Health Expert Elizabeth Roberts shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/2623/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/2623/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/2623/index http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/153418/5-natural-sweeteners Wed, 30 May 2012 17:18:28 -0400 Elizabeth Roberts By now, we've all heard the flap about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). And if you're smart you have realized that mostly anything that is canned, bottled, packages, or pre-made includes HFCS, and you are limiting your intake of it.   You've also probably heard about agave nectar or agave syrup. And, you have most likely heard it touted as "natural," "healthy," or "low-glycemic." Well, I'm here to tell you that none of that is true.... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/153418/5-natural-sweeteners http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/152199/focusing-quality-life Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:26:46 -0400 Elizabeth Roberts I read an article in the April 16, 2012 edition of The Wall Street Journal titled, "The Simple Idea That Is Transforming Health Care." As I began to read the article I was first frustrated and then happy.   I was frustrated that it has taken the traditional medical community so long to realize that their patient's aren't just a set of symptoms that comprise a disease, but rather that we are people who can suffer from our disease, have a... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/152199/focusing-quality-life http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/150308/revisited-ibd-diseases Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:34:42 -0500 Elizabeth Roberts It was Nov 2008 when I wrote this Sharpost about bugs and worms being a potentially viable treatment for people with IBD -http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/47391/bugs-worms-answer   Here we are more than three years later and this possibility is now being seen as a truly viable option for treating those of us with Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, Multiple  Sclerosis, and possibly rheumatoid arthritis and some... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/150308/revisited-ibd-diseases http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/149669/cruciferous-veggies Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:25:35 -0500 Elizabeth Roberts I found my colleague, Jennifer Rackley's Sharpost about Cruciferous veggies and the gut - http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/70966/149211/healthy-vegetables/?ic=4027 - a very important post and wanted to expand on it a bit.     First, know that there are now two names for this family of vegetables -cruciferous is how most of us refer to them, but they are now more commonly known in the nutrition field... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/149669/cruciferous-veggies http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/148166/positive-effects-diet Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:55:24 -0500 Elizabeth Roberts When I tell people that I am eating gluten-, grain-, sugar-, and dairy-free first they look at me like I'm crazy. Then they ask me what I can eat.   If you're a regular reader of my blog then you know I've been eating according to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for the past 5 months. The first month or two were hard - cutting back on sugar (only honey is allowed), not eating potatoes or rice or chocolate were the hardest for me. But... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/148166/positive-effects-diet http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/147588/bpa-care Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:23:59 -0500 Elizabeth Roberts   If you have Inflammatory Bowel Disease then you know that the more you can do to keep your body healthy the better off your disease control can be. In the past years a new acronym - BPA - has come into wide use and I thought it would be a good idea to discuss just what this is.   BPA stands for bisphenol A. Bisphenol A is a chemical that has been used since the 1960s to make particular types of plastics and resin. In past years,... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/147588/bpa-care http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/146255/gluten-prevalent-today Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:36:22 -0400 Elizabeth Roberts Since receiving my certification as a Natural Foods Chef in August I have a lot of people asking me why everything is gluten-free all of a sudden and should they be eating gluten-free themselves.   This isn't so easy or straightforward a question to answer, but I'll do my best.   First we need to know what gluten is. Gluten is a particular protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Some say oats as well, but that's not so. Oats do... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/146255/gluten-prevalent-today http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/144761/effects-antibiotics Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:28:03 -0400 Elizabeth Roberts http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-antibiotic-crohns-idUSTRE78P4Z320110926   This is a must read article if you have IBD and have taken antibiotics in the past. While antibiotics can be helpful, even life saving in the right circumstances, they can also be devastasting to the good/bad bacterial flora balance we have and need in our GI tract.   Never take an antibiotic unless it is absolutely necessary for a true bacterial... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/144761/effects-antibiotics http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/143873/soak-nuts-seeds-grains Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:45:21 -0400 Elizabeth Roberts I know it has been a while since I last posted here. For the past six months I was participating in a course to get my Natural Foods Chef certification and as of last week I am done and certified. What is a natural foods chef? We use whole foods to enrich the diet, focusing on using as much seasonal, organic, unprocessed and locally grown food as possible.   In the process of taking this course, I also met and started seeing a Naturopath... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/143873/soak-nuts-seeds-grains http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/140666/update-test-results Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:46:16 -0400 Elizabeth Roberts If you read my last post about the SCdiet possibly being helpful for IBDers, then here's the follow-up I promised after the appointment with my doctor to review all of my test results - some I already knew, some I suspected, and some were a surprise to me.  1st - A Complete Surprise - As mentioned previously, perhaps the most important thing he found out is that I am completely intolerant of any all types of dairy. I do not genetically... http://www.healthcentral.com/ibd/c/2623/140666/update-test-results