True Wellness: SIBO

Showing posts with label SIBO. Show all posts

Sunday, October 29, 2017

NUTRITION KNOW-HOW: SEALING & HEALING

In last weeks PART 4: DIGESTIVE HEALTH post, the term “leaky gut” was discussed in-depth: everything from what it is, what causes it, and simple ways you can begin healing from it. If you haven’t had a chance to follow the GUT 101 series up until this point, be sure to read up on PART ONE, TWO, THREE, and FOUR to get all the background information you need on the gut, probiotics, prebiotics, and leaky gut. This week, I will offer some nutritional approaches towards regaining gut health and healing the broken “seals,” that allow for regulation between our digestive and immune systems, so that you can get back in balance and stop having stress about your gut distress!

REMOVING THE FUEL:

From a high stress load, diet rich in processed foods or foods rich in gluten/casein/ or additional anti-nutrients, environmental toxin exposure, and even bacterial overgrowth caused by opportunistic bugs or antibiotic use, leaky gut (LG) can afflict even the healthiest of eaters. Removing the “fuel” to your gastrointestinal “fire,” is absolutely key to “taming the flame,” that is burning inside. Avoiding foods the contain gluten (wheat, spelt, barley, rye, triticale, faro,) and casein (dairy products) are standard protocols for a variety of over-active immune conditions, and LG is no different. Opting for grains, beans, nuts/seeds that are sprouted or fermented will help ease the workload placed on the body for digesting such foods, and help eliminate some of the “anti-nutrients” they naturally contain. Incorporating stress-relief practices such as yoga, meditation, or daily sunlight exposure (15-30 minutes,) as well as avoiding home and skin care products that are full of chemicals and preservatives will help eliminate some of the confounding factors contributing to your wildfire inside.

REPAIRING WITH REPLACEMENTS:

Think of our gut-wall as being like an internal lining, similar to the skin that protects our entire body. Composed of a “matrix” of fats and proteins, there are a variety of key nutrients one can incorporate to begin the rebuilding and repairing process. While removing entire foods from your diet may seem a bit extreme and difficult to do at first, the improvement in your overall health and digestive wellness will make it worth it. Depending on the severity, some (or all) of the above recommendations might be necessary to do in order to get you on the full-path towards healing. While a support system is essential for such an “overhaul,” you can incorporate the following to start yourself off on the right foot!

1. BOWL UP ON BONE BROTH: Long simmered chicken or beef bone broth is some of the most nourishing “foods” one can consume when attempting to heal (not only for a LG!) Rich in both minerals and amino acids ( those little building blocks of protein,) BB is a great soothing sip for when you’re feeling under the weather or looking to heal from a variety of ailments. The naturally occurring gelatin content helps to soothe inflamed tissues, and aids in the production of GI hormones that can regulate hunger/satiety. Collagen is the primary structural protein of the body’s tissues, helping to patch up and rebuild those leaky cell walls!

2. BE-FRIEND FAT: The proper ratios of high quality organic unrefined coconut oil and organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised butter provide forms of fatty acids that the body can use to help heal the “patchwork” that holds our gut walls together (called tight junctions.) Short chain and medium chain fatty acids provide anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties, while also promoting cognitive health.

3. CONFIDE IN COLLAGEN: While bone borth offers trace minerals which support water balance and immune health, two stand-out amino acids are found in collagen: proline and glycine. Proline helps with the production of collagen (see below,) and aids cardiovascular/cholesterol health. Glycine is responsible for allowing muscle growth and repair, helps to synthesize bile salts (needed to digest fats,) maintains proper levels of gastric acid (for breaking down food,) emits a calming effect to the nervous system due to its use for the production of the neurotransmitter serine, AND supports DNA/RNA production, is essential for the production of the body’s master antioxidant glutathione, plus it helps to regulate blood sugar!

4. FEAST ON FERMENTS: Fermented foods (that are raw and unpasteurized) can be great sources of certain strains of probiotics. You already know all about why probiotics are so beneficial for gut health, so be sure to incorporate raw sauerkraut, kimchi, goat milk kefir, miso, or kombucha into your daily diet (* those suffering from migraines or dysbiosis should limit consumption of fermented foods as these could potentiate symptoms.)

5. SOAK & SPROUT: As noted before, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds contain “anti-nutrients” that plants produce to protect themselves in nature. From lectins in grains saponins in legumes, and protease inhibitors in grains/pseudograins, these compounds can wreak havoc on our gut walls and tight-junctions. Soaking and sprouting help to relaease some of these compounds, and aid digestibility to boot!

SUMMARY & SUPPORT:

As you can see, the gut/GI system is an elaborate and incredibly important system in the body. From its effects on digestion/absorption of food nutrients, involvement and regulation of the immune system, and communications with our brains, our guts have a lot going on! PROBIOTICS are the good-bacteria that help support digestion of our food, synthesize certain nutrients, and crowd out pathogenic bacteria. PREBIOTICS help fuel the good guys, and are found in certain fiber-rich foods. An imbalanced gut can occur from a variety of things, wreaking havoc on system-wide health, and leaky gut is a problem that more and more individuals are suffering from, but can be handled with proper protocols. If you think that you are suffering from a leaky gut, interested in learning more, or need additional support- please email us! We offer an array of therapies that lessen the toxic load placed on the body, as well as assist with its innate healing mechanisms. Questions or concerns? Email me (Genevieve/G) your culinary nutritionist and self-proclaimed “gut guru!”

NOVEMBER TRUE KITCHEN COOKING CLASS

SAYONARA SWEET TOOTH

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH

6:00-7:30PM

$35.00 (pre-paid) OR $40 (at door)*

Blood sugar plays a major role in our health: from providing the energy we need to get up in the morning, to boosting our brains to power us through difficult tasks- sugar is, inevitably, essential to health in some degree. With the holiday season upon us, surrendering to your sweet tooth is easily done with the plethora of tempting treats surrounding us. Join Genevieve as she dives into the science of cravings, offers healthier swaps and alternatives for the white stuff, and provides ways that you can conquer your cravings for sweets, once and for all!

* Cost of class includes colorful informative handout, all of the recipes prepared in the class, and of course tasty plates of the food she whips up!

EMAIL: info@biologicalhealth.com

PHONE: 267-308-0777

Genevieve – “G”

Certified Plant Based Nutritionist | CHHC| Culinary Nutritionist

True Wellness Biological Health

Genevieve@biologicalhealth.com

Sunday, October 22, 2017

NUTRITION KNOW-HOW: A LEAKY SITUATION

In last weeks PART 3: DIGESTIVE HEALTH post, we dove into the plant-powered land of prebiotics- those beneficial fibers that feed the good guys (probiotics.) If you have followed the series up to this point, you should be a reputable gut-aficionado by now, so hands up to you! If not, no problem, PART ONE, TWO, and THREE are always available for you to catch up on! Despite your abilities to recite the physiology of the GI tract, the bevvy of benefits probiotics provide, or the immense array of prebiotic foods, your gut might still be feeling a bit down in the dumps. Happening to the best of us, stress, toxins, and opportunistic bacteria begin to take over, and a state of gut imbalance can lead to a “leaky” gut. In this weeks post, I will review the ins and outs of gut permeability, and its causes, and effects, as well as some simple steps to heal.

PERMEABILITY PRIMER:

Leaky gut (LG) is a term that has gained some traction recently in the health and wellness world. Also known as “gut permeability,” LG syndrome occurs when the lining of your gut (small intestines and large intestines/colon) becomes hyper-permeable, or “leaky.” Composed of a single layer of column-like cells, the gut “wall” is naturally semi-porous/permeable, to allow the influx/efflux of broken down foods/nutrients and other chemicals in and out. Each of these cells is connected like a puzzle, being held together by strong-connections called tight junctions.

During normal digestion, the column like cells that make up our gut-wall absorb digested nutrients from the foods we eat via small hair-like projections on their surface (called microvilli.) These microvilli allow for the transport of nutrients into our gut cells, where they are then sent to the liver. When things start to go astray, the tight junctions that hold together our gut cells start to let some questionable “folks” inside (pathogens, undigested food particles, toxins, etc.) When this happens, selective screening doesn’t occur, and those “bad guys” leak into your blood supply.

RING THE ALARM:

Remember, the gut is the first line of defense for your immune system,

and so when these foreign molecules seep out into your blood without prior screening, all havoc breaks loose! While pathogenic bacteria and food/environmental toxins would presumably elicit an immune response, harmless molecules such as undigested food particles can also signal an inflammatory response. Since these un-filtered particles are now traveling throughout the entire body, small “wars” start to pop up all over the place. From your joints, to your brain, and every cell/tissue/organ in-between, this increased level of systemic inflammation starts to build up.

Now, instead of the body’s regulatory and regenerative systems focusing on things like healing, digestion, and detoxification. the immune system begins to create antibodies ( highly specialized immune cells that break down specific molecules.) From gluten proteins, casein (milk protein,) and even residual compounds from leftover foods such as strawberries, nuts/seeds, avocados, etc, the number of “high alert” chemicals the body recognizes and reacts to starts to grow. Food allergies heighten, digestion is impeded (constipation, diarrhea, IBD,) and secondary symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, and overall aches/pains become more and more common.

LEAKY LINKS:

As you can see, prolonged leakage of the gut wall can lead to a variety of health concerns and disorders, and while you may think that unhealthy diet and lifestyle factors are the major culprits (they are,) even the healthiest of folks’ can suffer from a leaky gut!

◼DIET DISASTER: While a diet high in processed sugars, refined carbohydrates, fried foods, and junk foods can add to the overall toxic-load that our bodies deal with; other compounds in foods have natural affinities for breaking down our tight junctions. Proteins found in certain grains and dairy are most notable for these effects, however, anti-nutrients found in healthy foods like grains, beans, and even vegetables and fruits, may also affect gut health.

GLUTEN: Specific proteins found in gluten-containing grains (wheat, spelt, barley, rye, triticale,) cause gut cells to produce ZONULIN, a pro-inflammatory molecule that breaks apart tight junctions. To avoid this, opt for organic sprouted grains or choose naturally gluten free varieties (amaranth, millet, rice, sorghum, quinoa, etc.)

CASEIN: If possible, omit drinking cow dairy and opt for goat or sheep’s milk, which have different structures to bovine milk products. If dairy-free, choose additive-free organic and unsweetened nut/seed milks, or make your own by pureeing sprouted almonds or walnuts with filtered water, and then straining through unbleached cheesecloth!

ANTI-NUTRIENTS: Plants produce certain molecules as protective mechanisms. These include oxalates, phytates, and lectins, which when ingested by humans, have a deleterious effect on cell health, nutrient absorption, and more. Opt for organic fruits and vegetables, and choose sprouted nuts/seeds, and grains. Cooking certain vegetables also releases some of these compounds but remember, these are the least of your worries- EAT a rainbow everyday!

◼TOXIC OVERLOAD: From the air we breathe to the water we drink, when our body’s primary regulatory system is already under attack, the effects of “everyday” toxins are exacerbated. Opting for filtered water, chemical-free household and skincare products, and choosing organic foods whenever possible will lessen your load, and help tame inflammation.

◼STRESS CASE: Low-grade stress is inflammatory in and of itself, but chronic, unrelenting stress can impact the body’s stores of vital nutrients needed for immune health and detoxification, impede the balance of hormones/neurotransmitters, and tax the adrenal glands.

◼DYSBIOSIS: We’ve talked all about those beneficial microbes that assist with digestion, nutrient absorption, and elimination, but what about when things go awry? While probiotics help to keep a fine balance of good vs. bad microbes, things like antibiotics, food/environmental toxins, stress, and even certain medications can deplete your good gut flora and allow opportunistic strains to thrive. When dysbiosis occurs, an imbalance between good and bad results in excessive gas, bloating, and indigestion- promoting additional inflammation inside the gut. (This is sometimes known as SIBO – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or SIFO- small intestinal fungal overgrowth.)

LOOKING AHEAD:

If you think that you are suffering from a leaky gut, or interested in learning more, please email us! We offer an array of therapies that lessen the toxic load placed on the body, as well as assist with its innate healing mechanisms. Questions or concerns? Email me (Genevieve/G) your culinary nutritionist and self-proclaimed “gut guru!”

*If still contemplating going gung-ho on gut health, watch out for next weeks post all about how you can begin to “heal and seal,” your gut through diet and nutrition interventions.