Oh, the gut. This is something I know a little about. In my mid-thirties, I was diagnosed with a chronic inflammatory bowel disease—Crohn’s—which essentially means I had ongoing inflammation inside my digestive tract. Think of a hard brush scrubbing the inside of your intestines until they’re red and sore, then doing it again and again. That’s what gut inflammation feels like.

Here’s the kicker. Even though I had a brilliant surgeon who also happened to be my GI (gastrointestinal) doctor, his knowledge about the disease—how I got it, and whether I could manage it without medication—was surprisingly limited. He admitted he had no clue what caused it, said it would never go away, and insisted I’d need medication for the rest of my life. He also played down the role of food in managing inflammation, which was both surprising and disappointing.

But, like a stunned mullet, I swallowed my stubborn pride about avoiding medication and started taking sixteen tablets a day, including antibiotics and anti-inflammatories—and committed to the program for the next eighteen months.

Then, at the turn of the millennium, on New Year’s Eve 2000, I made a rash decision to stop taking the medication (which came with its own side effects) and to manage the condition with diet alone.

Here’s how I did it—and you can follow some of these steps too, even without a diagnosis. A healthy gut is foundational to a healthy body.

1. I learned the difference between alkaline and acidic foods. This helped raise my body’s pH after digestion and reduce inflammation. Highly alkaline foods like spinach, broccoli, cucumber, avocado, lemon (surprisingly alkaline-forming once metabolized), and almonds became staples. At the same time, I began reducing acid-forming foods—red meat, cheese, wheat products (bread, pasta), alcohol, and processed sugars. Don’t forget coffee—I don’t drink it myself, but it’s high on the acidic list and a big one for many people.

2. I started juicing and smoothie-ing. (Yes, I’ve officially made “smoothie-ing” a verb.) Both are great ways to get nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables into the body every day. They deliver vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants quickly and efficiently. Smoothies retain fiber, which supports healthy digestion, while juicing removes fiber and gives the digestive system a break. I do both.

3. I went gluten and lactose-free. It took years of gut pain after eating bread, crackers, and sauces before I finally went gluten-free. It was a life-changer, and I wish my GI doctor had suggested it sooner. Because I also reacted to cow dairy (lactose), I cut that out too. Removing both significantly eased the stress on my digestive system, reducing bloating and irritation. Eliminating those two common triggers gave my body the chance to calm inflammation and return to balance.

We can’t control everything in our lives, but we can become more conscious of what helps us feel better as we enter a new year. I challenge you to make caring for your gut a lasting lifestyle change—not just a New Year’s resolution, where the excitement fades, and old patterns quietly reclaim