Bringing Lasting Healing to your Gut

At one point or another, many of us have struggled with gut-related issues such as bloating, upset stomach, or indigestion. For some, the issues perhaps have progressed into something more troublesome. However, it’s important to look at the gut health discussion from an aerial view, considering the research, and take a deeper look at the not-so-obvious root cause.

Many approaches address only the food-related aspect of maintaining a healthy gut. While nutrition is imperative (we’ll get into the specifics), we are whole beings with many interconnected, elaborate systems - which absolutely requires an approach that considers all of these systems.

Understanding Leaky Gut

One aspect of having a “healthy gut” is to keep the lining of your intestines robust & intact. Essentially, you want to prevent and stay protected against what many refer to as “leaky gut”. The National Library of Medicine describes “leaky gut” as a simplistic term reflecting intestinal permeability. (1)

The literature suggests that this state of gut health has implications ranging from minor to major, from issues like food sensitivities, stomach cramping, etc. to more serious ailments.

Foods Associated with Gut Issues

When struggling with digestion-related issues, the common first thing to consider is what your nutritional profile looks like. Some foods that are commonly associated with gut issues include gluten, dairy, high glycemic foods, and excess caffeine.

What this post can hopefully offer you is a less-than-traditional perspective on how to recalibrate your gut and have a sustainable, long term approach to keeping your belly happy. The knee-jerk reaction is to do an elimination diet, limiting or completely abstaining from the foods mentioned below.

While in some cases this can provide relief for a period of time, it’s vital that we look at the root of why the disruption is happening in the first place. Is food the foundational root cause? Or, is there more at play?

Eat Organic Produce, Steering Clear of Glyphosate

We now know how pervasive glyphosate is on the health of humans and animals, alike. The damaging effects of this common herbicide are well documented, with detrimental impacts on the nervous system, intestinal lining, gut dysbiosis, and even behavioral changes. (2) Staying away from glyphosate as much as possible is massively advantageous for your health.

Dr. John Gildea, one of the founders of Mara Labs, has been testing glyphosate levels in everyday foods. The amount of glyphosate in one typical non-organic fast-food meal is estimated at 20-40 ppm. This amount of glyphostate, not to mention to the gluten in these meals, is enough to gut degrade the tight junctions barrier quickly, as evidenced in cell culture.

Some good ways to do this are to buy organic produce, get to know your farmer (to insure they do not spray their crops), get to know the “dirty dozen” produce list, and look for glyphosate-residue-free products when shopping.

Eating Seasonal, Local Food

Some taut seasonal, local produce as a good option because it supports your local economy, the produce is fresher, and for the potential increased nutrient density since the food doesn’t have to be transported. While all of these things have the potential to be true, there’s more to seasonal, local food in terms of physiological benefits to you. The University of Hawaii at Manoa reminds us, “all of the energy we get from food can be traced back to the sun.” (4)

“Different changes in metabolism may be observed in humans based on the consumption of seasonal products.” This same study discusses the connection between the polyphenol content of food and your circadian rhythm. (3) Too, it has been shown that consumers typically have a higher diet quality when they are eating local food. (22)

Interestingly enough, this research, along with other literature suggest that eating light-appropriate food (food grown in your local light environment) is undervalued and is a way to optimize your health. This is the main reason why eating an abundance of tropical fruit in winter when you do not live at a tropical latitude can be suboptimal - as it’s a mismatch for your mitochondria. Some doctors that educate on this topic refer to this effect as creating “chaos” in the body - commonly referred to as inflammation. (5, 6, 23)

The aforementioned study continues, “the seasonal consumption of polyphenol-rich fruits could induce important changes in the regulation of physiology and metabolism.”

Furthermore, Dr. Jack Kruse states that “food is an electromagnetic barcode of where the earth was in relation to the sun when it was grown.” This means that food is a form of light input/information into your body. The food discussion becomes very intriguing when we look at it through this lens.

That same literature mentions the “body fat-lowering polyphenol” called resveratrol, which is present (in bioavailable form) in our product ResverElite - as a way to restore the circadian desynchrony of fat metabolism.

Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Taking an inventory of your nutritional intake (though obvious and a common part of any gut-health regime), is indeed crucial for optimal gut health. Studies indicate that the compounds found within our diet can successfully alleviate inflammatory processes in the body, and even be seen as medicinal. (7)

Too, we know that “the intake of nutrients can also modulate biological rhythms” (3). Given the science-supported notion that our bodies are linked to our circadian & biological pattern and rhythms, this is significant. Through considering this information, we can know that what we ingest has the power to impact our physiology in its entirety. It’s pretty neat to realize how much of our health is in our own hands.

Some foods that studies show are anti-inflammtory in nature include, but are not limited to: olive oil, tomatoes, leafy green vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale, collards), turmeric, salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges. (8, 9, 10, 11)

To insure you are getting a sufficient dose in a functional, bioavailable form, check out BrocElite, CurcElite, and ResverElite, each of which contains sulforaphane, curcumin, and resveratrol, respectively. Each of these plant nutrients has been shown to be anti-inflammatory when consumed. (9, 10, 11) We also offer a convenient anti-inflammation bundle.

Lastly, according to Dr. Jack Kruse, colostrum can be helpful for maintaining gut lining integrity, especially for those that were not breastfed. (12)

Eat Fermented & Prebiotic-Rich Foods

It is documented that fermented foods have been a part of humans’ diets for the last 10,000 years, offering us bioactive peptides and microbial metabolites that are present in fermented foods. (19)

Also, prebiotic-rich foods are supportive for gut health in that they act as carbon sources for primary and secondary fermentation pathways in the colon. Along these lines, they offer digestive health benefits due to their digestibility and ability to ferment. (20)

Eat Grass-Fed Meat

Putting grass fed meat in your shopping cart over conventionally-farmed meat helps to mitigate glyphosate exposure, as well as limiting other pesticides & herbicides - as these cow are largely fuel by corn & soybeans. (18) Glyphosate is hugely concerning, and undoubtedly has a detrimental impact on gut health.

Grass-fed meat has also been found to be more nutritive and contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids - which help you systemically control inflammation, maintain brain health, etc. (17)

In addition, it’s important to know that the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified glyphosate as a “probably human carcinogen.” (19) And, it is a known endocrine disruptor. (17)

Consider the Root, Rethink Light

Earlier in this post we discussed the implications of light environment on how the food we eat is grown, along with the foundational impact on circadian rhythm. There is robust evidence to support that circadian rhythm is foundational for all areas of optimal health, and we dive into that in depth in this blog post.

Getting sufficient, natural, unadulterated, unfiltered sunlight during the day and honoring darkness at night is a commonly overlooked (yet hugely impactful) aspect of health that can impair or improve your gut health. (13, 14, 15, 16)

Consider Targeted Probiotics

Encouragingly, the literature reveals to us that exposing the body sufficiently to natural sunlight actually shifts the microbiome. (13, 22)) Before popping endless probiotic pills that contain strains you know nothing about, it makes sense to utilize the intelligence of our biology & light to rebalance and recalibrate.

If you still feel like you desire support outside of that, studies show that Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium animalis are the two strains that are studied most.

Conclusion

We are intricately interconnected beings, with a complex network of systems within us that communicate with one or another. Most modern approaches to treating suboptimal gut health are siloed, which does not respect the nature of the organism.

There is plentiful research (and it’s still very much a growing field) to support that your circadian rhythm is connected to the microbiome, which is also linked to things like obesity and hormonal health. (24, 25) It’s only reasonable to move forward with the understanding that we must seek to understand the systemic implications of the foundations of health. Also, it can serve as a relief to know that when you honor your body’s built-in rhythms, nature’s patterns, and fuel yourself nutritionally - these practices elicit positive downstream effects.

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