Category Archives: Gut

What You Need to Know About Functional Nutrition

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Human body with internal organs, composite by stomach, Great to be used in medicine works and health.

Conventional medicine is very effective if you have an acute problem, which needs immediate treatment. Despite all the advances in science and medicines, chronic diseases are on the rise. Most people suffer from some form of chronic problem (such as IBS, high cholesterol, Diabetes, insomnia, chronic fatigue, anxiety, ADHD, etc). Conventional medicine doesn’t seem to be able to treat these problems successfully. At best, conventional medicine doles out prescriptions to dampen the symptoms. That isn’t ‘treatment,’ and it certainly isn’t prevention. The problem? Neither the individual nor the root cause of the illness is treated.

Functional Medicine and Nutrition is an entirely different approach.

Functional Medicine Nutrition Therapy is a personalized method for getting to the root of your symptoms and restoring balance to your system. It is about promoting health, not just treating illness.

Personalized:

Everybody’s different. We each have different genes, different microbiomes (which influence everything), and different lifestyles. In Functional Nutrition, all information is taken into account: sleep, diet, stress level, activity level, energy level, mood, sunlight exposure, time in nature, and other data. Additionally, using tests that actually reveal what’s going on inside your body down to the cellular level and tests for genetic influences, diet and supplementation can be very targeted.

As the Institute of Functional Medicine explains: “The current healthcare system fails to take into account the unique genetic makeup of each individual and the ability of food, toxins and other environmental factors to influence gene expression.”

Treating the problem, not just the symptom:

If you throw drugs at a symptom, without addressing the root cause of the symptom, you are clearing the smoke but not putting out the fire. Left resolved, the cause will continue to persist, and therefore so with the symptoms. The drug will continue to be needed indefinitely (and possibly at greater and greater doses) to treat this symptom.

Chris Kresser articulates this: “In conventional medicine…they mostly focus on symptoms and diseases. If you go to a doctor and you have high cholesterol, you get a drug to lower your cholesterol…and there’s often little investigation into why your cholesterol is high in the first place. The intent is to just bring it down, and that’s generally the end of the story. In functional medicine… Symptoms are important in as much as they can give us clues as to what the underlying mechanisms might be that are contributing to the problem, but they’re not as important because when you focus on the underlying mechanisms and causes and you address those, the symptoms tend to resolve on their own, so you don’t have to worry about going after each and every symptom individually. You just address the root causes and the symptoms resolve.”

Dr. Mark Hyman, one of the leaders in Functional Medicine, articulates this point very well in the foreword he wrote for The Disease Delusion (a book written by Dr. Jeffery Bland, the father of Functional Medicine):     “Depression is not the cause of misery, it is merely the name we give to a constellation of symptoms. The actual cause of depression may vary greatly from patient to patient…knowing the name of a disease tells us nothing about its true cause; nor does it lead us to the right treatment”

Final thoughts:

Conventional medicine has its place. It has saved my life more than once. However, in other instances, it also left me disappointed. I know my clients have felt the same way before coming to see me.

Dr. Fitzgerald, another leader in the field, sums it up: “Simply, functional medicine is an individualized, systems-based, patient-centered approach to care. We look at the whole person, their environment, diet & lifestyle and genetics/epigenetics. An individual’s history is carefully mapped to a timeline, which we use to gather clues to the cause(s) and promoter(s) of disease/imbalance. Sensitive laboratory assessments help us “look under the metabolic hood” for contributing biochemical/genetic/microbial/nutrient/inflammatory/toxicity issues.”

For all these reasons, I am very excited about Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy. I am a Certified Integrative and Functional Nutrition Practitioner and have been practicing it with my clients (and on my own health) for several years.

Because patients are unique. Symptoms are not.

 

Gluten Free Breakfast Ideas

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Homemade rye bread

 

Whenever I educate someone on going gluten free, I inevitably hear: “but what will I eat for breakfast??!!” Well I am here to tell you that breakfast doesn’t HAVE to be toast, muffins or pancakes. Here is a list of ideas

  • Fruit
  • Cream of Buckwheat
    • This hot cereal is delicious, especially with a splash of 100% maple syrup and fruit.
  • Granola (Udi’s)
    • Can be mixed with yogurt and fruit, or eaten in a bowl with cashew milk.
  • Precooked bacon (or chicken bacon)
    • Have a bacon, lettuce, tomato + avocado roll up with the lettuce as the bread.
  • Sausage
  • Eggs
    • endless possibilities here
  • Lox with a big slice of tomato as the ‘bagel’. Get creative with toppings (cream cheese, onions, capers)
  • Chia pudding
    • ½ cup chia seeds, 1 ½ cups coconut milk, ½ cup organic vanilla almond milk, 1 tablespoon 100% maple syrup. Mix and let sit
    • add fruit
  • Smoothies
  • Potatoes
    • Cut up and sauté with onions, sausage, other veggies
  • and if you absolutely need your ‘bread’ there are gluten free versions of bread-like breakfast foods:
    • Google: “gluten free breakfast” “gluten free muffins” “paleo breakfast” and you’ll get a million recipes and ideas

 

 

Fibromyalgia and the Gut

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Protected individual repelling bacteria and viruses show on tablet made in 3d software isolated on white

 

And yet another connection between the gut and a seemingly unrelated condition: Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia describes a condition where a person experiences widespread musculoskeletal pain. Similar to IBS, a total work up is done, and if Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus or other diagnoses are ruled out, and there is nothing tangibly ‘wrong’, then a diagnosis of exclusion is given to explain the symptoms.  There are 18 tender points, and if 11 or more hurt for 3 months or more, that’s fibromyalgia. The symptoms of fibromyalgia don’t stop at musculoskeletal pain. They also include fatigue, brain fog, and memory issues. Fibromyalgia can begin suddenly after a trauma, surgery, infection or psychological stress, or it can come on slowly with no triggering event. There is usually a genetic predisposition.

Fibromyalgia seems to affect the way the brain processes pain. This is yet another similarity to IBS, where there are overactive pain signals, an overactive immune system and a hypersensitivity to pain.

But here is the third and most astonishing similarity: nearly all fibromyalgia patients have IBS and Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth! In the case of these patients, the bacteria release toxins that get into the blood stream (b/c of damage to the GI track) and this causes the pain and sensitivity to pain.

If you have fibromyalgia, get to the root of the problem: your gut.

The Great and Powerful Microbiome

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I have written about the microbiome before. Those trillions of bacteria, viruses and yeasts that live in and on us that are absolutely crucial to our health. If we have beneficial microbes, we have health. If we have harmful microbes, we are sick. But I am not talking about getting food poisoning and being sick for a few days. I am talking about having an imbalance of good to bad microbes in your gut that causes subtle but serious damage to your health. There is growing evidence (daily) that these bugs are the number one influence on your health (or lack of it).

Just to give you an idea, here is an incomplete list of what the microbiome has influence over:

Here is a partial list of disorders that have been linked to dysbiosis (having too many bad bacteria and not enough good):

I hope that you respect those little powerful bugs and appreciate the importance of acquiring and maintaining gut balance to promote health.

Happy Bugs?

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New research comes out every day showing the benefits of probiotics and beneficial microbes. I make it a point to keep up with this news, so I can better serve my clients and sharpen my expertise. I also INTEND to share these amazing research findings on this blog, but the research is coming out faster than I can post!

Two new studies that confirm what we already knew: that your gut microbes affect your emotional state.

One study (triple-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial) gave subjects probiotics (with multiple strands of bacteria) or placebo for 4 weeks. The subjects in the probiotic group experienced a significantly reduced overall cognitive reactivity to sad mood compared to the placebo group. The reduced overall cognitive reactivity was accompanied by less rumination and fewer aggressive thoughts.

Another study had three groups of participants. One received yogurt with active microbes and a placebo capsule, one received probiotics and yogurt without active bacteria and one received yogurt without active bacteria and a placebo cap. The two groups who actually got probiotics and bacteria experienced significant improvement in the general health questionnaire and depression anxiety and stress scale score.

Got Sauerkraut?

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And the third Fermented Food: Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is an effective way to get your probiotics without worrying about FODMAPs or dairy. There are FODMAPs in cabbage but the bacteria eat them in the fermentation process. Bacteria basically ferment the FODMAPs in a jar instead of in your intestines. It is relatively easy to make your own sauerkraut with cabbage and salt. After shredding and pounding the cabbage, the salt pulls water out of the cabbage and creates the brine. And it can be left in a loosely sealed jar (to let the gas escape) for 2-3 weeks. If you buy sauerkraut, make sure the product is jarred and needs refrigeration. That indicates live organisms. Canned sauerkraut has had all the microbes killed in the canning process. Start with ¼ of a teaspoon a day and work your way up to as much as you can tolerate several times a day.

mage courtesy of Lavoview at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Got Kefir?

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In the second in my Fermented Foods series: Kefir.

Kefir is a thick fermented milk beverage. Like yogurt, kefir also has the protein and calcium, however the method of fermentation and the types of organisms differ from yogurt. A kefir grain is used in the fermentation process and the products of that process are 1% alcohol as well as yeast.

You can find Kefir at most health food grocery stores.

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Got yogurt?

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In the first of my Fermented Food series, may I present yogurt.

Yogurt is known for containing the beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus. It also has calcium and protein and other healthy nutrients. Store bought yogurt must be labeled: ‘live active cultures’. If the product was pasteurized after it was fermented then all the beneficial bacteria would have been killed. You want either raw milk yogurt, or yogurt that was cultured after pasteurization. When making yogurt at home, you can use a scoop of store bought yogurt as a starter, or you can purchase a ‘starter kit’ (a packet of bacteria and other organisms) online. The point is to introduce some bacteria to milk and they will ferment it, populate it, and create yogurt.

mage courtesy of Master isolated images at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fermented Foods

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Since we depend on microbes for our health, we need to ingest healthful beneficial ones into our body’s ecosystem. Fermented foods and probiotic supplements are two ways to do just that. Fermented foods contain live microbes. (Examples of fermented foods are: sauerkraut, yogurt and kefir).

When food is prepared in specific ways and under certain conditions, the healthful bacteria and yeast are able to grow and ferment. The bacteria actually eat and break down the food they are growing on which can actually make the food easier for people to digest.

Fermented foods have a couple benefits over probiotic supplements. First, they are more affordable and second, you can get a wider variety of beneficial bacteria from fermented foods. Probiotics supplements usually only have between one and eight strains of different bacteria. Since diversity is so important for your gut, you want more variety and types of microbes.

You can buy fermented foods or make your own. Buying is tricky, because many products have been heated or sterilized before packaging, thus killing the microbes you are seeking. Making your own may sound intimidating but it can be done with a little time and effort. There are many websites and cookbooks available that can instruct you.

When making your own fermented food, you can either ‘culture’ or go ‘wild’. Culturing refers to using specific isolated organisms (a “starter kit”) that you introduce to the food and then grow. Wild fermentation uses whatever microbes are on the original food or in the air. Usually, vegetable ferments are wild, where as milk ferments are cultured.

Since fermented foods have bacteria and yeast in them, the first thing you need to do is clear up any infections, Candida, or SIBO first. Otherwise, the fermented foods or probiotics will make symptoms worse! Re-inoculating your gut is the last step in healing. For people without those bacteria or yeast overgrowth issues, eating fermented foods can be done along side the other healing steps.

Whatever method you use to reintroduce beneficial microbes into your gut, you need to go slowly. At first, you should only ingest very small amounts daily so that your gut can adjust to them. Taking in too much too fast can cause gastrointestinal symptoms. If this happens, don’t give up just start again more slowly. You also must eat these foods (or take the supplements) regularly and consistently, as it is difficult for new microbes to establish themselves in an already formed ecosystem (your gut).

Stay tuned for future posts about specific fermented foods.

Image courtesy of SOMMAI at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Bloated?

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If you are lucky you only get bloated from time to time. But for some of us, ‘from time to time’ is every day.

Bloating is an uncomfortable feeling of fullness usually accompanied by gas and distention. Distention is when your tummy is visibly larger after eating due to gas. We often use the word bloating to mean bloating, gas and distention.

There are a few root causes of bloating that anyone who suffers from it regularly should consider (this list is by no means complete):

  • Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO)
  • Dysbiosis
  • Leaky Gut
  • Candida overgrowth
  • Lack of stomach acid or digestive enzymes
  • Food Sensitivities
    • One way to figure out if a food is causing your bloating is to eliminate it for two weeks and then add it back in. A traditional elimination diet is when you eliminate all common triggers (wheat, dairy, sugar, corn, yeast, FODMAPs) and then add them back in one at a time. There are also blood tests for food sensitivities.

As a functional and integrative nutritionist I start delving into the root causes (and therefore real solutions) but let’s back up for a minute. Sometimes bloating can be caused by our eating habits. Do you eat fast? Eat while talking? Eat while drinking? Do you swallow without fully chewing your food? Do you drink carbonated beverages? Do you chew gum? If you answered yes to any of these, this could be causing your bloat.

Helpful Habits to establish to prevent bloating:

  1. Don’t eat and drink at the same time.
    • You want to allow your digestive juices (saliva and stomach acid) to be able to digest your food. Drinking liquids dilutes these juices causing a longer and more labored digestion.
  2. Chew and chew and then chew some more.
    • You want your food to be covered in your saliva (there are important digestive enzymes in saliva…just one of the many important functions of saliva). You want your food to be in ideal form so your stomach can do its job; and that means totally masticated.
  3. Try not to swallow air
    • Don’t eat too fast
    • Don’t talk too much while chewing and swallowing
    • No gum
    • No carbonated beverages
  4. Eat after moving into rest and digest mode
    • Pause and be still for 30 seconds before eating. You want to switch off your sympathetic nervous system (the stressed out and busy mode) and switch on your parasympathetic one.

Please leave comments or questions if you have them, and share this on social media! Thanks, be well.

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net