Dear Friends,
It’s great to be back from the holidays and settling into my ‘normal’ life after a whirlwind of celebration including a yoga retreat in Santa Fe, hot springs at Ojo, leading a wellness workshop in Crestone and Christmas green chili with Macy and our pack of fluffy critters.
All great memories, but to be honest the holidays can be a really tough time for managing my Crohn’s disease. (OMG, that really sounded like a drug commercial)
I wonder if people assume since I’m thin, that I can eat whatever I want.
But the holidays can be really difficult. Living with Crohn’s means making impeccable food choices (passing over amazing snow man sugar cookies & pumpkin pie) to keep the inflammation down and maintain weight.
What I know from my own life and working with my clients is there are many difficult emotions around food. Resentment around not being able to eat what I want. Feeling like it’s not fair. Shame from slipping up. Jealousy that friends and family can be so carefree around a pound cake.
And then that resentment often turns to feelings of entitlement.
“I should be able to eat a corn tortilla. It’s gluten free”” or, “My gut has been doing really well for awhile, I should be able to have a dessert”. “I should be able to enjoy life as much as they are”.
I’ve said that to myself countless times. But I’m not everyone else. And it took a long time to see the beauty in that.
I know now that my health is my responsibility. I never wanted to be a nuisance about food, ‘the picky eater’ or the ‘imposing dinner guest’. But bad choices can leave me horizontal in bed with a flare up—away from everything I love—work, wife, family and my ability to serve you. So I am committed and unapologetic about asking for what I need.
And so before I choose to eat something, I try to first ask myself if that food is going to be healing for me. It’s that simple. If Yes, I eat it. If No, I put it back, (almost all the time, like 99.3% of the time), and I am free.
Now when I open my fridge and see this miraculous bounty of veggies and colors and protein, I am so grateful and so blessed.
My Enlightened Gut coaching program is a consiousness approach to digestive wellness. This means we will look at the whole you; Body, Mind and Spirit. When you complete this program you will know exactly what it takes to be your own healer.
Image if you could:
- Wake up feeling energized and grateful
- Be free of constant worry and fear about the state of your body
- Have simple strategies that reduce stress and inflammation in your body
- Have a diet that you enjoy that is also healing your body.
- Be free of constant worry and fear about the state of your body.
- Have a clear path to healing that’s personalized for you.
If you or a friend struggle with digestive challenges or chronic digestive illness I am offering a complimentary 30 minute phone consult to see if I can help you to be yourself and be well. Email me or call 720-841-3583.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Larry Frieder