I thought I would tell you about my past health history so that you can see why I started eating the way I do now. I had IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) since I was about 12. As a teenager it was embarrassing and I was nervous about going anywhere. I had a lot of diarrhea most days but no pain. I had my first Daughter at the age of 24, while I was pregnant I didn't experience any diarrhea; only in the first 3 months and after that, I was diarrhea free, I thought it must have been the iron pills I was taking. After giving birth to her I experienced severe diarrhea immediately and lost a lot of weight, so much weight people thought I looked really sick. I gradually put the weight back on and got used to the sickness; it became my life and as the years went by I got used to having to go anywhere, still nervous which made my tummy worse. The beginning of 2007 I started getting worse I was running to the bathroom quite a lot at work and I also started to get pain. It continued throughout the year, but got worse and worse, I thought maybe stress and irritable bowel syndrome just playing up. I was so used to living this way it didn't occur to me that it could have been something more serious. I moved towns and jobs and it was really stressful and the pain was everyday and I was in the bathroom 15-20 times a day, and throwing up 5 times a day. I actually had to quit my job because it was really bad. I had lost a lot of weight again and my tummy looked like I was pregnant. I went to the doctor finally and was referred to a surgeon who diagnosed me with severe Crohns, I was given 50 mg prednisone through IV and a nurse would administer the medication for a week at my home. Every day the needle came out and a new nurse would come over and try again, but it took several pokes to get it right. I started a new job on the school board which I absolutely loved. The medication was working, although it caused me to have a blown up face and my excessive eating and nightmares, it took away my pain so I was weaned 5mg a week and when I got down to 25mg my body didn't like it and I started to get pain again. We went back up to 50mg. I was eating bad like I always had not knowing that food was the issue. In March 2008 I'd had enough and my surgeon had been waiting for me to give the ok to do surgery and they took out 30cm of my small intestine. Recovery took a month and then I continued to have diarrhea, but no pain. I lived with my mum during this time so that she could help me with my Daughter Emily. When September came I met my future Husband who I had seen previously at the school I worked at and I decided to lose the weight I had gained on the prednisone. I ate fish, chicken, fruit and veg and nothing else. I lost ten pounds in a month and felt great. I was doing it for the weight loss not so much my Crohns disease. The diarrhea came back and was almost everyday for a couple of years. I did not like going to anybodies house in case I had to use the bathroom. I got married in 2010. I got pregnant with my son that year and once again I had no symptoms during pregnancy and ate what I always did even the foods I knew upset my tummy. Right after I had him I had terrible relapses. I am 33 now and I just had my second daughter in November and again during my pregnancy I had no symptoms and immediately after having her I had awful relapses and it clicked I have to stop living this way. My Sister had mentioned a diet called the Paleo diet, So I had no clue what that was and started anyway by eating hardly anything. I cut out my coffee and tea which I love and wheat and sugar. At the beginning it was actually painful, My intestine wasn't strong because it wasn't used to normal and I still had diarrhea; I started to think maybe its a waste of time, but a week or two into eating the basics I started to notice a huge difference and no more pain or diarrhea. I couldn't believe it. I was very low about it for a week or two as I didn't know what to eat or cook. I was starving!!! I found out about the Paleo plan and I also followed the specific carbohydrate diet, which really helped me. After five weeks on the plan I had diarrhea again so I thought its time to see a naturopath. I knew it was to good to be true. I had a food sensitivity test and continued to have diarrhea daily for 6 weeks. I received my results and the list was quite long. I am still having relapses as I try to figure out whats bothering me without taking medication. At this point after seeing a naturopath and taking supplements to heal my gut, I only have upset stomach and pain when I eat something that I am sensitive to, but I am so much better than I ever was and I am so happy and thankful to God for this journey and feeling better. Please join me as I create new recipes and share with you my journey.