Hi, I’m Somer McCowan. I’m a vegan, Mormon blogger. My cookbook The Abundance Diet
You can also view my testimonial on the Fork’s Over Knives website here and on ChooseVeg.com here
Seven years ago I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, an autoimmune disease that causes severe abdominal pain, thousands of tiny sores in the colon, and bloody watery stools. My gastroenterologist also removed several pre-cancerous tubular adenomas at the time of my diagnosis. Sometimes I would have to go to the bathroom 30 times a day. At times I couldn’t leave the house and had a difficult time sleeping because I was so sick and had so much pain. I was 28 at the time. I was put on a super high dose of a prescription steroid and lots of other heavy-duty prescription drugs to control the disease. I went from a healthy weight of 125 to over 200 lbs in 9 months on the drugs. Not only did I gain the weight, but I also developed horrible acne. I grew facial hair. I felt crazy and was not a nice person to be around. I would cry when I looked in the mirror.
I have since had a colonoscopy every year, and have often had to go back on prednisone or other terrible drugs in order to get my colitis symptoms under control every time I’ve had a flare up. Each time my weight would balloon and I would feel miserable again and have to work hard to get it back off. It was like a terrible roller coaster and I couldn’t get off.
One weekend, my brother Abe was staying with me and we watched “Forks over Knives” I didn’t really pay attention to it at the time because I was watching kids, making dinner and generally a little uninterested. Fast Forward to January 2012, our family had just returned from Disneyland and a fast food nightmare vacation. I felt like crap, I was sluggish and I had no energy. At this point somewhere in my head I thought of the film “Forks over Knives” again. I decided to re-watch it, this time with my eyes wide open, and realized maybe I could heal myself by changing my diet. I talked with my spouse and we agreed to go on a whole-foods plant-based diet as a family.
The reason I differentiate this from a vegan diet is that many vegans are compassionate, but don’t eat healthily. I didn’t start this journey as an animal advocate, but I’ve since realized its impossible to switch from the standard American diet to a wholly plant based one and not feel remorse for living a life that harmed so many animals. I can tell you that I can’t walk near the meat department in a grocery store anymore and I’m horrified by the treatment of animals that are intended for consumption. So yes, I’m a vegan too by those standards.
Research shows that a plant based diet not only can help or reverse auto-immune diseases like mine, it also gives you protection against or helps with the treatment of cancer, high-blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and many, many more ailments and diseases. I can dig that.
Read the Next Chapter: After the Injury, The Healing Series.
Vedged Out 
Hi there,
Thanks for the “like” on thesaltwatertwin. I really do love your pancake recipe–and your blog! Look forward to reading more!
Thanks for your inspiring story. I was diagnosed with UC in 2009. I’ve been in and out of the hospital and also took more than my share of steroids and other cancer causing drugs. In September I committed to a plant based diet after reading Joel Furhman’s Eat to Live. Since then I’ve lost 18 lbs and 2 dress sizes. I feel amazing. I’m scheduled for a colonoscopy in January. I pray for a clean healthy colon. Love your web site!!!!!
Hi Somer – your story is really inspiring. I want to become Vegan but don’t really know how to start. I want to do it for health reasons but also becasue of the love I feel for animals. Any advice you could give me would really be helpful.
For starters: try livevegan.org or tryveg.com.
Thank you so much for the inspiration you give to me and many by sharing your knowledge and passion for living a healthy, healing lifestyle😊💜✌️
Hi Somer! I nominated you for the 2013 Blog of The Year Award! More about the nomination is here: http://girleatsgreens.com/2013/12/17/2013-blog-of-the-year-award/
Hi Somer. What an amazing story. It’s good to hear you are doing good and feeling great. I invite to check out my Latin inspired vegetarian website if you are ever in a food rut. There are some vegan recipes/options on there as well. Hope you enjoy: http://veggiechica.com/
Lovely story! I agree with your comment about vegans that don’t eat healthily. It is important to have a balanced diet but once you start eating well it is nearly impossible to go back to old unhealthy habits especially with a plant-based diet 🙂 Have a lovely Sunday !!
My daughter has UC and has found the same thing–exercise and a change of diet and she is pretty much in remission. This, after her doctor told her that diet doesn’t play a factor. ??? It’s the gut! Hello!
Two Gastro Drs I have seen both tell me, if it does not hurt it is OK to eat. What planet are they on?
I understand they may not have Crohns or UC but they need to not be foolish with food.
We have serious health issues here & I feel they only treat symptoms not the entire person with diet etc. Not to smart imo.
I dont understand that either, though I have heard the same thing. I think its pretty well documented that food plays a huge role in our health. Most of the illnesses that we have can be helped and or even eliminated through diet and nutrition and proper care of the gut. I know that when I could pay attention to what I eat and do proper cleansing that I feel much better. There is a lot of science behind that as well!
Yes! Finally someone writes about vegetarian diet.
Great going, Somer! Keep well! Have you seen my http://www.colitis-crohns.com and http://www.veganhealingdiet.com sites? My Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s book has helped 1000’s overcome colitis and Crohn’s and IBS via my Vegan Healing Diet Plan. Please contact me! ♥ Dr. Dave Klein * Colitis & Crohn’s Health Recovery Center
I’ll check out your pages! I’m currently drafting a post on IBD. I get dozens of emails each week from readers who want help. I’ll be sure to include your info in the post with a couple of other plant based doctors who specialize in the same area. Thank you!
Somer, I have nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award (http://wp.me/p3Nc97-BL). Have a great day!
Thank you! That’s so very sweet! ❤
Hi Somer, I can’t believe that I just discovered your blog! I found it thanks to My Wife Makes. They made your cashew mozzarella, and then I made it and put it in my lasagna, which I’ve missed terribly since going vegan. Thank you for that, it’s incredible! Your story is so inspiring and proof that a plant based diet can change lives for the better. It also proves that athletes like us get plenty of protein. 😉
Hello- I’m 49 and have colitis since 17. Looking forward to your book. In my experience, vegan food is high in fiber, and that activates my colitis. Hope you have low fiber recipees.
Diego, the book is full of plant foods, which are naturally high in fiber. If you would like medical advice about incorporating more healthful fiber into your diet without aggravating your colitis, contact Dr. Pamela Popper at The Wellness Forum. She has a program in place for patients with inflammatory bowel disease and has a high success rate of helping people achieve remission.
Wowzer, you’re the first person who’s ever had me sign up to their blog out of plain and simple inspiration! There’s some serious food glory on here. I am currently vegetarian but have recently become vegan about 80% of the time and I am definitely seeing the benefits. I have hypothyroidism so I feel ya on the rollercoaster pain…for me there’s nothing that can really help until I’m taking the right meds, because my thyroid is just discontinued, but I have found that I am much healthier than others with hypothyroid despite everything, which is I’m 100% sure down to my diet! Clearer skin, more energy, shiny hair, better digestion and greater optimism. Even if the meds put me right and my diet didn’t matter, I would still stick to my diet because I want to live longer and I want to know I’m not killing animals. And who knows, maybe one day I could stop taking meds.
It’s no laughing matter to be sick and incapacitated, people underestimate how brave you have to be to survive such things. Kudos. And when you’ve got everyone around you saying “oh, just eat less and move more” its enough to make you weep!! People should start to realize that being “overweight” is not always just a case of being lazy and irresponsible.
Great story…I also have an auto immune disease…I cannot heal it by diet as it’s a bit complicated BUT I have learned to manage it and the symptoms of it so much better through diet and exercise. Like you I was driven to become a vegan because of health issues but the compassion part does come along with it…toward animals and our plant…once you really get into it. I wish everyone would pay more attention to the food they eat, the stress they unduly cause themselves and get out move more! My life has vastly improved since making the change to a vegan diet. I don’t just feel better, I look better and I am happier. I look forward to following your blog.
Such an Inspiration! God Bless you and your loved ones!
Thank you!
Hi Somer !
Your blog is very interesting !
Was it difficult at the beginning to eat a lot of fiber-rich food, like beans ? With UC it can sometimes be a problem. I would love to go plant based but I am a bit afraid of the digestive consequences…
Thanks !
If you ease into higher fiber foods, you should be fine
Thank you for sharing your story. I was diagnosed when UC almost 10 years ago and have also achieved remission through a whole food plant-based diet that includes plantains as a staple food. Please check out my story here: http://www.mamaemmas.com/about-us