eat, drink, and be healthy

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BINAH • MARCH 29, 2010 132 nachshon Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy A diet driven by desperation — delivers! Beily Paluch t all began with distressing, uncomfortable symptoms that Mrs. Weiss more or less came to terms with. There was little awareness then of food allergies and food intolerance, but she chalked it up to lactose intolerance gone haywire. Approximately ten years passed in this manner. Then she found herself with high fever following the birth of one of her children. The doctors ordered a CT scan, and that was when she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Her relief at the diagnosis and the prospect of a cure expressed itself almost as exhilaration. The medical personnel patiently explained that Crohn’s is actually not so exciting! Mrs. Weiss soon learned that the medication was actually not a cure, just a sort of “Band-aid” method of quieting the bacteria for a short while and providing some relief. Each round was another battle won, but it was not going to win the war. With time, the prescribed medication would only increase in strength, and the wary Mrs. Weiss began seeking alternatives. She stopped eating dairy, but it was way too late for that to make any real difference. It would take more to heal her ravaged digestive tract. One day, a woman with ulcerative colitis called her to share experiences. She introduced Mrs. Weiss to the book that eventually turned her life around. The book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Elaine Gottschall, was meant to help alleviate symptoms of intestinal disease, including ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, celiac, diverticulitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). She lent Mrs. Weiss the book, but a quick review of the contents told her this would never work. (“You don’t know me, I love good food,” she declared when we reached this point in our interview.) So she set the book aside, and it lay atop a bookshelf for a full year. That year, Mrs. Weiss spent thousands of dollars on natural doctors and their purported cures. Her symptoms only grew worse. “Then the day came when I reached the ‘two Ds,’ as I call them: Desperation and Determination. On that day, I made a commitment, and I set out to try the diet ‘only for two weeks.’ “All I had was the book, and the few recipes it contained. And what can I say? I was miserable; I so desperately missed my kokosh cake (my basic food staple) and my other regular foods.” Then, amazingly, misery gave way to excitement; after only three days, Mrs. Weiss’s symptoms subsided. “I heard my body telling me, ‘Yes! I like this diet. Keep it up!’” She copied Elaine Gottschall’s number from the book, and for the next few months (and over the course of the next few years), Elaine coached She discovered that she had great cooking and baking talents. Nothing could stop her. BINAH • 14 NISSAN 5770 133 I When Mrs.Weiss was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, her first reaction was, “Baruch Hashem! My suffering has a name.” The doctor wrote out a prescription for antibiotics and Mrs. Weiss was overjoyed. Naively, she assumed her condition was similar to strep throat — ten days of antibiotics, and it would be behind her. Little did she imagine the journey upon which that diagnosis would launch her. Today, in both her personal and professional life, Mrs.Weiss guides and encourages hundreds of people towards greater intestinal health.

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Page 1: Eat, Drink, And Be Healthy

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Eat, Drink,and Be Healthy

A diet driven by desperation — delivers!

Beily Paluch

t all began with distressing,uncomfortable symptoms that

Mrs. Weiss more or less came to termswith. There was little awareness thenof food allergies and food intolerance,but she chalked it up to lactoseintolerance gone haywire.

Approximately ten years passed inthis manner. Then she found herselfwith high fever following the birth ofone of her children. The doctorsordered a CT scan, and that was whenshe was diagnosed with Crohn’sdisease.

Her relief at the diagnosis and theprospect of a cure expressed itselfalmost as exhilaration. The medicalpersonnel patiently explained thatCrohn’s is actually not so exciting!

Mrs. Weiss soon learned that themedication was actually not a cure,just a sort of “Band-aid” method ofquieting the bacteria for a short whileand providing some relief. Each roundwas another battle won, but it was notgoing to win the war. With time, theprescribed medication would onlyincrease in strength, and the waryMrs. Weiss began seeking alternatives.

She stopped eating dairy, but it wasway too late for that to make any realdifference. It would take more to healher ravaged digestive tract.

One day, a woman with ulcerativecolitis called her to share experiences.She introduced Mrs. Weiss to the bookthat eventually turned her life around.The book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, byElaine Gottschall, was meant to helpalleviate symptoms of intestinaldisease, including ulcerative colitis,Crohn’s disease, celiac, diverticulitis,and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).She lent Mrs. Weiss the book, but aquick review of the contents told herthis would never work. (“You don’tknow me, I love good food,” shedeclared when we reached this pointin our interview.)

So she set the book aside, and it layatop a bookshelf for a full year.

That year, Mrs. Weiss spent

thousands of dollars on naturaldoctors and their purported cures. Hersymptoms only grew worse.

“Then the day came when I reachedthe ‘two Ds,’ as I call them:Desperation and Determination. Onthat day, I made a commitment, and Iset out to try the diet ‘only for twoweeks.’

“All I had was the book, and the fewrecipes it contained. And what can Isay? I was miserable; I so desperatelymissed my kokosh cake (my basic foodstaple) and my other regular foods.”

Then, amazingly, misery gave wayto excitement; after only three days,Mrs. Weiss’s symptoms subsided. “Iheard my body telling me, ‘Yes! I likethis diet. Keep it up!’”

She copied Elaine Gottschall’snumber from the book, and for thenext few months (and over the courseof the next few years), Elaine coached

She discovered that she had greatcooking and baking talents. Nothingcould stop her.

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When Mrs. Weiss was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, her first reaction was, “Baruch Hashem! My suffering has a name.”The doctor wrote out a prescription for antibiotics and Mrs. Weiss was overjoyed. Naively, she assumed her condition

was similar to strep throat — ten days of antibiotics, and it would be behind her.Little did she imagine the journey upon which that diagnosis would launch her. Today, in both her personal and

professional life, Mrs. Weiss guides and encourages hundreds of people towards greater intestinal health.

Page 2: Eat, Drink, And Be Healthy

and guided her, as well as providingher with additional numbers for moresupport.

And yet, Mrs. Weiss was famished;she kept opening and closing thecupboard doors looking for food.Surely there were better dishes shecould make? She took her list ofallowed ingredients, and her regularrecipe book, and lo and behold,discovered that she had great cookingand baking talents. She had foundlatent creativity, and nothing couldstop her. She made all her favoritefoods — farfel, cake, ice cream,blintzes, and cheesecake.

And best of all, she hadn’t felt sogood in years. She was bursting withher discovery, and she felt she mustshare her find with others.

The first step was a brief newspaperarticle, just to let the good word out,explaining her success. The phone didnot stop ringing. One RabbiRosenbaum from Israel called inresponse to this article, experiencedhis own personal miracle, andspearheaded a highly successfulprogram in Israel, with hundreds ofmembers, providing support andawareness of digestive health.

Mrs. Weiss invited panickybeginners to her house and personallygave them a crash course on cookingand baking the most delicious dishes.She found herself spending precioustime giving out recipes, and so sheprinted them in a little recipe book, forwhich people blessed her.

As the Specific Carbohydrate Diet(SCD) community around Mrs. Weissgrew, the need to organize ingredients,food, and services on a larger, moreconsistent scale became apparent.Armed with the blessing of a tzaddik,Mrs. Weiss founded DigestiveWellness. She hired a professionalbaker, taught him her original recipes,and made the finished productsavailable to grateful customers. Shealso launched a website,digestivewellness.com, where one canfind the most delicious baked goods,

ingredients and hard-to-find items, allcompatible with the SpecificCarbohydrate Diet. A busy warehouseships items nationwide on a daily basis.

And still Mrs. Weiss worked onspreading awareness. On impulse, sheasked Elaine Gottschall, “If I puttogether a small group, would you flyin from Canada to speak for us?” Witha little prodding, the elderly woman(eighty years old at the time) finallyagreed, and it was up to Mrs. Weiss,who had no organizationalexperience, to pull it off.

With tremendous siyatta diShmaya,everything fell into place — the hall,the speakers, and sponsors foradvertisements. As the event loomednearer, Mrs. Weiss was havingnightmares that it would be anembarrassment. What if no oneshowed? She calmed down a bit whenElaine assured her it was worthcoming even for five people.

To the surprise of all, people camepouring in. They came fromeverywhere, representing the fullspectrum of Judaism. A few hundredpeople sat glued to their chairs,desperate to hear anything positiveabout intestinal health.

One speaker said words hisaudience would long remember: “Youonly have to keep the diet the first fewdays. After that, the diet keeps you.”

Elaine Gottschall, when she steppeddown from the podium, shared herfeelings with Mrs. Weiss. “I felt like Iwas in the clouds; I felt G-d was withme.”

Since then, Digestive Wellness hasbeen at the forefront of disseminatinginformation, while providing practical,hands-on guidance about keeping theSCD diet. Mrs. Weiss is available byphone or email for assistance andsupport.

“It’s amazing how, with the sameingredients, we still keep coming up

with new recipes,” she enthuses. “Foryears, I’ve been trying to replicate ascrumptious apple crumb cake recipethat I loved in my pre-SCD days. Icame close a few times, but like I said,I love good food, and I would not settlefor less than the real thing. Then lastweek, I did it!”

Images flit through my mind ofother acquaintances who haveundertaken various diets, and I shakemy head in wonder at the starkcontrast between their “I would nevereven want cheesecake anymore!” andMrs. Weiss’s open admission ofenjoying and embracing good food.

Mrs. Weiss’s goal is to make SCDinviting, exciting, alive, and delicious,and as I chuckle through ourinterview, I realize that there is nobetter person for the job.

Please note: The SCD diet does not inany way replace medical care; this diettogether with highly qualified medical carewill enable the patient to be treated withthe minimum amount of medication, forthe shortest time possible.

Mrs. Weiss can be contacted at 845-356-4557 or emailed at [email protected].

An amazing SCD cookbook is in theprocess of being published (another fewmonths). The “I Can’t Believe It” Cookbookwill include mouthwatering recipes alongwith magnificent images. The recipes areall gluten-free, starch-free, and refinedsugar-free. In addition to recipes, thecookbook will also include techniques onstress management and the mind-bodyconnection.

The information and recipes in thisbook will be beneficial for everyone: forhealthy people as a preventive; forintestinal sufferers, diabetics, and thosewith high cholesterol/triglycerides as ahealing and maintenance program.

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Digestive Wellness has been at theforefront of disseminating information.

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Aliza’s StoryAliza’s story is just one of many success stories in which children, teenagers, and

adults have been able to live symptom-free through the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

Aliza Gross was a top student, very popular and loved by all. In her earlyadolescence, stomachaches became the norm, along with weight loss and alack of energy. She was finally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and beganstandard medical treatment. When that failed, the doctor recommendedswitching to more potent medication. Mrs. Gross, being an informedconsumer, did some research and discovered (to her utter dismay!) thepossibly devastating side-effects these drugs carried.

With tremendous hashgachah pratis, she came across an article thatopened a new window of hope. Rabbi Rosenbaum explained his success withthe SCD diet in rich detail and with his characteristic enthusiasm. Mrs.Gross’s interest was piqued. She purchased the DVD from the most recentIntestinal Awareness Seminar (presented by Digestive Wellness in 2008), andwas convinced. This was worth a try.

Mrs. Gross broached the topic with both her daughter’s pediatrician andher gastroenterologist, but both were skeptical. They had watched patientstry other diet modifications with no success. However, they had never heardof SCD, and after listening to Mrs. Gross’s explanation, encouraged her to giveit a shot.

In the tradition of many SCD beginners, Aliza first undertook a two-weektrial period. Baruch Hashem, she passed the two-week milestone and has beencontinuing day by day ever since.

She learned to enjoy her allowed foods, and Digestive Wellness is alifesaver for SCD-compatible baked goods and other treats. The wonderfulSCD food gemach also relieves some of the stress of preparing special dishes.During the inevitable rough spots, Mrs. Gross found ways to compensateAliza and keep her going, including promising her a trip to her grandparentsoverseas when the initial two years are over.

Aliza has been a case study for both of her doctors, as they have watchedher steady improvement with amazement. Over the course of the first year,Aliza’s symptoms all but disappeared. Where she had been sluggish andsignificantly underweight, Aliza is now energetic, has gained weight, andlooks and feels great. She’s actually back to feeling “normal,” watching herweight like the rest of her friends.

Despite her diet restrictions, Aliza never misses out on any fun. Shecontinues to be a star among her friends, who have no inkling of hercondition. No matter what the challenge may be, whether a school lunch, aShabbaton, or a summer at camp, Aliza and her mother stretch their creativityand resourcefulness, and make it work.

As Aliza’s two years on the diet draw to a close, she is optimistic that shewill soon be able to put SCD behind her, though she hopes her newfoundappreciation for Hashem’s naturally delicious foods will stay with her long-term. The Gross fridge is always fully stocked with fresh salads, soups, fruit,tuna, and chicken, and the whole family’s eating habits have changed.

Mrs. Gross recalls her introduction to SCD with tremendous hakaras hatov.“Someone took the trouble to write the article that gave my daughter a newchance at conquering her illness with less medicine. Now it’s my turn tohopefully do the same for someone else.”

Almond MuffinsMuffins and SCD go hand in

hand. Choose from a deliciousvariety of flavors. They are great forbreakfast, an afternoon snack witha cup of tea, or even dessert.

Ingredients4 eggs, separated½ cup honey¼ cup oil½ tsp baking soda½ tsp pure vanilla extract2¼ cups almond flour

Directions1. Preheat the oven to 325degrees Fahrenheit. Place paperliners in 18 muffin cups.2. In an electric mixer, beat theegg whites on high until stiff.3. Reduce the speed and add theyolks one at a time.4. Add the honey, oil, bakingsoda, vanilla extract, and yourchoice of the additions below(except blueberries, whichshould be added last), and mixgently.5. Add the almond flour last,mixing minimally until justabout combined.6. Fill each muffin cup two-thirdsfull of batter.7. Bake the muffins for

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approximately 30 minutes.Muffins are done when the topsprings back when pressed with afinger.

VariationsYou may add one of the following:

• 1/3 tsp cinnamon• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce

(omit oil)• ½ cup crushed pineapple (omit oil)• 2/3 ripe banana, mashed

(omit oil)• ½ cup blueberries

Butter Pecan Cookies

These irresistible pareve cookieshave a crunch similar to chocolatechip cookies. The recipe has beenadapted from the Grain-Free Gourmet:Delicious Recipes for Healthy Living.

Ingredients2 cups almond flour1 tsp ground cinnamon1/8 tsp salt½ tsp baking soda1 cup chopped pecans½ tsp pure vanilla extract1 egg1/3 cup coconut oil or palm oil1/3 cup honey

Directions1. Preheat the oven to 325 degreesFahrenheit. Line a cookie sheetwith parchment paper.2. Combine the almond flour,cinnamon, salt, baking soda, andpecans in a bowl.3. Combine the vanilla, egg, oil,and honey in another bowl.4. Add the dry ingredients to thewet and mix well.5. Drop heaping 2-tablespoon-

sized portions of batter about 2inches apart on the cookie sheet.6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes oruntil the cookies are lightlybrowned. Remove cookies fromoven and cool completely.7. Set oven temp to 170 degreesFahrenheit. Bake cookies for anadditional 2 hours. Store cookiesin an airtight container.

Butternut Squash SaladThose with and without SCD will

love this guilt-free version of potatosalad. Delightfully tasty withoutthat heavy aftertaste... you’re sureto make it again and again.

Ingredients1 medium butternut squash,peeled and cubed1-2 sour pickles, grated½ carrot, grated1/3 cup pickle juice ¼ cup mayonnaise2 Tbsp honey, dissolved in asmall amount of hot water½ tsp salt, dissolved in a smallamount of hot water

Directions1. Steam squash in a steameruntil just about soft.2. When squash has cooled,transfer to a bowl and add therest of the ingredients. Mix welland serve chilled.

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