You might like this story from Susie: https://www.drcarney.com/gems/gastrointestinal-success

The title says her Crohn's is in remission for three years but that is not accurate because the story was written in 2013. So, she has been in remission since 2010. Not bad. 

Leaky guts seem to heal well once the offending meat, dariy, eggs, oil and processed foods are removed from the diet. 

Sean

Hi Sue.  I am interested to hear from others too.  I have been dealing with leaky gut for about 10 years and would love to feel like I am healing.  How are you doing?

Hi Isabelle, I am doing much better since I first wrote. My rash has gone way down. Very few flareups. Most of my food sensitivities have disappeared. I am stil sensitive to gluten but I can tolerate einkorn, though I rarely use flour. I prefer to use intact grains. 

Hi Sue.  I would love to hear how you did it, when you have time.  What foods were you sensitive to when you started?  Did you avoid them complelely?  What did your daily meals look like?  How long did it take you?  I think I am intolerant to legumes, but feel like they are a healiing food that I should be including.  Plus, they fill me up so I don't eat so many sweet potatoes. Thanks so much for encouraging responce.

To question above about brown rice, I find that brown rice is inflammatory for me, if that helps.  

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to your Isabelle. Life has been crazy-busy since I went back to school. I am sorry rice is not friendly to your gut. That is my favorite grain. But our guts are all different. When I started on my journey, I first developed a sensitivity to gluten. I used to have horrific pain in my bladder and vaginal area--the least little movement and the pain ripped through me. It was hard to go anywhere it the car, it was so bad. Doctor did labwork twice, but there was nothing that he could see. But it sure felt like the most horrific yeast infection I ever had. So I decided to skip anything with yeast for 2 weeks to see if it would help. It did dramatically. Symptoms went away. When I reintroduced it in small amounts, wham! We were back at square 1 with the pain. That's when I went gluten free. I can tolerate small amounts now and then. But I'm not pushing it. 

I also developed sensitivities to citrus, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, nutritional yeast flakes. At one point, I was suspecting I had interstitial cystitis. But all these sensitivities have healed themselves. The foods in the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes) were only a problem for a month thankfully. 

I have also discovered that if I get the least amount of oil and I will have a flareup. If I have too many nuts, the same will happen. So I use nuts frugully. And absolutely no oil, margarines, or butter. 

I still have some rash on my cheeks, but as I mentioned before, it has gone down. I know it is due to inflammation. I have lost 20 pounds, which has helped in my healing along with going whole food plant based. 

Thank you  so much for taking the time.  You are encouraging.  Were you able to eat legumes all along?  I have all the sensitivities you mentioned plus nuts and the legumes, I believe.  Did yo ustay totally away from nightshades while you were healing? What might your typical day's siet look like?  Thanks again

You're welcome, Isabelle. I'm glad I could help a little. And yes, I've always been able to handle legumes. Are you sensitive to every bean? How about peas or lentils? 

While I was dealing with nightshades, I removed them all from my diet. It wasn't easy. Tomatoes are normally a staple in my cooking. But I found a recipe online that mimics tomato sauce. I call it No-mato Sauce. It was pretty good. It uses beets, sweet potato, carrots, onion and garlic and some seasonings. If you'd like the recipe, just let me know. 

For breakfast, I rotate between a cooked cereal breakfast (usually oatmeal with berries) or I have a savory breakfast (brown rice, beans, herbs and greens). Rice has been a friendly grain for me; if I have had flareups, rice and beans help calm it down again. They are my friendly foods. Sometimes on the weekend, I may occasionally make some oat or brown rice waffles for my family. I like putting homemade applesauce on them with fresh or frozen berries. Blueberries are my favorite. Great anti-inflammatory foods.

Lunch varies from day to day. I may have soup or homemade burgers or a stir-fry over rice or a pasta with beans. Sometimes I will have a little tofu; I like making tofu steaks. Of course, there's always lots of veggies--I try to get greens every day--spinach is my favorite. I enjoy cooking it fresh baby spinach. 

I try to eat colorful veg--sweet potatoes, winter squash, red cabbage, red varieties of lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. I have a list of anti-inflammatory plant foods posted in my kitchen and I cook from my list every day. 

I eat a very light supper, mostly just a couple pieces of fruit with a cup of tea. I don't have a gall bladder anymore so I can't eat heavy at night. I also like to eat light because it helps me lose weight; I still want to lose 10 more pounds. Many people have found by making breakfast their biggest meal and supper their lightest, it is easy to lose weight. It has helped me so much and helps me have better sleep. 

I hope that helps, Isabelle. If you'd like some recipes, just let me know. I have my own website where I post plant-based recipes and have other articles to help us on our health walks. 

Thanks Sean for your kind words. It does take time and patience and a whole lot of perseverance. I'm still healing but I am thankful for the progress I've been able to make. Having a food diary has helped me pinpoint food offenders. 

Today I had a flare up and I think it's because I've had too much soy lately. So going to fast from that for a couple of weeks to see if it will make a difference. 

Sue,

  How are you doing on your healing journey?  I have varied from this style of eating to follow Goodbye Lupus plan which is so completely different.  It ends up being high in omega 3's from flax and chia and also a great volume of greens combined in smoothies.  I am not convinced that it works for me, but since I seem to have problems with legumes, night shades and many starches, I am not sure if I can heal on this plan.  So, basicly, I am in the same place I was, and feeling frustrated not sure which way to go.  I may head back to this plan because I do question the high amount of fat in diet from all the seeds.

I hope you've gotten my message about oil in my diet. That was the best thing I ever did on my health journey--ditching all refined oils. But I also have found that nuts can cause flareups. I had been keeping them to a strict minimum. But I've gone back to a nut free diet and it's been giving me better skin health. You might want to experiment with avoiding the chia seeds for a couple of weeks and see if it affects your symptoms.

You know, that is what I am beginning to think.  I think the high fat in the diet may be causing me more inflammation, and I should try to return to Dr. Carney's recommendations.  Thank you!

Isabelle, Let us know how it works out once you make the changes. :-)