SIBO Chili

Yes, I am blogging. I know, I know ... not another one. I always said that I was nowhere near interesting enough to wax poetic on the Internet. However, now I think I may actually have a story to tell and maybe someone out there will find it useful.

I was diagnosed with SIBO (small intestine bacteria overgrowth) by an ND on September 2, 2011. Yes, that was two months ago. So why start telling my story now? Well, I thought the "cure" was just taking some herbal pills, cut out sugar for 4-6 weeks, and voila! I would be better. Well, Tuesday I started week 8 of the diet, I'm back on the herbal anti-microbials, the bacteria is still waging war in my gut, and yes, I am a bit pissy at this point.

I'm sure you have questions at this point - let's see if I can cover them quickly.

• Yes, I see an ND. She specializes in gut problems and she is awesome! Yes, I tried the western route. Over the last two years I saw several western doctors, a GI specialist, and a surgeon. I had CT scans, blood tests, an endoscopy, three ultrasounds, and random heart tests. I had three ER visits, two of those just in the last nine months. None of these people could diagnose my problem. They suggested I do everything from take more Vicodin to have my gall bladder removed to take ulcer meds (though they had already ruled out ulcers). My acupuncturist finally referred me to my ND and she did more tests and finally gave me a diagnosis. So, yes, now I see an ND.
• Yes, there are antibiotics; no, I don't want to take them. Everything I have read says that antibiotics don't work, and often times these cause even more problems when prescribed for SIBO. Patients take them, they momentarily get better, their symptoms flare up, they go back on the meds ... continue cycle for years. No thank you. Instead, I take a combo of herbs and whatnot called Thunder Pearls.
• The diet is a strict no-sugar diet; the bacteria feeds off the sugar, so I am basically starving them. I can eat six things: eggs, nuts, meat, most veggies, ripe fruit, and  honey. If it's not listed, I can't eat it. So yes, no pasta, rice, dairy, bread, grains, beans, soy ... nothing fun and good.
• Why the blog? Information about SIBO is super limited; information about what to eat on the SIBO diet is even more limited. So I thought maybe I could share what I have been doing to help other people with these pesky gut bugs. And even if you don't have SIBO, the recipes I am finding are quite good, gut bugs or not.

My ND always asks me if I am hungry. Technically, no. I am eating. Oftentimes I fell like I am eating the same thing over and over and over though. What I am hungry for is good food. Exciting food. Different food. My favorite foods. My great grandmother was born and raised in Italy; I am only 1/4 Italian, but apparently I am the 1/4 that really loves food. And I live in Portland. If you have never had the pleasure of stopping in PDX, it's a food lover's paradise! I have a friend who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., who comes out here every other year; she says it's to see me, but it really may be just to hit all of the amazing local restaurants with me. The hardest part of SIBO for me is that I can't really dine out - there are only so many garden salads with grilled chicken, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar that one person can eat. So I have had to start cooking. A lot. I know how  to cook - and I even like to cook - but I like to go to a restaurant where someone cooks and cleans up after me a hell of a lot more. My husband says that even if we went to a new restaurant every day we would never run out of restaurants in PDX - perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but it would probably take you a good year or two to hit them all. And a lot of them are really, really good so you will definitely want to go back a few times to make your way through the menu.

Ergo, tonight, like many others, I worked nine hours, commuted home across the bridge, stopped by New Seasons for some fresh ingredients, came home, and made the husband and I some din din. Tonight's dinner was chili with almond/coconut buns on the side for sopping/dipping, and apple cinnamon bread for dessert. (Note about Paleo: my current favorite website is paleoplan.com. The Paleo diet is very similar to the gut bug diet, so I tend to go there for ideas that I usually tweak a bit to fit my picky pallette. I'm not really a proponent of the Paleo diet (I love healthy, whole grains like quinoa way too much), but it just happens to have a lot of great recipes that I can use right now while fighting the gut bugs.)

SIBO Chili
(Variation of Paleo Plan's Bison Chili)

• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 red or green pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 1 lb dark ground chicken
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 (14 oz) container of Emerald Valley mild salsa
• 8 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 (4 oz) can mild green chiles
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp ground pepper

1. Heat a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat.  When the pan is hot, add coconut oil.
2. Add onions, celery, pepper, and garlic, and sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes.
3. Next, add ground meats, cumin, chili powder, and thyme.
4. Stir while this cooks, about 5 to 6 minutes.
5. Pour in salsa, tomatoes, green chiles, salt, and pepper.
6. Simmer for at least 1 hour.

Paleo Buns
(One note: I bake the buns for 15 mins instead of 10.)
Tonight I placed a bun in my soup bowl and spooned the chili on top of it so it could sop up the juice - delicious!

Paleo Apple Cinnamon Cake
(One note: I add five minutes to the baking time on each.)
I have made this four or five times now. It is amazing! Three people finished off a loaf of it in one night. I have made the loaf and the muffins - the muffins are small, but are easily portable so they are my preference. I found the arrowroot powder at New Seasons in the bulk section, but Bob's Red Mill also sells it.