Cristina RoseCondition: Crohn's DiseaseDiagnosed Year: 2010Foods I Love:Eggplant Sweet Potatoes Broccoli Eggs Salmon Bone Broth Parmesan CheeseFoods I Avoid:Wheat Artificial Sweeteners Coffee Leafy GreensMy Recipes & ArticlesOpen Faced Smores with Bacon and Crystalized Ginger on August 26, 2015From 20 Pills a Day to Remission: How I Beat Crohn’s Using Food! on May 17, 2015Gluten-Free Banana Bread with Coconut and Chia on February 2, 2015My StoryWhen I was 19, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I was told to take a daily cocktail of anti-depressants (my doctor believed stress made the disease worse) and other medicines to help combat the disease. I went from being a normal teenager, to taking 20 pills a day. The funny thing is although I was constantly fatigued and a scary weight of 85 pounds, I felt fine. I continued to live my usual college lifestyle of eating whatever I wanted and living off of a combination of junk food, energy drinks, and coffee. After all, didn’t I need to gain weight? But the years took a toll on me and every year I felt worse.Certain foods made me so sick I couldn’t even go to work. I wasn’t able to keep up with my friends, and sometimes slept for over 12 hours if nobody woke me up. I couldn’t enjoy my life or figure out what was making me feel so bad. By now I had stopped taking pills and had graduated to a black label drug that you inject into your body and had to be hospitalized on more than one occasion. I even had a section of my intestine removed. Everything seemed to help temporarily, but why was I getting worse?I finally decided to look at my disease in a more positive light. Crohn’s disease did not have to be a burden, it could be a blessing in disguise. I was diagnosed with a condition that was forcing me to be as healthy as possible so I can maintain a normal level of energy and live a full life. While others could eat whatever they want without consequences, I had a body that communicated to me and let me know immediately if it wasn’t happy with how I was treating it. For the first time, I decided to listen to my body and give it what it wanted. I began eating as naturally as I could, and focused on foods with anti-inflammatory effects. The funny thing is, I suddenly felt better! After an entire year, I decided to go to the doctor that I used to visit every month. He checked my blood and was shocked to see that for the first time since I became his patient, I had zero inflammation in my body. After further testing he told me that my Crohn’s was in complete remission, and looked just like any normal healthy intestine.I know that food alone is not a cure, and my Crohn’s can come back at any time, but I do believe that my new diet gave my immune system the boost it needed. If there is any advice I could give to those going through a similar situation, it would be to do your research, and listen to your body. It may just be telling you what it needs to heal.