Do you know what's good for your gut?

Let's chat about what your body really needs.

I'm sure most of you reading this have heard a thing or two about the significance of feeding your stomach the nutrients it needs. But do you know exactly what you should feed your gut and what the implications can be if your stomach misbehaves? I'm not talking about a trip to the bathroom, I'm speaking about long term implications such as inflammation in your body, brain-fog and just feeling crappy overall.

In my previous post I speak about autoimmunity and the attack I had on my spine back in May when I ate an entire (yes, the entire) box of donuts. Now, for most people, heart burn and a bloated stomach may be the only outcome from a sugar overdose, but for me it was a wake up call. Not that I wasn't a decent eater before this attack, but more like I wasn't feeding my gut the food it was looking for.

Since childhood I have suffered from an upset stomach, here and there, due to a valve in my stomach that doesn't securely fit over the opening. This allows acid to leak out. For the most part its controlled naturally with the occasional acid reflux, but every once in a while I have had to take what is medically known as a Proton-Pump Inhibitor. Basically a pill that limits the amount of acid your stomach produces. While Western medicine is great at helping an issue at a moment in time, pills can sometimes backfire on you, as it was in my case.

Lack of acid in my stomach + high dose of gluten and sugar = easy dump of toxins directly into my blood stream via a leaky gut.

Side note: I actually learned I have an UNDER ACID production issue so in reality, the acid inhibitors were beyond terrible for my body. Cure for this? Berberine and Apple Cider Vinegar.

When the doctors told me I likely had an autoimmune disease, I knew then (or rather a few weeks later) that I could do my best to make my body behave. Essentially my body had waged a war on itself, because of my poor behaviours. Again, I was healthy already; good weight, exercise, water etc., but I was still putting foods into my mouth that were not helping my gut behave.

Fast forward 8 weeks and I started to feel the best I had ever felt in my entire life, and I contribute the vast majority of it to what I have been feeding myself.

Now, before I jump into my lifestyle choices,

let's take a look at what your body would like you to feed it.

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Seems reasonable, right? But this isn't everything that needs to go into your stomach to make you feel your best.

There are millions of microbes roaming around your stomach ready to digest the food that we eat. In order to obtain optimal health, we need to feed those guys some great food to continue to support their growth. When we don't eat the right food, we are often left feeling, bloated. We experience, fatigue, insomnia, cramping, and more often than not, poor toilet experiences.

70% of our immune system lives in our gut, which includes approximately 40 million bacteria, that are crucial for our health. These guys take on numerous roles including synthesizing short chain fatty acids, breaking down and fermenting non-digestable food, creating mucous barriers and developing our immune system to protect us against unwanted bacteria. Because our Western diets have become so processed, often our good bacteria is depleted and we're left with something called "Leaky Gut Syndrome". Leaky gut is exactly what it sounds like. The membrane in our stomach becomes compromised, and the food that is supposed to make its way through our digestive system, ends up leaking right into our blood stream. This is exactly what I think happened to me just prior to my flare up. I ate a ton of sugar and gluten, which leaked into my blood, and the attack started. When foreigners invade our blood stream, our immune response kicks in and off go the warriors looking to apprehend the invaders. Unfortunately, autoimmune means that your warriors are apprehending your own cells, often leaving you debilitated. Although not always the case, diet can be a culprit.

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How Do We Fix Our Gut?

I made a very drastic change immediately because- well because I felt like my life depended on it. Was I being a bit dramatic? Maybe just a little, but I was determined to be ok. I actually went too far and cut out anything that didn't swim, and continued to eat foods that I thought to be healthy. After much research I came across an MS doctor who, after being diagnosed with Progressive MS, decided to do some research on the mitochondria. What she determined was right in line with what I studied in University, in my evolutionary psychology courses. Our cells are behind. The foods we consume today are so different than the foods we consumed even a hundred years ago. We really should be eating more paleo style diets which are high in protein and fat, and include a vast array of different vegetables. Not just your lettuce and tomato vegetables, but vegetables high in sulphur such as onions, cabbage, kale and so on. Additionally, we need to consume fermented foods so for all of you Germans out there, bring on the sauerkraut! Kombucha tea is no longer a fad for me, it's the perfect way to add some fermentation to my diet.

Seeds and nuts? Add them in! Anything we would have foraged for in the old world appears to give our cells the best nutrients to thrive. The best part- FAT! Yes, eat the fat- your brain will love you. Fruit? Grab the stuff that hangs off the bushes; blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are amazing, especially when they're fresh.

For those of you who are still finding it hard to include lots of fruits and veggies, I will encourage you to include probiotics in your diet. Probiotics can throw in many of the necessary bacteria your gut needs and I personally swear by them.

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Now, I've given you a lot of information all at once and I know a lot of people reading this may be thinking that diets are hard. The best advice I can offer is DO WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD! Hands-on experience with this "illness" (I use the term loosely), has proven to me that diet can completely change your life. For me, cutting gluten was a no- brainer and cutting dairy was just to ensure that nothing inflammatory was happening within my body. I follow a keto style diet which includes more fat in a day than I think I was eating in a week!

My 12-14 oz of daily protein intake is lean, grass fed or wild caught and includes beef, lamb, multiple fish and most importantly, organ meats. Yes, you read correctly- ORGAN MEAT! Thankfully I grew up eating liver and onions and absolutely love it. While I am on a keto-style food list, I still watch what I eat and make sure everything that goes into my gut is nourishing and will feed my body and most importantly, my brain. I take a probiotic daily and include other supplements such as vitamin D, Cod Liver Oil, Magnesium, Collagen and Turmeric. These supplements are specific to what I want to achieve with my body so by no means take this as what you should be ingesting. I always say, do your homework, find out what your body needs and most importantly, seek the advice of a qualified professional before consuming new vitamins.