on my nightly glass of red wine to de-stress. I couldn’t remember going a full month without wine in a long time. I figured this was the perfect opportunity to work on my coping mechanisms, and prove to myself that I had other, healthy ways in my back pocket to break out when I needed help after a stressful day. Lastly, that night when I got home and looked in the mirror I just looked…worn out. I was bloated and knew a clean-up was necessary for my mental and physical health.

Week One: Food dreams are real.
The first couple of days, while the detox from all of the junk I’d put into my body wasn’t as bad as I had imagined, it was still rough. I went from feeling motivated and energized on Day  1 to feeling irritable, sluggish and exhausted by day two and three. The weirdest part though were the recurring food dreams. I had come to a good place in my mental health journey where I allowed all foods into my diet so I often found myself during that first week of my Whole 3 wondering “Did I just eat (blank)?!” I began having the craziest recurring dreams about eating non-compliant foods then stopping dead in my tracks and remembering I wasn’t supposed to eat it. This lasted at least 5-7 days! In the daytime, I was constantly thinking about what I was eating-this is a recurring theme I’ll talk about throughout and something that I think is important to note about anyone who has a history of eating disorders or disordered eating. Being so hyper-focused on my food for this period of time, I ran the risk of regressing in my progress and developing back the food phobias I had worked so hard to overcome. This was something I was really focused on and had to constantly check-in with myself. I knew if I saw any of the serious warning signs I would have to stop the Whole 30 immediately.
 
Week Two: Cookie angst
By Week Two, I began to find my groove, but discovered how often pre-Whole 30 I relied on snacks and treats to fill different parts of my day. I always make sure to have snacks on hand (in my laptop bag, in my desk at work, in my purse, in my car). I use a hunger-fullness scale (like this one ) that my therapist recommended years ago. I began using it to ensure I was eating enough and not letting myself get into a restrict-binge cycle, and by keeping snacks on hand I am fully prepared. My go-to for the last year has been to get in my car after working my regular 9-5 and immediately open my commute home snack. While I can’t say I completely gave this up, I started to just not feel like eating the compliant foods I was bringing like apples, veggie sticks, nuts or compliant bars. I would ask myself “am I really hungry?” and think about the hunger-fullness scale and realize that this crutch I had come to rely on was more of a habit than an actual need for more food. And…guys. I cannot tell you how many times over the first couple weeks I was smacked in the face with this. There’s a question I began asking myself when I would want to dive head first into the pantry after dinner, which was “Are you hungry for more meat and vegetables?” If the answer was yes, I knew I was truly hungry and would eat more food. Most of the time, the answer was no and these moments were the hardest. THE HARDEST! I had to re-train my brain to not crave the 8pm post-dinner potato chips or the commute home vending machine cookies I had integrated into my regular diet.  

At one point, I sort of just stopped wanting food. I fell into a state of discontent, where no food sounded good and I would eat and say “eh, that’s enough” and just not care about eating the rest of my meal. As a lover of food, this, well, sucked. I knew I had to change my mentality around this Whole 30 or else I would not make it through.

Week Three: Chicken parm without the parm
The start of the third week, I found some recipes with elevated flavors that made me feel the way that I felt about eating before this crazy experiment. I had the brilliant idea of making chicken parmesan for my fiancé (one of his favorites) and I was bound and determined to make a version of it for myself. Here’s how it went:
​

Parm-less Chicken Parm (this is why I’m not a food blogger)
Chicken breast
Tapioca Starch
Coconut Flour
Egg
Seasoning (garlic powder, oregano, parsley)
Nutritional Yeast

Pound chicken so it’s evenly flattened. Set up three bowls: One with tapioca starch, one with whisked eggs and one with coconut flour mixed with seasonings and nutritional yeast. Dredge in tapioca starch, egg then coconut flour mixture. Pan fry until brown on both sides then bake at 350*F degrees for 20 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken. Top with compliant sauce and more nutritional yeast. Serve with veggies or veggie noodles!

This was the first meal that I really had that feeling of “Yep…I can do this.”  After this, I was much more focused on making my food taste comforting and delicious.
I began to feel better mentally and physically, and truly felt like this was my sweet spot on this Whole 30. I became much more okay saying no to foods I couldn’t eat, my hunger began to level out and I began to really see the difference between true hunger and cravings. My taste buds seemed to really appreciate how delicious a fresh bowl of strawberries could be. Things looked and tasted brighter, sweeter and clear. I was sleeping well. I was happy to drink black coffee. I ate the most delicious steak. I felt like I could do this forever, but also could see how close I was to the finish line.

Final Week: What now?!
The home stretch of my Whole 30 came with mixed emotions. On the one hand, while it felt like I had been on this journey forever (I cannot begin to tell you how slow those thirty days went by) while on the other, I couldn’t imagine what my life would look like by Day 31. I began to think about what foods I’d introduce first, how I would feel and if I would even like the taste of wine anymore?! What if I just ate this way forever? Can’t I just stay in this Whole 30 bubble where it’s warm and safe and I know what the rules are? These thoughts consumed my last few days and bring me to a really important point in this whole journey: Food rules are not always a good thing.

I developed severe disordered eating issues out of years of attempting to control the food I put into my body, and have the therapy session invoices to prove it. The more I tried to control, the more I felt out of control. Those feelings I had years ago began to come back as I grew fearful of what life would look like once this journey ended, and that scared me. A lot. Instead of being excited to finish and indulge in a charcuterie plate, I was wondering if I should just continue and make it a Whole 60. Would a Whole forever be that bad?! After a lot of real talk with myself, I came to accept that this end was a good thing and the feelings I was having were totally normal.

Overall, I had a lot of wins through this experience, including…

• Less bloating
• Less fatigue
• Overcoming emotional eating tendencies
• Better understanding of my hunger-fullness levels
• More consistent sleep patterns, energy cycles improved
• Improved stress coping mechanisms
• Breaking wine drinking habit
• Learning to love black coffee!

 
Would I recommend Whole 30 to friends, family or clients? Absolutely! Would I ever attempt a Whole 30 again? Most definitely. I have the experience and tools now to know where my do-differently moments might be, and having this round under my belt I know would make any future rounds much easier. While I do support this way of eating, I recommend anyone with a history of mental health issues surrounding food to discuss this with a medical or mental health professional before starting to make sure it’s the right decision for you.

Also…black coffee really isn’t all that bad.

In love and health,

Kacie Leigh 

Before I studied nutrition, the only thing I knew about stomach acid was from looking down the stomach aisle at the pharmacy. From what I saw, I assumed it must be something bad. I now know this is totally not the case! In fact, stomach acid is one of the key components of our digestive system. It’s rare that someone is producing too much stomach acid, even though some of the symptoms such as acid indigestion, heartburn or GERD might make you feel otherwise. So, what’s the deal, then?

The major purpose of stomach acid is to breakdown food once it enters the stomach. If we are producing adequate amounts, the acid is able to properly break down the fats, carbohydrates and proteins so it may move along to the next phase of digestion. Stomach acid also ensures we are able to absorb the nutrients from the foods we’re eating. When someone suffers from low stomach acid, a condition known as hypochlorhydria they are unable to actually reap the nutritional benefits of the food they eat. When our food is not broken down properly it can sit there-in our stomachs-until the process can be completed. What exactly does this look like? It’s not pretty. Undigested food in the stomach translates to rancidified fats, putrefied meats and fermented carbohydrates-which leads to, you guessed it-heartburn, gas and bloating, among other symptoms. Are upper GI conditions such as heartburn always caused by low stomach acid? Not necessarily, but quite often this is the case. Taking acid-reducing medications providing temporary relief only will worsen the issue long-term.

Chronic or long-term hypochlorhydria, especially from long-term use of acid-reducing medications can lead to lack of mineral absorption, increased osteoporosis, autoimmune complications and increase the risk for SIBO. Another more surprising issue that can arise is for people who have food sensitivities or allergies. There is evidence showing that food allergies can cause gallstones, which can block bile from being released and ultimately lead to infection or inflammation in the body. This process can be linked to low stomach acid secretion, so in essence, an individual who suffers from food allergies or sensitivities could greatly help their digestive process by not only identifying and removing those foods from their diet, but working on building up and regulating their stomach acid production.

So, the big question-what can we do to increase stomach acid production? Stay tuned for Part Three of this series to find out!


Resources:
Kines, K., & Krupczak, T. (2016). Nutritional Interventions for Gastroesophageal Reflux, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Hypochlorhydria: A Case Report. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 15(4), 49–53. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991651/

Wright, J.V., Lenard, L. (2001) Why Stomach Acid is Good For You. Lanham, MD: M. Evans, An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 

In the Spring of 2017, I began experiencing pains under my left rib cage. It was startling enough to make an appointment with my doctor, who quickly theorized the term I’d grow to hate-stomach ulcer. I was tested for H. Pylori, an infection thought to be the major cause of peptic ulcers but the test came back negative. So, she sent me to the pharmacy for some over the counter antacid medication and told me to call if it got worse. I took the medication for about two months with little relief. This was the Summer I officially gave up underwire bras out of sheer pain from the wire resting on my ulcer (If there’s a bright side to this phase of my life, it’s that I ditched underwire bras for good and have never been comfier!)

About a year and a half later, I had grown lazy and the pain came and went, but always came back. This was when I realized I finally had to get real with myself. At this time, I also was smack dab in the middle of my Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program and had just read the book “Why Stomach Acid is Good For You” by Jonathan V. Wright MD and Lane Lenard, PhD which only further reminded me of the dangers of not letting this ulcer finally heal. An untreated ulcer could lead to perforation and ultimately the acid can burn a hole through your stomach lining, which can be life threatening. In addition, ulcers cause inflammation in the body and any type of chronic inflammation can lead to a whole host of issues, including cancer.

So, how did I finally find relief and heal my ulcer?

Eliminating coffee: A tragedy, part one
The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? I convinced myself that I had “tried everything”-except I hadn’t. I was so resistant to giving up coffee, but let me tell you-this was a big game changer. It wasn’t easy-I was easily drinking at least two or three cups a day. But, after a hellish week of hating everyone and having the world’s longest headache, I finally adjusted and no longer was in pain with each sip. Sometimes, you have to be real with yourself. In this case, I realized was really hurting myself and my caffeine addiction was a major factor.

Eliminating alcohol: A tragedy, part two
Did you know alcohol is a gut irritant? Makes sense, right? For someone with a sore on the lining of the stomach, alcohol is a big no-no. It was tough, but giving up wine until my ulcer healed combined with no caffeine was when I finally started to notice a big difference in how I felt. Not to mention I was sleeping better and felt more refreshed overall.

Natural Supplements: Why is my poop green?
Let me preface this by saying I am not recommending any sort of supplement to anyone except explaining what I took and why I chose to take it. But, as an NTP I am well versed in a variety of natural supplements that can help heal the body. The protocol I laid out for myself was done so with a lot of trial, error and research:
Gastrazyme: This is a supplement made primarily of chlorophyll and raw cabbage juice. Raw cabbage juice itself has been known to have healing effects for the GI and intestinal tract. Gastrazyme also has Vitamin A, which aids in the development of epithelial cells. One note: Don’t be surprised if the chlorophyll turns your poop green!
L-Glutamine: One is the most abundant amino acid in the body, glutamine has a number of health benefits benefits, one of which is to support the integrity of the mucosal lining. In the mucosal lining of the small bowel, glutamine is actually a fuel for metabolism, regulating cell proliferation, repair and maintaining gut barrier functions.
Bone Broth: In addition to a number of nutrients, bone broth contains collagen and glutamine, which can aid in the healing of the gut lining. I recommend making your own-it’s not as scary as you think! If you have an Instant Pot, I love using this recipe from Primal Palate:
https://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-blog/instant-pot-beef-stock-bone-broth/

I found that when my ulcer was at its worst, drinking bone broth each afternoon was really comforting and seemed to provide some relief and I do believe sped up healing. Whether that’s true or not, it did make me feel better and tasted delicious!

When all else fails: Listen to your doctor
I know-this sounds obvious. While it’s important to do the research and be in the drivers seat of your own health decisions, it’s important to work side by side with your doctor or medical professional. While in school, I learned about the importance of stomach acid and when my ulcer returned, I decided, against my doctor’s advice to try the more natural approach and not take the medication they had recommended. After months of trying to heal with little relief, I decided to begin taking the medication again (a proton pump inhibitor). In my case, this was the best decision for me. By reducing my stomach acid during this period of time, the ulceration was able to heal. Combined with the gut-healing nutrients I was taking, I finally felt better and was glad I listened to my doctor. Remember, it's important to advocate for yourself but working alongside your doctor or medical professional will help you come to a mutual understanding, which is the often the best chance for positive health outcomes.

Inhale. Exhale.
For many, stress and anxiety increases the production of stomach acid, which is why for years people theorized that stress caused stomach ulcers. While there is not enough research to prove the direct cause, it can have an impact on healing. If you suffer from stress or anxiety I urge you to do what you can to try to reduce your stress levels. Seek the help of a professional if needed-stress can lead to a whole host of health issues, not to mention prolonging your healing.

Patience is a virtue
An ulcer is an open sore on the inside of your body-it’ going to take time to heal. Once you start to feel relief, it’s important to take enough time to truly heal before you start increasing your stomach acid or introducing any of the gut irritants you had to give up in order to get to that point of feeling better. As tempting as it might’ve been, I maintained the protocol for many weeks after the pain went away to be sure I was finally healed. It's not worth it to have to backtrack your progress. 

In conclusion, stomach ulcers can be, quite literally, a giant pain-but it doesn’t have to be that way forever. By working with your doctor, nutritionist or holistic medical professional, you too can be on your path to health and healing. And, bonus-now that I have the experience and tools in my kit to know how to find relief, if I'm ever faced with another ulcer I'll know exactly how it needs to be addressed. 

Resources:
Biotics Research (2016) Retrieved from https://www.bioticsresearch.com/sites/default/files/LIT-042%20Gastrazyme%202016-BRC.pdf

Rao, R., & Samak, G. (2012). Role of Glutamine in Protection of Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junctions. Journal of epithelial biology & pharmacology, 5(Suppl 1-M7), 47–54. doi:10.2174/1875044301205010047 Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369670/

Wright, J.V., Lenard, L. (2001) Why Stomach Acid is Good For You. Lanham, MD: M. Evans, An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 

​

Coffee and I have been best friends for quite some time. In high school, I distinctly remember my Mom trying to shove coffee down my throat out of desperation after yet another morning of trying to wake me up for school. Once I entered college and the working world, it became an addiction. Sure, I joked about it-but the idea of sitting down in my tiny cubicle and starting my day without my morning coffee would be downright unsettling. So unsettling, in fact that I was often late for work, just so I could start my day without the added stress of not having my delicious morning beverage.

How did I know it had become a problem? In the Winter of 2018 during a terrible storm, we woke up to a basement with several inches of water and the entire county was without power. My biggest concern? Not that my cat’s litter box was floating across the room. How would I get my coffee?

I knew it was bad, but after developing a stomach ulcer that just wouldn’t go away, I finally knew I had to do it-I had to end my coffee addiction. The fact that I felt my stomach ripping apart after each sip and I somehow didn’t care eventually reminded me that this had to end. So-I did it. I went cold turkey. No coffee, no caffeine for the unforeseeable future. Those first few days, to put it mildly were…AWFUL. I was nauseous, dizzy, weak and ready to bite everyone’s head off. I hated the world and I especially hated those heathens in the Starbucks drive-thru line. And the headache? I actually had to take a day off work because I could barely see straight. By the fourth day, the symptoms started to subside and as each day passed, I slowly stopped caring less and less about those people in line getting their coffee. By the end of the first week, I stopped wanting to bite everyone’s head off. By the end of the first month, I finally started to feel like my ulcer was on the path to healing.

Now? Okay, so I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still indulge in the occasional decaf here or there now that my ulcer finally healed. So, why not go back to my regular caffeine habits? I’ve come up with four reasons I’m continuing to live a limited caffeine lifestyle and why you may consider doing the same:

Caffeine impacts your stress hormones
When we immediately start our day with a stimulant such as coffee, we’re sending a signal to our stress hormones that we’re ready for attack. Our body will release the hormone cortisol to help regulate our hormones and calm us down. So, what’s wrong with that? Cortisol is a really important hormone to help us in those fight or flight moments (think of our ancestors when they had to ward off an animal attack). Unfortunate for us, we now live in a world that is constantly stressed OUT. All the time. Simply sitting in traffic each and every morning can trigger that same cortisol response that our ancestors only dealt with when faced with the occasional threat. By consuming that morning cup of coffee, we’re setting up our day to be a roller coaster of hormonal spikes and crashes before we’ve even faced any of those outside stressors. Elevated levels of cortisol can lead to insulin resistance and adrenal fatigue, which each come with a whole host of unpleasant signs and side effects. With life’s stressors being bad enough, why make it worse?

I can speak from experience and say that my anxiety levels have definitely improved since lowering my caffeine intake. When the going got rough, my instinct in the past was always to run to my Keurig or down to the cafeteria at work. I thought coffee would calm me down. In fact, it only elevated my anxiety even more. I didn’t realize this until I broke the habit, so you’ll just have to trust me on this one.


Caffeine impacts our blood sugar levels, blood pressure and more.
Okay, so this isn’t so much a criticism of caffeine as it is for the things some of you might be adding to your coffee- flavored creams and sweeteners. Remember what I said about caffeine impacting our cortisol levels? Combine that with a first-thing-in-the-morning, blood sugar rush from added sugar and we’ve set our day up for a roller coaster of imbalance. Added sugars supply food energy but no other nutrients (what is known as “empty calories”) and increase risk of developing obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity-related cancers, and dental caries. If you aren’t ready to nix the coffee habit completely, consider lowering or eliminating the added sugars. This is where reading food labels comes in handy. Many creamers labeled as having “natural ingredients” include cane sugar. It took me a while, but once I lowered and finally got rid of the sugar in my coffee for good, I began to truly appreciate the taste of the coffee even more (which isn’t really helping my argument for eliminating coffee from your diet, but baby steps, right?). Things like pure vanilla extract and cinnamon are great additions (or decaffeinated tea) that won’t do the same damage as sugar.

Caffeine and our hydration levels
For years, I woke up and the first thing I consumed was my cup (or three) of coffee. But, did you know that diuretics such as coffee, tea or soda can have a huge impact on your body’s hydration? Hydration is a key foundation in overall health-arguably the most important. Dehydration can lead to migraines, digestive issues such as constipation or colitis, depression and joint pain, to name a few. The general rule of thumb is to consume in ounces your body weight divided in half (example: A 140 pound person should on average consume 70 ounces of water). However, diuretics can detract from this and make us further dehydrated. If you do consume caffeine, we should be adding roughly 1.5 ounces of water per ounce of diuretic on top of our regular water consumption in order to stay properly hydrated.

Caffeine and our circadian rhythm
Our circadian rhythm is the process in the body that regulates our sleep and wake cycle. There are many disruptors in modern day life that can impact our circadian rhythm including light cycle, eating habits and yes-caffeine. An article published by Science Magazine shows a study where participants consumed caffeine up to a few hours before bed. The results showed upwards of a half an hour delay in their natural sleep cycle-meaning, it made it harder for the participants to fall asleep. For those of you who regularly consume caffeine later in the day, this could be impacting not only your ability to fall asleep but to stay asleep and wake up feeling fully rested.  

Conclusion
While I decided to address my caffeine addiction because of a serious medical issue, I’ve seen so many added benefits besides healing my body. One of the biggest? Being able to drive down the street and no longer feel the gravitational pull each time I pass a coffee shop. It’s given me a sense of freedom to no longer need coffee, but rather have it only when I really am going to enjoy the experience (and forget what anyone tells you, decaf can be just as delicious as the real deal). Plus, I know that the next time we get another storm and there is no coffee shop open for miles, I won’t bat an eye. Ah…freedom.

References:
Burke, T. M., Markwald, R. R., McHill, A. W., Chinoy, E. D., Snider, J. A., Bessman, S. C.,  Wright, K. P., Jr (2015). Effects of caffeine on the human circadian clock in vivo and in vitro. Science translational medicine, 7(305), 305ra146. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aac5125 Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657156/
​
Delli Bovi, A. P., Di Michele, L., Laino, G., & Vajro, P. (2017). Obesity and Obesity Related Diseases, Sugar Consumption and Bad Oral Health: A Fatal Epidemic Mixtures: The Pediatric and Odontologist Point of View. Translational medicine @ UniSa, 16, 11–16. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5536157/