Gut Health 101: True or False
1) “We can Heal our Gut with Foods Alone”
Answer: TRUE! YES, we can!
With that said, the food will come in the forms of:
What’s on your plate every day
Plant therapy in the form of specific herbs that restore the digestive tract and organic whole food supplements that are specific to your digestive needs
This resource is to help you understand:
🌱 Where to start and why it is important.
🌱 How do I know what I need?
🌱 Are my symptoms coming from the dysbiosis of the organisms, dysfunctional lining/Leaky Gut, improper stomach acid levels, upper digestive organs like the liver, or WHAT?!
🌱 How do I supplement?
🌱 How do I eat for gut health?
🌱 Are my digestion and mood imbalances related?
🌱 How can I make sure once I restore my digestion, there is no going back?!
True or False:
2) “We have more Bacteria in Our Body than we have Humans Cells”
Answer: TRUE!
The bacterial species that make up the gut microbiota contains more than 7 MILLION genes!! We have up to 360 bacterial genes for EVERY human gene. This means that less than 1% of the human is ACTUALLY of human origin.
This is amazing. Many believe that we actually may be more influenced by the “bugs” in our body than we are our own human cells. These bacteria send messages to the body, influence many other systems and have a huge impact on our function and health. Even on our personality, weight, social skills and more!
The gut microbiota is “the forgotten organ”. If you put all the bacteria in your microbiome together, it would weigh between 2-6 lbs. This is on par with the brain, which weighs in at 2.6 lbs. Yet, our conventional health care system isn’t talking about these invaluable “bugs” and how to heal by supporting our digestive system and optimizing this ecosystem (and the environment in which they live, in the intestines). No two people have the same gut microbiota. What is really neat about these discoveries--- is we are seeing that our digestive tract influences us in ways we could have never imagined. For example, there is evidence now that certain microbiomes support having a leaner body vs being overweight. Keep reading to learn even more interesting facts!
3) “The Brain is Majorly Affected by Gut Health”
Answer: TRUE!
The gut has a direct highway to the brain, via the “Vagus Nerve”. The Vagus Nerve is a cranial nerve that has PROFOUND effects on the body. It is a bi-directional highway from the gut to the brain and the brain to the gut. We must make sure that the communication on this highway serves our greatest health because living with reduced brain function can be incredibly debilitating at any severity level. Anyone with learning disabilities, brain fog, mood disorders, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating, and more can preach to that!
It is ESSENTIAL that our gut microbiota is healthy. The organisms in our gut are meant to support our immune system, make B vitamins, support our hormonal health, send messages to the body that support optimal health, and more. Unfortunately, when we have gut dysbiosis, the exact opposite can happen. “Bad bacteria” can become pathogenic. They release neurotoxins (brain toxins), break down the lining of our gut (creates food sensitivities and can create auto-immunity long term), make us more susceptible to immune challenges, create inflammation and so much more. Inflammation is at the root of ALL chronic disease. The inflammation can go systemic. Systemic inflammation can create joint pain, stiffness, mood, and energy disorders via neuroinflammation, weight gain, brain fog, and more. You cannot have a dysfunctional gut and not have a struggling brain.
The gut also produces many of the “brain chemicals” known as neurotransmitters! More about this later in the week when we talk about anxiety and depression!
(Side note: we NEED “bad” bacteria in our gut… they actually do amazing things for us. But we need them in the right amounts!!).
4) “The Gut has its Own Nervous System”
Answer: TRUE!
The gut is the ONLY other system in the body, outside of the brain, that has its own NERVOUS SYSTEM. Think about that… that is AMAZING!!!!! The digestive system must be pretty dang important if it has its own nervous system.
The gut’s brain system is known as the enteric nervous system. Research is being done to see if this nervous system can actually function WITHOUT the brain. Woah. So much is still to be discovered!
The enteric nervous system has AS MANY NERVE CELLS AS THE SPINAL CORD.
We protect our spinal cord with our life, knowing how important it is. Do you protect your gut and digestive tract the same way?
5) Anxiety, Depression and Brain Health are Directly Correlated with Gut Health
Answer: TRUE!
YOU CAN NOT HAVE A LEAKY GUT, WITHOUT HAVING A LEAKY BRAIN.
What is Leaky Gut?
Let’s start here.
The gut is literally known as “the second brain”. This is for many reasons.
As we learned earlier in the week, we have a gut lining that is imperative to our gut and overall body health. We have incredible diversity and volumes of organisms in our digestive tract that make up the gut microbiota. These organisms outnumber the amount of human cells we have in our body, making us essentially an ecosystem of organisms (rather than being primarily human cells). The health, diversity, and balance of our microbiota (our internal world of bugs) are literally the FOUNDATION to our health.
Our gut lining is a barrier from the intestines to the bloodstream. This lining should be semi-permeable, meaning only small and particular molecules can cross through this intestinal threshold and move into the bloodstream. That is great, as there is a very narrow and tightly controlled window of what should be in our blood (to keep our organs safe).
Our gut microbiota keeps our gut lining health optimal (or if we have dysbiosis, which is defined as a disruption or imbalance in the microflora/organism, it can destroy the gut lining).
Let’s consider this.
There are more immune cells living in the wall/lining of your gut than circulating in the blood or residing in your bone marrow (that is an incredible fact). This makes sense and for good reason, as the massing of cells in that particular location, where we are exposed to many potentially lethal microorganisms contained in what we eat, is necessary.
The lining of the gut is studded with a huge number of endocrine (hormonal) cells too. These are specialized cells that contain up to 20 different types of hormones that can be released into the bloodstream if called upon. If you clump all the gut endocrine cells together, its mass would be greater than ALL of your other endocrine glands combined (pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, gonads, etc).
The gut is a storage house for serotonin in our body. 95% of the serotonin we make, is stored in these gut warehouses. Serotonin is a crucial signaling molecule that plays a role in the gut-brain axis. It not only plays a crucial role in normal intestinal functions, such as coordination of contractions that move food through our digestive system but also plays a crucial role in such vital functions such as sleep, appetite, pain sensitivity, mood, and overall well-being. Because of the widespread involvement in the regulation of some of these brain systems, the signaling molecule is the main target of the major class of anti-depressants, the “serotonin reuptake inhibitors”. (see below)
We actually make more neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) in our gut, than in our brain.
Yet when it comes to mood disorders…. We just give more neurotransmitters. I am not saying this hasn’t saved MANY lives and worked for MANY people. But what about the ones it hasn’t worked for? OR what about resolving the root-cause issue for those who did benefit from oral neurotransmitters, so they can rely on them less? Keep in mind, many people still struggle emotionally, even if they have gained improvements in their mood while medicated. Perhaps optimizing gut health and its role in these brain chemicals would be a bit more “root cause resolving”, especially knowing the gut will have widespread impacts on the body outside of just the moods!
Okay… but back to Leaky Gut.
Our gut lining gets compromised, via many ways. When this happens, bigger molecules can now pass through the lining and move into the bloodstream (ex: protein molecules such as pollen, animal fur, casein via dairy, gluten, etc). The bloodstream knows this should NOT be happening. Your body will sound the alarms!!! Danger, danger it calls to the immune system. The immune system will rush to protect you, by attacking the protein molecule. It will build antibodies against that protein, therefore, recognizing it every time you are exposed and building a bigger and stronger immune reaction every time you are exposed. Its goal is to crush the threat and protect you. Well… what if that threat… is your dog? Or your organic eggs? Or your medications? You would never really know why you weren’t feeling well. All you know is that you have anxiety. Depression. Brain Fog. Irritability. Trouble focusing. Trouble sleeping. Some of perhaps know you could do better with your lifestyle choices. Others, you just do not understand (because you take such good care of yourself, and yet STILL are getting worse). Or your medications for anxiety and depression help, but you really wish you could feel better all the time. Or naturally.
This is leaky gut.
This is something you can change with your lifestyle and the right supplements. THIS is what I do. And I personally fell victim to Leaky gut and it’s sneaky health stealing abilities, after antibiotics that saved my life when I was lacerated by a piece of glass in a third world country and had a major infection. I GET leaky gut. I get the way it dismantles your life and health, step by step. And I get how you can change your life when you restore your gut health, too
6) “Wheat is only Detrimental to People with Celiac or Gluten Intolerances”
Answer: FALSE!
Research has proven that the integrity of our gut lining (which plays essential roles in our immune system, emotional, physical, mental and hormonal health) is compromised by wheat in ALL populations, not just celiac or gluten-sensitive populations. In fact, in just 3 short days, we can have profound effects on our gut lining (either good or bad).
So yes, gluten is a problem for almost all of us, whether you recognize it within your body or not. Some of us have stronger constitutions and healthy microbiota and do not feel the impacts as profoundly as others. In my experience, even those who initially feel this way, feel EXTREMELY different after dropping all wheat. It is the typical case of “I didn’t know how bad I felt, until I started feeling awesome!”.
But let’s get a bit deeper.
I really am not convinced Wheat/Gluten are the real or only culprit here. If you have a compromised intestinal lining (from environmental exposure to chemicals via our food, air, water, medications, and more), then yes, gluten is absolutely going to disrupt your function via leaky gut (more on leaky gut, later this week). However, what about the people who cannot eat wheat in America, but go to Europe and can have bread or pasta without any issue? This happens more than you realize. Or what happened to the wheat that used to be our “amber waves of grain” and such an excellent form of nutrition in our diet?
That is when we need to look at Glyphosate. Glyphosate is in our wheat products at alarmingly high amounts. Glyphosate is used as an herbicide. It is also the NUMBER ONE INGREDIENT IN ROUND UP. This is a huge topic in itself, and I am going to keep it short. But glyphosate is known to destruct the “tight junctions” in our gut lining, which creates “Leaky Gut” or better known as “Intestinal Hyperpermeability”. With a leaky gut, comes a leaky brain. With a leaky gut, comes immune issues (food allergies, environmental allergies, autoimmunity). With a leaky gut, comes hormonal disruption.
Side note: Organic means glyphosate free, technically. But even organic wheat has been shown to have residues of glyphosate on it. Glyphosate is everywhere right now due to our current poor agricultural methods and reliance on chemical therapies (our water systems and more); it is hard to escape. We are actually finding incredibly toxic and high levels in our fetus CORD BLOOD, too. So, what do we do about this? How do we get around this? Well, first, buy organic and/or local whenever you can and minimize your exposure to wheat (wheat is in SO many more of your foods than you realize--- check your labels, or ideally, live label free!). Secondly, you need to learn more as well as speak out against mass pesticides and chemical use. They ARE affecting your life, whether you eat organic or not. And the many generations to come.
7) “Acid Reflux/Indigestion are due to TOO much Stomach Acid”
Answer: FALSE!
This is one of the biggest myths we have in the health industry (outside of cholesterol causing heart disease, but that’s a topic for another day)!
To be clear, there ARE situations where stomach acid is too high. But this is seldom the case. In fact, most of the time, the stomach acid is too LOW.
Low stomach acid is a breeding ground for digestive distress. Let’s think about this!
Our food enters our mouth. We begin to break it down and grind it up, using our teeth. We also produce some enzymes in our saliva that begin to break down the food (well, if you give yourself enough time to chew!!) Then, the food travels to our stomach. Our stomach is supposed to be acidic, via hydrochloric acid. The stomach will churn and break down the food mechanically, once again. The acid will also break down the food, in a chemical reaction. This is a pivotal time in digestion. WHEN OUR STOMACH ACID IS TOO LOW, then our food does not properly break down. This means, that we have UNDIGESTED FOOD going into our intestinal tract. Yikes! The food is supposed to be partially digested and ready for absorption, assimilation and digestion by the intestines, gut flora and additional enzymes/chemical reactions by this point. We really need to stomach to be functioning well so the lower digestive tract isn’t overburdened!
Undigested carbohydrates will FERMENT, fats will go RANCID and proteins will PUTRIFY. Gross, right? Burping and belching during or after meals, bloating, loud or foul gas, nausea, gas pains, gurgling intestines soon after eating, and more will result. The body is BRILLIANT and it knows that this is a dangerous situation for the body. It will try to get rid of the undigested food, via pushing it back up the esophagus (enter the symptoms of indigestion)! The rancidity, fermentation, and more also will create the sensation of HEARTBURN.
Long term, this creates a ton of issues for us. Any organ under distress is never a good scenario (tissues break down, functioning of cells is compromised, malnutrition due to malabsorption of the food you eat can happen, etc). Stomach indigestion will also create a whole host of issues for the organs below (small intestine, large intestine, which then influence EVERY system in the body).
The solution is not to block our acid and lower acid even further using Tums, PPI’s or more, it’s to improve our stomach environment by making it the right PH!!! Actually, these products may help us (or not, for some) with our symptoms, but actually WORSENS the root cause long term!
Restoring digestive function and stomach acid levels can be done in a few ways! Easy, too! Out of the decade I have been practicing, this is one of the easiest (and most life changing) symptoms to correct in my clients! However, not all two bodies are the same. It is important to approach your body and symptoms in a way that is unique to your needs. There may be additional steps you need to take (stomach lining support, getting rid of H-Pylori or other stomach pathogens, ulcer or tissue support, etc).
.
Heartburn, indigestion, bloating, belching, foul or loud gas, ulcers, or more??? I’ve got you covered! Let’s chat!
8) “Probiotics are the Key to Gut Health “
Answer: FALSE!
Probiotics are certainly important for restoring your gut microbiota and incredibly important to any gut health routine. However, most really only last a couple of days in your gut. Once you stop taking them, all benefits have the potential to wear off. What A BUMMER.
Good news—all you have to do, is learn how to use the TEAMMATES to probiotics!
PRE-BIOTICS!
Prebiotics are the FOOD for probiotics. They are one of the major KEYS in restoring gut flora, long term!
Imagine this. Probiotics are like the soldiers. They are our army. They protect us and do so MUCH for our body. Prebiotics are the FOOD for probiotics. The housing. The source of sustainable life for the soldiers. Without the prebiotics, the soldiers would starve or die off from not having the proper housing to protect them and allow them to flourish.
The key to any good gut health program is getting on the RIGHT prebiotics and probiotics. Remember, sourcing and quality is EVERYTHING.
Many products on the market have DEAD probiotics in their capsules (EW… we don’t want to be putting dead organisms into us., nor do we want to waste our money on ineffective therapies). Some don’t have the right encapsulation. Others do not have adequate strands. Nutraceuticals that you can buy at the store or online have NO REGULATING LAWS, so manufacturers can literally put WHATEVER they want (or say something is in it, but it doesn’t need to be) into their products. Shall I go on?
Be an informed consumer. Google, your local store, and big corporate grocery stores that promote health are not (always) the way.
If you are looking to reset your gut health, connect with me. Between your lifestyle, certain foods to implement, and gut rebuilding supplemental protocols, we can have you well on your way to entirely new health!
Keep in mind, if you are struggling with your digestive health, pre-biotics and probiotics may not even be your solution. There are so many others ways that the gut can have dysfunction. And depending on what’s going on, they may not be enough support for your needs. Ready to learn more about your body? Let’s chat!
Take Away:
At SoulFit, we focus on the whole-being of each client. There are additional root-cause factors that can cause digestive distress in the mind, body, spirit perspective. In any digestive health plan, each piece of your well-being would be addressed as needed. Each plan is built to address all root-cause contributors, is personalized to your body, supports you in shifting your eating habits and more.
We also have multiple assessment tools to help us identify your custom needs, such as Nutrition Response Muscle Testing and our “Human Microbiome” Functional lab.
Futher Resources for you:
https://wholisticmatters.com/human-gut-microbiome/
https://wholisticmatters.com/how-do-lifestyle-factors-influence-gi-health/