Can you believe the end of October is already upon us? The fall colors are in their full glory here in Virginia and the air temperature is getting crisp. There is so much to love about autumn… the changing leaves, the shortening day length, and the dropping temperatures all seem to signal me to turn inward and gather close all who I love and treasure, preparing for the winter and reminding me of what is most important. I guess it is no surprise that our ancestors created so many holidays during this time period!
Favorite new recipes
Autumn is an amazing time of year, food wise. I love the apples and all the winter squashes, the liberal use of spices like cinnamon and cloves, the hearty warming soups. I have been on my healing diet journey now for a little more than 9 months now, and am in the midst of reintroducing foods I excluded on the paleo autoimmune protocol (AIP). Currently I’m eating some nightshades and some seeds, but still no nuts or dairy and of course no grains or legumes.
- I’ve already made this amazing recipe for dairy free chai spiced hot chocolate from Meatified once and will definitely be making it again.
Health
This month I have been focusing on trying to improve my sleep (with some success). I found Emily Benfitt’s e-book on dealing with insomnia with natural methods, The Sleep Solution, to be very helpful. Here are a few other blog posts on the topic.
- Faulk Farmstead had a great post on lavender sleep tonic that I definitely want to try out.
- Real Food RN described how to make healthy gummies for cold, flu, and sleep.
Crohn’s disease in the news
I’m always keeping my eyes open for new stories about Crohn’s disease so I know what’s up in the latest research and am better informed when I see my gastroenterologist. Here are a few highlights from October.
- A new study by researchers at Harvard University and the University of Cambridge discovered that Crohn’s disease can originate from specialized intestinal cell type called Paneth cells, suggesting that small intestinal Crohn’s disease might be a specific disorder of this cell type, providing a possible new target for treatments.
- Inflammatory bowel disease is linked with higher stroke and heart attach risk, although causation is not clear.
- Researchers at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine found that intestinal mucus contains cells that trigger a response from the body’s immune system to fight harmful bacteria and food allergens that cause inflammation. This discovery could lead to new treatments for Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory conditions.
- Crohn’s disease patients who reported using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) more than once per week demonstrated a significantly higher risk for active disease compared with those who used them less often.
My most popular posts
This was a great month for my blog as I really hit my stride blogging regularly to share my thoughts and recipes with the world. These were my most popular new posts in October.
- Adventures in Fermentation: Coconut Milk Yogurt (October 18, 2013)
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (October 10, 2013)
- Pumpkin Cranberry Bars (October 23, 2013)
- Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Kale, and Lemon (October 7, 2013)
- Low-FODMAP and Paleo Autoimmune Protocol: What Can I Eat? (October 2, 2013)
