Eating for your Gut Health
Feed your gut Bacteria
Through my study I’ve found out the importance of taking care of our gut microbiome. In fact we have more bacteria that live in our gut than cells in our body. With my findings I’ve decided to eat only Lectin free foods including; vegetables, dairy products, nuts and seeds, wild caught fish, pasture raised chicken and pasture raised grass-fed and grass-finished beef.
I follow a time restricted eating window of 6-9 hours (6 hours is the ideal time) and fast for the remaining time to promote ketosis. The new research on the ketogenic diet shows it works by a biocellular process known as mitochondrial uncoupling. This process is facilitated through the gut when our bacteria manufactures post-biotics. This whole process builds more mitochondria which burn more energy and forces fat cells to release their calories. If you’d like to learn more I highly recommend reading “Unlocking The Keto Code By Dr. Steven Gundry.”
As I mentioned in my last post Lectins, a gut link to Cavernous Angioma lesions? go back and read first if you haven’t already to understand lectins, I am a strong believer that your lifestyle should promote a lectin free protocol at it’s foundation.
Personally having a neurological disease I abide strictly to this lifestyle choice, as you read on remember that what you add into your diet is more important than what you take away. We prioritize high quality food in our house over everything else, like the saying goes you’ll pay now or you’ll pay later. However, do the best you can and be creative.
Before I begin, use this as your standard Lectin free guide (1), I personally like Dr. Gundry’s research on a Lectin free diet and overall Gut Health. Be sure to check this out for a detailed guide to a lectin free diet plan and the full list of options available if you wish. Through my own research and study of our food history I eat lectin free foods. I list below some of my favorites to promote a healthy gut-microbiome. I’ll list the reasons I discovered, but it’s up to you doing your own research to build knowledge, understanding and belief.
My Keto Gut Health Protocol
The “Yes and No Foods” (2) Keto list I follow as a guide.
- Proteins: grass-fed and grass-finished meats, pasture-raised poultry and eggs, wild-caught fish.
I stick to about 4 oz per serving and/or 3 eggs.
Why these specific types of protein cuts?
Our conventional beef is fead mostly genetically modified soy and corn. We also spray these crops with Glyphosate (aka roundup) to increase the overall yield. With grass-fed and grass-finished meats they naturally graze the land in an open field the way they should, but mind you it must be grass-finished. They will trick you to think grass-fed is the same, it’s not. That just means it was fead a diet consisting of grass at some point in its life cycle. You’ll most likely need to purchase this cut from your local rancher NOT supermarket.
Our conventional poultry is fed mostly the same genetically modified soy and corn as the beef, and yes we also spray these crops with Glyphosate (aka roundup) to increase the overall yield. With pasture-raised poultry they naturally graze the land eating seeds, insects, and earthworms in its natural environment.
Apply the above information to the conventional eggs as well. But my eggs are free-range Organic! Free-range eggs aren’t necessarily organic, as they do not need to be fed organic feed. The USDA only requires that free-range eggs come from chickens that have some access to a small fenced outdoor area for at least 5 Mins per day. Get pasture-raised eggs and even better if from a local farm too!
Wild-caught fish vs conventional and/or farm raised. Guess what!? our conventional fish or farm raised is fed mostly the same genetically modified soy and corn as the beef and poultry, and yes we also spray these crops with Glyphosate (aka roundup) to increase the overall yield, see the pattern.
All these conventional protein cuts from factory farms typically use antibiotics and chemicals to control the spread of disease and parasites too. Organic protein cuts will still feed the animals mostly organic soy and corn. Which in turn means your actually really eating soy and corn, since that’s the main staple in their diet and all of that contains lectins.
- Starches and grain-free products: sweet potatoes, green bananas, sorghum plant products, cassava root products, cauliflower pizza crust (check ingredients; occasionally we use one with xanthan gum), tortillas (only those made with cassava, coconut or almond flour, Siete brand is very popular) and Miracle Noodles. We use sorghum, coconut or blanched almond flour when needed.
Sorghum is high in antioxidants like flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins. Eating a diet rich in these can lower oxidative stress and inflammation. It’s also lectin free!
Why no grains?
They have a lectin called Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA). If you would like to eat “bread” for some carbs, I know it can be hard to kick carbs especially bread. Try to make a sourdough bread, since it’s ingredients use a starter containing wild yeast and good bacteria; it’s in-fact fermented (which is great for our gut buddies.) Or substitute grains for lectin free alternatives like sorghum, coconut or blanched almond flour.
- Nuts and seeds: macadamia nuts, walnuts, pistachios and blanched almonds. Flax seeds and basil seeds.
Macadamias, walnuts and pistachios are shown to be some of the top mitochondrial uncoupling sources maintaining ketosis. Some “nuts” are really just seeds or legumes too. Take peanuts, they are actually legumes and contain lectins. Almonds (only blanched, since the skin contains lectins)
Flaxseeds contain both soluble and insoluble fiber which get fermented by the bacteria in your intestines to support gut health and improve bowel regularity. Flaxseed is also an excellent source of the plant Omega 3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
Basil or sabja seeds do not contain lectins, like the chia seed we’re so familiar with. Basil or sabja seeds provide a rich source of nourishment for the probiotic organisms to feed upon. They have compounds in them called polyphenols, that chia seeds do not contain. Check out (Zen Basil) for more info.
- Fruits: avocados, berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries only in season to your local geographic location) green bananas, coconut and figs.
Fruit was not intended to be consumed year-round. Think about modern food globalization, you can get fresh fruit from anywhere on the planet anytime of the year… Fruit has more than just one type of sugar. They’ve got fructose, glucose, and sucrose (otherwise known as table sugar). Plus the fiber in the skin of the fruit doesn’t always prevent you from spiking your blood sugar levels, if you even eat the skin. Lastly fruit juice is basically like sugar water, with some nutrients, but I think all that sugar outweighs any nutritional value provided. It digests as a simple carbohydrate much like a sugary treat.
Fruit is called natures candy for a reason. Sweet flavors were meant to be enjoyed moderately as they typically ripen for only one season out of the year, Summer. One of the major purposes of fruit was to tell our body it was time to store fat for winter. A great article on fruit sugar (here).
Avocados are a nutritious fruit packed with fiber that create bacteria producing butyrate. Plus a number of essential vitamins, minerals and lots of healthy monounsaturated fat. I eat one daily.
Berries are prebiotic-rich foods and among the top sources of vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and disease-fighting antioxidants. Berries are among the best fruits you can eat given their low sugar content and high nutritional value.
Green bananas are an unripe fruit that has not yet increased its fructose content. It’s made up of resistant starches which your gut loves.
Coconuts and figs, believe it or not are both technically not considered fruits. Coconuts are considered by the FDA to be tree nuts. Coconuts contains large amounts of medium chain fatty acids, also called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). These are the fats that are immediately converted into ketones by the liver, which then uncouple mitochondria.
The fiber Figs provide have prebiotic properties, feeding the bacteria and promoting a healthy gut environment. It’s natural sweetness is from a recently discovered sugar called Allulose. What’s cool about Allulose is it has zero impact on your blood glucose levels.
- Cruciferous Vegetables and Leafy Greens: mushrooms, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, onions, garlic, ginger, brussels sprouts, chicory, leeks, artichokes, asparagus, bok choy, raw carrots, radishes, raw beets, kale, Swiss chard, and cabbage just to name some, check out (The “Yes” List) for the full list of lectin free options.
Cruciferous vegetables are packed with phytonutrients, plant-based compounds and are rich in fiber. They specifically contain the compound Glucosinolate, shown to have anticancer, antiinflammatory, antidiabetic, and lipid-lowering properties.
Leafy greens provide some of the highest contents of antioxidants, in addition to many other essential vitamins, minerals and fiber for our bodies.
Mushroom polysaccharides are their most abundant carbohydrate, and they stimulate growth of the healthy bacteria. The polysaccharides found in mushrooms pass through the stomach unchanged and can reach the colon to encourage bacteria growth there.
- Dairy: goat’s or sheep’s milk products (cheese and yogurt.) A2 organic casein milk and butter.
A2 beta-casein is most natural to the human body and more easily absorbed, since it’s the same primary protein found in human milk. At some point there was a genetic mutation in the A2 beta-casein protein that created the A1 beta-casein variant. Unfortunately, the A1 beta-casein can be difficult for humans to digest and is linked to inflammation, gut discomfort and many other health issues.
Sheep and Goat milk also contain a higher quantity of medium/short chain saturated fatty acids (MCTs.) MCT oil is unique because it goes directly to the liver where it is converted into ketones a fast available energy for the body.
- Fats and oils: olive, coconut, and avocado oils
Extra virgin olive oil is shown to improve gut permeability and low-grade endotoxemia in this article. It’s also rich in disease-fighting antioxidants and research suggesting to alleviate inflammation.
Most all “seed oils” are mostly Omega-6 fats, while necessary in only extremely small amounts they can contribute to general inflammation and other health issues.
- Fermented foods: sauerkraut, yogurt, raw apple cider vinegar.
When foods are fermented, their sugars are broken down by yeast or bacteria. When we eat them we consume millions or billions of live microbes called probiotics!
- Snacks, sugar alternatives, spices and herbs: 85% or more cacao dark chocolate, allulose sweetener, stevia with inulin sweetener, nutritional yeast and Iodized salt. I use many other spices and herbs see the “Yes and No Foods” Keto list.
Cocoa dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, flavonoids and prebiotic fiber for the gut. This makes a great snack too!
Stevia and allulose sugar alternatives are both shown not to affect the blood glucose level. I like stevia with added inulin for the prebiotics.
Salt is one of the most essential minerals to human health. Sodium helps control your body’s fluid balance, and is critical for nerve and muscle function. The body is unable to make iodine. Therefore Iodized salt is a way to get some iodine and salt! To read more about iodine check out this article.
- Pro/Pre and Post-biotics:
Probiotics are microorganisms that increase your population of good bacteria. Certain foods and drinks are good sources of probiotics, but you can also take them as pills or powders.
Prebiotics are compounds found in foods. We can’t digest prebiotics alone; instead they provide the fuel or food needed for our good bacteria to eat in our Gut microbiome. By consuming foods rich in prebiotic fiber our gut will send a message to the brain that it’s satisfied and we’ll feel less hungry and crave healthier foods.
One of the best prebiotics is inulin, a type of dietary fiber found in foods like asparagus, onions, chicory, leeks and artichokes.
Postbiotics are the bioactive compounds the probiotic bacteria produce when they consume prebiotics. Think our probiotics eat the prebiotics that digest and make our postbiotics!
Final Thoughts
This protocol took me time to fully implement, with a lot of switching foods out I found information on that I didn’t support. Overall the best thing to start with is buying Organic Non GMO foods and products as much as possible. It will cost a bit more however, as I saw for myself the more I increased my knowledge, I increased my belief and made the switch literally a no brainer.
Eating less fruits high in sugar is another very easy modification, and try limiting your eating window time to allow more time for digestion.
Personally I don’t eat foods from outside my own kitchen. I am truly blessed to have my own personal chef aka my wife! We have explored this food protocol together and I wouldn’t be able to do it half as well without her. We are a true team and I appreciate her so very much.
Make a start this week. Enjoy a large salad with lots of fixings, it will satisfy your gut buddies and you’ll have some left over for the next day!
Organic
8oz Spring Mix
1 medium onion
1 can of pitted olives
1 can of artichokes
2 handful of walnuts
2 Tbsp of nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of goat product cheese
Sauerkraut (to finish dressing in your bowl)
Dressing
4-6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Mustard (few squirts)
Garlic Power
When you stop worrying about eating healthily and, instead just eat for your gut bacteria, then everything becomes a whole lot easier.
Lastly I’ll leave you with my Break-Fast smoothie.
30 oz Smoothie
1 whole avocado
1 small sweet potato
1 cup frozen spinach
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp matcha power
1 tsp lion’s mane power
1 tbs cacao power
2 tbs ground flax seed
1 stevia pack with inulin
1 cup homemade almond milk or coconut milk
1 cup water
8 ice cubes
keep the faith,
References
(1) https://gundrymd.com/dr-gundry-diet-food-list/
(2) https://cdn.drgundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/UnlockTheKetoCodeShoppingList-R1-1.pdf
(Allulose Benefits) https://www.marigoldfoods.com/three-awesome-benefits-of-allulose/
(High Sugar Fruits) https://gundrymd.com/high-sugar-fruits/
(Glucosinolate Health Benefits) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978012820284500006X#:~:text=Through%20different%20mechanisms%20and%20routes,lipid%2Dlowering%20properties%20among%20others.
(Extra virgin olive oil) https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/10/2153
(Iodine and iodized salt)
https://somaticmovementcenter.com/iodine-deficiency-breast-cancer-thyroid-disease/
(Stevia)
The entire contents of this blog are based upon the opinions of Corey Diggins, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Corey Diggins. Corey Diggins encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
0 Comments