BALANCE
H E A LT H
ASK THE DR. BY DR. FRANK LIPMAN
10 ESSENTIAL WAYS
TO PROTECT YOUR GUT MICROBIOME A happy, trouble-free gut is a key to a strong immune system and to keeping your entire body healthy. A disruption in the microbiome, known as a dysbiosis, leads to inflammation in the gut, and if not addressed, leads to systemic inflammation and consequently to all sorts of chronic diseases. The stronger and more resilient your gut is – and the more harmoniously balanced the trillions of bacteria that live there — the better your heart, brain, immune system and just about every other part of your body will function. In short, the better you protect your gut from the stuff than can do it harm, the better it can protect you from the countless diseases that are capable of wrecking your quality of life. Sound like a plan? What follows is my list of gut-busters – the things that can wreak havoc on the intestinal tract – and how to avoid them:
1) STEER CLEAR OF SUGAR AND STARCHES.
2) GO WITHOUT GLUTEN. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before but … gluten is bad
They both do a number on the gut which is one big reason
news for many, many guts. And if you eat a Standard American
most Americans develop at least one chronic disease in middle
Diet (SAD), you’re eating gluten – think wheat, barley and rye –
age. The problem is, sugar and starch (which breaks down into
multiple times a day. Cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch,
sugar in the bloodstream) decrease the number of beneficial bac-
and pasta for dinner is, besides being low on nutrients, a recipe
teria in the gut while feeding the overgrowth of non-beneficial
for a leaky gut and a hop-skip to inflammation and/or gastro-
(aka ‘bad’) bacteria. The net result is microscopic leaks in the gut
intestinal complaints like gas, bloating and constipation. (The
wall’s one-cell-thick lining. That allows partially digested food
catch-all term is irritable bowel syndrome.) While there is a wide
particles and toxins to slip into the bloodstream, triggering an
spectrum of reactions to gluten, from minimal annoyance to
immune system overreaction and inflammation throughout the
potentially life-threatening allergies and autoimmune disease,
body. One common consequence? Metabolic syndrome which
your best bet is to give it a wide berth. Less gluten means less
puts you at much higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and obe-
irritation of the gut wall, less gut permeability, less inflammation
sity. That same inflammation is also associated with increased
and ultimately, less illness and disease risk for you in both the
risk for arthritis, Alzheimer’s and many types of cancer. The
near and long term.
unavoidable take-away: avoid (or strictly limit) the sugar and starch!
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Volume 5, Issue 3 | www. LuxLifestyle-magazine.com
