Going gastro!! So this post is all about the gut. Do you ever get:
• Bloated
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Pain in the abdomen
• Heart burn / indigestion
• Dips in energy levels
• Skin outbreaks
• Frequent infections
Well keep reading. You probably know how important your gut microbiome health is to your overall health. If not, you need to! 80 percent of your immune system is in your body’s microbiome, your body’s bacteria, which help your body with just about every process, including helping you to digest your food, think clearly and even maintain a healthy weight. Unfortunately, an unbalanced gut microbiome, or dysbiosis, is common today. Thanks to years of following diets high in processed foods and sugar, consuming conventionally raised meat and dairy products full of hormones, plus rounds of antibiotics, too many antacids and chronic stress, most of us have impaired gut health.
How to Improve Your Gut
There are a number of factors that contribute to the health of your gut microbiome, including your environment, the amount of exercise and sleep you get, and of course, stress. But the number one factor that determines what microbes live in your gut (and which ones die off) is your diet.
In Functional Medicine, there is a very successful protocol called the 5Rs, which stands for Remove, Replace, Re-Inoculate, Repair & Retain
The great thing about the 5Rs protocol is that it doesn’t have to be followed in order. Once you remove the processed foods and toxins from your diet, you can start do the next 3 steps together, and then it is simply about maintaining all the great work you have done. Which is easy when you feel so good! It may be best to find a nutritional therapist who can tailor the protocol to your specific needs.
Here are my suggestions for following the 5Rs and improving your gut
1. Remove & Replace Eat the Right Foods. Your gut responds to what you feed it. When you regularly eat a variety of healthy, non-processed foods, your microbiome becomes programmed to work for you. The more varied your diet, the more flexible your microbiome becomes, allowing for that occasional dessert.
a. Remove the sugar and processed foods from your diet. Refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods get absorbed quickly into your small intestine without any help from your microbes. That means your gut microbes stay hungry so they begin snacking on the cells that line your intestines, causing what we call Leaky Gut. Your intestinal lining is meant to be a strong barrier between your gut and the rest of your body. When your intestinal wall becomes leaky, particles of food enter your bloodstream, causing your immune system to attack them, and ultimately your own tissues. This leads to inflammation and whole cascade of conditions, including autoimmunity. Sugar also feeds organisms like Candida Albican, which can attack your intestinal wall and can lead to a systemic Candida infection.
b. Get your carbohydrates from vegetables and low-sugar fruits. Eating a lot of leafy green vegetables will help plant your gut with healthy and diverse bacteria. Eat radishes, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, asparagus, carrots, and, of course, garlic and turmeric. Be sure to get a balance of healthy fats and protein with each meal as well.
c. Include fermented foods in your diet. These are becoming more and more popular and easy to buy. Fermented foods seed your gut with healthy bacteria. Eat sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, kefir, yogurt (not processed), and kombucha. Check out recipes on line on how to make your own kombucha, which can save you a small fortune.
d. Try a food elimination diet to determine if you have any food allergies. This is only recommended if you feel certain foods are causing you problems or you just don’t know what food is causing the problem. If you try this it is best to get professional help to make sure you are not missing out on essential nutrients. Also stay away from artificial sweeteners, alcohol, and coffee!
2. Replace: Support Your Digestion. Unless you know you have high stomach acid, stop taking antacids! Many people have low stomach acid, but think they have too much and take antacids. Supplementing with a digestive enzyme may help. This can help you digest your food better and get rid of your symptoms, such as gas, bloating and heartburn.
3. Re-inoculate Take a High-Quality Probiotic. Nearly everyone can benefit from supplementing with a good quality probiotic (apart from those with a low WBC count.) Probiotics help maintain your gut’s ecosystem. Also, try to limit your use of antibiotics. While they are necessary sometimes, and can be life-saving, most antibiotics are over-prescribed. Be sure to consult with your doctor about whether you need an antibiotic, and always take your probiotics during treatment to re-seed your gut with healthy bacteria.
4. Repair: Glutamine, an amino acid (a building block of protein), can also help to rebuild and maintain your digestive tract and support proper digestion.
5. Retain: maintain all the great work you have done. Get In A Relaxed State. One of the most important factors to healing your gut is your own consciousness. Your gut is your second brain. If your microbiome is out of balance, you may feel anxious, depressed, or tired. You may also suffer from memory problems or brain fog. In addition to eating the right foods, try to get into a meditative state prior to eating. Do this by removing all stressors, including stressful people and conversations. If you are eating with others, try not to speak excessively, or talk about negative subjects. Every time you sit down to eat, take a deep breath and pause.
I am doing a 30 minute summer gut offer at my clinic in Tavistock Devon & Shaftesbury Dorset. This will only focus on gut health as a full consultation will last 1.5 hours and reviews the whole body.
Please before making any changes to your food intake and supplements intake check with a health care professional.
