Gut Health

The human microbiome is the aggregate of all microbiota that reside on or within various human tissues and biofluids. Some microorganisms perform tasks that are known to be useful to the human host, some are harmful but the role of most of them is not well understood. Those that are expected to be present, and that under normal circumstances do not cause disease. There is an increasing awareness of the role the gut microbiome plays in overall health. We can definitely strengthen the immune system through diet. The bacteria in the gut help to regulate the immune system. With a good diet, the gut microbiome becomes more diverse, providing a better foundation for the body to regulate inflammations. According to Dr.  Zach Bush, the human microbiome is complex and highly variable. An adult human typically has around 10 trillion human cells and about ten times as many non-human cells as human cells. The human microbiome also includes about100 trillion bacterial cells; and 1.5 billion Parasites; 124 trillion Fungi; 14 quadrillion Mitochondra cells; and uncountable numbers of viruses. The composition of human gut flora is continually changing and  immediate changes in the microbiota occur with our every breath. Longer lasting changes happen when the diet changes, which may result in overall health changes. Traveler's diarrhea is an intestinal infection (usually temporary) that occurs as a result of eating or drinking food or water that contains strains of biota hostile to the traveler's microbiome. When our inner microbial ecosystem is disrupted, our immune system responsiveness suffers. Studies show that potentially toxic pathogens may get a foothold in the environment of the gut following antibiotic treatment. Various gut pathogens can multiply rapidly and cause serious problems during a course of antibiotics. There is a strong correlation between antibiotic use and mood disorders (anxiety, panic attack, depression) 1 course of antibiotics increases your rate of depression within the next 12 months 25% due to interactions with the gut microbiome. And the problem increases with more frequent use of antibiotics. Over the last few years, scientists have made enormous progress in understanding what goes on in the “complex microbial ecosystem” that exists in the large intestine of every healthy mammal, including humans. Friendly, gut-dwelling bacteria synthesize nutrients including vitamins, and  some hormones which are involved in the development and maintenance of our bodies. The intestines are protected by a single layer of specialized epithelial cells that are linked together by tight junction proteins.  The layer of epithelial cells can be disrupted in just 14 minutes by glypsophate (herbacides). Dr. Bush shows how this is causing rapidly rising rates of cancer, heart attack, diabetes, and infertility. Leaky gut symptoms are also a consequence of intestinal tight-junction malfunction. These tight junction protrins are the gateway between your intestines and your bloodstream. They control what is allowed to pass into the bloodstream from your digestive system. And the microbiome drives changes in the brain that lead to changes in behavior. And there are various other factors, such as stress, that contribute to brain chemistry imbalance and mental health disorders. Recent studies have linked a number of mental and developmental disorders to the gut microbiome. One of the most prominent ways the gut microbiome affects your mental health is through its serotonin production. Serotonin (known as "the happy hormone") is believed to regulate anxiety, happiness, and mood. And although serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter, "it is estimated that 90 percent of the body's serotonin is made in the digestive tract." People who experience feelings of depression usually have a gut microbiome problem. In humans, the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiome is established during birth. Birth by Cesarean section or vaginal delivery also influences the gut's microbial composition. Babies born through the vaginal canal have non-pathogenic, beneficial gut microbiota similar to those found in the mother. However, the gut microbiota of babies delivered by C-section harbors more pathogenic bacteria. To support the microbiome really is to nourish the "control center" of the body, and the number one way you achieve this is primarily by getting enough plant fiber. There are both symbiotic (good) and pathogenic (bad) varieties and the good kind thrive on plant fiber. Eating a clean, plant-rich diet and taking a high-quality probiotic will help you cultivate a diverse and thriving gut microbiome, thereby improving overall health. Foods that are good for your gut: greens, fruits, veggies, whole-grain foods high in fiber, dark chocolate, kefir, kombucha, pickles, sauerkraut, yogurt, asparagus, bananas, garlic, leeks, oat/barley, onion. Other foods, such as red meat and fried foods, may be best to avoid or reduce to improve gut health. Listen to our podcast The Human Microbiome on YouTube Your Biome, What Is It?  Fecal Microbiota Transplantation The Gut Microbiome -How Does it Affect  Health?  How The Gut Microbiota Affects Our Health  Restore The Gut -Summer Bock  Dr. Will Bulsiewicze

Food

The overview here is fairly simple. Humans are basically large portable tubes composed of mostly non-human organisms that provide nutrition for both physical and psychological health and well-being for our human cells. A healthy gut maintains the immune system. Eating mostly fibrous vegetable of the widest variety possible keeps the gut healthy.

And if you eat animals, then those animals need to have been fed the widest variety if vegetable fiber possible. Also avoid GMOs which are tainted with glyphosate.

The key to this whole process is about what happens in the lower intestine. Early humans roamed around a lot eating lots of plants and some meat. All that foraged plant matter provided substantial plant fiber that sustained a gut environment for the colonies of good bacteria to thrive and overwhelm bad bacteria.

Modern factory food is the enemy of this whole process. The more food gets processed, the more unhealthy it is likely to be. And humans are becoming increasingly unhealthy and over-weight.

Most people seem to be unaware of the drastic changes 
in food in just the past decade or so.

Almost all of the food in the supermarkets now has little or no nutritional value and may even be toxic. More often than not the expensive packaging actually costs more than the contents which are essentially worthless. Nutrition has been sacrificed for convenience and artificial flavor. Even the so-called fresh vegetables loose most of their food value a few days after being harvested.

So what are the alternatives? When hungry we probably will eat whatever is available. So having food on hand that is actually nourishing is essential. A breakfast smoothie is an easy and fast way to insure healthy nutrition and to get the essentials for a healthy micro-biome, which is perhaps the most important consideration.

According to Rhonda Patrick, most people are very deficient in Vitamin D which should be taken in the AM so as not to interfere with sleep. She takes 5,000 units daily.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman tells us super foods are the most healthy.  A simple way to remember them is to remember the word GOMBS.

Greens – Green vegetables have lots of different nutrients and systems that put a silicone like slippery coating on the inside of your blood vessels. They activate something inside the blood vessel called the Nrf2 mechanism that prevents plaque from binding to blood vessels and accelerates the rate at which fat melts away from the inside of the blood vessel.     Onions – In The Medical Journal of Clinical Nutrition a large study in Europe showed people who ate onions regularly showed a 60 to 70% reduction in all major cancers. That would be a reduction in prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer just from the higher consumption of onions. When you cut an onion, the gas that is given off creates disulfides and anti-cancer nutrients that are formed.     Mushrooms - A Recent study published in the international Journal of Cancer showed women who regularly consumed mushrooms are 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. That was about 10 g of mushrooms daily. That same study showed that the women who ate 10 g of mushrooms and simultaneously consumed green tea had 89% less likely to develop breast cancer.     Beans and Berries - Beans and berries have high cancer preventive antioxidants levels and promotes healthy brain function.     Seeds - Raw seeds and nuts contain phytochemicals and fats that help reduce inflammation, help reduce cholesterol, and helps the absorption of other important micronutrients. Dr. Fuhrman suggests having nuts as part of your salad or even making a salad dressing from them.

Here are a few very handy and inexpensive kitchen utensils:

Steel Metal Handle Cleaver

Slicer Grater set

Zester/Grater

Spiral slicer

 

  Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

 

Lewis Howes interviews Dr. Mark Hymen - One of the very best overviews of food and health.

Here are some pertinent films about food. All are available at Netflix:

Food, Inc.  Watch Free Documentary Online - Preview
For most Americans, the ideal meal is fast, cheap, and tasty. Food, Inc. examines the costs of putting value and convenience over nutrition and environmental impact.Director Robert Kenner explores the subject from all angles, talking to authors, advocates, farmers, and CEOs.

Food Matters - 2008-NR-77 minutes
With a staggering number of Americans suffering from obesity and other food-related maladies, this film takes a timely and hard-hitting look at how the food we eat is helping or hurting our health, and what we can do to live (and eat) better. Nutritionists, naturopaths, scientists, doctors, medical journalists and more weigh in on everything from using food as medicine to the value of organic food and the safety of the food we consume.

Forks Over Knives - 2011-PG-96 minutes
Focusing on the research of two food scientists, this earnest documentary reveals that despite broad advances in medical technology, the popularity of modern processed foods has led to epidemic rates of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.

The Future of Food - 2004-NR-88 minutes
Before compiling your next grocery list, you might want to watch filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia's eye-opening documentary, which sheds light on a shadowy relationship between agriculture, big business and government. By examining the effects of biotechnology on the nation's smallest farmers, the film reveals the unappetizing truth about genetically modified foods: You could unknowingly be serving them for dinner.

Ingredients - 2009-NR-66 minutes
Narrated by actress Bebe Neuwirth, this engaging documentary weighs the shortcomings of America's industrialized food system against a rising local-growth movement, whose proponents are shrinking the gap between farmland and dinner table. With chefs Alice Waters and Greg Higgins as guiding lights, growers, restaurateurs and consumers around the country, from Oregon to Harlem, New York, discuss their methods for bringing food production back home.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead - 2010 -NR- 97 minutes - Focusing on two men whose bodies have been trashed by steroids, obesity and illness, this documentary chronicles the rigorous healing path -- including a two-month diet of fruits and vegetables -- that both attempt in a bid to rescue their health.

King Corn - 2007-NR-90 minutes
In Aaron Woolf's thought-provoking documentary, friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis move back to America's Corn Belt to plant an acre of the nation's most-grown and most-subsidized grain and follow their crop into the U.S. food supply.

How to Cook Your Life - 2007-PG-1392 minutes
German filmmaker Doris Dörrie documents a summer in the life of renowned Zen practitioner and cook Edward Espe Brown as he teaches culinary classes in Zen centers in Austria and California, revealing the role food plays in our bodies and spirits.

The Natural History of the Chicken - 2001-NR-55 minutes
Although chicken is a staple in the diet of most Americans, the history of this tasty bird has yet to be really explored -- until now. Poultry is as popular as ever as an entrée choice, and this tongue-in-cheek documentary sets out to uncover the truth about the bird that has touched the lives, and stomachs, of so many. Included are amusing and often surprisingly touching stories that will forever change your view of the flavorful fowl.

Life Running Out of Control (Leben ausser Kontrolle) - 2004-NR-94 minutes
Since the mid-1980s, the science of genetics has exploded, offering hope for medical researchers and biologists seeking to feed people, as well as deep concerns for proponents of organic foods and activists worried about human gene manipulation. This documentary explores the powerful ways in which biotechnology affects our lives, from the sale of genetically altered salmon to the obtaining of consent for unwitting donors of human tissue.

• Food, Part 2
• Food, Part 3  Toxins
• Listen to our Podcast
  
• Four essential Foods 
• Problems with Truth in Labeling Food
• The plastic linings of tin food cans contain toxins
  
• Untested chemicals in food 
• Healing Your Body With Food 
• Sugar is killing us
  
• Gut Health   Probiotics
•  These healthy foods will completely heal your body
• The truth about cholesrtol and heart disease
  
• Andrew Weil
•  Feel Better, Live More
• Dr. William Li 
• Survival food you can grow 
  

Rhonda Patrick

Dr. Rhonda Patrick has done extensive research on aging, cancer, and nutrition. Her goal to challenge the status quo and encourage the wider public to think about health and longevity using a proactive, preventative approach.   It is Dr. Patrick’s goal to challenge the status quo and encourage the wider public to think about health and longevity using a proactive, preventative approach. In her talks she gives specic information in detail about her findings and recommendations that would not be easy to find elsewhere. She did her graduate research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where she investigated the link between mitochondrial metabolism, apoptosis, and cancer.  Her groundbreaking work discovered that a protein that is critical for cell survival has two distinct mitochondrial localizations with disparate functions, linking its anti-apoptotic role to a previously unrecognized role in mitochondrial respiration and maintenance of mitochondrial structure. Her dissertation findings were published in the 2012 issue of Nature Cell Biology. She later investigated the effects of micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) inadequacies on metabolism, inflammation, DNA damage, and aging and whether supplementation can reverse the damage. Dr. Patrick has also done research on aging at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences. At the Salk she investigated what role insulin signaling played in protein misfolding, which is commonly found in neurodegenerative diseases. She frequently engages the public on topics including the role micronutrient deficiencies play in diseases of aging, the role of genetics in determining the effects of nutrients on a person's health status, benefits of exposing the body to hormetic stressors, such as through exercise, fasting, sauna use or heat stress, or various forms of cold exposure, and the importance of mindfulness, stress reduction, and sleep.  About 70% of your immunes live in your gut and collectively our microbiomes are in trouble which seems to be related to most disease, both physical and psychological.  She says most Americans are badly deficient in Vitamin D which play a vital role in at least 28 bodily functions. And even if you are taking multi-vitamins you are probably deficient in more ways than you thought. Vitamin D is turned into this active form, it travels throughout the body and plays a part in a number of diverse (and vital) functions: It builds bones and muscles; it also has anti-inflammatory effects, and helps to make enzymes and proteins that prevent diseases; it affects aging. High levels of vitamin D have been linked to stronger immune systems, while low levels are associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. The full extent of vitamin’s D impact has yet to be fully understood—nearly every cell and tissue in our body has vitamin D receptors (proteins that bind to vitamin D); and in its active form, vitamin D can interact with the vast majority of the body’s cells. Dr. Patrick says that unless you are regularly in the sun, it may take months of somewhat elevated D3 supplements to normalize a deficiency. But after that too much D3 may tend to keep you awake according to Dr. Gominak. Here is a list of some of Dr. Patrick's many video presentations from her website, foundmyfitness.com Rhonda Patrick on Youtube Human Biome (Gut Health) Listen to our Podcast Vitamin D and Sleep Depression