Long-COVID is defined by The National Health Service as having symptoms that develop during or after a COVID infection which continue for more than 12 weeks. This week I interview Marlee Coldwell, RD on how long COVID presents and ways that it can be managed in our patients. Marlee has been working with patients who have complex digestive health issues and food intolerances for the past 5 years. Marlee specializes in providing nutritional support for digestive disorders including IBS, IBD, SIBO, fatty liver disease, and much more. Marlee is the team lead dietitian for Ignite Nutrition, one of Canada’s top digestive health nutrition practices. With her specialized knowledge of gastrointestinal health, she also helps to train and support other dietitians to work with those who have unique and complex food intolerances and GI disorders.  In 2019, Marlee also wrote a cookbook called ‘Insulin Resistance Diet for Beginners’, which showcases her other great passion, women’s health and PCOS management. We talk about: ·      What long COVID is ·      How many people experience it ·      What the symptoms are ·      How we see it influencing our IBS patients and how nutrition can help ·      The influence of COVID on the GI tract ·      The taste and smell changes, how they influence people’s nutrition, and if there is anything to help ·      The inflammatory immune-mediated symptoms like rashes, brain fog, joint pain, chronic fatigue, gut pain, and diarrhea ·      Why people have been curious about a low histamine diet when it comes to long COVID ·      The overlap between MCAS and long covid, and why people are being managed like MCAS patients ·      If using a MCAS approach can ´fix´ long COVID Connect with Coldwell on at ignitenutrition.ca on Instagram here @ignite.nutrition.inc