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Gut Health Series Part 3: Gut health and diet

Gut health and diet

For this 3-part blog series of the week, this last article will focus on gut health and diet. By now, you would have known that gut health refers to the overall health and well-being of your digestive system to put it in simple terms. This includes the stomach, intestines, and other organs involved in the digestion and absorption of food nutrients in a human body.

Good gut health means that your digestive system is functioning properly and efficiently, and that you have a proper bacterial balance. To maintain this, it’s important to follow a diet that is higher in fat content and much lower in simple and complex carbohydrates. When adopting this type of diet, it allows you to utilize healthy fat as fuel, and helps to your digestive system to process the most unhealthy properties first, thus utilizing fat as fuel. When you utilize fat as fuel, you don’t store fat, thus leading to a healthier you. This transformation does not take long to achieve. 

In addition to a good diet, a lifestyle including regular exercise and enough hours of sleep can help train your body to avoid unnecessary stress and unhealthy habits such as habitual smoking and drinking alcohol. Although this may be commonly known, there is a more thorough explanation.

When your liver if functioning at a high level, it is not being overworked. When it is functioning at suboptimal level, it is being worked too hard. Your digestive process triggers your liver to help process the most toxic things in your diet first. If it spends all of its time and energy processing the most toxic properties of your diet first, it has no choice but to store the more healthy properties. So if it is spending time processing simple sugars, processed foods, and excess alcohol, it will store fat, thus increasing fat, thus increasing your bodies inflammation. If you limit this unhealthy dietary habits, your body will utilize fat as fuel and the result will be healthier feeling you. 

The foods you consume can have a significant impact on gut health and function of bodily systems linked to it. In the previous blogs, you’ve also learned about the use of probiotics and prebiotics that can aid in improving gut health and promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in your digestive system. 

Your diet can directly impact a healthy gut microbiome which should have a diverse, balanced, and wide range of beneficial bacteria. This complex community of microorganisms that live in your digestive tract play an important role in nutrient absorption, digestion, immune system regulation, and brain function.

Doctors recommend a balanced diet, especially to promote gut health, in order to enjoy these benefits:

  1. Improved mental health and cognitive function
  2. Reduced inflammation throughout the body
  3. Improved digestion and nutrient absorption
  4. Boosted immune system function
  5. Reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers
  6. Improved weight management and metabolic health

In conclusion, taking care of your gut health will have a positive impact on your overall health and well-being. It’s crucial that you pay attention to your body before it gets worse so that you can make good choices that support good gut health. 

To read further about our philosophy on diet, click below to learn more! 

Your Health Transformation with The Cognitive Health Institute: Our Philosophy (Part 2 of 3)

References:

  1. World Health Organization (2015). Healthy diet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet 
  2. Harvard Health Publishing (2018). The gut-brain connection. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-gut-brain-connection 
  3. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2017). Your Digestive System and How It Works. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works 
Author Charity Sembrero Categories Weekly Blog Posts Posted on 0 Comments

Gut Health Series Part 2: Gut Health and Inflammation

Gut health and inflammation are two subjects that have been receiving increasing interest from the medical community in recent years and also serves as a premise of our program. 

Inflammation is a natural response of the immune system to injury, infection, or stress. This is a healthy and natural process for our body to heal. However, chronic inflammation is not natural, nor healthy. Chronic inflammation can cause different health issues such as autoimmune disease, chronic arthritis, Alzheimers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and even cancer. 

The gut, on the other hand,  contains trillions of microorganisms, also referred to as the microbiota. It assists in regulating the immune system and keeping your gut healthy.

This blog aims to explore the relationship between inflammation and gut health and offer recommendations for keeping the gut healthy.

Tips in Maintaining a Healthy Gut

First, let’s take a closer look at inflammation.

As a reaction to irritants like pathogens or toxins, the immune system releases cytokines that prompts the immune cells to migrate to the site of injury or infection to initiate healing. Inflammation naturally recedes once the threat has been resolved. However, chronic inflammation happens when the body experiences prolonged stress, environmental toxins, or a diet high in processed foods and sugar, resulting in an overactive immune system.

Now, let’s talk about gut health. 

The gut microbiota is a thriving community of microorganisms. These tiny creatures keep our immune system in check and support a healthy gut. The mucosal layer is a special lining that protects the gut. It acts as a defense against harmful substances from penetrating the bloodstream. For the layer to be strong, the gut microbiota produces short fatty acids to nourish the cells. 

So, what can we do to maintain a healthy gut and reduce inflammation? Here are some tips:

  1. Observe a whole food diet. 

Eat foods that are higher in fat content, but lower in carbohydrate count. Here is a list of many healthy recipes to consider. (Insert link to our recipe page on website)

  1. Avoid processed and sugary foods.

Process and sugary foods can disrupt the balance of the gut microbiota, resulting in inflammation and a range of health problems.

  1. Consume probiotics and prebiotics. 

Probiotics are live microorganisms that promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Prebiotics are a type of fiber that nurture the gut microbiota. You can find probiotics in fermented foods like yogurt and kefir, and prebiotics in foods like garlic, onions, and leeks. Although not all prebiotics and probiotics are created equal, it is generally a healthy habit to consume them. 

  1. Manage chronic stress. 

Regular stress is a very natural and healthy thing. Stress is your bodies natural response to a situation, which often induces focus. In short periods of time, there is a big upside to stress. However, chronic stress leads to the over-activation of the immune system and chronic inflammation. Reduce stress!  Try practices like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing, as well as proper rest. We have found that measuring things like sleep will create personal accountability, and thus assist in stress reduction. 

To sum up, gut health and inflammation are two topics that are almost intertwined. The gut microbiota regulates the immune system and maintains gut health. A healthy gut can help to minimize inflammation and prevent a variety of health problems. By following the tips outlined above, you can take steps to maintain a healthy gut and reduce inflammation in your body.

We are excited to provide to you the last installment next in this three part series related to gut health and your diet! Stay tuned!

Sources:

  1. Ciorba, M. A. (2012). A gastroenterologist’s guide to probiotics. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 10(9), 960-968.
  2. Gibson, G. R., Hutkins, R., Sanders, M. E., Prescott, S. L., Reimer, R. A., Salminen, S. J., … & Scott, K. (2017). Expert consensus document: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of prebiotics. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Author Charity Sembrero Categories Book Summary Posted on 0 Comments

The Dorito Effect

A Book Summary

“The Dorito Effect” by Mark Schatzker explores the impact of industrial farming and food production on the taste and nutrition of our food. Schatzker argues that as modern agriculture has focused on producing more and bigger crops, it has also inadvertently stripped food of its natural flavor and nutrients.

The book begins by tracing the history of flavor, examining how early humans evolved to seek out foods that provided them with the nutrients they needed to survive. As humans have developed new farming techniques, however, the flavor and nutritional content of our food has suffered. Schatzker argues that the food industry has responded to this by adding artificial flavors and other chemicals to enhance the taste of food, leading to a “Dorito effect” in which we crave the intense, artificial flavors of processed foods over the more subtle flavors of natural foods.

The book goes on to explore the impact of this phenomenon on our health, arguing that the nutrient-deficient diets many of us consume are contributing to a host of modern health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Schatzker concludes by calling for a return to more natural, flavorful food production methods and a renewed focus on the nutritional content of our diets.

He argues that the overconsumption of highly processed, artificially flavored foods has led to a host of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Schatzker explains that when we eat natural foods that are rich in nutrients, our bodies are able to regulate our appetite and metabolism effectively. However, when we consume foods that are nutrient-deficient and artificially flavored, our bodies struggle to recognize when we are full, leading us to overeat and consume more calories than we need.

Furthermore, Schatzker highlights how the lack of natural flavor in modern foods has led to a rise in the use of artificial sweeteners, such as high-fructose corn syrup, which have been linked to a host of health problems. He notes that these sweeteners are often added to processed foods to mask the absence of natural flavor and to make them more palatable to consumers.

Schatzker argues that in order to address these health problems, we need to focus on consuming more natural, nutrient-rich foods. He calls for a renewed focus on sustainable agriculture and the use of natural flavorings, such as herbs and spices, to enhance the taste of our food. He also stresses the importance of reading food labels and avoiding highly processed foods that are loaded with artificial flavors and sweeteners.

Overall, “The Dorito Effect” is a thought-provoking exploration of the impact of modern food production on our health and our taste preferences. It challenges readers to reconsider our relationship with food and the role that industrial farming and food processing play in shaping the flavor and nutritional content of the foods we eat.

Author Diane Santos Categories Book Summary, Uncategorized, Weekly Blog Posts Posted on 0 Comments

Gut Health Series Part 1: Introduction

Your gut health serves as the center of your health. Gut health is linked to nearly every autoimmune disease, as well as most neurodegenerative disease. It also impacts mood, focus, sleep, recovery, as well as daily aches and pains of your body.

We are here to educate you on gut health, as well as how to get your gut health under control.

 

Gut Health Overview

Recent research has sparked a surge of interest in the world of gut health, revealing that our gut microbes play a vital role in our overall well-being. Studies have shown that the gut microbiome does much more than aid digestion; it also influences our metabolism, immune system, and even mental health. 

With groundbreaking findings pointing to the importance of gut health, it’s time to take a closer look at how our overall health and wellness is impacted by the tiny organisms that call our gut home. This is our first blog of a 3-part series on gut health.

Our gut described

Our gut – the long tube in our body that starts from the mouth, stomach, and bowel – is home to trillions of tiny microbes called bacteria. Some of those bacteria are good and some of those bacteria are bad. This system is collectively known as the gut microbiome and these bacteria play an important role in keeping us healthy by aiding our bodies in food digestion, water and vitamin absorption, producing vitamins and other essential compounds, and regulating our immune system.

There are two main types of bactiera:

Add continents on the two types of bacteria Firmocytes and bactofphies 

Sometimes, the balance of these gut bacteria can be disrupted, leading to a condition called gut dysbiosis, or leaky gut.  This means that there are too many harmful bacteria in the gut, which can cause health problems like constipation, diarrhea, or bloating. In more severe cases, gut dysbiosis can lead to irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease. But for purposes of our solution, the leaky gut causes chronic inflammation in your body, leading to the early stages of many diseases. 

There are a number of ways to help get your gut health under control, and we firmly believe that food is medicine. 

One of the key aspects of gut health research is on the study of probiotics – the live microorganisms that can improve gut health Probiotics have a number of beneficial effects on the gut microbiome such as reducing inflammation, improving digestion, and supporting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. 

The other area of gut health research is on the study of prebiotics – these are indigestible food ingredients that promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Prebiotics can help improve gut health by increasing the abundance of beneficial gut microbes, reducing inflammation, and improving overall gut function.

In later discussions, we will go into the different types of prebiotics and probiotics, and it is important to know that not all of them are created equal, and not all of them are equally beneficial specifically for you. 

Finally, gut health research highlights the importance of reducing exposure to harmful toxins including antibiotics, pesticides, and preservatives. Moreover, medical professionals suggest avoiding certain foods that can be harmful to the gut, such as processed and refined foods, as well as sugar and gluten. Just like the discussion of probiotics and prebiotics, not all foods that are healthy for you may be healthy for your neighbor or loved one. We believe in a personalized approach to gut health, and we will show you how to access that in later discussions. 

In conclusion, gut health research is a rapidly growing area providing new insights into the complex relationship between the gut microbiome our bodies and the inflammatory response that it may have on us. By understanding the impact of gut health and promoting a healthy gut microbiome through dietary and lifestyle changes, it may be possible to improve overall health and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

Our next blog post in this three part series will be on Gut health and Inflammation. Stay tuned in a few short days for another great article.

References:

  1. “What’s causing your IBS” – an article from Harvard Health Publishing that explains the relationship between diet and the gut microbiome causing IBS: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/whats-causing-your-ibs 
  2. “The Gut Microbiome and Its Role in Obesity” – a review article from the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology that discusses the relationship between gut health and obesity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5082693/ 
Author Charity Sembrero Categories Weekly Blog Posts Posted on 0 Comments

Your Health Transformation with AliRx: Our Solution (Part 3 of 3)

Our health-promoting daily practices support your body’s natural ability to fight inflammation. In an effort to help you operate better, feel better, and think clearly, we have created a positive and encouraging platform for you and to help you transform and take your life and health back!

Our Process

Our process consists of a few simple steps:

  1. An in-home testing kit sent straight to you
  2. Laboratory results 
  3. The creation of personalized recipes and supplements specific to your own gut health
  4. Utilizing our guide as your food prescription to be sure the food is now your medicine. Its that simple. 

Our process, when you sign up, is simple and personalized for you:

  1. Sign up through the member portal to create your account, and gain access to your documents. 
  2. Testing kit: You will receive a testing kit in the mail, sent directly to your home.
  3. After you complete the test, you simply ship it back, at which time, you will be notified of your results via email and text.
  4. Log in to your member portal. The results will show you a full and comprehensive list of foods that are good for you, and foods that are not good for you. You can see a sample of the report right here:
  5. We then will code your results into our meal and supplement software at which time we will then provide your personalized recipes, meals, and supplements, all with the goal of improving your gut health and reducing your body’s inflammation. You will receive a personalized guide and journal to make it easy for you. 
  6. Every six months, you will be asked to retest. As your gut health changes over time, so will the types of food you should be consuming. 
  7. You are now on your path to health, happiness, longevity, and a life where your quality of life will meet your length of life!

In addition to our process, as a member, you will receive constant updates to your recipe guide. As we understand the types of foods you like, and don’t like, your guide will be updated. In addition, we are adding hundreds of new recipes weekly, and those that are a fit for you will be added accordingly. 

Thank you for joining the AliRx community! We are happy to be your partner on your health transformation. 

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