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.

________

New Food Labels

Finally, the new food label kicks in! That’s right, nutrition fact labels will look different in 2020. 

Among the most notable changes: 

1. Servings sizes must reflect the amount people are actually eating, which is usually more than what the current label shows.

2. Vitamin D and potassium are now required on the label. 

3. The label will now include “Added Sugars” in grams as a percent Daily Value. “Added sugar” includes sugars and syrups added to foods during processing, preparation or at the table. Unlike naturally occurring sugars present in fruits, vegetables, milk and yogurt, added sugar offers zero nutritional benefit. 

________

Sugary Drinks and Heart Health

A few weeks ago we issued a reminder to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages, including sports drinks, soda and fruit-flavored drinks. Concentrated sources of sugar like these can cause diarrhea, bowel urgency, abdominal pain, gas, bloating and fatigue. Over time, too much sugar can weaken the gut barrier, upset the gut microbiome, lead to inflammation, insulin resistance and more. 

In case you need more reason to limit or avoid sugary drinks, new research shows that sugar-sweetened drinks can harm cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which increases risk for heart disease and stroke. 

 ________

The Best Sweet Potato Fries

For perfectly cooked sweet potato fries, look no further than this recipe. These are appropriate for a low-roughage diet. 

Serves 2. 

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Scrub a large sweet potato under running water. Cut sweet potato in half. Cut each half into 1-inch thick wedges. 
• Toss potato wedges with neutral oil; season with salt. 
• Spread sweet potatoes on prepared baking sheet. There should be plenty of space between each fry. 
• Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

________

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 new ebook, Eating with IBD: The Essentials. 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.