| >> immunity | >> constipation | |
| >> diverticulitis | >> flatulence | |
| >> healthy diet | >> probiotics |
 "A well functioning gut with healthy gut flora holds the roots of our health. And, like a tree with sick roots is not going to thrive, the rest of the body cannot thrive without a well functioning digestive system. The bacterial population of the gut - the gut flora - is the soil around these roots, giving them their habitat, protection, support and nourishment." 'GAPS Gut and Psychological Syndrome' Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride MMedSci (neurology) MMedSci (nutrition) |
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| The main purpose of the digestive system is to digest & absorb nutrients from food. The digestive system is a long tube that runs from the top of our body right the way through to the bottom, with openings at either end. To stop bacteria entering this tube & causing infection we have a protective layer of bacteria that catches & kills pathogens before they get too far. This layer of friendly bacteria is called gut flora & keeps our gut wall cells healthy & able to absorb food properly. Gut flora can also: digest proteins; break down lipids & fiber; ferment carbohydrates. Friendly bacteria feed on matter including fiber & lactose. "E.coli is a major lactose digesting bacteria, which also produces vitamin K, B1, B2, B6, B12. E.coli also produces anti biotic like substances called colicins. Having your gut populated with physiological strains of E.coli is the best way to protect against pathogenic species of E.coli." GAPS Gut and Psychological Syndrome p.22 Probiotics & prebiotics help create healthy gut flora. This minimizes infection from bad bacteria & the destructive affects bad bacteria have on the gut wall. |
| Immunity 87% of our immune system in located in the gut wall. Inhaled pathogens get caught in the mucous membranes & carried down into the gut to be killed off by friendly bacteria.  The candida pathogen is a fungi which feeds on sugar & carbohydrates (image right). When bad bacteria is allowed to breed in the gut, the gut wall is open to attack where holes can form. This allows undigested food & pathogens to enter the blood stream, alerting the immune system to attack. Amongst many complaints this can create food allergies & allow pathogens to travel to the brain, joints etc where they then create problems. ___________________________________________________ |
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| Flatulence happens when our bowel contents is sitting stewing instead of moving on. It can also be caused by under secretion of digestive enzymes, leaving partially digested food fermenting as it travels through the gut. Poor gallbladder function can be spotted by the faeces appearing as a chalky colour instead of brown. ___________________________________________________ |
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| Diverticulitis comes about when the small impacted faeces cause the muscles of the colon to push much harder in an attempt to grip the bowel contents. This intense pressure on the intestinal wall finally causes the muscles to sag, creating pockets that can fill with impacted faces creating inflammation & further weakening the tone of the gut wall. The weakened wall can bleed if impacted matter later breaks away. ____________________________________________________________ |
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| Constipation Waste stagnates, changing the behaviour of friendly bacteria essential to the breakdown of food. Toxins formed from re-absorption may be the cause of chronic disease. Taking laxatives lessens the gut's ability to do its job. Psyllium husks/ seeds are a great way to introduce bulk fiber - allowing the body to naturally purge waste products. Senna taken as a tea or leaves left to steep in water overnight is another natural stimulant. Magnesium deficiency A lack of magnesium makes the smooth muscle in the colon weaker. Magnesium can be avoided in junk food diets & is also stripped from our bodies by diuretics. Medicinal drugs Many drugs list constipation as a side effect & even iron supplements can sometimes have a constipating effect. Low vitamin C Low vitamin C is implicated in slow bowel movement, so supplementing vitamin C is always helpful. Victoria Boutenko answers a question on coloured stool in her latest book Green Smoothie Revolution: "When the level of stomach acid is low, one may find pieces of undigested food in the stool, and its colour may reflect the colour of the food consumed, such as red from beets or green from green smoothies. After daily consumption of green smoothies, the body receives plenty of nourishment, and the level of stomach acid begins to normalize. Eventually you will always have the same colour stool despite the food you eat. Normal stool should be light brown, ordourless, well formed, and not stick to the toilet. It should leave the body easily without straining or discomfort." How often is 'regular' The Food Doctor is "Normal bowel movements occur 1-3 times within an 18-24 hour period. A healthy stool should be soft bulky, light brown in colour, with no mucous or blood and should be passed with ease and no straining." The Food Doctor ___________________________________________________ |
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Healthy Diet Foods To Avoid High fat, high protein diets feed unfriendly bacteria nicely. They also love sugar, alcohol, cheese & bread. High levels of wheat in the diet may additionally lead to layers of gluten (wheat protein) sticking to the gut wall, providing a perfect breeding ground for putrefactive elements. If you consume vast quantities of tea, coffee, dairy products, wheat, chocolate & red meat, you will be much more likely to have bowel problems than someone eating heaps of fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains & dried fruit. High proteins, concentrated starches, refined sugars Suzy Goodman is a Nutritional Therapist and writes a blog called Tree of Life Nutritional Therapy. She suggests if you are experiencing digestive upset following your meals, try this “low tech” digestive fix:
Never mix high proteins like meat, fish, eggs or cheese with concentrated starches like potatoes, cereals, breads, pastries or refined sweets at the same meal.
Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) Sugars inhibit the secretion of hydrochloric acid (HCL) in the stomach. If we eat a big salad (or steak for the meat eating readers) our stomach begins the secretion of hydrochloric acid to digest the food - ths is good. However, when then we add simple sugars like bread, potatoes, cakes, brownies, soft drinks & most fruit juices - this causes the stomach to slow down its release of HCL. When this happens, the food putrifies, rots and ferments.
Starches “soak up” free HCL. This prevents HCL from acting on the protein and the activation of other enzymes which is what is needed for complete protein digestion. Tree of Life Nutritional Therapy Blog There's a lot of talk about food combinations & a million different meal plans you can experiment with - but ask yourself how you feel if you have a big roast dinner with a sweet pudding and maybe even some cheese to top it off... only you know the answer to that. ___________________________________________________ |
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| Fiber is very important it soaks up liquid & bulks out the stool. If you eat bread, make it brown & whole grain & have it with salad or vegetables to help the gluten along. Peeling foods make them whiter & easier to eat without chewing, but challenges your bowels. Choosing brown rice instead of not white, or eating sultanas instead of chocolate is what we're talking about. ___________________________________________________ Water A sufficient supply of water is particularly important for the bowel. Without sufficient water the bowel contents soon dry up. The lining of the colon also changes, becoming thicker & stickier rather than providing a smooth lubricant for the passage of the faeces. ___________________________________________________ |
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Probiotics By definition probiotic means, for life. Pro means for, bio means life. Antibiotic means against life. Probiotics help keep our gut flora, and therefore our gut wall, healthy. A build up of unfriendly bacteria creates symptoms ranging from flatulence, bloating, acid reflex, asthma, allergies, even learning disorders in children. Friendly bacteria keep our gut wall cells healthy & able to absorb nutrients at their optimum. For more info read more in ILR probiotic feature with Dr Natasha Campbell McBride. ___________________________________________________ |
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Prebiotics If we don't have enough prebiotics we are vulnerable to gastrointestinal problems. Prebiotics help good bacteria grow, preventing disease causing bugs. It offers protection against food poisoning, bowel problems, colon & liver cancer. Healthy tummies are able to absorb higher amounts of calcium & vitamin K - which help us build strong bones. Artichokes, garlic, leeks & onions are great to eat as they act as probiotic food. |
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Related links
>> Probiotics
>> Wheat
