Trust Your Gut: Prevent Chronic Disease and Boost Your Microbiome.
When my 48 year old sister died from colon cancer five years ago, I didn’t really pay much attention to the fact that she had gained 20+ pounds and was bloated all over, with a gut that resembled a six month pregnancy. She was 5'1" and was always thin, like a size zero thin, so the alarm bells should have gone off for all of us. Somehow, they didn’t. You know, no one wants to point out the obvious, especially when they readily acknowledge they have “gained a few” pounds.
Then when my 50 year old husband went to the doctor for a cold and wound up in the cardiac ICU — in what would become a three month stay — (yes, you read that right, three months!) I still didn’t pay much attention to the gut. He had been overweight for years.
However, during my husband’s hospital stay, I began to write down everything that went on daily, in the form of texts to his phone. Although he was in a medically-induced coma for the first week, complete with breathing tube and ventilator (not to mention heart machines, dialysis machine, and 10+ IV drips), I knew that one, his genius analytical brain would eventually want to know everything that went on, and two, I wouldn’t remember a lick of it if I didn’t write it all down. Everything. Everyday. So that’s what I did. A year later, I am now in the process of compiling all of those texts into a book. So what, you ask. Well…
As I began to write the book and explain the myriad medical issues he has, I began to do in-depth research into these conditions (heart disease, kidney failure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol) and the more I read, the more I became acutely aware of the complete interconnectedness of our super-computer human bodies. This led me to enroll in The Institute for Integrated Nutrition, so I could both learn more about our super-computers and their operating systems, and so I could help others, hoping that they didn’t end up like my sister or my husband. This brings us to…..
The gut. A place where roughly 100 trillion bacteria live, 35,000 different strains (trillion with a T — say whaaaaaat??). A place where microbes (bacteria, yeast, parasites) form the army of cells that is our body’s main line of defense from various invaders (toxins, chemicals, bad bacteria). When in balance, the microbiota in our guts are the grease of the well-oiled machine that is our digestive system. When out of whack, they are the chaos that leads to dysbiosis, an imbalance in our biology. This dysbiosis leads to chronic and sometimes systemic inflammation.
Now, the body does need some inflammation — that’s how it heals itself. There’s a release of chemicals and proteins that work to attack anything foreign. This reaction is supposed to turn on at the first sight of danger and turn off when the coast is clear. But what happens when this inflammation doesn’t turn off? Then, it effects literally every cell in our body.
This inflammation is responsible for the diseases that make up most of the deaths in the western world — heart disease, cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol — and many, many others. When the microbiota in our gut isn’t functioning properly, the army of defenders aren’t able to get to all of the toxins and bad bacteria in our system. This can lead to these invaders jumping ship, or Leaky Gut Syndrome.
But, before you get too overwhelmed here, let me just say that there is good news. There is one major way you can team up with your gut and help to create a balanced microbiota. Food. And who doesn’t love to eat?!?
Food is the information that feeds the body’s computer ‘coders,’ so they can in turn, write the code which allows our super-computer bodies to run with maximum speed and efficiency. And we have control over what type of foods we consume. We can treat our bodies like an amusement park or a sacred temple, it’s our choice. Literally.
Food can either trigger the release of inflammatory molecules and antibodies, or it can take care of and even heal the gut. There are lots of foods that can keep our gut microbiota balanced. I call these foods the ‘Temple’ foods. Cultured foods, fermented foods, probiotics, and prebiotics can heal (or keep healthy) the intestinal lining.
Yogurt and Kefir are two cultured foods that can assist here. However, beware of the added sugars in these foods; sugar is enemy #1 in terms of being the direct cause of myriad diseases (that’s another post).
Kimchi and sauerkraut are two excellent examples of fermented foods which will help our gut remain balanced; these are probiotics. Other probiotic-rich foods are: miso, tempeh, pickles, root and ginger beers, olives, kombucha, buttermilk, raw whey, raw vinegars, sourdough, micro-brewed beer, and wine.
The benefits of probiotics are many — they can:
- regulate the metabolism
- help utilize nutrients
- regulate lipids
- protect from cancer
- modulate immune and inflammation
- digest lactose
- help oral health
- detoxify body
- help with allergies
Veggies and fiber are examples of prebiotics that will help healthy bacteria grow in our gut. Compounds found in the onion family of veggies (onions, garlic, leeks), blueberries and bananas, beans, cabbage, beets, spinach, artichokes, parsley, and chicory will all help here also.
We also want to get Omega 3 fatty acids daily. These can come from supplements or from food. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines are great sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. Nuts and seeds are also a good source (walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed).
One way to know exactly what’s in your microbiome is to get a test done. You can get a kit sent to your home that will analyze the bacteria present. Then you’ll know what you have and what you don’t and what you need. Easy peasy. I ordered tests for my husband and myself; we are awaiting our results. Another post on that when the results come in!
Foods to stay away from — there are lots of foods that are harmful to our bodies and will contribute to inflammation and chronic disease. I like to call these foods the ‘Amusement Park’ foods. These foods are:
- sugar (sugar is in almost everything — beware of anything that ends in ‘ose’ because, its a form of sugar and it acts the same way in our system; fruit juice, sodas)
- processed foods (think anything in the center of the grocery store, deli meats)
- genetically modified foods (GMO’s)
- white flour (breads, pasta, cake)
- sugar free products with polyols (sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltotol)
- gum additives (guar, arabic, carogeenan)
- non-organic foods
Obviously, these lists are not exhaustive and you should always consult with your doctor if you are making any major changes to your diet, especially if you are on any type of medication. But if you start by cooking more at home, buying organic foods, avoiding sugar and processed foods, you will be making a good start. Read the label of everything you put into your grocery cart, and remember to trust your gut!
