Tag Archives: digestion

Questions & Answers

Meat Versus Fibre: Which One Is The Best For Gut Health?

I once had an ex-vegan tell me that meat has more to offer gut health than fiber. Is that true?

In my opinion, the best case scenario for gut health is a balance between meat and dietary fiber. If you’re only eating meat, I’d want to know more about your digestive and bowel function before passing judgment on your diet.

Moving from being a vegan to eating meat again will result in a shift in gut flora. For example, levels of Bacteroides are higher in meat-eaters. Prevotella tends to be higher in vegans. My recommendation is to never make a cold turkey switch from one diet to another. “Warm turkey” is the way to go instead.

Fiber is exceedingly important when it comes to our health. People who consume substantial amounts of fiber have more stable metabolic rates, better energy, improved sleep, and better libido. They also are protected from accelerated aging by their healthy gut flora. There are other good reasons for having fiber in your diet. It helps with appetite regulation for one.

In my experience, very healthy people with well functioning digestive systems and balanced microbiotas eat a lot of resistant starch. Resistant starch is found in oats, brown rice, legumes, other grains, and root vegetables like potato and sweet potato.

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If you’re not currently doing so already, I recommend incorporating sweet potato into your diet once or twice a week. Just a small piece is a good starting point. Watch what happens to your gut over time as you have a bit of sweet potato twice a week. My guess is that it will calm down. If you start with a high dose of fiber, you can cause constipation, diarrhea, gas, or bloating. Never make a quick change when it comes to the fiber content of your diet.

I can assure you that fiber plays a fundamental role in health. You can’t live a healthy life by consuming meat all the time. Meat and red meat, in particular, has been linked to many cancers. I saw one recommendation out of England that said to limit your intake of red meat to 10 ounces per week. That recommendation was based on top scientific studies out of Europe and the U.S.

Be careful when it comes to meat intake. Don’t overeat red meat. Look at other forms of protein. Fresh fish is a superior protein. Free-range eggs are another excellent option. Balance your protein intake with reasonably good amounts of fiber, but don’t load your plate up with too much meat.

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Questions & Answers

Why Resistant Starch Is So Good For Your Gut

Why is it so important to include resistant starch in your diet?

When you eat food, digestion can begin as early in the mouth, driven by enzymes in the saliva. Next, the food is often partially digested in the stomach and finished off in the small intestine.

However, some foods contain resistant starches that aren’t fully digested into they reach the colon. These resistant starches get broken down, fermented, and act as food for beneficial bacteria.

These types are so vital for gut health that it upsets me to see all the anti-carb sentiments out there. I know from years of personal and professional experience, health, high-quality carbs do not make you fat. I’ve been eating bananas, oats, and potatoes all my life, and my gut health is great.

Resistant starches are a vital part of the diet that help regulate your appetite. They also help to bind cholesterol and pull it out of your body. If you eat a generous serving of rolled oats every day, there’s a good chance your cholesterol will come down.

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Food is medicine. Medicine is food. Rolled oats are a fantastic food. Another great source of resistant starch is plantain. I don’t recommend eating green bananas or other under-ripe fruit. In my opinion, some of the best resistant starches are oats, potatoes, sweet potato, pasta, brown rice, and white rice.

When you let a potato cool, and then cook it, it doubles the fiber content. That’s a pretty neat trick. You can make patties out of rice and sweet potatoes, and they’re delicious. Eating resistant starch is very healthy for the gut because it’s what the beneficial bacteria want. As their levels go up, you’ll have higher energy and better cognitive functioning.

When I move people from high-protein diets to one that includes resistant starches, they sometimes have side effects because their bacteria aren’t yet up to speed. That’s why it’s important to start low and go slow. If you haven’t’ been eating resistant starch, begin with tiny portions. This is particularly good advice if you already have problems with gas and bloating.

You may even want to do a stool test to make sure your levels of the pancreatic enzyme PE1(elastase) are sufficient. If PE1 is very low, you may need to take some digestive enzyme supplements to avoid side effects like bloating and flatulence.

Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse of nutrition. They are high in vitamin A and potassium, as well as containing fiber and resistant starch. In my opinion, they are one of the best root vegetables you can include in your diet.

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Questions & Answers

Five Natural Remedies For Improving Your Digestion

Certain herbs have a lot to offer the digestive system.

When you are taking a herbal medication, I don’t suggesting you take a mix of ten to fifteen herbs. My favorite herbal teacher said to me, “It’s best to understand the essence of the herb, or the signature of the herb.” You’ll only do that by taking that herb on its own for a while to get a feel for it and understand it’s impact on your health.

Here are five herbs that can be of benefit to the digestive system:

1. Dandelion (taraxacum officinale). Dandelion has leaves with a jagged edge and one big yellow flower. This plant is fantastic for liver cleansing. It’s a cholagogue, meaning that it helps clean the liver out the stimulates the flow of bile. This herb is good for a sluggish bowel and for people who are mild drinkers. Thankfully, this plant won’t leave you feeling queasy. This plant is a mild enough remedy that it’s a good starting point if you have a very sick liver. Second-year dandelion roots can be used to make a coffee-like beverage. The roots can also be steamed like carrots. Dandelion leaves are high in vitamins K and C. Just make sure you don’t eat dandelion leaves that have been sprayed with chemicals. The leaves of dandelion have a diuretic effect, which can be beneficial if you have high blood pressure.

2. Ginger (zingiberaceae officinale). Ginger is fantastic when it comes to the gut, particularly the stomach. It can help with conditions like dyspepsia, nausea, Helicobacter pylori, motion sickness, and morning sickness. I’ve seen ginger used with success for abdominal spasms, bloating, gas, and incarcerated flatulence. Ginger is a stimulant that is also very good for the circulation. You can use ginger to soothe bad bruising if the skin’s not broken. Ginger is also a sialogogue, meaning it triggers the production of saliva and helps with dry mouth. It’s also a calminitive, meaning that it calms the gut. Ginger is warming and helps to loosen things up in the gut. It helps you sweat, but I’ve also seen it help reduce a fever.

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3. Clove artichoke (Cynara scolymus): Clove artichoke is beautiful to eat and very good for liver function. It stimulates bile flow and cleanses the liver. Clove artichoke is one of my favorite herbs to use for a sluggish bowel. It’s also been used for gallstones, biliary disease, liver impairment, and chronic constipation. Traditionally it was used for jaundice in young people. By stimulating bile, colonic function is improved, which reduces the risk of bacterial and yeast problems in the gut.

4. Slippery elm bark (Ulmus fulva): Slippery elms are quite a tall tree, and it’s the pink inner bark that’s of interest. Slippery elm bark is the best demulcent herb for internal and external use. Demulcent means it’s soothing. Slippery elm soothes the elementary mucosas throughout the entire digestive tract. This herb is particularly good for infants up to about two or three years of age. I recommend slippery elm for ulcers and other conditions that trigger burning in the gut. It’s also good for bowel problems, whether that’s diarrhea, constipation, or irritable bowel syndrome. I’d also use it for GERD and Helicobacter. If you’re going to take slippery elm, make sure you get some with a pinky color but not overly red. The more pink the color, the higher the quality. A good test is to get a good pinch of the stuff and put it in water. Within a few minutes, it should turn into a jelly-like substance. That’s a good slippery elm powder. Externally, it’s nice to put on burns and cuts and abrasions. Slippery elm is also a fantastic prebiotic, particularly for bifidobacterium.

5. St. Mary’s thistle (Silybum marianum): This is probably one of the best liver herbs available. It’s hepato- restorative, it’s hepato-protective, and it’s a mild cholagogue. St. Mary’s thistle is one of the best herbs you can use for three to six weeks to facilitate a good detoxification. It’s an excellent treatment to use if you have a history of using a lot of pharmaceutical drugs like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and other NSAIDs. A garlic and St. Mary’s thistle combination is particularly suitable for detoxifying the liver from the effects of drugs.

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