Tag Archives: Candida Treatment

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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Questions & Answers

Too Many Calories, Not Enough Nutrients

The world produces enough food to supply a lot of people. If you look at American, Europe, and other western nations, there are ample high protein and high-fat foods. I once read a study that shows there is a large enough food supply to provide everyone in developed nations with five to six thousands calories a day, if not more.

And yet, despite this abundance, there’s a concern about the micronutrient content of the standard American diet (SAD). The problem lies with a number of factors, including how food is distributed, how it’s processed, and the mechanization of harvesting.

The irony is that while we are swimming in an ocean of food, people still lack micronutrients. Nutrients like folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, and trace elements are getting harder and harder to access.

Folate is one of the most essential B vitamins for brain and heart health. Even the maturation of red blood cells requires sufficient folate. That’s one of the reasons several foods, such as bread, are fortified with folate.

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I believe that one of the reasons for the high rates of cancer in Western countries is that we are eating foods that are too rich in protein and fat and not rich enough in essential vitamins and minerals.

Everybody can do something about that. If you look at folic acid, it’s found at high levels in dark green, leafy vegetables, which are easy to grow for many people. Even if you just grow a few plants, you can now supply yourself with some of the folate that your brain desperately needs.

I think one of the reasons we see so much depression, anxiety, and suicide in modern society is that we lack the nutrition needed to keep our mental health in working order.

Many people I’ve seen in my clinic were magnesium deficient. Some also lacked calcium or vitamin C. These clients upgraded their diets to ensure they were getting enough essential nutrients and ended up feeling so much better.

If you suffer from depression or anxiety, and you have a poor quality diet, you have the potential to make a big difference to your mental health. Don’t just look at the keto or carnivore diets. Thinks about the trace elements and vitamins you need, and design your meals and snacks accordingly.

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Questions & Answers

The Key To Gaining Weight On An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

“How do I gain weight on a seborrheic dermatitis diet?”

Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition that often affects the scalp. One of the treatments for seborrheic dermatitis is to follow an anti-inflammatory diet.

If you have seborrheic dermatitis, it is particularly important to avoid bad fats like those found in deep-fried foods and takeout. Following the Standard American Diet (SAD) is not recommended for people with seborrheic dermatitis.

A seborrheic dermatitis diet includes an emphasis on fresh food.

If I had seborrheic dermatitis, I would start with getting a comprehensive stool analysis. I would want to know what imbalance exists and determine the levels of beneficial bacteria in my gut. I’d also be on the lookout for yeast, parasites, and any dysbiosis.

Many people with dermatitis have got dysbiosis. They’ve got lots of harmful bacteria circulating throughout their gut. Often, they’ll have bad breath as well and a coated tongue.

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Stool testing and appropriate treatment are essential for effective management of seborrheic dermatitis. I also recommend digestive enzymes. I find pancreatic enzymes, in particular, really help people with seborrheic dermatitis.

A seborrheic dermatitis diet would probably very similar to the one I eat. Oily fish like mackerel, tuna, herring, and salmon offer the right kinds of fat.

The best way to gain weight while following a seborrheic dermatitis, or anti-inflammatory, diet is to cut the junk out of your meal plan. Start eating healthier and healthier will adding supplements like omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics to your daily routine. I’d also recommend taking fat-soluble supplements like vitamins A, D, E, and K. I’ve found vitamin A to be particularly helpful for dermatitis.

Check to see if you have any food allergies. Many people with seborrheic dermatitis have got an allergy.

If you’ve got a runaway, out-of-control skin, and you see no improvement despite improving your gut health, get tested for leaky gut and food allergies. For food allergy testing, we are interested in IgE and IgG antibodies.

Take the founds that are causing peaks in these antibodies out of your diet.

You’re not going to be able to gain weight if your gut is in poor shape. By improve your gut flora, your bowel habits will improve along with your energy and sleep patterns. Taking this approach has worked for a lot of my clients. I hope it will work for you too.

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Questions & Answers

A Day In The Diet Of A Naturopath

My diet is made up of fresh, healthy foods.

I try and grow as many vegetables and fruit as possible. I also cut and process my food on the spot, to ensure nutrients and flavor are preserved.

For breakfast, I usually have organic rolled oats. I plan on starting to buy groats, mill them myself, and end up with fresh oatmeal with all the lovely oils and flavors preserved. The result is a very creamy rolled oat. Once you cook the oats in water or a little bit of non-homogenized milk, the taste is delicious. It’s so good; you won’t want to eat it any other way. I often cook the oatmeal with raisins and serve it with a bit of honey on top. I’ll have a large banana, a couple of small kiwi fruit, or berries as well.

Other breakfast options include a couple of eggs with grilled tomato, steamed spinach, and avocado. Notice how there’s no bread in with the mix. I very rarely eat any bread.

For lunch, I often have stir-fried vegetables, including bok choy or gai lan. I have some lean protein as well – a piece of tofu. I eat organic tofu two to three times per week. I’ll serve the vegetables with soba (buckwheat noodles) or brown rice. I also include garlic in the stir-fry. I eat anywhere from two to ten cloves of garlic per day. I eat a large range of vegetables, depending on what we have in the garden at any one time.

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For supper, I might have a piece of salmon with a big salad that includes a variety of greens, including purple lettuce and radicchio. I also add spring onion, spinach, edible flowers like borage or nasturtium, tomato, Kalamata olives, and cucumber. Sometimes I’ll also add some goats’ feta. Herbs are another essential part of my salad. I might put a big handful of fresh basil or other herbs into the mix.

For my salad dressing, I’ll squeeze some lime juice over the top and add minced cloves of garlic. Next will be the juice of a large lemon, two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a dash of sesame oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Sometimes I’ll also add a tiny little bit of anchovy sauce to give the salad a fantastic flavor.

Salad is always consumed fresh, and the rest is binned. We never keep what’s left at the end of the meal. I recommend starting each meal fresh rather than eating leftovers.

We like all sorts of different foods in our household. Greek, Italian, Vietnamese, French, and Japanese are all popular around here.

I don’t often eat desserts. I’ve got to watch my ever-expanding waistline. If I’m going to make anything, I might make a dish called hallway, which is semolina cooked in butter. In the summer, I might have some yogurt or fruit if I’m feeling peckish in the evening.

I drink one or two glasses of wine about two to three times per week. Apart from that, I drink a lot of purified water.

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