Sheila Trenholm, Board Member

Sheila was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) at the age of 15 and followed a normal course of medical treatment until she learned about SCD in February of 2001. In the fall of 2000 she developed a recurring UC flare which wouldn’t resolve and sent her back and forth to the hospital. She had worsening symptoms and the doctors told her that she would likely need to progress to much stronger medications and have part or all of her colon removed. In desperation, her husband searched the Internet for any alternative and found information on Elaine Gottschall and SCD. They reviewed the information and with the basic idea of what not to eat and what was okay, started the diet the next day. Immediately, she found her cramps and pain disappearing which encouraged her to buy the “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” book and fully commit to SCD. She simultaneously followed her regular medical treatments while engaging with SCD and eventually experienced a “spontaneous remission”. In 2006, in consultation with her gastroenterologist, she stopped taking UC medications and reduced the frequencies of physical examinations. Since then she has maintained drug free remission with the help of SCD.

After starting the diet, Sheila joined the SCD Long Island List and when she eventually put her children on the diet, she joined the Elaine’s Children’s list to get some ideas for school lunches. Eventually the list’s name was changed to Pecanbread and she became a group moderator. Sheila provided material for the Pecanbread website and along with another moderator developed the SCD Stages chart and began private SCD counselling for adults, children or families on the diet. She also provided SCD consultations by reviewing supplements, books and food products for SCD. 

In 2013 Sheila joined the Marine Institute’s Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development (CASD) as a Laboratory Technologist. Today, she is responsible for the day-to-day management of CASD’s research laboratory facility and for performing research activities and analytical services in the fields of food and seafood product development, food quality monitoring and by-product utilization. 

Prior to joining the Marine Institute, she worked as an environmental assessment consultant, a quality assessment technician with an ice cream production plant, a project specialist in the food and beverage division of a chemical supply company, and as a laboratory technician in the Biochemistry Department of Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Food Science Division. 

Sheila holds a BSc degree in Biology from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) and an Advanced Diploma in Food Safety from the Marine Institute of MUN.