It is not something we like to openly talk about: the state of our digestion. However, if you consider that what happens in our gut determines to a large extent how we feel, physically and emotionally, I think it might be time to pay our digestive system a little attention…
More than 70% of our immune system resides in our digestive track. The gut is also called our second brain. It houses the ENT (enteric nervous system) that contains over 100 million neurons, which is more than the number of nerve cells in our spinal cord.
An unhealthy gut has been linked to a host of health problems ranging from “simple” digestive disorders to more severe and chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, autism spectrum disorders, arthritis, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Considering all this let’s put our inhibitions aside and examine our digestion in a little more detail…
There are two main physical aspects that determine how healthy your gut is: the flora (or bacteria) and the gut barrier (the lining of your colon).
Gut Flora
We have about 100 trillion micro organisms in the form of different types of bacteria in our digestive track. That is about 10 times more bacteria than there are cells in the entire human body. “We are more bacterial than human” says Chris Kesser in his book “9 Steps to Perfect Health.”
These good bacteria make up a large portion of our immune system, promote a good gastro-intestinal function, protect us from infection and help regulate our metabolism.
Because of various different reasons such as the use of antibiotics, a poor diet, stress, inflammation, oral contraceptives etc. these good bacteria can be taken over by bad bacteria. This is also known as dysbiosis: imbalanced gut flora. The bad bacteria, when in excess, produce toxins that harm the cells around them, leading to pain and inflammation, food sensitivities, toxicity, leaky gut syndrome and fat storage. Dysbiosis is the primary cause of digestive problems.
A second, very common problem that often occurs as a result of dysbiosis is an overgrowth of candida, leading to candidiasis. It is estimated that one third of the world’s population is affected by this fungal overgrowth. Candida is an essential part of our system as it helps with the production of vitamin K and certain vitamin Bs. Our gut flora keeps the candida in check but when there is dysbiosis, candida has the ability to overgrow, thereby causing a whole lot of problems.
Gut Barrier
Our gut has the important role of letting nutrients into our bodies and preventing potentially harmful substances from entering.
Due to food sensitivities (particularly gluten), GMO foods, LPS, stress, inflammation, bad bacterial overgrowth (dysbiosis), fungal overgrowth, medications, or parasites the intestinal barrier can sometimes become compromised. The resulting condition is also known as intestinal hyper permeability: the intestinal barrier becomes permeable and lets large protein molecules into the bloodstream which then triggers an immune response in which the body’s immune system attacks these protein molecules. Symptoms range from digestive issues (such as bloating, stomach pain, gas, diarrhea) to fatigue, skin problems, brain fog, poor memory, anxiety, mood swings, frequent viral infections, etc.
What is important to understand is that these immune responses are not limited to the digestive system. Once absorbed into the bloodstream, toxins and other compounds can trigger immune reactions in various other parts of the body. This is also known as “molecular mimicry”: when the molecules that pass through the intestinal barrier resemble the molecular structure of the body’s own tissues. For example: the gluten molecule resembles the thyroid tissue and is therefore linked to the development of Hashimoto’s: a thyroid auto-immune disease where the body attacks it’s own thyroid tissue.
A compromised gut barrier is therefore not the cause of digestive problems only. Symptoms can range from skin problems (rashes, eczema etc.) to other inflammatory conditions, thyroid problems, asthma, heart failure, arthritis, mental illness, etc. And as I mentioned earlier, it is a possible precursor to auto immune diseases such as Hashimoto’s and Type 1 Diabetes.
Steps to ensure a healthy digestion
In 2005 I was diagnosed with intestinal permeability. Some of my symptoms included digestive issues but at the time I was also dealing with fatigue, hormonal imbalances, skin problems, and unexplained weight loss. Over time, through a health protocol targeted at repairing the digestive system and rebuilding good gut flora I managed to clear up all my health issues.
These are the steps you can take to heal your gut:
- Remove all foods from your diet that are possibly triggering immune responses. This can be done through an elimination diet. Foods that are possible offenders are gluten, lactose (all dairy products), corn, soy, citrus fruits, nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes), pork, eggs. Leave these foods out of your diet for 4 weeks and then re-introduce them one by one. Say you re-introduce gluten for example, eat foods that contain gluten for 2 days and notice if there are any negative reactions. If there are heightened reactions avoid gluten-containing foods for 6 months to allow healing of the gut barrier before trying again. After trying out gluten, eat dairy products for 2 days and again look out for reactions. Continue until all possible foods have been tested.
- Avoid all other inflammatory foods such as industrial processed vegetable seed oils, sugar, refined and processed foods.
- Depending on the severity of the problem, eliminate all other possible digestive irritants such as whole grains, nuts & seeds unless soaked and/or sprouted.
- Get tested and treated for possible intestinal parasites.
- Adopt a diet in line with the Flavor of Health’s Cornerstones of a Healthy Diet: whole foods, seasonal & local produce, high quality fats, no sugar, eaten with awareness and appreciation. Read my article “Eat Well to Be Well” for more details.
- Include fermentable fiber in your diet through a diverse range of fruits and vegetables and whole grains (if they are tolerated well and prepared carefully).
- Include fermented foods into your diet to build up the healthy gut flora: yoghurt (if you can tolerated dairy), kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, kanji, kombucha, etc.
- Supplement with digestive enzymes and a high quality probiotic supplement.
- Manage your stress levels: stress affects the body’s immune system of which more than 70% is in our gut. Managing stress is therefore a critical aspect.
- Build good mealtime habits: chew your food well as digestion begins in your mouth. Don’t drink water with your food (sipping is allowed) and not less then 30 minutes before a meal and 45 minutes after.
Even if you don’t experience any of the more serious symptoms of an impaired digestive system, it makes sense to incorporate most of these tips into your diet routine to maintain a healthy digestion (and feel great!). It might not be necessary for you to eliminate all the possible offenders mentioned in the first step but it is always good to be aware that these can cause problems if you are sensitive and if your digestion is compromised. Especially gluten is troublesome for many of us, even if we don’t realize it. You can read my article on Gluten for more information.
Lastly, please note that I am a holistic health coach and not a licensed medical doctor. My views are solely based on my personal research, coaching people, and observations from my own eating regimen and should be considered as recommendations, not as professional advice. If you are experiencing serious digestive issues or any other symptoms that may be linked to an impaired digestion, I recommend you see a licensed medical practitioner who specializes in digestive issues. I highly recommend finding a Functional Medicine Practitioner who takes a more holistic approach to healing.
For more reading (or listening) on the subject of digestive health, these are some resources:
http://psychologyofeating.com/brain-belly/
http://chriskresser.com/pioneering-researcher-alessio-fasano-m-d-on-gluten-autoimmunity-leaky-gut
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/09/16/5-simple-steps-to-cure-ibs-without-drugs/#close
Other references:
Liz Lipski – “Digestive Wellness”
Chris Kesser – “9 Steps to Perfect Health”
In case you were wondering about the image that goes along with this post: chamomile tea is soothing to the digestive system. 😉
Also, keep a lookout for my next post about the ayurvedic perspective on health and digestion.
Be Well!
Monique
