Tag Archives: gut issues

Questions & Answers

What Type Of Alcohol Is The Healthiest?

I’ve been asked so many times, “What’s the best alcohol to drink if I want to say healthy?”
I wouldn’t call any type of alcohol “healthy,” but in my experience, vodka and gin have the most minimal effects on the GI tract.

Vodka has been filtered so many times through charcoal to clean out the impurities, and it tends to have the least effect on the small and large bowel – although this isn’t necessarily true for the stomach.

Of course, vodka and gin in excess are going to be hard on the body in general.

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Beer has to be amongst some of the worst types of alcohol for the gut. The same is true for high FODMAP wines. Some of these wines contain loads of sugar. Dessert wines, muscats, and some pinot noirs are very high in sugar.

To keep your intake of alcohol in the “healthy as possible” range, I’d recommend limiting it to one drink for women and two drinks for men at any one sitting. Some people argue that there is no amount of alcohol that is healthy. However, I do know some people who have had very moderate intake for their entire adult life and are in excellent health.

For those people who aren’t able to stop at one or two drinks, they are best avoiding alcohol altogether.

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Questions & Answers

How To Chose A Naturopath

If you’re looking for a naturopath, you’ll be happy to hear that there are a lot of excellent practitioners out there.

I recommend working with a naturopath with formal credentials rather than someone who is entirely self-taught. Be very careful, because in some countries anyone can hang up a shingle and say that they’re a naturopath. It’s a very unregulated field area in many countries.

In the U.S., New Zealand, and Australia, at least, they’ve become very strict about who can and can’t call themselves a naturopath. But, in many other countries, anyone can call themselves a naturopath.

Once you have confirmed the naturopath is well qualified, I would check to see how long they have been in practice and their areas of particular expertise. If you have digestive problems, it makes sense to see a naturopath with a specific interest in that area. I also think you’re better off working with someone who has a real passion for what they do.

Further readings:

Being able to communicate effectively is a crucial skill for any health care provider, naturopaths included. You want to feel that you are being heard and understood.

Empathy is another vital skill. And I think it’s very valuable for the naturopath to know both alternative and conventional medicine. You will want your naturopath to understand prescription medication and possible interactions with both natural and prescription drugs.

Often you’re better served by a naturopath who is a bit older. A 22-year-old naturopath knows less about inflammatory bowel disease than one who is 35. It may be completely fine to see a young naturopath about mild constipation, but a serious illness may be better managed by one with more experience.

Naturopathic organizations and associations often have lists of practicing professionals. These groups may be able to direct you to a naturopath with expertise in your area of concern.

Be sure that your naturopath is well versed in stool testing. And hightail it away from anyone who comes up with a snap diagnosis. I’d also watch out if they recommend twenty or thirty tests and thousands of dollars in treatment despite having just met you.

Use your common sense and gut instinct as well.

Look for someone who can see you regularly. I recommend at least monthly appointments until your health has clearly improved.

Remember, there’s the medical doctor, and there’s the naturopathic one. It’s good to have both in your life.

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Questions & Answers

Will Lemon Tea Help You Lose Weight?

Is lemon tea good for weight loss?

Lemon tea is healthy, but it’s not that effective for weight loss. If you want to drink tea known to increase metabolism and fat burning, you should reach for a cup of good quality green tea.

Lemon tea may stimulate digestion and help with the stomach and small intestine function. I also like lemon, lemon juice, and lemon tea is because research tells us that they all inhibit bacteria. Lemon has a nice cleansing effect on the small intestine as well.

A 2010 study published in the American nutrition journal involved giving obese people four cups of green tea per day for eight weeks. The researchers compared the weight loss results of the tea drinkers to people who were drinkings four cups of water per day. The tea drinkers lost five pounds, and the water drinkers remained the same.

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It is thought that green tea helps with weight loss through its caffeine and polyphenol content. Lemon tea, in contrast, doesn’t contain caffeine.

I’m not opposed to including caffeine in your diet. Just don’t drink twenty-five cups of coffee per day. But one good cup of espresso in the morning is a delight.

Even though lemon tea doesn’t seem to facilitate weight loss, I still highly recommend including lemon in any form in your diet. Both lemon and lime improve gallbladder function. Lemon can also help with bowel movements and with oily skin. There’s probably a hundred and one uses for lemon, but rapid weight loss isn’t one of them.

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Questions & Answers

What is The Impact Of The Ketogenic Diet On Heart And Brain Health?

Before you go on any diet, its important to understand the pros and cons. That includes knowing the impact of ketogenic or high-protein diets on the risk of heart disease and stroke.

There are people out there who advocate a healthy variant of the ketogenic diet, but the diet is still high in fat, high in animal protein, and low in resistant starch. A lot of different foods are missing from the ketogenic diet. I’m particularly concerned about the lack of starchy vegetables in that kind of diet.

The European Journal of Nutrition published a study that demonstrated a dramatic increase in trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a toxic compound produced in the gut by a specific bacteria called Hungatella. Hungatella produces higher amounts of TMAO in the presence of a high-protein diet. TMAO is associated with a 62% increased risk of heart disease.

Further readings:

This study was focused on the paleo rather than the ketogenic diet. But I’m pretty sure that the findings would be the same for the keto diet.

Restricting resistant starch and eating lots of dietary fat and protein alters the gut microbiome. This alteration can trigger different disease processes in humans.

Don’t stay on the ketogenic or paleo diet for the long-term. If you want to keep off weight permanently, focus on lifestyle, stress, sleep, and a generally healthy diet, rather than a fad like paleo or keto.

The ketogenic diet will stabilize your blood sugars and reduce body fat, but I’d hate to see what the arteries are going to be like in the brain and around the heart if you stay on that diet for a long time.

Remember, my concerns don’t refer to the keto or paleo type diets that also include fruit and resistant starch. I think those foods should never have been taken out in the first place.

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Questions & Answers

Flavonoids And Weight Loss: What You Should Know

Can flavonoids help you lose weight? And if so, what’s a safe amount for somebody to consume daily?

Firstly, it’s important to know that flavonoids are protective factors found in plants, including vegetables and fruits. Flavonoids act to protect and strengthen plants, increase cell-to-cell communication, and stop sun damage. The bottom line is that flavonoids make plants strong and healthy.

Weight issues have been around for a long, long time. But they’ve exploded in recent years.
Flavonoids also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

I read a fascinating study in the British Medical Journal published in 2016, involving over 124,000 people. The study followed men and women for up to 24 years. This study found that people who each a flavonoid-rich diet found it easier to maintain a healthy weight. This was true even after the study was adjusted for smoking and exercise habits. Even sedentary people were found to better maintain a healthy weight when eating a diet rich in flavonoids.

Flavonoids are found in a variety of foods, including vegetables like onions, fruit like pears, and tea. The top flavonoid in this research was the anthocyanin.

Further readings:

Anthocyanins are found in strawberries, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, radishes, black currants, and grapes. These foods are what I called “pinnacle” foods because of their high nutrient content.

I encourage people to eat berries every day to their beneficial effects on health.

Quercetin is a very beneficial flavonoid found in onions. That’s one of the reasons I eat onions every day. Red wine and chocolate also contain flavonoids. It’s easy to overeat chocolate, so be very careful and only have small amounts of high-quality dark chocolate.

The more flavonoids you eat, the less you’ll crave processed foods. These foods taste delicious and also have powerful positive effects on your immune and digestive systems.

Most people between the ages of 18 and 49 will gain one to two pounds per year. If you do the math, that can be a lot of extra weight by the time you’re sixty. By maintain muscle mass and eating healthy foods, including flavonoid-rich fruits and vegetables, you can buck the trend of gradual weight gain.

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