When you remove obstacles to optimal health, you attain optimal health. What many people do not realize is that many of these obstacles are in your digestive system. These issues will greatly slow your progress towards health.
The issues surrounding the gastro-intestinal system are not new, and they certainly are not exciting. The pharmaceutical industry cannot make a lot of money manufacturing drugs that can solve the problems this chapter will outline. Therefore, most people do not realize the importance of keeping their gut in good health.
There are many nerve pathways leading from the gut to the brain. These pathways send messages back and forth that create the feelings of hunger, fullness, nausea, discomfort, and pain. Some researchers have concluded that the gut can even signal emotions of joy and sadness.
Women are two to three times more prone to gastro-intestinal distress than men. The latest research is indicating that the female hormones estrogen and progesterone are partially responsible. Many women will complain of constipation, diarrhea, or bloating towards the ends of their menstrual cycle.
So just how big is this problem?
- 65 million Americans have digestive disorders
- 45 million hospital visits for gastro-intestinal complaints
- 14 million hospital stays related to gut conditions
- over 235,000 people die each year from gut related illness
- stomach disorders are second only to the common cold for work absenteeism
- some physicians state that 70% of chronic disease begins with gut issues
When you eat your meal, what happens to the food? It enters your mouth and is chewed for a few seconds. After you swallow, it takes between three and 12 seconds for the food to travel down the esophagus and into the stomach. The food remains in the stomach for 2 to 4 hours before moving to the small intestine. It takes 5 to 6 hours for the food to travel the 20 to 23 feet of small intestine until it reaches the large intestine. In the large intestine, your body re-absorbs much of the fluid back. This process can take anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.
If the digestive tract moves too quickly, the body cannot absorb adequate nutrients from the food you eat. It doesn’t matter how well you eat if your body cannot absorb the nutrition. If the digestive tract moves too slowly, the waste products can begin to build up and fermentation occurs in the large intestine. This fermentation creates a “polluted” environment in the digestive system causing damage.
Your body has an incredible defense system. The largest and most active opening in your body is your mouth. It leads to the digestive system. You must keep this area healthy in order to ward off “invaders” that can easily enter your body through your mouth. One of the first steps in getting healthy is getting the digestive system working optimally. Researchers have stated that 80% of the body’s immune system is in the gut. There are 2000 different species and over 100 trillion organisms in your digestive system. These organisms account for three to five pounds of your total body weight.
What makes an unhealthy gut?
The main reason someone would have an unhealthy digestive system is their diet. Because of our eating habits and lifestyle choices, the young people of today are the most unhealthy generation ever. We are eating too many high glycemic carbohydrates, too much sugar, and too much hydrogenated oils. To add to the problem, people drink alcohol in excess, smoke cigarettes or use other tobacco products, drink too much coffee, and overload the system with artificial sweeteners.
This type of behavior causes a constant low-level inflammation in the digestive system. This inflammation leads to the intestines having permeability; in other words, things can move through the membranes easier. This permeability can then exacerbate an immune response to certain bacterial or yeast infections that are bound to develop.
This cascade of events eventually leads to a decrease in stomach acid, an imbalance in the gut bacteria, and Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS).
The cells of the intestines are close together with a tight seam between cells. When the distance between the cells of the gut become too great, large molecules can exit. These molecules can be undigested food, waste products, or any particle that should stay in the gut and not enter the body. Substances that should not be entering the body are “leaking” through the intestinal wall, hence the name, “Leaky Gut Syndrome.” Other causes of leaky gut include a premature birth, chemotherapy, antibiotics, infection, and immune response to the environment.
When you eat food and your body does not produce enough acid, the condition is known as hypochlorhydria. The most common cause of hypochlorhydria is aging. As we age, the parietal cells of the stomach produce less acid. Half of the people over 60 years of age have chronic low stomach acid. When harmful bacteria enter the body through the mouth, the stomach acid will kill the invader. Without adequate acid, the bacteria continue past the stomach and move to the small intestine. This leads to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria that destroys our beneficial bacteria.
An imbalance of the beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract is medically known as dysbiosis. If the bacteria in the digestive system are compromised, the disease-causing bacteria can destroy the beneficial bacteria in the intestines. Imagine the front lawn of a house. The home owner wants lush, green grass and must therefore care for the lawn. If the homeowner does not mind his yard, weeds soon emerge. Without proper fertilization and watering, the weeds take over the lawn and choke out the lush, green grass. This is similar to your digestive system. The green grass is your beneficial bacteria, namely lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.
With dysbiosis, the body produces excess mucus in the small intestine as a defense mechanism. This thick layer of mucus makes it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients. It doesn’t matter how well you eat if you are not absorbing the nutrients.
Taking care of your gut
As you read earlier, one of the most beneficial supplements you can take is probiotics. This helps balance the beneficial bacteria. Digestive enzymes taken with meals are beneficial to those who currently have dysbiosis. These will help the body to digest foods properly. Increasing your dietary fiber is important. Try to get at least 25 grams of fiber in your diet. Omega-3 oils are also important in maintaining a healthy intestinal system.
If you think you have irritation or inflammation in your gut, you can remedy this with a couple supplements. For an active ulcer, an old remedy of cabbage juice is extremely effective. A recent study showed that drinking four glasses of cabbage juice a day cured 81% of ulcer patients after just one week. The active ingredient in cabbage juice is the amino acid L-glutamine. Taking three grams of L-glutamine three times a day for two weeks will greatly help with this problem.
For those who have low stomach acid, or hypochlorhydria, this protocol has been used successfully for years:
- take two digestive enzyme tablets with each meal
- take hydrochloric acid (betaine) at each meal with food – Start with about 500mg at your next full meal and increase by 500mg at each meal until a total of 2,500mg or until heartburn develops. If heartburn develops, decrease by 500mg and this is how much you take at every meal.
- 10 billion probiotics units daily
A leaky gut can be diagnosed by a doctor but most doctors are trained to treat the symptoms that arise from leaky gut rather than fixing the problem. A diagnosis can be obtained through a test called an intestinal permeability assessment which measures levels of two sugars, mannitol and lactulose. Your doctor may also want to do allergy testing and check for an overgrowth of a certain yeast called Candida.
Treating a leaky gut can be accomplished starting with correcting the diet. Adding probiotics and digestive enzymes are the foundation to treatment. Helpful supplements include:
- L-glutamine, 3 grams, three times a day
- borage seed oil, 1 gram a day
- gamma-oryzanol, 400mg a day
- NAG (N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine), 1500mg a day
- Phosphatidylcholine, 340mg a day
The case for Probiotics
Probiotics are amazing. As more and more research is being done, new benefits are being discovered. Back in 1990, it was found that taking the probiotic lactobacillus lowered cholesterol, protected against tumor growth, and was effective in treating salmonella and diarrhea. In 1996, probiotics were proven to strengthen the barrier effect in the gut resulting in a strengthened immunity and reducing allergies. When patients with ulcerative colitis were given probiotics, 53% had remission of symptoms and 24% had some measure of improvement.
The journal Environmental Health reported that 11% of workers who took probiotics were absent from work in an 80 day period compared to 26% of workers who did not take probiotics. When comparing those who work at night, none of the 26 study participants who took probiotics called in sick compared with 33% in the placebo group. The researchers concluded that probiotics boost the immune system and prevent gastrointestinal illness.
It is not only the gut that benefits from probiotics. Taking the probiotic lactobacillus has been shown to restore and maintain the proper bacteria levels in the vagina. This lowers the cases of vaginal yeast infections. A Swiss study reported a 20% reduction in harmful nasal bacteria in a study group taking probiotics.
Eat These Foods…
Eating well is not only the key to overall health, but key to gut health as well. The foods below are a general guideline for eating well. This list is not all-inclusive nor must you eat only the foods on this list.
Protein: Chicken, Cod, Eggs, Halibut, Lamb, Mackerel, Salmon, Trout, Tuna, Turkey
Grains: Amaranth, Millet, Quinoa, Rice, Tapioca, Teff
Vegetables: Alfalfa Sprouts, Artichokes, Asparagus, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Endive, Escarole, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Okra, Onions, Parsnips, Radishes, Rutabaga, Sea Weed, Snow Peas, Spinach, Summer Squash, Sweet Potato, Taro, Turnips, Water Chestnuts, Yams, Zucchini
Fruit: Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Blueberries, Cherries, Kiwi, Mango, Melons, Nectarine, Papaya, Pear, Peach, Pineapple, Plum, Prune, Raspberries, Strawberries
Nuts: Almonds, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Pecans, Walnuts
Seeds: Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds
Oils: Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, Flax Oil, Olive Oil, Pumpkin Oil, Safflower Oil, Sesame Oil, Sunflower Oil, Walnut Oil
Sweeteners: Brown Rice Syrup, Molasses, Stevia
…Instead of Those Foods
Below are foods you typically want to avoid eating on a regular basis. Don’t mistake this list as a list of forbidden food. Just make it a point to limit your consumption of these inflammatory foods.
Citrus: Grapes, Grapefruits, Lemons, Limes, Oranges
Grains: Barley, Corn, Rye, Soy, Wheat
Meats: Canned Meats, Cold Cuts, Frankfurters, Sausage
Nuts: Peanuts, Pistachio
Dairy: Cow’s Milk, Cheese, Ice Cream, Yogurt
Fats: Hydrogenated Oils, Margarine, Shortening
Beverages: Alcohol, Caffeinated Beverages, Mountain Dew, Soda/Cola
Sweeteners: Artificial Sweeteners, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar
