I never liked them, but when my doctor told me avocados are filled with good fats and that they are a wholesome food loaded with nutrients, I decided to give them a chance. I was surprised by how good they tasted!

LOOP is an important venue for our community to keep #TalkingAboutIBD. It’s a place where #StoriesMatter - where they connect us, grow our confidence, validate our experiences, remind us we are not alone, and motivate us to continue improving together.

So far, in 2021, 70 stories have been shared #InTheLOOP. Patients, clinicians, parents, dietitians, researchers, and staff & leaders from across the ICN Community have written about IBD from their unique perspectives. They have covered topics ranging from support and advocacy to the importance of sharing openly and talking about IBD, from research and innovative projects to personal struggles, triumphs and hopes for the future.

Without further ado, here are the stories you read the most in 2021!

I've been sharing my experience with foods that I eat as a vegetarian living with ulcerative colitis. Today, I'm writing about my favorite way to eat pasta (hint: it's green). 

In my first post I said that I wanted to write about my experience with foods that I eat as a vegetarian living with ulcerative colitis. For this post I felt like writing about something that's not food-related, but that I think goes hand-in-hand with a healthy, balanced diet. Today, I'm writing about exercise.

In this post, I decided to write about another staple of my diet: rice. As someone from southern India, my diet has always included rice, but it has become especially important as I have tried diets that limit gluten.

Today, I am writing about another food that I think has been vital along my IBD journey: energy bars. Whether you believe these bars truly give you instant energy or not, they have been extremely helpful (and tasty) to me at many different points in time.

Hi, my name is Nikhil. When I wrote my first post for LOOP back in April, I said I wanted to share more about my experiences eating certain foods as a vegetarian who lives with ulcerative colitis. I decided that the first food I wanted to talk about would be something that I really enjoy eating, so it was a no-brainer for me to choose to write about eggs.

My name is Nikhil and I am 17 years old. I am currently a junior in high school, and I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in September 2016, when I was 12. One thing most of my friends don't know about me is that I absolutely love going to school. There is just something about learning new information that makes me feel great.