Sometimes in life words of wisdom have a way of sinking into your brain and changing your life-
Sometimes in life words of wisdom have a way of sinking into your brain and changing your life for the better.
Continuing on nutrition (THE GUT)
Hello Followers,
Last Monday was my birthday, one of my gifts that meant the world to me was this journal book my daughter sent me. First it was her textile design, which you can buy from Target stores. Second, it gives me a place to put words of wisdom.
I have now a special place to write down my inspirational thoughts and key words that motivates me to create these posts.
On January 19th, I entered these words; “Sometimes in life words of wisdom have a way of sinking into your brain and changing your life for the better”.
This past two months, I have been blogging on nutrition, for we all have been cheated on the knowledge of how powerful this is to your health. Most doctors are not trained on this subject and only have several hours on the wisdom of how it can change the way we look at our health.
Today is how to nurture the good guys and support your gut health. We know that junk food, lack of fiber, glyphosate, antibiotics, and other toxins can compromise the bacteria upon which your digestion and brain health depends. Is there anything you can do about it?
Yes! Did you know there’s a lot you can do to nurture a healthy microbiome and to support a flourishing collection of beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract.
First don’t kill the good ones. When you steer clear of unnecessary antibiotics, glyphosate, and environmental toxins, you help to create the conditions for microbial health. Organic food, anyone?
Second don’t feed the bad ones. A diverse population of health-promoting flora protects your gut from the less helpful strains. But not all flora is good for you. A diet high in sugar, unhealthy fat, and processed food can feed the very kinds of flora that will cause gas, discomfort, bloating, and chronic inflammation.
Third feed the good ones. Probiotics are the so-called “good” microorganisms inside your gastrointestinal tract. They aid in digestion and keep your tummy happy. Like all living things, probiotics must be fed in order to remain active and vibrant.
Prebiotics are the food that probiotics need to thrive. They’re a type of plant fiber that humans can’t digest and that take up residence inside your large intestine. The more of these prebiotics you feed to your probiotics, the more efficiently they’ll do good work inside you.
The simplest way to think of it is this: If you want to nurture good bacteria, eat lots of fiber. Whole plant foods — especially fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains — have the most.
As New York Times personal health columnist Jane Brody writes, “People interested in fostering a health-promoting array of gut microorganisms should consider shifting from a diet heavily based on meats, carbohydrates, and processed foods to one that emphasizes plants.”
If your probiotic bacteria were in charge of the menu, they’d want abundant sources of prebiotic fibers like inulin and oligofructose, as well as pectin, beta-glucans, glucomannan, cellulose, lignin, and fructooligosaccharides (FOS). If you don’t know how to pronounce these names, don’t worry. Luckily, you don’t need a degree in biochemistry to eat good food.
Some top superfoods that provide an abundance of the best microbe-fueling nutrients include gum arabic (sap from the acacia tree, often sold as the supplement acacia fiber), chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, baobab fruit, dandelion greens, garlic, leek, onion, asparagus, wheat bran, banana, jicama, apples, barley, oats, flaxseed, cocoa, burdock root, yacon root, and seaweed.
Fourth eat the good ones. The word probiotic comes from the Greek for “support of life.” The two main ways to consume probiotics are in dietary supplements and in fermented foods. Probiotics have been found to be helpful in treating irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, colitis, acne, and eczema.
But they don’t always work. A lot of people are taking probiotic supplements that are pretty much just a waste of money.
The challenge is that the vast majority of probiotic bacteria are active and effective in the lower portions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but to get there, they must survive the corrosive and highly acidic environment of your stomach.
When are the odds the best — on an empty stomach, or with a meal?
Researchers attempted to settle this question with a study reported in the journal Beneficial Microbes in 2011. (Yes, although it may never rival People magazine for newsstand popularity, that really is the name of a journal!)
The team built a fake digestive tract with a fake stomach and intestines, but complete with real saliva and digestive enzymes, acid, bile, and other digestive fluids. They put probiotic capsules into this stomach “empty” and with a variety of foods, and tested how many survived the trip.
What did they find? Probiotic bacteria had the highest rates of survival when provided within 30 minutes before or simultaneously with a meal or beverage that contained some fat.
This makes sense. Consuming probiotics with food provide a buffering system for the bacteria, helping to ensure safe passage through the digestive tract. But consuming them after a large meal could slow everybody down, making bacteria more likely to die in the corrosive stomach
environment before reaching their intended new home in the lower intestine. So right before, or with, a meal that includes some fat seems the best way to go.
Until next time, pick the day. Enjoy it to the hilt and it as it comes. Enjoy people as they come along with the past. I think this has helped me appreciate the present and I don’t want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future. Enjoy your DAY.
