3 Quick Things

Hi Everyone! 

Improve your health with this week’s three simple IBD tips and takeaways.

Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Little changes lead to big results. We challenge you to take one small action today to benefit your future tomorrows.

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Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Bertina says: Rosh Hashanah is one of my favorite excuses to gather with friends, family and celebrate the Jewish new year. Growing up with many close Jewish friends, I loved attending their Rosh Hashanah dinners while learning traditions and, of course, eating the delicious food. 

I love potato dishes, and this Potato Kugel is one of my favorites. For folks who don't know, Kugel is a baked pudding, usually made with noodles or potatoes and I look forward to making it every year. 

The original recipe called for using 1 cup of veggie oil to fry up the shallots. Instead, I sauté the shallots using much less oil and then get some of that some crunch back via baking in the oven. 

I like this one so much in fact, that I make it a couple times a year as a treat - soft in the middle and the crispy topping just adds that special touch. If you have a food processor, it's time for it to shine as it will make shredding those potatoes significantly easier.

Happy New Year and I hope everyone enjoys this dish now, or on any occasion. 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 large shallots, thinly sliced 
• 5 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded 
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely grated 
• 1/3 cup potato starch*
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
• Pinch of nutmeg 
• 5 large eggs, beaten 
• 2 large egg yolks, beaten 
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 cup boiling water

* Although I've never tried it for this recipe, arrowroot could be a substitute for the potato starch

MAKE THIS

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a medium saucepan, heat up the 4 tbsp of olive oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to a plate. Reserve the shallot oil.
2. Working in batches, squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible from the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl as you go. Add the grated onion, potato starch, salt, black pepper and nutmeg and stir well. Stir in the whole eggs, egg yolks, olive oil and boiling water, then stir in the fried shallots.
3. Heat two 8-by-11 1/2-inch flameproof or enameled cast-iron baking dishes over high heat until they are very hot to the touch. Add 2 tablespoons of the shallot oil to each baking dish and heat until smoking. Carefully spread the potato mixture in the sizzling baking dishes.
4. Transfer the potato kugels to the oven and bake them for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375° and bake the kugels for 40 minutes longer, until golden and crisp on the sides.
5. Preheat the broiler. Broil the potato kugels as close to the heat as possible for about 2 minutes, until they are browned and crisp on top. Let the potato kugels stand for 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine.

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A Morning Tip: Meditate

Scott says: The first thing I do when I wake up is meditate for 10-20 minutes. I’ve grown to enjoy meditating and have noticed how it benefits many aspects of my life, but the reason I do it right after waking up is for my gut. 

Sometimes when I wake up, it feels like my intestines are in charge. I become reactionary instead of in control — sort of like a dog being walked by my gut. I feel overly stressed, but when I stop to think about why, the source of stress isn’t external (like a deadline). Instead, it’s coming from my swirling stomach, and that feels an awful lot like being stressed out.

Does that sound familiar to you?

Meditating in the morning helps me realize this, steady my stomach and take back control of my morning. 

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Put Food Safety First

About 1 in 6 Americans get food poisoning each year — that’s approximately 48 million cases. Roughly 128,000 people end up hospitalized and 3,000 die. Countless others wind up with post-infectious GI complications, including IBD and IBS. Even a mild form of food poisoning can increase risk of developing IBD and IBS in genetically susceptible individuals. Plus, people with these conditions are more likely to get food poisoning than healthy individuals.

Colleen says: When patients see me with escalating GI symptoms, I pester them with all kinds of questions to better understand what might have triggered their symptoms. In many cases, patients associate them with a “stomach bug” or food poisoning. 

Please take food safety seriously! Here’s a list of resources to help you lower your chance of getting sick. 

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Remember, there’s no one perfect diet for everyone with IBD. If you or anyone you know struggles with what to eat with Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis, then check out our ebook, Eating with IBD: The Essentials.

Check it out

Do you have a question about these topics, or something else? Just reply with your question to this email and it may appear in an upcoming newsletter.

In good health,

Colleen, Bertina & Scott

This newsletter is for informational purposes only and is in no way intended as medical counseling or medical advice. Results may vary