HAPPY GUT BUG FEST!

No, this isn't a blog post about some weird German festival, although it may be a reason to celebrate.

Man's got new best friends! Together they weigh approximately the same as your brain, that's 1.5kg! I am making a wild assumption here that you, dear reader, are in fact human and not mountain beaver, because your brain would only weigh 465g and my comparison would no longer be valid. Yes, apparently there is such a thing as mountain beaver, but I am led to believe they are not nearly as aggressive as mountain lions.

mountain beaver

mountain lion, photo taken by National Park Service         

Your new best friends actually live inside you right now. There are billions of them.  I am referring to your intestinal flora.  Half the weight of your poop actually consists of discarded bacteria and yet I bet you never even said thank you or goodbye.  How popular or, more accurately, populated do you feel right now?!  More friends in your own gut than you've got on facebook, eh!?

acidophilus can't hold a selfie stick, so this group photo was kindly taken by Josef Reischig

This is hardly a new discovery as Hippocrates (Father of Medicine) declared that 'all diseases begin in the gut' some time between 460-377 BC.  We just muffled ol' Hippo out with modern medicine and science to treat our symptoms, but sadly not the root cause of the dis-ease.  Now everyone expects to be healed after a ten minute moan at a doctor and a quick-fix miracle prescription.  

Healing myself didn't happen overnight, required me to listen to my body and make positive changes to my life.  But it was sooo worth it.  Good gut health helped me heal issues including anaemia, depression, eczema, insomnia, menorrhagia and stress, to name a few! It is my hope that by sharing this old news, you can benefit by adding beneficial bacteria and also invite better health and happiness into your lives.

* Anterior view of male figure with intestines exposed

What part do these yeasts and bacteria play in my intestines, anyhoo?  Having a party in the Gastrointestinal tract, they communicate with the immune and nervous systems that assist our ability to manage stress and stay healthy.  In fact, according to Dr David Perlmutter, author of Brain Maker, 'the gut is your biggest immune system organ.'  The gut microbiome produces and releases enzymes, neurotransmitters and even vitamins needed for the body to function effectively, prevents infection, aids removal of toxins and helps control chronic inflammatory conditions.  But too many unwelcome gatecrashers at the party may compromise immune health and kick off an inflammation response so someone really can become a grumpy guts.

Inflammation has a part to play in more disease processes than you can shake a stick at and lack of bacterial diversity is correlated to alzheimer's, arthritis, asthma, autism, cancer, coronary artery disease, crohn's, depression, diabetes, fibromyalgia, malnutrition, multiple sclerosis, obesity and parkinson's... 

So the thinking goes that if you ensure have a variety of more friendly bacteria, you can protect yourself from a whole host of Nasty!  Evidence screams that processed food, stress, lack of exercise and little sleep all negatively affect our bacteria and therefore our physical and mental health. Other gut antagonists include anti-biotics, oral contraceptive pill, NSAIDs and GMO foods. 

Diets high in refined carbs, fats and sugars also trigger inflammation. Fortunately (for me) cacao, coffee, ginger and turmeric all help reduce inflammation and improve gut health. We know that psychological stress and anxiety negatively affect gut health but, because it is the gut bacteria that is largely responsible for our response to stress, we can improve our mental health by improving our gut health - Bonus!

The good news is that we can take action to heal ourselves right now if we believe we deserve to be healthy and pain-free.  We can choose what life-affirming food to put in our mouth, how we react to life, whether we allow ourselves to feel saggy and flabby or exercise to feel fit and fab, meditate and be mindful and create a healthy sleep routine.

It's not just fast food junkies or obese people at risk from inflammatory diseases, either. Even skinnymalinks can have a blood sugar imbalance that can trigger an inflammatory response.  I thought I was fit and healthy. I eat an unprocessed wholefood diet, drink plenty of filtered, re-mineralised water, enjoy daily yoga, meditation and cardio exercise, yet I was still suffering from energy slumps, blurry vision, brain fog, depression, anaemia and bouts of candida.  I couldn't sleep and was unable to function effectively, which only stressed me more as I could not find anything obviously wrong with me or my lifestyle. But due to my stressed out gut I was unable to absorb or use the nutrients from all the healthy food I was eating. I was malnourished!

Fortunately I discovered the root cause of my dis-ease and stress was a toxic relationship, so I took action to remedy that imbalance in my life.  But my gut balance was also upset by eating delicious fresh fruit, dried fruit and raw honey and this was also spiking my blood sugar and pooping on my gut party!  When I gave up fresh and dried fruit and other sources of natural sugar, wheat, grains and dairy my health and happiness increased steadily.  I don't miss fruit now because I have more stamina and energy throughout the day than I have for years! I can now happily go between meals without eating or craving food, which is a whole new experience for me.

Cutting out sugar and gluten helped me feel heaps better and health professionals also recommend low sugar, gluten free meals for people on the autistic spectrum (but aren't we all on the spectrum somewhere?!) I am successfully incorporating a sugar free, gluten free, high protein, healthy fats diet with my youngest daughter.  The results in her emotional behaviour and ability to concentrate are remarkable to see and she also feels that she is 'more in control of myself.'

Dr Perlmutter, in his book Brain Maker, recommends 6 steps to happy gut health and a happy new you:

1. Eat foods rich in probiotics:  live yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut
2. Eat low carb meals and enjoy good fats: leafy greens, broccoli, onions, garlic, ginger, avocado, peppers, courgette, squash, coconut oil, ghee, soaked nuts and nut milk, protein from eggs, fish and poultry, plenty of herbs and spices
3. Drink wine, tea, coffee and chocolate in moderation. The plant based antioxidants called flavanoids protect against cell damage.  Green tea increases bifidobacteria and reduces harmful species.  Cacao increases bifidobacteria and also lactobacilli
4. Pre-biotics feed friendly bacteria. Good sources include chicory, asparagus, onion, leek and garlic
5. Drink filtered water.  As David 'Avocado' Wolfe says, 'Buy a filter or be the filter.'  Chemicals in unfiltered tap water aggravate gut balance.
6. Try fasting intermittently. 

I would also add that exercise is imperative for both mental and physical health.  We were meant to move, otherwise I don't think we'd have quite as many bendy bits as we do!  I love yoga and Jessica Smith's workouts and I can definitely recommend Loving Yourself to Great Health by Louise Hay, Ahlea Khadro and Heather Dane. There are also plenty of wonderful recipes available at your local library or on your local PC to help you on your journey to fab health.

To super-boost your bacteria intake, Dr Perlmutter recommends a probiotic including lactobacillus plantarum, acidophilus, brevis, bifidobacterium lactis and longum as they have been most widely researched.  Jill Thomas, in Healthy Gut Guide, recommends a dose of at least 20 billion twice a day, as not all of the bacteria reaches its destination alive.  I currently use Bioglan Biotic Balance. In Loving Yourself to Great Health they suggest Custom Probiotics and GutPro and I've just ordered Dr Mercola's fantastic probiotics too.  Ooh, spoilt for choice! ;op

So, if you've made it to Santa's Nice List this year, ask for some probiotics and give yourself the gift of great gut health!

Wishing you gut health and happiness in your life,

Smiles and Sparkles

xXx

My youngest daughter cannot swallow capsules, but she is all too willing to devour this pud to get her probiotic fix:

CHOCOLATE CHIA PROBIOTIC PUDDING
Grind about 3 tablespoons of chia seeds.
Add 1 heaped teaspoon of cacao powder. 
Sweeten with stevia, raw honey or maple syrup.
Season with cinnamon, nutmeg or chai spices.
Empty probiotic capsule and mix. 
Add water, coconut or almond milk to desired consistency.  
Set aside for chia to absorb liquid.
Enjoy!



* "Anterior view of male figure with intestines exposed Wellcome L0010687" by http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/15/7f/fe69de6f48ad30e60ffbd2662327.jpgGallery: http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0010687.html. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons