Ok, so why are we going to talk about the gut and how to "fix" it?
Simple....
If the gut is broken then its not absorbing nutrients, which means that you're not losing weight despite eating less, balancing your macros or working out the way you need to.
Essentially your engine is broken...
Knackered
Bust
Useless
Even FUBAR!!
Sooooo......
Here's the low down of how the Gut Works
1) The gut contains bacteria essential for the breakdown of the foods we eat (and drink). For the sake of simplicity we tend to call them "good" and "bad" bacteria....original huh!!
2) The MORE EFFECTIVE the bacteria or "healthy" the gut is, the more likely you are to use the nutrients from the food you take in.
3)The LESS EFFECTIVE the bacteria, the more likely that food will be passed through the body, passing into the colon or being stored as fat (this is especially relevant if you've been at a high bodyfat percentage for a while)
4) If you've been taking antibiotics recently then I suggest you take note of this weeks emails as the drugs will have killed off a large proportion of the "good" bacteria present
Before you even THINK about going on any kind of weight loss or healthy eating programme then you need to ensure that the gut is working the best it can, otherwise you may well be setting yourself up for failure.
So in this article I'm going to....
Tell you how to spot the signs and symptoms of Dysbiosis so you know to take ACTION
Show you how to FIX the problem and supercharge your engine
Explain what Prebiotics are and how these hard punching veggies boost your bacteria
Explain what Probiotics are and why you're wasting your time with that tub of yakult!
By the time we’re done you'll have everything you need to turn your gut into an unstoppable force!
Time to get your rear in gear!!
So it's time to answer the question
How do you KNOW if you have gut problems?
Dysbiosis, or an excess of bad bacteria in the gut, is becoming more and more common as we increasingly rely more and more on convenience foods and spend less time thinking about what we're eating
So how can you tell if you've a potential problem?
Essentially you're looking for the following symptoms...
1) Regular bloating
2) Excess wind
3) You catch colds regularly due to a low immune system
4) You suffer regularly from low moods or anxiety
5) You regularly suffer from skin complaints, spots, eczema flare ups, etc
Quite often you might find that you're experiencing a number of these symptoms at the same time.
So ask yourself..
Do you regularly feel bloated and uncomfortable?
Does your skin feel dry and rubbery?
Do you feel tired and lethargic regularly?
If this is you then take a good look at the food you eat each day...
Is it generally beige in colour, lacking in fruit and veg? Do you miss or rush meals regularly?
If so then your gut could be the problem
Here's a few examples to put things into perspective..
Rushing your meals
When we rush our food we don't chew our food properly. This then leads to undigested food making its way to the colon which, in time, becomes a breeding ground for "bad" bacteria.
A low vegetable intake
Small or virtually non-existent intakes of vegetables will, over time, lead to a low level of stomach acid. This, together with rushing your meals, adds to the undigested food making its way through the body.
Heartburn
If heartburn (or acid reflux) is something you often suffer with, then this may be due to a low level of acid within the digestive system. In turn the proteins stay in the stomach longer which increases levels of "bad" bacteria. Gluten sensitivity can also be a factor.
So basically you're gonna feel pretty crappy as you go from day to day...
AND
It's not going to get any better UNLESS you change something...
So onwards to the SOLUTION!
Hurrah!!
By now you should have determined whether you're suffering from any of the symptoms of a sub-performing gut
(Hint! If you put on weight easily then this is you!)
So
What are you going to do about it?
Take ACTION or NOT?
Choice is yours
But if you you're READY to change things up then here's a quick plan to get you rolling
Timeframe wise you're looking at around 3 weeks....maybe longer if you've had issues for a while.
Ok so here's the plan....
Bullet point style
And in no particular order
You ready?!!
> Eat just three times a day (no snacking)
> Eat at least 5 portions of vegetables and 2 portions of fruit per day (lots of variety!)
> Choose lean protein sources like chicken breast, fish, etc
> Take time to chew and eat your meal
> No Dairy (use olive oil for cooking)
> Fast for 12 hours between your evening meal and breakfast the following day
> Get a fish oil supplement (helps reduce inflammation)
> No beans or pulses (because of their high lectin levels which hurt the gut lining)
> No alcohol, sugar, sweeteners, grains, dairy, caffeine and anything thats processed
> Drink plenty of water
One last thing......no calorie counting or any of the usual flim flam!
Just eat well and get on with it....
Soon you'll feel better and chances are you'll lose weight too....BONUS!!!
Ok, nearly done but there’s a couple of other things I want to mention
First up......
PREBIOTICS
Basically these are turbocharged goodies to BOOST your progress and support the growth of good bacteria. Prebiotics are the foods that actively promote the growth of "good" bacteria within the gut. These are the foods that give the most bang for your buck
I would suggest spreading these foods out and including a couple of them in your meal plan each day
So what are these mysterious foods?
These body boosters...
Gut galvanisers...
Here's a few foods for your shopping list (its not all inclusive by the way)
Bananas
Apples
Leeks
Asparagus
Onions
Garlic
You can also add cold potatoes to that list too...
But
They MUST be cold.......because we need the starch that develops when they cool down
Weird huh!!
...and yet it works!
Alright! Time to tell you all about
PROBIOTICS
The other side to the supercharge lever!
The difference between the Prebiotics we spoke about yesterday and Probiotics is that the Probiotics actually help ADD "good" bacteria into the gut rather than just supporting what's actually there. Many of these are natural products which have been fermented for a period of time
Products like....
Kimchi
Sauerkraut
Fermented Yoghurt and Milk
"Blue" Cheeses like Stilton or Roquefort
And if thats not enough, there are other options to help you....
Supplements
And they're readily available (mine come from Genetic Supplements) in many health food stores.
Note that there is a difference between Probiotics and digestive enzymes, although both would probably help.
At the end of the day its up to you, but you don't need a whole load to be effective, just little and often.
One more thing I will say is be wary of some mainstream yoghurts that claim to have gut enabling bacteria, often they fail to have enough to have any worthwhile use as bacteria levels are just too low
So there you have it, a quick mini-blueprint for fixing your gut leaving you to be awesome and blast through those calories
If you've found the information here useful and you'd like to read more on the subject then I'd recommend you read The Gut Makeover by Jeannette Hyde. You can find it readily through amazon etc.
Lastly if you've found this article useful then Subscribe Here for my daily infomails and please share this information around your family and friends.
Ok, time for me to bug out...