Are You Listening To Your Gut?

Did you know that over 70% of your immunity is housed in YOUR GUT (aka your digestive system)?

Confused? Let me explain: Our gut is a 16-24ft long tubular set of muscles that run from the mouth to the anus, and, according to Elizabeth Lipski, Ph.D., author of 'Digestive Wellness', it's a self-running, self-healing miracle, sloughing off and renewing its lining every three to five days. 

Inside is a host of bacteria, comprising 99 percent of the DNA in our bodies! In fact, we have approximately 10 TIMES more bacteria in our gut than cells in our body. A healthy person's gut will contain mostly good bacteria (aka beneficial bacteria) and it's the good bacteria that we need in order to keep our immune systems running like well-oiled machines, #keeping us healthy and vital!  

But that's not all. Having a healthy gut, full of good bacteria doesn't just increase our immunity; it also helps: 

• control our weight

• makes us feel happy (smiley face)

• help us sleep (love that!)

• prevent diabetes

• combat certain cancers

• lessen the likelihood of cardiovascular disease

Sounds really good, doesn't it! However, there's a catch!  

We can sabotage our gut friendly bacteria if we do any of the following: Get stressed out, eat a nutrient deficient diet, take medications, ingest chemicals, drink too much alcohol, pick-up a bacterial or microbial disease and a number of other factors that are too many to name! Of course, all of us are doing one or many of these self-sabotaging events on a regular basis!  So what we need to understand is that this tips the delicate balance of good bacteria and we end up with a proliferation of bad bacteria that takes up residence in our gut like bacterial squatters. The result:  A heap of long term negative health issues, most notably a significant drop in our overall immunity.  

But before you get panicked about 'nasties' wiggling around in your gut, I have happy news for you!  If we feed our gut with probiotic-rich foods, we can help tip the balance back to the good side. Why? Because probiotic foods are FULL of good bacteria. Actually, probiotic foods are the good bacteria in a jar.  It's that's simple. 

Which are these probiotic-rich foods, you ask? Really any food that is fermented or cultured because it contains Probiotics - aka the good bacteria! These foods have been used for hundreds of years by many cultures  for their health giving benefits - sauerkraut in Europe, kimchi in Asia and yoghurt in the form of a lassi in India: Fermented and cultured foods are gaining in popularity in north America and you need to get on that probiotic immunity train.  Not sure what foods are fermented and cultured?  I've got you covered.  Here's a shortlist of the more common ones at your local health food store:   

• Chocolate (great start!)

• Kefir (diary or coconut)

• Kimchi (I love LIVE brand)

• Kombacha (delicious tea-like concoction)

• Miso (go for the lighter colors for a mellower flavour)

• Olives (who doesn't love an olive or two)

• Pickles (brine-cured, not vinegar)

• Sauerkraut (favourite lunch addition)

• Tempeh (more of an acquired taste)

• Wheat grass juice

• Yoghurt (unsweetened, naturally!)

Always opt for glass bottles and certified organic, when possible. Most of these item you will find in the fridge section of your local health food store. 

One final BRIT BEET tip: Since the good bacteria do not stay permanently in our gut, we need to eat fermented and cultured foods regularly. So on that note, how often do I eat them? I indulge in them EVERYDAY and my immune system has never felt or been so strong.  I've even got my husband hooked... in fact he couldn't wait for me to finish this blog because it's time for our daily helping ... someone's been listening to their gut!

Back To School: 3 EASY Steps To Build-Up Immunity!

Some of us love getting back into the daily routine when September comes along but one thing is certain, the laid-back days days of summer are over and we are catapulted back to our hectic schedules; getting the kids out of the door, rushing to work or juggling full-on home schedules, speeding to after-school activities, making sure there is something somewhat healthy for dinner whilst trying to get the kids to do their homework. Forget about a little ‘me’ time – there just doesn’t seem to be a moment in the day! Frankly my dear, it's exhausting! 

One of the quickest ways to deplete our immune system is to be under this chronic level of stress, day after day.

We know this is not good - but what does it have to do with our immunity? Simply put, stress undermines our health, especially our gut and digestive health that is the ‘seat’ of our immunity.

As Hippocrates once said, “All disease starts in the gut.”

When we are stressed:

• Our digestion is slower and less efficient
• We don’t absorb the same amount of nutrients
• Our metabolism slows down
• Our gut can become irritated and inflamed leading to conditions such as ulcers, IBS and Colitis

Guess what ... when that inflammation in our gut spikes, it sends our cortisol levels shooting up, putting us right back into that ‘fight or flight’ mode and presto, we are back in that stress wheel all over again! 

So this year, how can we change what we put in our bodies to stop the cycle of stress and depleted immunity? 

I'm going to K.I.S.S. with my 3 EASY Steps:  

The ‘6’ Rule

Aim for a maximum of 6 teaspoons of ADDED sugar a day. Did you know that this is the World Health Organization’s recommendation (WHO) for daily sugar allowance for overall health prevention? Sugar feeds the bad bacteria, over-running the good bacteria in  our gut that is essential to our immune health. 

What is added sugar? Any table sugar, fructose or honey used as an ingredient in processing and preparing foods or beverages, eaten separately or added to a meal at the dining table. We all know the main culprits - soft drinks, candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream and pies but once you start reading labels, you may be rather surprised at how much sugar is hiding in your favorite food. 

BRIT BEET tip: To work out how much added sugar is in any product, take the sugar amount in grams and divide that amount by 4 to get the amount in teaspoons. For example:  

Nestea Iced Tea
Sugar amount: 28 grams
Serving Size: 20 fluid ounces
Total added sugar = 7 teaspoons

If you drank this, you would have consumed your whole day's recommended sugar amount plus an additional teaspoon and you haven't eaten anything yet! 

Eat Fermented Foods 

Fermented foods contain all that good bacteria we so desperately want hanging out in our gut, keeping our immune systems strong. So the next time you go to the store, if you haven't ventured into the world of fermented foods before, be brave and pick up a jar of:

• Kimchi: (Yes, it stinks when you open it (you've been warned, but it tastes REALLY good!)
• Sauerkraut (my husband and I have this for lunch every day with the kimchi -  it’s a delicious combo!)
• Kefir:  Make the switch from regular yoghurt- the family will love it! (You’ll find it in the yoghurt aisle; look for Organic Kefir in glass bottles.)
• Miso: Add a daily teaspoon to soups, salads and dressings.  Try my Immunity Salad Dressing for your 'hit' of daily miso! 

Aim to eat at least two serving of fermented food daily - it's really going help keep your good  bacteria level up and your immunity strengthened. 

Take Probiotic Supplements

Even with the best intentions we can still find ourselves stressed out and sucking back on sugar -  it's normal so don't beat yourself up. However, taking a daily probiotic can be the 'steady Eddy' in your immunity toolbox - think of it as 'immunity insurance'.   

Note: As a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, I have accessed to a wide range of probiotic supplements, so please ask me for my recommendation on brands, single/multi strain varieties, room stable vs. refrigerated options and the optimal times of days to take them.

So there you have it - 3 easy steps that we can put into daily practice to give our families the best chance to stay healthy and happy this coming year.

You’ve got this!