Category Archives: Questions & Answers

Questions & Answers

What You Need To Know About Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs)

Medium-chain fatty acids are derived from natural substances. Caprylic acid and capric acid are the two main MCTs and are found in coconut fat.

MCTs are easily absorbed by the body because these types of fats don’t require bile for digestion. I believe MCTs get absorbed straight into the portal vein, where it is shunted to the liver for processing. For that reason, MCTs don’t seem to cause the same weight gain as other fats that go through typical digestive processes.

You also need a lot less MCT or coconut oil to achieve satiety compared to fats like olive oil.
A meta-analysis that included 13 different studies found that regular ingestion of MCTs was associated with a ½ pound weight loss and a small decrease in waist circumference.

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MCTs can help you lose a small amount of weight. Still, they are not the be-all and end-all. You shouldn’t take MCT supplements and expect to transform your body.

If you’re serious about weight loss, I suggest focusing on increasing your protein intake while reducing your caloric consumption. Avoid crappy food and exercise more.

Still, having a small amount of MCTs in your diet has some value. MCTs are antifungal and can help control yeast levels in your gut.

My preference is to consume whole coconut rather than a fractionated product made from coconut oil. However, it’s your decision. You may prefer to take the supplement.

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Questions & Answers

Household Cleaners And Body Weight: What’s The Connection?

There’s an important impact of cleaning agents on the gut bacteria of infants.

A study was published in the Canada Medical Association Journal in 2018. The study followed 757 infants. The children were assessed at age three to four months and then again between one to three years old. Many stool samples were taken from the children.

The goal was to see if changes in gut bacteria are associated with household chemicals. The researchers look at cleansing agents such as strong surface cleaners, aerosols, and sprays. They looked at cleaning agents that were eco-friendly and more traditional cleaning agents.

Children in homes that used traditional cleansing agents had a lot fewer bacteria, particularly with regards to Haemophilus and Clostridia strains. In contrast, other strains of bacteria, such as Lachnospiraceae were increased.

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They also discovered that children from households that used a lot of surface cleaners and chemical products had higher BMIs than children from homes using eco-friendly cleaning products.
Remember, though, that diet can be a confounding factor. As you can well imagine, children coming from the eco-friendly cleansing households were a lot less likely to eat pizzas, French fries, and soda pop.

I can’t stand it when you walk in some houses, and it smells of chemicals. If I ever go into an Airbnb or a hotel room, and I can smell something, I walk out.

Be careful of cleaning agents, including using wet wipes to clean your children’s hands frequently. There’s something to be said for leaving healthy bacteria alone.

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Questions & Answers

Liver Cleansing For Candida: What You Need To Know

I’ve been asked before if a liver cleanse is necessary if a successful Candida cleanse has already been completed.

In my opinion, a liver cleanse is never unnecessary, but you don’t need to do a liver detoxification per se.

Liver detoxification occurs by default if you eat natural, healthy, good foods for a prolonged period. Especially if you are savvy about the risk environmental toxins pose to your liver. For example, personal care products, air fresheners, carpet deodorizers, garden chemicals, gasoline and turpentine are all potential toxins.

If you understand where the toxicity comes from in your life, try and avoid it. For example, in our house, the policy is that we don’t use any products that contain potentially cancer-causing chemicals. I don’t use strong chemicals in our home and especially not in the garden. I spend a lot of time in the garden.

If you keep your lifestyle, environment, and diet clean, you shouldn’t need regular liver cleansing.

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Every springtime, I do increase my intake of fresh, leafy green vegetables, berries, and water. To me, that is a purging or liver cleansing. I also regularly include herbs in my diet.
I think that taking Swedish Bitters is a fantastic way to do a mild liver cleanse any time of the year. Take one teaspoon once or twice per day before meals for about four to six weeks. Bingo, you’ve done a liver cleanse.

When you are trying to cleanse your liver, don’t drink any alcohol. Instead, drink more water, got to bed earlier, and eat better. The point I’m making is that you should look at your entire life when contemplating cleaning and detoxification.

Sometimes the analogy of a clean house is useful when discussing liver cleansing. Let’s say you’ve got a bathroom that’s nice and clean. It’s used now and then, but it’s kept clean. Now you’re saying to me, “Do I need to get in there and do a thorough clean? It looks pretty clean, but do I need to get in there and really clean?” And I’m saying, “Well, it looks tidy to me, why do you want to clean it for?” You don’t need to over clean, but again, you don’t want to under clean either.

If you’re feeling good, if you’re pooping good, if your energy’s good, if your sleep is good, if your mental health is good, if your cognitive function is good, if everything seems to be balanced, then why do you want to do a liver cleanse? I don’t think there’s any point.
It’s always up to you, but a liver cleanse is not something I would recommend doing just for the sake of doing it.

In my book Candida Crusher, I write about liver cleansing. Please take a look at my book for further discussion of liver cleansing. I do believe it’s a good thing to do now and then.

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Questions & Answers

Dieting Mistakes That Aren’t Good For Your Gut

There are several weight loss mistakes that can damage your gut health.

1. Caloric restriction: Many people believe that if they cut a certain amount of calories from their diet, they will lose weight. Unfortunately, they won’t only be starving themselves; they’re also starving the beneficial bacteria in the gut. Overly restrictive diets interfere with the critical hormones involved in regulating satiety and hunger. It also sets you up for binge eating. In my experience, restricting calories doesn’t result in sustainable weight loss. Sometimes it even contributes to weight gain!

2. Eliminating whole food groups: For example, there is an “expert” running around at the moment telling people to eliminate foods that contain lectin from the diet. That’s completely false. I’ve heard it all before. “Don’t eat tomatoes!” and “Don’t eat XYZ!” People will take whole food groups out of their diet because someone with a white coat and a stethoscope said they should. Don’t eliminate entire food groups. Weight loss doesn’t work that way, and it puts you at risk of not getting enough nutrients, including fiber.

Instead of eliminating entire food groups on speculation, get a comprehensive stool analysis, so you know exactly what is going on in your gut.

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3. Assuming that all salads are healthy: Not all salads are created equal. Some salads contain too much dressing, and the dressing includes high-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners.

4. Assuming that all “healthy” treats are genuinely healthy: Many people have this idea that things like granola bars are healthy. It’s incredible how many foods in New Zealand have a high “star” rating but are actually junk food. Many granola bars contain a lot of sugar, and some even contain hydrogenated fats. You don’t need granola bars, have an apple instead.

5. Assuming artificial sugars and diet foods are safe: You don’t want artificial sweeteners in your diet. There are several rat and animal studies suggesting that artificial sweeteners are not healthy. I’ve had clients who have suffered serious health consequences due to eating artificial sugars.

6. Considering fruit juice to be a “health” food: Many people still start the day with a tall glass of orange juice, full of sugar, and lacking in fiber. The fiber in fruit is what allows the sugar to be released very slowly. I suggest you ditch the juice and have the whole fruit instead.

7. Following a healthy diet while having an unhealthy lifestyle: No matter how much healthy food you eat, your gut is going to suffer if you’re sleep-deprived. You need to disconnect from your phone, computer, and television if you want to have excellent gut health. Good sleep, good physical activity, and low-stress living are just as important to gut health as your diet.

Questions & Answers

How Do Low-Carb Diets Impact The Gut?

Does eating a low carb diet affect your gut health?

The ketogenic diet has become a worldwide trend. It involves eating more animal-based proteins, more fat, and fewer carbohydrates. A lot of people have taken nearly all grains out of their diet. Not just wheat, but all sorts of carbohydrates.

I’m noticing an alarming trend that so many people are diving headfirst into a ketogenic diet. They are consuming more fresh and processed meats, more fat, more butter, and more coconut oil. They’re also eating large amounts of eggs, chicken, and fish. They might be losing weight, but is it sustainable? Is it healthy? What’s going to happen to their gut over the long term?

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I’m worried about the impact on the gut. By reducing the intact of carbs and fiber, you can starve your colon of the short-chain fatty acids that it needs. SCFA’s are the byproducts of bacterial fermentation.

A ketogenic diet may also be low in antioxidants. A person may lose weight but end up with major gut problems instead due to imbalances in the GI tract. Some doctors respond to this concern by suggesting people follow a “healthy” keto diet. My concern with a healthy keto diet is people are still going to eat far too much meat.

By 2050, it’s predicted that there’ll be over 10 billion people on this planet, and meat consumption is completely unsustainable at that level of population. It’s even unsustainable today. We’re seeing what’s happening around the world with fires and with how much land an animal needs to produce a couple of hamburgers. It’s ridiculous. I’m not a vegan, and I’m not again saying you should not eat meat.

I think meat forms an important part of the diet, but I think it should make up a very small part of what we eat

A high-fat, high meat diet is not suitable for bowel health. It could even contribute to the acceleration of diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

What’s the solution? More plants in your diet. And you definitely don’t want to chop 100% of grains out of your diet. I suspect there are a lot of health complications after years of eating low-carb.

If you look at people living in the Mediterranean, they don’t cut out most of the grains in their diet. The Japanese haven’t taken rice out of their diet. Did they all die of heart disease at a young age? No, the opposite! They live long lifespans. They were skinny people; they weren’t fat people. They were balanced. They had balanced lifestyles, where they worked hard, and ate well.

These people make their own food and have a diet heavy in antioxidant-rich foods. They eat meat sparingly and have ample nuts, seeds, and vegetables. That, to me, is the basis of a healthy diet.

Some of the best carbs to include in your diet are quinoa, millet, oats, buckwheat, bananas, sweet potatoes, beetroots, blueberries and grapefruits, and brown rice.

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