Sovereign Bellies Continued...
Everything you Need to Know about Keeping your Gut Happy!
Today’s article is a reprint of deep dive into the Gut Microbiome which I have shared in the past. I have lots of brand new info to share in my upcoming Cleanse, but these are some key essential points I wanted to share with all here as a reminder of the pathway of sovereignty with our bellies!
Keep reading to learn about:
*** THE MICROBIOME - What it is and why it matters
*** THE GUT AND YOUR BRAIN - addressing depression, brain fog, anxiety, etc.
*** THE GUT AND IMMUNITY/WEIGHT - Yes, all can be corrected with the right diet!
*** SPECIFIC HEALING FOODS
*** THE GUT AND FOOD SENSITIVITIES
*** THE GUT AND CRAVINGS - how to shift these for the long-term
If, after, reading through this article you feel you might benefit from a bit of focused gut support in addition to all the other Cleanse benefits, please do join me! We begin in 1 1/2 weeks, and the Cleanse is 1/3 full. Early Bird Discounts expire on December 31st.
THE MICROBIOME
The plethora of research that has gone into the gut microbiome these last several years is quite heartening. It’s about time that we start to grok how interconnected we really are!
Some medical professionals actually consider the microbiome to be its own organ - as important to acknowledge, understand, and nourish with the right foods, as our heart, kidneys or lungs.
It is the home, after all, to trillions of different micro-organisms, most of which we cannot live without! It may seem strange to acknowledge in these times where we are so sensitive to being careful about spreading invisible pathogens, but so many of the functions in the body that are essential to our very life would not happen without this teeming array of bacteria, viruses, yeast, and other microbiota that are invisible to the naked eye yet very much a part of who we are.
There are so many, in fact, that they actually out-number our own cells 10 to one!
The Good News?
Most of the invisible words of micro-organisms we co-exist with are highly beneficial, especially if we eat to nourish the growth of the “good guys”.
The state of your microbiome determines:
- What kinds of foods you crave - i.e sweets and starches? Or healthy fruits and veggies?
- When you feel hungry - i.e. all the time - can never feel satisfied - or only when you actually need nourishment.
- How food is metabolized. Does it store as fat around the waist? Is it used as energy for your day? This is why you can be eating the same thing as your friend and one of you has a normal stable weight, and the other one of you gains weight/stores fat.
If we can reset the microbiome, we can be free of excess hunger, cravings and a feeling of never being satisfied with our meals.
Amazingly, we CAN reset the microbiome - often more quickly that we might imagine possible!
Microbiome shifts can begin to happen within hours, and certainly bigger shifts within a couple days. (NOTE: This is why so many people when doing a Cleanse that involves taking out the main culprits that feed the “bad guys” start to have cravings completely disappear by day 3, 4 or 5)
Within a couple weeks of healthy intentional eating, you can have a whole new healthy microbiome - if you’re supporting it in the best of ways!
THE GUT AND YOUR BRAIN
The amount of data and research into the relationship between the gut and brain is massive. Without sharing all the details, it's enough to just know that a healthy gut equals a healthy brain!!
Did you know that the gut and the brain evolve from the same clump of tissue in embryogenesis? So right from the beginning of the creation of our body in our mother’s womb, these two organs/systems are interconnected.
Additionally, the Enteric Nervous System (which is located in the tissues surrounding the digestive organs) is connected to the Central Nervous System by the vagus nerve. This means there is a bi-directional neural pathway between the gut and the brain. The gut and the brain are talking to each other through a direct phone line ALL the time.
What does this mean practically speaking for us?
The long and short of it is that gut issues WILL manifest as mood and behavioral issues.
If you have brain fog, anxiety, fatigue, lack of ability to concentrate, depression, etc., healing your gut can change that.
THE GUT AND YOUR IMMUNITY and WEIGHT
Most of us probably already know that we need to do everything we can to get rid of the sources of inflammation in our diet, environment, etc., in order to heal fully.
But what is inflammation and why is it so problematic?
Inflammation is a reaction from the immune system. It is an important, appropriate and helpful reaction in an acute situation to bring healing energy to a part of the body. But when it sets in as a chronic issue we start to have real trouble.
While there are MANY causes of inflammation, diet, lifestyle, toxins and stress are a few of the biggies. Chronic low grade stress leads to chronic low grade inflammation.
Inflammation is behind all chronic illness, especially autoimmune conditions, as well as inability to lose weight.
Why?
Because inflammation cues the immune system to alter the metabolism.
Why does it do that?
Because the body is in crisis, and the best way it knows to survive is through holding onto fat. It’s a biological imperative/necessity.
From a dietary perspective, inflammatory foods can alter the gut microbiome as quickly as within 20 minutes. The “bad” bacteria that feed on unhealthy foods such as fast food for instance, produce endotoxins, which trigger the immune system to get on the defensive, which leads to?!? Inflammation!
Endotoxins also cause insulin resistance, which increases our risk of diabetes. No wonder diabetes is such a significant health crisis in our world today. It’s directly related to our junk diet!
This is also why diabetes is reversible with diet!
SPECIFIC FOODS THAT HELP
One of the categories of foods that we need to eat to help heal the gut are foods rich in oligosaccharides, which are a prebiotic. These foods feed the good bacteria and then the bad bacteria are starved out. A short list includes onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, jicama, chicory root, and jerusalem artichokes.
The bacteria that feed on oligosaccharides produce many beneficial substances, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and certain B vitamins. Early research evidence suggests these bacteria could promote absorption of certain minerals, including calcium and magnesium, which escape the small intestine during digestion.
While research is ongoing, SCFAs likely provide many benefits, both in the colon as well as in the rest of the body. Specifically, butyrate (which a seasonal food I’ve shared a recipe for below helps to create) may protect colon tissue from damage caused by conditions like colon cancer and ulcerative colitis. Other possible benefits of SCFAs include:
- Lower cholesterol
- Lower triglycerides
- Improved insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism
- Improved immune system function
LEAKY GUT and FOOD SENSITIVITIES
A leaky gut is another way in which our metabolism can be affected. The main thing to consider here is food sensitivities.
Going back to the Cleanse, the reason so many people see such healing - I’d even say miraculous healing - on the Cleanse, is that the main foods that can cause sensitivities especially if there is already leaky gut present, are the foods that are eliminated on the Cleanse - wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, sugar (the top inflammatory/reactive foods).
If there is leaky gut (i.e the tight junctions in the gut start to open and become permeable, and food particles are passing through without being fully digested) the immune system, which mainly resides in the gut just outside the small intestines where microscopic foods particles are being passed through to be taken into the blood and transported to the cells, will start to react, and then end up in a state of permanent reactivity.
Once antibodies are created to these foods, even a small amount - like a little bit of milk in tea or coffee, can be enough to set off an immune/inflammatory response in the gut, and slow down your gut healing.
This inflammatory response would ALSO contribute to making it virtually impossible to lose weight - because of the way insulin is tied up in the reaction - which would be cueing the body to store fat instead of burn it.
When we heal the leaky gut, the immune system can rebalance/reset, and we can once again eat certain foods that would have been previously toxic to us without issue again down the road.
Side note: Vitamin D is essential for healing tight junctions. And it’s also of course essential for optimizing immunity.
Have you gotten your levels tested yet this winter?
THE GUT AND CRAVINGS
Cravings: Because the body develops antibodies to certain toxic foods there is a strong reaction that happens, which is that the immune system seeks out these foods in order to attack and “kill”.
These vigilant antibodies created by the immune system can actually cause cravings - i.e. you may crave the very foods that you are reacting to. So if you go on the Cleanse, for instance, and your cravings go away, then that is a sign that your gut is healing (or there was never a problem in the first place), but if you still crave bread or cheese, or things like that, it’s very likely your gut is leaky, and you have antibodies that are causing you to want to eat these foods.
Gluten is a little extra tricky because it triggers the production of Zonulin, which opens up the tight junctions of the gut wall. This is why it can be important to eliminate gluten for a longer period of time to really heal, even if you don’t have celiac or any other diagnosable sensitivity to gluten.
So, removal of the foods you may be reacting to is really important for the full healing of your body AND the resetting of the gut microbiome. Also removing other inflammatory foods/triggers as we do on the Cleanse is really important.
Additionally, and especially if you can’t seem to kick sugar cravings, it’s very wise to consider the role that fungi like candida or other pathogens might be playing in your gut health. Parasites can cause similar symptoms to candida…so it may be that taking certain supplements to kill off pathogens in the gut is necessary for your healing. It’s extra important to consider getting tested for fungus/parasites/mold or other pathogens if you have an autoimmune condition.
After the microbiome is reset, we can generally safely indulge in certain previously restricted foods. I often recommend the 90/10 rule (eating healthy/whole/real foods 90 percent of the time) as a standard approach that is balanced and appropriate for many people for long-term health and wellness. But for most of us for the shorter term it’s best to “keep it clean” as it were until the microbiome has been fully reset…
The period of time where we need to “keep it clean” to fully reset our gut microbiome will vary for each of us, but 21 days is a really good start!
Please join me in 2023 to take control of your health through careful tending and feeding of this inner “garden”. I look forward to supporting you in being empowered in your health choices in 2023!
Here's to a healthy and strong digestive capacity in the year ahead!
Ellen
p.s. Did you know that you can shift the microbiome in your gut to a more beneficial state in JUST 24 HOURS by eating different foods? It’s amazing how quickly we can heal! This Cleanse I’ll be sharing a few specific recipes or other food ideas to incorporate each week (after the educational Zoom calls I’ll host once a week) to encourage folks to experiment with new foods and see the direct results on their gut microbiome!
