Digestive Disorders

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases are complex, and include immune response, microbiome, hormones, and more. But although the many dimensions of disease may seem perplexing, digestive diseases themselves are not as complicated as we might think. Inflammatory bowel diseases are, predictably, highly treatable and responsive to diet. It is, after all, our body’s interaction with food that is causing the digestive disorder. If we want the body to respond differently, we must change its environment – meaning, we must change our food.

So what foods are good for our bowels? Digestive health, with all its dimensions (including above-mentioned immunity, microbiome, and hormones) are all most effectively treated with whole plant foods. Eating fruits and vegetables heals inflammatory bowel diseases, whereas animal-based foods and processed foods aggravate inflammatory bowel diseases (Lewis et al; Grosse et al). Trying to identify exactly which nutrient in plant foods provides the healing – whether it’s the fiber, the antioxidants, the vitamins and minerals, or other phytochemicals – is wholly unimportant. Likewise, trying to decide whether it’s the fat, the protein, the heavy metals, or other toxins in animal-based foods that causes the problem is equally futile. The fact is that whole plant foods (vegetables, fruits, and nuts) heal and nourish the bowels, and animal-based foods (meat, eggs, and dairy) harm and inflame the bowels.

Cooking with oil also has significant implications in digestive diseases (Grootveld et al). Oil is unnecessary in cooking and is easily replaced with water. For additional information about replacing oil, butter, and other fats in cooking, see the All Wholesome Herbs recipe book.