Your first step in your gut health re-building program
Have you ever had a big night out?
Do you drink much coffee?
Fly in an airplane?
Have you had vaccinations and antibiotics?
Do you ever stress or have anxiety?
Are you rushing around super busy?
What about junk food?
Do you eat much sugar, cereal, bread?
Have you been drinking unfiltered tap water or rain water?
Do you eat mainly cooked food?
Have you taken the birth control pill or pain medication or any prescription medication for that matter?
Do you have a sweet tooth?
Do you eat non-organic food?
Which has been sprayed and has chemical residues still on it? Are you exposed to chemicals in your home and garden?
Even carrying your mobile phone on you and driving in a car disrupts your good bacteria, let's just say if your breathing you are probably daily damaging your good bacteria. This is why it's important to start a gut health rebuilding program and start to educate yourself on this very important part of your body, your gut.
Why should I take probiotics? because a disruption in the normal bacterial flora can harm many areas of your health and as you can see from the list above can happen so easily in today's busy world. If we continually harm our gut this will most likely cause us much unnecessary pain, for example, we will get a symptom and it may not be a gut health symptom it could show up in other ways, for example, you're tired all the time, you feel sad or depressed, you're sick a lot, you have pain. etc.
So what we can do is avoid, reduce, and be aware of the problems and as much as possible start to reduce them in our lives while at the same time start to focus on including good bacteria into your daily diet every day just as you would your vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbs.
3 Major reasons for the disruption of Gut bacteria are:
1. Poor Diet
2. Stress
3. Antibiotics and prescription medications ie pain killers and as a reminder of all the things listed above and as well
Low hydrochloric acid
Environmental factors and emotional stress- chemicals in our food and water for example
chlorine and fluoride kill our good bacteria
reduced mucosal lining
vaccinations
antibiotic overuse or misuse
excess alcohol
poor diet- Top 3 are- sugar, caffeine, gluten
surgical trauma
Symptomatology of gut dysbiosis-fatigue, headache, digestive upsets of all kind, e.g. Flatulence (never appreciated),
Bloating
Diarrhea or constipation
All skin health problems
Inflammation anywhere in the body
Food allergies
Unwanted weight loss or gain
Chronic joint pain
Malnutrition
Liver problems
Mood disorders
Learning difficulties
All of the have been reported to be caused by gut health problems.
If you think about it all symptoms of ill health begin with either a toxicity problem or a deficiency problem. A toxicity problem will result in a gut health problem and vice versa. Hippocrates- the father of western medicine explained it very well he said "All Disease Begins in our Gut" which makes sense to me !!! I've had to deal with Gut health front of having my oldest son born at 25 weeks and as a result of a complication he had to have surgery and they removed all his large intestine and some of his small when he was only 3 weeks old.
We have had a very long gut health journey with our son and I can honestly say I am grateful I had to learn so much about gut health and decided to become a nutritionist to help my boy, through all the ups and downs I found my calling. So I would like to recommend that you keep in mind that a deficiency of normal gut flora e.g. Bifidobacteria, lactobacillus is a serious matter and can lead to you not receiving nutrients supplied by these bacteria.
There is also a strong link to irritable bowel syndrome and food intolerances and a lowered Immune system, these bacteria assist in the production of short-chain fatty acids for energy requirements, production of vitamins B and K, they assist in breaking down toxins, drugs, and hormones, they provide protection from bad bacteria, a healthy immune and Gut PH and they must be kept in optimum numbers.
A question I ask myself every day. Have I done enough in my diet for my good bacteria today? So depending on the answer and how I'm feeling about what I might do. I will most days take my Modere probiotic before bed, especially if I have not been able to eat lots of raw salad and vegetables or added a tablespoon of raw sauerkraut to my breakfast plate or dinner plate.
The best thing though is to do all of these every day. Also remember your good bacteria need food as well they are called prebiotics which is why I like the Modere probiotic, it is a pre and probiotic formula so you are covered.
my recommended food sources of prebiotics are:
Garlic
Asparagus
Shallots and Onions
Leeks
Root vegetables- yams, potatoes
Bananas
Pre-biotics are plant fibers that are the critical food source for probiotic bacteria. Probiotics consume and ferment them, which increases mineral absorption, and helps with proper elimination.
If you're having health challenges chances are you have damaged your gut microbiome, therefore, getting enough good bacteria ( pre and probiotics) on an ongoing basis you should notice less digestive disturbances like gas and bloating, improved regularity, more energy, fewer infections.
Properly nourishing your gut is a major step to help you reduce and even reverse digestive problems like leaky gut and IBS but it is a crucial step in any health condition you are dealing with.
If you would like support with a Gut Health Program tailored to you and your health needs please feel free to contact me on 0438112050 or email Higherhealthwellnesscentre@gmail.com
Two bacteria strains work together with prebiotic fibers to help maintain a beneficial gut microbiome.
next week we will discuss step 2 in your Gut health rebuilding program which is "Re-building your gut lining" You may find In the future this important gut health nutrient presents itself on our food pyramid.
