Gut Health Blog

March 24, 2024

Can Diet Help Relieve Hay Fever?

Spring is here which means seasonal allergies are too! Tree, grass, and weed pollen make life miserable for millions of hay fever sufferers every year, causing sneezing fits, sore throats, and stuffy noses. Antihistamine drugs may help but often have side effects like drowsiness. But what about food? Can diet help relieve hay fever?

 

What Is Hay Fever?

Hay fever, or seasonal allergic rhinitis as it is officially known, occurs when your immune system reacts to pollen from grasses, trees, flowers, and weeds.

The pollen irritates the lining of your nose, eyes, and throat, causing immune cells to release histamine and other inflammatory chemicals. This leads to itching, swelling, and irritation.

Typical hay fever symptoms include:

    • Sore throat.
    • Tickly cough.
    • Runny or blocked, stuffy nose.
    • Itchy, watery eyes.
    • Sneezing.
    • Headache.
    • Mucous in your throat.

 

When Is Hay Fever Season?

Hay fever season starts in late Winter / early Spring when the tree pollens appear. This is soon followed by grasses in late Spring and early Summer and weed pollen in Fall. Spring and Fall are often peak seasons for seasonal allergic rhinitis, although pollen levels vary according to your location and climate.

 

Who Is Prone to Hay Fever?

Anyone of any age can suffer from hay fever. Some people grow out of their childhood hay fever and no longer experience any symptoms as an adult. Others develop it for the first time in their twenties or thirties, or even later. Many women start with seasonal allergic rhinitis and other allergies during menopause when hormone changes affect immune and gut health.

 

How Long Does Hay Fever Last?

This varies from person to person. If you are only sensitive to one type of pollen, your symptoms will subside when that pollen level drops. If you are sensitive to several types of pollen your symptoms can potentially last from late Winter through to Fall.

 

Why Is My Hay Fever So Bad All of a Sudden?

There are several reasons why seasonal allergies can suddenly get worse.

Stress has a major impact on immune health. If you are under a lot of stress, your immune system may not work as effectively.

Illness and infection can affect the membranes lining your nose and throat and leave you more sensitive to pollen.

Location change. If you’ve moved to a different city or even a different part of the same city, the pollen levels may be higher than where you lived before.

Air pollution from traffic fumes can make hay fever worse for some sufferers.

Weather patterns affect pollen levels. A mild winter followed by a cool spring and a sudden burst of warmth in early summer can trigger a pollen burst that can worsen symptoms.

 

Can Diet Help Relieve Hay Fever?

Yes! Adopting an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle can be hugely beneficial for managing seasonal allergic rhinitis. The clue here is in the name of the condition. The word “rhinitis” translates as “inflammation of the nose,” meaning the membranes lining the nose are inflamed.

The Eat Burn Sleep anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle program minimises inflammation by supporting gut and immune health. These two systems are intrinsically linked because so much of your immune system resides in the gut.

Alongside these immune cells, your gut microbiome is also hard at work supporting immunity. It helps to regulate immune responses and inflammation and communicates with other microbiomes in the body, such as the oral and nasal microbiomes.

Research shows that people with allergic rhinitis have an altered microbiome in the nasal passages which may be associated with inflammation (Chen et al, 2022). As we can’t micromanage individual bacteria within a microbiome, it’s important to create the right environment for beneficial species to thrive. Following an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle is the ideal way to do this. I suggest the 6-Week Reset as the place to start – it has all the meal plans, food lists, and guidance you need to begin your anti-inflammatory journey.

 

Here’s what EBS Member Eleonora has to say about the program:

I’m in the sixth week of the Six Week Reset and I cannot thank Yalda enough for the EBS lifestyle. During the last two years, I’ve struggled a lot with various issues like bloating, being overweight, psoriasis, thyroid malfunction, and acne, but now I’ve found the lifestyle that is the answer to all my problems.

I finally started losing weight, changing my body composition, feeling energetic all day long, less bloated, fewer cravings in my PMS phase, and still counting the benefits!

This lifestyle completely switched my body and my mind, and I cannot live without all the specialized advice I can find on the EBS platform anymore. Again, thanks Yalda for your great work!

Want to know more about Eat Burn Sleep? You can take a sneak peek around the platform here and check out our membership options here.

 

And you might also like to read:

The Anti-inflammatory Diet and Lifestyle

Does Sleep Help With Inflammation?

What is Gut Health?

 

Here’s to a happy and healthy hay fever season,

Yalda x

Author

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Habit Stacking – The Key to Making Your Health Habits Last

How Does Sleep Help With Inflammation?

Endometriosis: Which Diet Is Best?

October 22, 2023

10 Ways to Boost Your Immunity Quickly

Fastest Ways to Boost Your Immunity Against Viruses

Hello Everyone! If you are in a part of the world experiencing seasonal changes, there is likely to be an increase in viral infections, and you could be looking for ways to boost your immunity quickly against viruses.

Exposure is inevitable, and it is essential unless you are advised to shield for medical reasons or are classed as vulnerable.

We need exposure but must also be highly cautious of viruses when underlying chronic inflammation exists. This has become even more evident in the last few years. If you have underlying chronic inflammation, your immune system is dysregulated, but you can change that and fight inflammation.

Boosting your immunity quickly by following the below will help most people do so while still enjoying life!

(Looking after your immune system throughout the year is good advice, not just when the seasons shift).

 

 

Here are 10 ways to boost your immunity quickly against viruses and ensure better health:

1. Eat Gut-healthy, Nutrient-rich Foods Regularly

Our immune systems need nourishment from a plethora of nutrients from foods.

Poor gut health is linked to weakened immunity and non-communicable diseases. Gut health is imperative to good health, and the diversity of your gut bacteria will dictate how nutrients are absorbed.

Getting it right will better prepare the body for excess inflammation and microbial attacks! Beneficial nutrients to boost your immunity quickly and ensure immune system regulation must be digested regularly, forming an excellent dietary pattern.

Try these two delicious recipes:

A bowl of Greek chicken soup with inflammation reducing turmeric, which has given it a wonderful golden colour. A healing soup.

Immune-boosting Chicken Soup

A plate of immune boosting energy balls

Immune-boosting Energy Balls.

2. Ensure You Get Enough Vitamin D 

90% of vitamin D is absorbed from the sun, essential for the immune system. There are safe ways to do this, and of course, there are challenges here, especially with seasonal changes.

If you have poor vitamin D absorption, like with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, and celiac, please follow the personalized advice for inflammatory bowel disease. It is an imperative protocol for good health and to put the conditions into remission, regardless.

If you are a vegan, live where sunlight is limited, or have any other reason that prevents you from getting the right amount of vitamin D, it’s worth reading through this health education platform, arming yourself with advice from a nutritionist and of course, eating nutrient-rich, gut-healthy foods. The bioavailability of foods is essential to boost your immunity quickly. However, some people need to take supplements.

Sunshine is good for your immunity.

Absorb sunshine as much as possible in cooler months, sit by an open sunny window, or obtain a S.A.D. lamp.

3. Keep Your Inflammation Down – through eating, moving, and sleeping (Eat Burn Sleep!) is the most sound advice for everyone!

4. Change Lifestyle Habits

Change any lifestyle habits that inhibit good health. An unhealthy lifestyle, which includes eating and drinking unhealthy foods and drinks most of the time, being overweight and underweight, following restrictive diets, lacking proper exercise, being sedentary, lack of fresh air, pollution, toxins, excess alcohol, smoking, drug abuse, poor sleep patterns, and stress weakens immunity defense.

A close up of a slim girl on her weighing scales.

5. Reduce Your Weight

Obesity is a chronic inflammatory condition, and you can reduce your weight by reducing the inflammation in your body. It is the safest, most effective way of reducing weight and boosting your immunity. Fat tissues produce adipocytokines, and these increase inflammation. Impaired T-cells stop the response of the immune system to pathogens. Also, it is worth knowing that with obesity, vitamin D is not readily available when needed because it accumulates in excess fat. This is reversible when you reduce chronic inflammation.

6. Put Your Autoimmune Disease Into Remission

Is that possible? Yes. I have two autoimmune diseases, so I created Eat Burn Sleep. Please read the other articles and magazine and newspaper features in the articles section.

Man taking ten minute mental break at the desk for good health.

7. Perform Regular De-stressing Techniques

Stress is so bad for your health, and it can affect gut health, affecting mental and physical health. Excess cortisol that is triggered, along with other hormones when you are stressed, leads to reduced immunity and increased inflammation.

The immune system, central nervous system, and endocrine system interact with each other.
When stressed, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in, shutting down the immune and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Have you heard my podcasts with Nick Potter about The Behavioral Immune and with Dr. Tamsin Lewis about Long Covid, Immunity, & Energy Levels?

When life feels like it is crashing around you, pay attention to your gut (70% of immune cells and 60% of feel-good neurotransmitters reside in a healthy gut) and de-stressing techniques.

It is vital to keep chronic inflammation at bay because chronic inflammation promotes anxiety, depression, and other diseases, as well as a weakened immune system.

Woman in bed smiling, fast asleep

8. Get Good Sleep 

Sleep is the foundation for good health! You only have to think about how you crave sleep when you feel ill and have a virus. Nothing can keep you awake. Your body tells you to lie down and heal!

A person who regularly sleeps for a good amount of time will likely have more antibodies than someone with fitful, irregular sleep. This is an excellent way to boost your immunity quickly.

Long-standing shift workers and insomniacs have turned their lives around on the Eat Burn Sleep reprogramming. Reprogramming your sleeping is possible. Check out the Insomnia personalized advice.

9. Stay Social 

It’s fundamental to our overall health and survival. Our emotional joy!

Studies show that people who socialize tend to live longer than those who are more isolated. Plus, dopamine is released when we mix and exercise.

Stay social for good immunity

10. Go For a Walk 

Walk with your family, your friends – or just yourself – and feel the pleasure and reward of the dopamine hit from doing so. You will release stress along the way, boost your immunity quickly and be outside!

Remember that a robust immune system can respond appropriately to the world around it and can defend the body against invaders, pathogens, and viruses!

I wish for you – the best immune health there is!

Author

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Vegetarian to Meat Eater

What Is Gut Health?

How Do You Reduce Your Cholesterol?

October 15, 2023

Vegetarian to Meat Eater

Vegans and Vegetarians Who Want to Eat Meat Again

Hi Everyone! This post is for you if you are a vegan or vegetarian and want to eat meat – again, for the first time in years or ever!

Firstly, you should also know that we have personalized advice for re-introducing meat/animal products back into your life safely and healthily. Plus, this month’s personalized advice for members is the essential guide to optimum health for vegetarians!

Vegan and Vegetarian Health

Malnutrition Statistics

Vegan and Vegetarian Deficiencies

Symptoms of Deficiencies in Vegans and Vegetarians:

Vegan & Vegetarian Diet Supplements

Nutrition Advice for Vegans and Vegetarians

Nutritionist for optimum health

Vegan and Vegetarian Health

Firstly, it’s okay to eat meat again if you are looking at eating meat after being vegetarian. If you are reading this, then there is good reason. Maybe your mind and body are screaming at you to have animal protein.

With the added pressures of eating plant-based diets and the reasons why people become vegans and vegetarians, it can be a hard decision to switch back to eating meat.

I think many people can feel guilty when they decide to follow a particular way of eating and then find that they can’t eat that way and it isn’t sustainable. Micronutrient malnutrition can also cause low moods and less-than-optimum mental well-being.

It happens all the time with so many popular diets. Like Keto, Atkins, Raw Food, and Low-calorie diets, for instance. There may be ethical or cultural reasons behind your choice, but many diets are unsustainable or nutritionally sound.

Man with a headache, indicating malnutrition

Many diets can make you unwell and not satisfied nutritionally. Sometimes without realisation.

You may not be concerned about the impact of a vegan or vegetarian diet on your health. You may have switched to veganism for weight loss or from another diet because the doctor says your cholesterol is high or something, and you feel better at the moment.

Although there are statements all over the internet that say veganism and plant-based diets can reduce your risk of developing disease, this is not necessarily the case if you are not eating everything you need daily for optimum health. Numerous studies state that following a vegan diet can lead to skeletal, nervous, and immune system impairments, as well as anemia and depression.

Any diet that is not balanced and contains a lot of meat, or too much or too little of anything, puts you at risk of chronic disease. Everyone needs to know how to eat for optimum health!

Nutritionist explaining nutrition facts label to a client, close-up

 

Many restrictive diets (and those you would not define as restrictive) can cause deficiencies, leading to chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation, sustained inflammation running all the time (not just as a protective reaction to trauma or injury), is linked to the leading causes of death. 78% of deaths related to diseases have chronic inflammation pathways.

Chronic inflammation leads to neuroinflammation, which increases anxiety, depression, brain fog, mood swings and irritability, a decline in cognitive functions, and so on.

Malnutrition Statistics

Many of the world’s population has malnutrition, and an unhealthy diet, which means nutritional needs are not met, is a significant contributor to malnutrition.

Malnutrition is defined as deficiencies, imbalances, and excesses of nutrients. Malnutrition increases chronic inflammation and ill health (see below).

There’s:

  • – Undernutrition
  • – Diet-related imbalances lead to chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases like obesity, diabetes, cancers, heart disease, IBD, arthritis, mental health issues, fibromyalgia, etc. 
  • – Inadequate micronutrient intake. 

 

 

According to the World Health Organisation, 149 million children under five are affected by malnutrition through their height. Forty-five million were estimated to be too thin, and 38.9 million were obese.

1.9 billion adults are overweight or obese, and 462 million adults are underweight.

Low-to-middle-income countries have a high rate of obesity and malnutrition.

According to the Malnutrition Task Force, 1.3 million people over 65 have malnutrition in the UK.

Not eating a good balance of the proper nutrients and micronutrients affects everyone throughout our lives!

Vegan and Vegetarian Deficiencies

Many deficiencies come from missing out on the essential daily required nutrition. Not just for vegans and vegetarians. Most people have dietary inadequacies and need the assistance of a nutritionist.

The types of iron consumed are essential. Without this, oxygen cannot be circulated, and body homeostasis is not maintained. Plus, there are Gut microbiota that improve the absorption of iron. These Gut microbiota are promoted with essential daily vitamins not found in a vegan diet, for instance.

Young vegetarian couple standing with boxes full of fresh vegetables outdoors on the gray wall background

Essential nutrition for life and keeping disease at bay is generally lower in vegans or plant-based diet eaters. The overlooked side of veganism could be dangerous for many, as explained in a study by Bali & Naik (2023).

Hundreds of studies have been reported on nutritional intake for vegans and vegetarians that show inadequate intake. These essential micronutrient requirements for optimum health are only obtained from animal products.

If you are considering eating meat after being vegetarian, it would be best to consider B12, zinc, iodine, calcium, PUFAs, etc., with veganism and vegetarianism. (Head over to personalized advice for nutrition help for vegans and vegetarians. We cover all sorts of science-backed supportive advice for vegans and vegetarians, like:

  • – eating meat after being vegetarian and vegan

  • – how to eat and what to eat (with 300+ recipes)

  • – vegan guilt

  • – worries about eating meat and getting sick after veganism

  • – being vegetarian and eating meat again has side effects

  • – how to shop for anti-inflammatory groceries on a budget

  • – your Gut microbiome…and the list goes on!

Doctor nutritionist, dietician and female patient on consultation in the office. young smiling female nutritionist in the consultation room. Nutritionist desk with healthy fruit and measuring tape.

 

Follow this anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle for all nutrition concerns when you have been eating a restricted way for a while or have malabsorption issues like with any inflammatory bowel disease.

There are essential vitamins necessary for crucial metabolic roles across your whole life span, during development (before you are born), throughout your childhood and adulthood, and later years.

This applies to people with too much of one thing and not enough of another, not just if you are considering eating meat after being vegetarian. (Many meat eaters think they are okay, too, but they may not have enough essential daily vitamins. They, too, are at risk. It’s why nutritionists and dieticians exist!).

Protecting your mind and body, ensuring proper nutrient absorption, and meeting daily nutrition values are essential for optimum health. We do it here through gut health, reducing inflammation, regulating the immune system, liver detox, and so on.

Check out the article: Help With Anemia, B12, and Iron Deficiencies.

Female vegan and vegetarian nutritionist working at desk and writing medical records over fresh fruit in the consultation.

Symptoms of Deficiencies in Vegans and Vegetarians:

  • Iron-deficient anemia

  • Pernicious anemia

  • Fatigue

  • Weakness

  • Depression

  • Anxiety

  • Mood swings

  • Confusion

  • Lack of coordination

  • Headaches

  • Shortness of breath

  • Palpitations

  • Lack of energy

  • Vision issues

  • Pins and needles

  • Myelin shaft damage

  • Walking issues

  • Cold hands and feet

  • Nausea

  • Cravings

  • Appetite loss

  • Heart murmurs

  • Weight gain

A man in blue pyjamas in lying awake in bed, looking unhappy.

 

Vegan & Vegetarian Diet Supplements

The recommended daily intake of supplements for vegans is for people who already eat a balanced and nutritious diet. Plus, as I always say, supplements do not match the bioavailability of good food, and your vegan diet supplements could be full of inflammatory ingredients. Eating meat after being vegetarian needs good consideration.

Try these vegan recipes: Slow Cooker Indian Vegetable Curry and Carrot & Quinoa Salad.

Read these articles for more information about inflammatory ingredients in the form of supplements and medication:

Is AG1 Supplement Good for You?, Side Effects of Antibiotics & IBD, NSAIDs, and Gut Health & Inflammation.

Closeup of young woman holding vitamin capsule while taking supplements with glass of water at home

Nutrition Advice for Vegans and Vegetarians

If you are a vegan or vegetarian with concerns about nutrition and want to eat meat again, join us! We can help you facilitate the transition and help you achieve optimum mental and physical wellness.

There are many vegetarian and vegan recipes on this anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle, along with others, so you will eat well and be well.

If you are thinking about eating meat after being vegetarian, it won’t just be your vegan or vegetarian diet that you change. You will protect yourself from chronic disease, age-degenerative neurological diseases, and anything genetic.

Plus, you won’t be disappointed about the incredible side effects.

You can book a 15-minute Zoom with me if you have any questions, connect with us in the forum, or start immediately by going to the personalized advice section.

I wish you and your family good health and wellness.

Author

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10 Ways to Boost Your Immunity Quickly

What Is Gut Health?

How Do You Reduce Your Cholesterol?

October 08, 2023

Depression, Anxiety & Gut Health

Reducing Depression and Anxiety Naturally

Hello Everyone! It’s hard to believe that what you eat today and tomorrow may have you waking up feeling sad, anxious, or moody the next day.

The last thing you may be thinking about if you are prone to depression and anxiety is what you are eating. You could be reaching out for unhealthy options, overloaded with caffeine and sugar, and not sleeping well, too.

Getting through the day could feel like wading through mud, and you are doing whatever you can to get through it!

This post is about depression, anxiety, and how gut health is so powerful that it can help you tremendously. Small steps will help. Please do share with anyone who is suffering. It could be the lifeline they need.

Treating Depression Safely and Naturally

Lifestyle Factors and Depression

How Does Gut Health Reduce Depression?

What Changes Gut Health?

A Diet Rich in Anti-inflammatory Prebiotic Compounds

Anti-inflammatory Diets Are Neuroprotective

Exercise and Depression

Improve Brain Health

Depressed, anxious female being comforted by her female friend.

Treating Depression Safely and Naturally

Depression is the second most common cause of disease-induced disability. An estimated 280 million individuals suffer from depression, and many factors contribute to depression.

Some factors you cannot control, but two major factors that you can control are diet and lifestyle. It is safe, natural, and starts working quickly.

Studies show more and more that depression and anxiety can be treated naturally by changing what you eat and how much physical activity you do. Before we go any further, I don’t mean hitting the gym seven times a week! Far from it, actually.

As I have mentioned before in Come Off Antidepressants, medical students are now being taught to look at diet and lifestyle interventions for patients with symptoms of depression and anxiety as a first course of action.

Male lecturer teaching medical students in university

In most cases, with a diet and lifestyle intervention for depression and anxiety, the symptoms go away.

I continually come across studies that back this up, but the proof to me, through studying the link between gut and mental health, is the number of Eat Burn Sleep members who have told me that their depression and anxiety have lifted. I know how I feel myself and how I felt before I studied gut health and changed what I ate and did each day.

Lifestyle Factors and Depression

Multiple lifestyle factors and depressed mood were studied by Sarris J., Thomson R., Hargraves R., et al. (2020). A cross-sectional analysis of 84,860 participants with major depressive disorder and those without depression showed that a healthy diet and optimal sleep duration were significantly associated with less frequency of depression.

Aguilar-Latorre, Oliván-Blázquez, Pérez Algorta, et al. (2023) conclude that health education and lifestyle modifications significantly reduce depression. The study included six weeks of health education on diet and lifestyle changes.*

Young guy attending online training or webinar from home, sitting on couch in front of coffee table with laptop, using headset, taking notes, copy space. E-education, online class, training concept

The key is to continue the health education and the diet and lifestyle changes. Health education will teach behaviors that become automated. You start living an anti-inflammatory way without even thinking!

How Does Gut Health Reduce Depression?

Gut microbiota has critical roles in the immune system (70% of our immune system resides in our guts. GALT – gut-associated lymphoid tissue). It also has a role in the central nervous (brain and spinal cord) and endocrine systems (glands that make hormones, the body’s chemical messengers).

Behavior, mood, and response to stress can all be affected by gut bacteria because gut health affects the immune system, nervous system, and endocrine system.

These, in turn, all affect each other.

A young man holding his gut and looking happy, indicating the gut and brain health connection.

There’s more about the gut-brain axis and how the gut influences the brain and the brain influences the gut in this article: Depression Diet & Lifestyle Intervention. 

Have you read How Do You Live With IBS and Anxiety? Do You Often Feel Like Crying? Why Are You Moody and Irritable?

You may enjoy listening to the podcast Using Sounds to Calm Your Mind with my guest Athena Ko, aka The Gong Girl, Food Additives & Your Microbiome with Dawn Sherling, and Emotional Health Strategy with Steve Burns.

What Changes Gut Health?

While gut microbiomes are unique to us, any change can upset the production of intestinal bacterial fermentation that regulates intestinal adaptive immune responses and affects the production of feel-good neurotransmitters.

If you eat meals laden with chemicals and compounds that the harmful bacteria in your gut like, you will help the harmful bacteria grow. They will tell your brain to seek more, too! 

A bowl of prawn stew bursting with colour, topped with herbs.
Delicious Gut Loving Brazilian Prawn Stew.

 

If you give your gut microbiota foods that encourage good bacteria, they will grow! Then, these guys ask for more of the good stuff, too! 

It’s not limited to food, though. Again, read the above article for more about depression, anxiety, and gut health. 

Whatever you eat or do will put your gut in a healthy or unhealthy state.

An unhealthy state will dysregulate your immune, as mentioned, and increase chronic inflammation, which increases neuroinflammation (inflammatory response in the brain and spinal cord).

Carabotti, Scirocco, Masselli, and Severi (2015) noted the bidirectional relationship of the emotional and cognitive parts of the brain with peripheral intestinal functions.

Have you tried these gut health recipes yet?

A bowl of chicken sop with limes, chili peppers, noodles, bell peppers, garlic and stock.

Asian Chicken Soup With Konjac Noodles

A bowl of frozen blueberries, bananas, pecans and chopped nuts.

Banana & Blueberry Nice Cream

A Diet Rich in Anti-inflammatory Prebiotic Compounds

Scientists Eliby D, Simpson C, Lawrence A, et al. (2023) examined the associations between diet quality and anxiety and depressive disorders. They looked at how diet can implicate mental health and concluded that diet interventions had consistently significant, positive effects on depressive symptoms.

Eliby, Simpson, Lawrence, et al. also noted the strong evidence that a diet rich in anti-inflammatory, prebiotic compounds and other lifestyle modifications provided a more integrative approach.

Anti-inflammatory Diets Are Neuroprotective

Indeed, further studies below recognize the benefits of a gut-health, anti-inflammatory diet.

Dietitian surrounded by healthy food, making a gut health nutrition plan in the office

An anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, prebiotic diet is associated with reduced rates of depression, as they are rich in a wide variety of bioactive compounds, minerals, vitamins, and so on, as stated by González R, Ballester I, López-Posadas R, et al. (2011).

The effects of an anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, prebiotic diet are demonstrated further in a study about the dietary intake and risk of incident depression in midlife and older women by Chang S-C, Cassidy A, Willet WC, et al. (2016).

In a study by Bienenstock J, Kunze W, Forsythe P, et al. (2015) on microbiota and the gut-brain axis, it was noted that diet could change the profile of gut microbiota and behavior. They quote that the effects of bacteria on the nervous system affect the immune system because they are in constant bidirectional communication.

A female smiling taking a walk in the autumn

Exercise and Depression

Exercising may be so far away from what you want to do when you are prone to depression and anxiety. The sofa or bed may seem a better option when you are depressed and anxious.

In a review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine by Singh B, Olds T, Curtis R et al. (2023) on the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety, and distress, they looked at the evidence in 1039 trials, that included 128, 119 participants.

The conclusion was that physical activity is highly beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress across a wide range of adult populations, including people with diagnosed mental health disorders and people with chronic diseases. The concluding remarks were: Physical activity should be a mainstay approach in managing depression, anxiety, and psychological distress.

Smiling cheerful fit woman resting while sitting on yoga mat indoors

Some exercises contribute to chronic inflammation, neuroinflammation, and depression, though. Follow the Movement Guide, Members.

Improve Brain Health

There’s no doubt that gut microbiota influences our brain health. Gut microbiota is impacted by physical exercise. And vice versa. Eating for gut health will improve your brain health.

Then, when you feel lifted, you will feel like starting those twenty/thirty-minute movements at home. Before you know it, you will be doing them daily alongside your gut-health diet and enjoying them.

Until one day soon, you can say that you are feeling so much better, and it continues. Life can feel brighter again daily.

Female student with headphones on learning online, smiling.

Getting the synergy is essential, and it will happen.

*As the study mentioned above, lifestyle changes and health education for depression showed significant recovery. This health education platform and our nutritionists’ help in the forum are accessible every week of the year. Not just six!

Check this article about what an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle can do for you.

As always, I wish you good gut health and happiness!

Author

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What Is Gut Health?

Reduce PCOS & Belly Fat

Why You Have Psoriasis

October 01, 2023

What Is Gut Health?

How Does Gut Health Affect Us

Hi Everyone! I talk about gut health all the time, as you know, and how it can change and lead to chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation.

There is still a lot of wonder about gut health, though. Why do we need good gut health? What exactly is gut health? Is gut health just another trend until the next health trend? Does gut health matter?

Gut health really matters! It is vital to good health. It isn’t a passing health trend.

It’s important that we all know how to make and keep our guts healthy. It is linked to chronic disease and to the leading cause of death.

It isn’t just food that we need to look at, although that’s a good place to start.

I hope that you will be as fascinated about these tummy bugs as I am. It’s amazing that they are imperative to good health. Read on and share!

What Is Gut Bacteria?

How Do You Get Good Gut Health?

Why Is Gut Health Trending?

How Do You Know If Your Gut Health Is Balanced?

What Is the Fastest Way to Improve Gut Health?

How Can You Improve Gut Bacteria?

How Do You Fix Gut Health ASAP?

Why Does Gut Bacteria Change?

How Can I Drastically Change My Health?

What Does Gut Bacteria Do?

The Causes of Bad Gut Health

What Are the Signs of an Unhealthy Gut?

What Meals Are Good for the Gut?

Why Do I Need Good Gut Health?

Probiotic bacteria. Beneficial substances for gastrointestinal tract. Human stomach in phone. Probiotic bacteria and microorganisms. Concept apps for taking care of body. Probiotic Immunity. 3d image

What Is Gut Bacteria?

Your gut health is the entire digestive system, running from your esophagus to your bowel, and it is full of microbes!

Your gastrointestinal tract harbors a complex colony of trillions of different microbes and thousands of species of gut bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites.

Suppose you can imagine this vast, industrial network of cell signaling and pathways with proteins, metabolites, peptides, etc., in the layers of the GI tract. In that case, you get a rough idea of the gut microbiome.

Most microbiota are symbiotic (which means that microbiota and the body benefit), and some are pathogenic (disease-promoting).

These microorganisms, which consist of viruses, fungi, protozoa, and microbiota, weighing in at around 4-5 lbs, all co-exist quite happily in a healthy person.

Our diverse gut microbiomes are paramount to good health. 

Female, pregnant, sat on her bed, smiling and holding her tummy.

How Do You Get Good Gut Health?

Your gut health started before you were born. That was when the first colonization occurred.

We got some from our mothers, who got their first exposure from their mother, who got hers from her mother, and so on.

Since the second we were born, we inherited and acquired trillions of bugs all over and inside us called microorganisms.

Our gut microbiome is unique to us, and it is there to protect us.

Some of our microorganisms are ancient because they have been passed down from mother to mother!

What they were exposed to was passed down, and so on.

A Grandma, Mother and Daughter lying on the floor next to each other, smiling, looking at the camera.

This links to an intriguing report about the existence of ancient microbes in our microbiome by Dr. Rook, University College, London.

These trillions of microorganisms and their genes support critical functions, which has allowed us to evolve. In return, they get what they need to survive from us!

These ancient microbes prevented the body from attacking its tissues and resembled that of the natural environment.

Why Is Gut Health Trending?

Gut health is trending because it has been realized that good gut health is imperative to good health. Gut health is real and not a fad.

Healthy eating balanced diet weight loss concept. Cropped close up photo of professional nutritionist showing good balance with hands on her stomach isolated over grey background

Please be warned about unqualified people on social media giving out gut health advice, gut health hacks, gut health weight loss tips, and so on. You could damage your gut health and open up your body to the risk of disease. I always advise that you take gut health nutrition and gut health diet advice from a qualified gut health expert/nutritionist/doctor who has studied gut health.

So, gut health is not a passing health trend. I have spent years studying gut health and chronic inflammation, and it is crucial to good health.

How Do You Know If Your Gut Health Is Balanced?

A balanced microbiota stimulates the immune system and synthesizes amino acids and vitamins. It also assists in breaking down toxic compounds, providing protection from organisms that enter the body through contaminated food and drink.

You would know about it if your gut health is unbalanced. Once you know how to look after your gut health, when it becomes unbalanced, you will feel it.

3d rendered image of a man with his gut highlighted.

What Is the Fastest Way to Improve Gut Health?

In the past, we lived under timber and close to dung and thatch. We had pantries, not refrigeration. Bacteria were more abundant, and we were exposed to them more than they are today.

Nowadays, our homes are made with manufactured products, people clean too much, and there are chemicals everywhere!

We miss that connection to the past and do not have the microbiota to deal with these extremely clean environments.

Unless we live on a farm in a natural environment or with pets! (If you think of the powers of earthing and maximizing our exposure to nature and our connection to early antioxidants).

Having good hygiene is important to avoid infections, but too much is not good for your health.

Close up a man's hand and hand sanitiser being used.

The Lifestyle Guide has more gut health information. It will help you look after your gut health, keep sickness and disease at bay, and have you feeling fantastic – every day! Start with the potent, popular 6-week Reset.

How Can You Improve Gut Bacteria?

You can improve your gut bacteria by following an anti-inflammatory lifestyle that has a focus on gut health.

Exposure is key to protection!

If we are never exposed to something, we won’t have the bugs to deal with it when we do. This is why if you have never come across a certain germ and then you are suddenly exposed to it, your body reacts. 

It’s all about diversity, remember. Your good bacteria will thrive if you do something that encourages it.

Boys planting and playing with the earth.

So, the first exposure is entirely down to our mother’s/DNA species of microbiota but also depends on how we are delivered into the world. Vaginally delivered (and position), we have microbiota resembling our mother’s vagina microbiota. C-sections would harbor microbes from a mother’s skin.

The microbiota we were born with is not very diverse but soon alters as we adapt to our surroundings so that we can digest the food we are given and deal with germs and what is around us. This cultivates a diverse, anti-inflammatory microbiome.

A baby in America is exposed to different bugs than a baby in Europe, for instance.

As we go through life, as we have changing environments, lifestyle habits, and so on, gut health corresponds with how you live.

So, if we feed the good bacteria with good nutrients, they thrive. If we feed it with damaging foods, then the damaging bacteria grows. They, in fact, like anything living, will want to survive and send signals to your brain for more damaging foods! They are that powerful!

A female holding an image of a gut in the area of her gut, signifying gut health.

How Do You Fix Gut Health ASAP?

We have bacteria all over us as the first line of defense – on our skin, in our airways, and in our guts. If we don’t give the bad bacteria any reason to grow, we stay healthy.

Gut bacteria become harmful when a healthy diversity is not encouraged. This affects the immune system, and ruins the line of defense, and that is when we are susceptible to disease. See the list of reasons below why gut bacteria change.

You can fix gut health ASAP by joining our gut health community!

Why Does Gut Bacteria Change?

Gut bacteria change with everything we do and are exposed to.

Exposure in infancy protects a child from developing weakened immune systems later in life that are sensitive to pollen, benign germs, and dust.

A mother and her baby lying on white sheets, smiling.

Likewise, exposure to chemicals in infancy can affect these gut microbiota. Did you read: Why Aspartame is Linked to Cancer? Exposure to aspartame is linked before you are born if your mother drank aspartame-laden drinks without knowing about the dangers. It has only been exposed as a carcinogen recently, despite scientists crying out for it to be banned for decades!

There are more risks of being susceptible to chronic inflammatory conditions and autoimmune diseases later in life without the correct quantity and quality of germs in childhood.

It’s really important to be exposed and not shielded unless it is chemicals!

Have you read Low-calorie Foods for Weight Loss and listened to my chat with Dr. Dawn Sherling on Food Additives & Your Microbiome and about The Behavioral Immune System with Nick Potter?

I talk all the time about how medication can cause gut dysbiosis and keep you in a perpetual state of sickness, so to speak. I found this out when I was researching what was wrong with me and how I could fix myself with two autoimmune diseases. Read NSAIDs, Gut Health & Inflammation.

Tablets, pills, medication, medicine on a table, in a bowl and in hands.

So, everything we are exposed to as we grow, along with our diets, habits, and environment, shapes our microbiota communities. This bug community can change the body into a healthy state or one at greater risk of disease.

Mental and physical health change bacteria. Stress and depression can change your gut bacteria. The wrong exercise can change it, too.

Being with people has an effect on gut bacteria.

Sleep affects gut bacteria! If you don’t get good quality regular sleep, your gut health will be affected. Have you read Weight Loss and The Link To Sleep?

And vice versa! It all works symbiotically together.

A man and woman cuddling and smiling at the camera.

How Can I Drastically Change My Health?

You can drastically change your health by joining this anti-inflammatory lifestyle. 

Your gut health will improve dramatically, and the benefits are astounding.

You see, some bacteria in your gut may grow depending on what you are exposed to and what you eat. Others may disappear or shrink, which influences the immune system in the gut and in our adaptive immune system.

There’s a whole array of activities involving antigens, innate cell types, neutrophils, T cells, and B cells, for instance, that go on in the gut that displays how the microbiota has a profound effect on both the innate and adaptive immune system. A study by Wu & Wu (2012) explains it in detail.

Microbiota can change or become fixed due to being too hygienic, even.

Having a low microbial load due to being too clean in modern life can have a powerful effect on our immune response because it will either not be tolerant or will create inflammation.

Gastroenterological manual. A model of the human intestine in the hands of a doctor. Taking care of digestion. Intestinal health. Large and small intestine in doctor hands.

What Does Gut Bacteria Do?

Our composition of microbiota has a crucial influence on our health. As I mentioned, it aids nutrient metabolism, breaks down toxic compounds, and protects against contaminated food and drink. It also ensures that the gut barrier is strong. 

Indeed, our microbiota is an intrinsic regulator of immune responses.

Gut microbiota plays a vital role in the development of immune homeostasis, including the development of gut-associated lymphoid tissues.

70-80% of immune cells (Gut-associated Lymphoid Tissue) reside in the gut. GALT is an essential component in protecting the body from pathogens. In fact, studies show that it is microbiota from before we are born that is involved in generating innate immunity during growth and development. 

Gut microbiota and gut-associated lymphoid tissue are essential players in the pathogenesis of various diseases.

Close up of a woman eating three donuts. Gut health and unhealthy diet.

The Causes of Bad Gut Health

An unbalanced microbiota results in gut dysbiosis, leading to chronic disease through (but not limited to):

  • *An unhealthy diet, including calorie-restrictive and extreme diets (not all popular diets are good for you!)
  • *A compromised immune system (you can be born with or acquire a weakened immune system)
  • *Overstimulated bowel functions (malnutrition through inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn’s, colitis, and diverticulitis)
  • *Older age (influenced by personal factors)
  • *Lifestyle
  • *Obesity 
  • *Medication (often to ‘treat’ disease causes more disease)
  • *Antibiotics (wipe out a gut microbiota richness and diversity within four days)
  • *Recurring bouts of acute inflammation (pneumonia, viruses: colds, flu, Covid)
  • *Auto-inflammatory diseases
  • *Stress 
  • *Illness (a vicious cycle)
  • *Environment (toxins, cleaning products, plastics, solvents, pesticides, cigarette smoke, mercury, and so on)
  • *Sleep deprivation
  • *Certain exercises
  • *Isolation (not socializing significantly alters gut microbiota).

 

Medication is not good for gut health.

What Are the Signs of an Unhealthy Gut?

Dysbiosis (when an altered interaction between immune cells and microbiota occurs) makes the body susceptible to disease. It increases intestinal permeability (leaky gut syndrome) and opens up the chronic inflammation pathway!

When you realize how gut microbiota can get unbalanced, and contributing factors like highly processed and calorie-controlled diets, along with other factors mentioned above, you can see the link with the rise in chronic inflammatory diseases like obesity, diabetes, depression, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.

There are currently, 10 percent of the population with autoimmune diseases, and 78% of deaths worldwide are linked to chronic inflammation.

It seems that everyone has conditions that are related to the gut microbiome!

A woman in exercise gear with a measure tape around her waist, indicating weight loss.
Member’s results of living the EBS Gut-healthy Anti-inflammatory Lifestyle.

What Meals Are Good for the Gut?

You can find 300+ gut-health recipes when you sign up for this gut-health diet and lifestyle. They are globally inspired, so you get to travel around the world while you are making yourself super healthy, too! Try these taster dishes: Moroccan Burgers, Sicilian Eggplants, Asian Chicken Soup With Konjac Noodles, Mediterranean Roast Chicken & Vegetables, and Coconut & Cacao Loaf.

Why Do I Need Good Gut Health?

Having good gut health not only protects you from disease but can help you age well and keep you looking and feeling young, as long as you incorporate other lifestyle factors. Good gut health assists in looking after your skin, hair, eyes, mood, and cognition, and it helps relationships! It’s true.

If you have good gut health, you are most likely to be a better friend, and seeing people that you love spending time with is good for gut health, too. As I mentioned above, staying social is important for your gut health and immune health!

The wonderful thing is, is that with the right manipulation, you can make your gut microbiome into a healthy, diverse community.

You just need the right tools!

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Depression, Anxiety & Gut Health

September 24, 2023

NSAIDS, Gut Health & Inflammation

NSAIDS May Ruin Your Health

Hello Everyone! This post is all about NSAIDS, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs most prescribed for anti-inflammatory conditions that many people use for pain.

The trouble is that depending on how often you use NSAIDS, they can worsen your condition. I will explain. Read on, and share!

What Are NSAIDs?

Common Side Effects of NSAIDs

How Many People Use NSAIDs Daily?

Why NSAIDs Are Bad For Your Health

What Are Chronic Inflammation Conditions?

Do NSAIDs Cause More Pain and Inflammation?

What Is An Alternative to Taking NSAIDs?

A female holding four blister packs of medication.

What Are NSAIDs?

NSAIDs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; the medications you can buy over the counter, like ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin, are also prescribed by a doctor, like diclofenac and celecoxib.

Many refer to them by their brand name, like Advil, Aleve, and Celebrex. They are used for acute and chronic pain, fever, and inflammation for many conditions, except for low-dose aspirin, which is used to prevent heart attacks and strokes).

Common Side Effects of NSAIDs

Depending on how much you use them, there are side effects to longer, regular use.

The common side effects of NSAIDs are listed on the boxes as warnings and safety concerns. Several include kidney, liver, GI toxicity, respiratory, organ damage, and cardiovascular adverse effects. Bindu, S., Mazumder, S., & Bandyopadhyay, U.(2020).

A brown-haired female holds painkillers and indicates tooth pain.

Many studies link NSAIDs to peptic ulcer disease and colitis, like this study by Tai & McAlindon (2021).

Numerous studies talk about the severe side effects of using NSAIDs daily. In the British Journal of General Practice, Davis & Robson (2016) look at the dangers of NSAIDs and call for an urgent need to consider their safety.

How Many People Use NSAIDs Daily?

In a study by Gunaydin & Bilge (2018), an estimated 30 million people worldwide took NSAIDs daily!

An estimated 10 million people over 60 in the UK use NSAIDs daily, which puts them at an increased risk of adverse effects because of the natural physiological aging process that occurs, making them more susceptible. Plus, NSAIDs shouldn’t be taken with other drugs like diuretics, hypoglycaemic, anticoagulants, etc.

A female doctor handing a painkiller to her female patient who looks in pain.

I so often say that medication can save you, but long-term use doesn’t fix the source of the pain. Everyone should be screened for all potential risks and weigh the risks versus the benefits with their doctors. It is recommended that they are taken at the lowest possible dose for the shortest duration, as stated in this study by Pisano et al. (2016).

Why NSAIDs Are Bad For Your Health

NSAIDs can change the composition of your intestinal microbial community, otherwise known as gut dysbiosis, which is not good.

Gut health (with a good intestinal microbial community) is imperative to good health.

The microbes in your gut are influenced by your diet and eating behaviors, what else you ingest, like drugs, alcohol, pollutants, and so on, and stress, how you live, move, and breathe.

When you are burnt out, you can reach for things that actually make your health worse, like alcohol and the painkillers that are keeping those stress headaches at bay (but actually keep them there!).

A female stomach shown with a heart shape made by her hands to indicate gut health.

Among the microbes are bacteria, the most abundant component in your intestinal community. Over a thousand species, in fact, and they consist of good and bad bacteria!

Medication can kill off the good bacteria, shift the balance in the community, and increase the bacteria that puts your health at risk. Edogawa et al. (2018) explain the increase in the harmful bacteria and a decrease in the good bacteria.

You may like to read Side Effects of Antibiotics: IBD.

An imbalance causes gut dysbiosis, which dysregulates the immune system and leads to chronic inflammation.

You can improve gut health with prebiotic recipes like these delicious: Sesame & Sumac Lamb ChopsCoconut & Collagen Chia Pudding.

What Are Chronic Inflammation Conditions?

We need inflammation as a healthy defense mechanism against a cut, bug, or virus, but we don’t need inflammation to be running continuously. This is when it turns into chronic inflammation, which can cause pain and swelling, which is why NSAIDs are used and prescribed.

A young female sitting on a sofa clutching her stomach, indicating stomach or period pain.

There are so many conditions that are related to chronic inflammation, and many are listed here – from alopecia to cancer to depression and menopause, obesity, skin conditions, and thyroid issues.

You may like to read Signs of Inflammation That May Surprise You.

Members, access Personalized Advice for more in-depth advice for your painful and inflammatory conditions.

Do NSAIDs Cause More Pain and Inflammation?

So, the pain medication you take for your chronic inflammation condition actually causes gut dysbiosis, immune dysregulation, and chronic inflammation.

NSAIDs make your body more susceptible to pain and other diseases.

They make you less healthy than you were before.

By causing an imbalance in your gut, this explains why painkillers stop working after a while.

If you are looking to lower your cholesterol, please check this article.

Happy man looking at his pain medication and holding a glass of water.

What Is An Alternative to Taking NSAIDs?

So, if you are in the habit of popping over-the-counter painkillers for the slightest twinge or are having lots of pain, discuss it with your doctor. Everyone should be screened for all potential risks when you take any medication.

Or, if you have been prescribed painkillers for an inflammatory condition, consider an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle change, as well. Run it by your doctor.

They usually recommend a diet and lifestyle intervention for many health conditions, including stress. It’s incredible how it works. You may find that you visit the doctor less and use NSAIDs less and less, which will help your gut, which will more than likely help put your condition into remission.

As you use less, you will also see other positive changes like feeling brighter, more energy, and joie de vivre.

I wish that for you. Have a fantastic day!

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Worst Foods For Gut Health

Painkillers Not Helping Your Headaches?

Why Aspartame Is Linked to Cancer

May 07, 2023

How Do You Get Nutrients With Celiac Disease?

A Nutritious Celiac Diet

Hello Everyone! I was reading a nutritional assessment recently about women with celiac disease. It revealed that their daily micronutrients were unmet.

The study in Norway (Norkost 3) showed that women with celiac disease had an unbalanced diet with a higher intake of total and saturated fat, along with a low fiber intake, compared to the general population.

The results highlighted the need for people with celiac to follow a nutrition-dense diet free of all the triggers.* 

This post is for you if you have celiac disease and need guidance in not just what to eat to ensure that you get the proper nutrition but to guarantee that taste, variety, and cakes are involved!

What Are the Symptoms of Celiac Disease?

What Is the Best Diet for Celiac Disease?

How To Eat Healthily With Celiac Disease

What Happens if You Eat a High-Fat Diet?

What Happens if You Don’t Eat Enough Fiber?

Where Do You Find Celiac Nutrition Online?

What Are the Symptoms of Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, and symptoms can be surprising and may include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Bloating
  • Stomach cramps
  • Vomiting
  • Anemia
  • Nutrient deficiencies
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Skin rashes
  • Hair loss
  • Damage to teeth enamel
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Joint pain
  • Low bone density
  • Sensory symptoms
  • Cognitive dysfunction
  • ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)
  • Low moods, anxiety, and depression
  • Weight loss

 

The only way to manage celiac disease is through diet and lifestyle, and if done successfully, you can live a symptom-free, rich life.

What Is the Best Diet for Celiac Disease?

If you are newly diagnosed, you may feel relieved that you finally know what has been causing all of your health challenges. 

You may have searched for the best diet for celiac disease online and resolved that you won’t be eating out anymore and will be taking food with you wherever you go. 

You may have listed everything you can eat but then be flummoxed at putting a varied meal plan together to fit into your life or the family.

The best diet recommendations for celiac disease can often feel restrictive, unsustainable, and boring. Mourning all the food you love, like cake, bread, and cookies, is expected when you have been diagnosed with celiac disease.

You may not know what to avoid since many safe foods for people with celiac disease can be made, processed, and grown alongside foods that cause celiac flare-ups.

*Some surprising ingredients in gluten-free foods will not help your celiac condition.

You could replace your current favorites with ‘gluten-free’ foods but be gaining weight and not feeling optimum health. You may not realize that other ingredients in some gluten-free packaged foods may cause gut dysbiosis.

Gut dysbiosis will exacerbate your symptoms! It causes chronic inflammation, dysregulates your immune system, and makes you vulnerable to more disease.

It can be mind-blowing, I know.

How To Eat Healthily With Celiac Disease

With celiac disease, the lining of your small intestines is damaged, and your immune system has mistakenly attacked your healthy tissues when you have eaten gluten (the substances inside are seen as threats to the body!). This causes your body to be unable to take in nutrients.

I know that when you have to watch what you eat and drink due to the need to eliminate celiac flare-ups, you can often go with tried and trusted ‘safe’ options and limit your food variety. Getting through the day without cramps or sickness is easier than anticipating an attack!

What happens to many people who have gastrointestinal symptoms with their autoimmune disease or chronic condition is malnutrition and dehydration.

These then present more issues that can develop. Anemia, as one example, then presents itself with more symptoms. Have you read Anemia, B12, & Iron Deficiencies?

Poor nutrition absorption can weaken your immune system. You may be interested in reading more about your immune system here.

What Happens if You Eat a High-Fat Diet?

The Norkast 3 study revealed women with celiac disease have high-fat intakes.

A high fat intake puts the risk of diseases of the heart at a higher rate. It can increase the risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

One of the problems is that processed gluten-free foods do not help you when you have celiac disease. They could be making your health worse in the long run.

You see, gluten-free processed food usually has a lot of saturated fat and chemicals to make them palatable. (Have you listened to my podcasts and Instagram Lives about additives and the microbiome with Dr. Dawn Shirling yet?).

There’s also a Masterclass Lives on Additives, that you can listen to/watch here.

High-fat diets change long-chain fatty acid metabolism and gut dysbiosis, which results in high levels of inflammatory triggers. 

A high-fat diet and chemicals can alter the bugs in your tummy (microbiota) and decrease, in particular, certain ‘good’ bacteria and increase ‘bad’ bacteria.

As I often mention, bacteria are essential in gut, brain, and immune health.

Gut dysbiosis leads to chronic inflammation, which leads to immune dysregulation.

Oftentimes, with an alteration in the tummy microbiota comes depression, anxiety, low moods, and feeling like you want to cry, for instance. This is the brain-gut connection. Have you read How Do You Live with IBS and Anxiety?

Many people with chronic inflammation suffer low moods and depression, not just because of the challenges of having the conditions and how they present themselves.

What Happens if You Don’t Eat Enough Fiber?

The women in the study with celiac disease also had low fiber intakes.

Fiber is essential in our diets for digestion, gut health, and reducing the risk of developing chronic inflammatory conditions.

Your cardiovascular system is more protected with a fiber-rich diet because fiber reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. LDL is a significant risk for heart conditions. Fiber also slows down carbohydrate sugar absorption, preventing blood sugar spikes after meals.

It is essential to get the balance right because low fiber intake changes tummy bacteria diversity and feeling fuller for longer, too.

Too little can cause bowel issues like IBS and even bowel cancer.

You can miss out on many nutrients if your diet is strict or limited for whatever reason (not the correct type of fiber and fats), but I will save that for another time.

As I mentioned earlier, many deficiencies occur due to conditions that trigger many trips to the bathroom. I have been there! You can feel really ill and low because of the lack of nutrients (as well as dealing with all of the complications and challenges).

Nutrition cannot be compromised. For many autoimmune diseases, mineral deficiencies, for instance, are not compensated for.

It is crucial to have a nutrient-rich diet for celiac disease while reducing inflammation, healing the condition, and protecting from developing other conditions and symptoms.

I have two autoimmune conditions in remission, and I feel amazing!

You may be interested in listening to how I put my autoimmune diseases into remission here or reading about how our bodies are wired for healing here.

Where Do You Find Celiac Nutrition Online?

Needless to say, Eat Burn Sleep’s nutrient-packed celiac-friendly diet and lifestyle may have you feeling the same way in very little time. Plus, it just gets better, and it isn’t temporary.

You don’t have to overthink too much because I have done all the meal planning, family and friends-friendly recipes, lunch boxes, and eating-out guide for you. When I was devising it, I decided that it had to be delicious and include tons of treats. I didn’t want to miss cakes and cookies! I don’t ‘do’ bland in life!

You don’t need to be good at cooking to prepare delicious nutrient-dense celiac-friendly meals. There are dozens of cake and cookie recipes (which have a reputation for being divine by cake-eating experts!), and you will know what to eat when you dine out (the eating-out guide is on the app!).

You can still eat your old favorites in moderation (but you may not want to because of the pain they used to cause and because gut microbiota is very clever!).

One important thing to note is I advise you to think about all of the beautiful new food and ways to live that are before you if you have been diagnosed with celiac, rather than feeling like you have to give up things you love. Adopting the Eat Burn Sleep gut health diet and lifestyle will reinforce the incredible way you will feel in no time.

Changing what you eat and how you eat will aid your gut healing, digestion, nutrient absorption, brain, energy, and sleep patterns. Moving and thinking in an anti-inflammatory, stress-free way will support them further.

Eat Burn Sleep allows you to be spontaneous again!

Life is to be lived well, after all!

I hope you have a wonderful day.

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Depression, Anxiety & Gut Health

February 19, 2023

Is AG1 Supplement Good for You?

The Risks of Taking AG1

Hi Everyone. I was quite shocked recently, as you know if you follow Eat Burn Sleep on Instagram. My AG1 health supplement had arrived, and I looked at the ingredients, of course.

AG1 is a health drink endorsed by doctors and marketed with words such as ‘Promotes Gut Health,’ ‘Supports Immunity,’ and ‘Helps Recovery.’

For this post, I will tell you why AG1 can’t do what it claims to do.

Are Supplements Safe?

What Do Supplements Contain?

Is AG1 Good or Bad for You?

What Do Supplements Contain?

Can You Trust AG1?

Why AG1 Ingredients Have Health Risks

How is Soy Lecithin Produced?

Is Soy Lecithin Healthy?

The Dangers of Supplements

Is Inulin Safe?

Why You Shouldn’t Trust All Supplement Companies

Are Supplements Safe?

Firstly, everyone needs to know that supplements are not FDA-approved (Food and Drug Authority). Manufacturers are left responsible for their products’ safety but do not need to prove their safety.

Nor do they need to prove the effectiveness of their supplement.

A supplement manufacturer may do business with another manufacturer who may verify the safety of their ingredients before they use them themselves, but the other manufacturer does not have to prove the safety of their ingredients, either.

The Food and Drug Authority verifies no safety certification. Additives have never been rigorously tested.

I always advise going with a trusted brand, like Minami or Solgar, for instance, but always advocate that a supplement cannot cancel diet and lifestyle.

Also, please ask yourself what you want from your supplement. For instance, you can achieve optimal health by making diet and lifestyle changes. You can lose a lot of weight fast and safely, with ease in many cases, along with treating depression (amongst so many other issues). Just join this anti-inflammatory lifestyle! The side effects are incredible, and they keep on coming!

What Do Supplements Contain?

Most supplements are packed with fillers, stabilizers, bulking agents, and preservatives. The supplement company can get away with all the additives because they don’t have to comply with any food and drug laws, and it is a billion-dollar industry.

This is why I always advise you not to buy anything off the internet that is from an unreputable company or even from one that has been around a while and has endorsements from doctors.

Is AG1 Good or Bad for You?

AG1 has been around a while, is recommended by doctors, and has famous people as investors! So, there’s a lot to ‘trust’. Endorsed by Dr. Chatterjee, Dr. Mark Hyman, Huberman Lab, and Dr. David Sinclair, it is not a surprise that their revenue numbers are apparently through the roof. Doctors are telling you that it is good for you.

AG1 was founded in 2010, called Athletic Greens initially, and according to their website, AG1 is made from the highest quality ingredients in accordance with the strictest standards (bear in mind that there are no strict standards in place by the FDA).

Their health supplement drink contains 75 vitamins, minerals, superfoods, probiotics, and adaptogens.

They have a statement on their website that reads that there are no GMOs, herbicides, pesticides, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Can You Trust AG1?

Supplements are huge money-makers, and the manufacturers don’t need to prove their safety.

Even when taking supplements from ‘reputable’ brands, it’s always wise to ensure that you go over the ingredients with your nutritionist or healthcare provider because you may have adverse symptoms or sensitivities to ingredients that are not classed as dangerous to health.

AG1 has an abundance of ingredients that are good for some if you look into them in isolation. Still, there aren’t any studies to show clinically relevant doses when combined with the other ingredients.

Also, adaptogens like dandelion extract, for instance, are dangerous if you take a certain medication. Licorice can lead to hypokalemia and hypertension; some people are more sensitive to licorice exposure (Kwon et al., 2020).

There is no caution about this on their website, by the way.

The most significant health risk I noticed within seconds of looking at the ingredients is soy lecithin!

Soy lecithin causes gut dysbiosis. It is NOT good for gut health, boosting the immune system, and aiding recovery. It does the complete opposite.

Why AG1 Ingredients Have Health Risks

Gut dysbiosis leads to a dysregulated immune system, which leads to chronic inflammation, which leads to conditions such as alopecia, candida & H-pylori, diabetes, depression, IBS, bloating, migraines, obesity, skin inflammation, and the list goes on!

If you have a condition like endometriosis or PCOS, and you take a supplement containing a large amount of soy lecithin, you could be making your condition worse.

Soy lecithin is an effective emulsifier to fabricate delivery systems for enzymes, vitamins, flavors, pesticides, antimicrobials, nutraceuticals, and so on.

Now, AG1 could argue that they use lecithin for this reason, and the good ingredients outweigh the harmful ingredients necessary for producing a healthy supplement drink.

BUT SOY LECITHIN IS THE SECOND LARGEST INGREDIENT IN THE SUPPLEMENT!

Higher levels of soy lecithin encourage Enterococcus and Clostridium bacteria in the microbiota. These are pathogenic and lead to disease.

Soy lecithin is used as a thickener, stabilizer, emulsifier, moisturizer, and mild preservative, yet AG1 states that its product doesn’t contain any preservatives.

It is listed as lecithin in the ingredients with a footnote at the end: This product contains a premium lecithin for phosphatidyl serine and phosphatidylcholine. It is derived from SOY. This product has been tested and contains NO SOY trypsin inhibitors or other soy proteins.

The metabolism of phosphatidylcholine from soy lecithin in the gut microbiota has been linked to cardiovascular disease, as discussed in studies (Wang et al., 2011, Tang & Hazen, 2014).

How is Soy Lecithin Produced?

Using a chemical solvent, soy lecithin is created by extracting soybean oil from raw soybeans. Then, this oil goes through a process called degumming. This involves water mixed with the oil until the lecithin separates from it. The lecithin is then dried and is often bleached. The DNA in soy lecithin is degraded during this process, so it is impossible to tell whether it is GMO or not. Also, I am not sure what AG1 means by premium soy lecithin.

Soy is well-recognized as an allergen, but it is the protein in soybeans that causes allergies. The vast majority of protein is removed in the soy lecithin manufacturing process, and the trypsin inhibitor mentioned can cause pancreatic disease, which is what they are referring to here.

Is Soy Lecithin Healthy?

There is a lot of confusion about soy lecithin because it is added to everything, even in ‘healthy’ and ‘all natural’ packaged food (most likely not healthy or natural). Surely that means that it is okay to consume, or even good for you? (Marketing is powerful, and you can’t trust the words on the packaging).

The fact that lecithin is in more ‘healthy’ and ‘all natural’ foods, which people pay more money for, adds to the confusion. The soy lecithin is added to make the food more palatable, for texture and a lengthened shelf-life.

There are articles all over the internet contradicting the health risks of soy lecithin. Lecithin is found in eggs, and it must be good for you, as there are lecithin supplements to buy, too. Some statements say that soy lecithin is safe in small doses.

If it is in something you drink or eat daily, it is not in small doses.

You have to think about the long-term effects.

You need to know that soy lecithin is one of the factors that is contributing to the rise in obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

The Dangers of Supplements

Since packaged foods and supplements, ‘healthy or not,’ are packed with chemicals and additives more than ever before, it is no surprise that there is an increase in people having high cholesterol and blood sugar, joint issues, and other signs of inflammation. There is a reason why there are anxiety and obesity pandemics.

Soy lecithin does not belong in our microbiome in such significant quantities. Our health depends on our gut having a good diversity of microbiota. If you are consuming many organisms that do not belong there, they will increase. When they proliferate, gut dysbiosis occurs.

This is the beginning of your body becoming inflamed. If continued, you are opening yourself up to disease, turning on genetics, or exacerbating a condition and making it worse.

Emulsifiers aggravate metabolic disorders through intestinal bacterial overgrowth, increased permeability of the intestinal mucosal barrier, and deficiencies in the host’s immune defenses.

Is Inulin Safe?

The other ingredient that is linked to disease in AG1 is the fourth ingredient listed.

That is inulin!

Inulin alters your microbiota, which causes chronic inflammation and a dysregulated immune system.

It is linked to metabolic disorders, obesity, and diabetes.

Inulin, even taken for a short while, disturbs systemic cholesterol and bile acid metabolism and may have detrimental effects on liver function. (Pauly et al., 2020).

A study at Weill Cornell Medicine realized that inulin took daily increased T reg cells and induced a rise in white blood cells (eosinophils are often noted in allergies and asthma) in the lungs, the gut, and other parts of the body.

Again, many articles that can be read on the internet state the health properties of inulin. It is important to run through ingredients with your nutritionist (or contact us if you are a member) or your doctor for potential side effects of ingredients of foods and supplements.

It is imperative to be cautious with conditions, intolerances, and allergies. People are known to be sensitive to inulin. Symptoms of side effects include flatulence, gas, bloating, diarrhea, and stomach discomfort.

There is no data to say that probiotic supplements that you are taking reach your gut. Getting probiotics from food is guaranteed. Most vegetables contain prebiotics and will feed the good bacteria in your gut.

I wonder why these doctors have put their name to a product with a massive amount of soy lecithin in and inulin, and so on.

Reading one of AG1’s clever marketing statements: AG1 empowers the gut for whole body health. I’m afraid I have to disagree. Soy lecithin disempowers your gut and renders it to disease. But I do agree with their statement:

We can’t achieve a healthier everything else without a healthy gut.

Beware of Marketing Words!

They could cost you your health.

If you haven’t heard my podcasts or the recent Instagram Live with Dr. Dawn Sherling about the dangers of additives in foods, check them out.

Making positive changes in our lifestyles and protecting ourselves as much as possible from chemicals will have a more significant impact on our health, now and in the future.

Also, consider how much it will cost you to make you unhealthy in the long run. AG1’s ‘BEST VALUE’ package is for two people at £2,328.00 ($2,796.70) a year. For a single subscription (at the time of writing, there was an offer of £79 per month), which is £948.00 (approx.$1,140) a year for a ‘health’ supplement!

Knowing what is good for you and how your body works is the best way to take care of it. Knowing what is in your food is imperative to your gut health.

A year’s subscription to Eat Burn Sleep gives you the knowledge and tools you need.

It is the equivalent of having your own nutritionist and a year’s gym sessions with unique exercises not found anywhere else. It is having access to an ever-expanding anti-inflammatory cookbook with recipes from around the world, like Catalan Roasted Vegetables, Chicken Marbella, and Moroccan Burgers.

It’s an optimum health education platform that is continually being added to, and so on.

EBS is family-friendly and world-friendly.

The Premium Membership, which gives you access to everything you need to support your gut health and optimum health holistically, is only £290 a year, without health risks and long-term positive effects.

Our members are getting happier and healthier, changing their tastebuds and changing their microbiome. They are living a better life as the days and years go by. Many had mild to chronic health conditions before joining.

Why You Shouldn’t Trust All Supplement Companies

The takeaway is to always remember that supplement companies are not FDA-approved. Marketing words on packages do not have to be approved, either. They are created to make you buy them.

The supplements industry is a billion-dollar one.

With obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions on the rise, it is no wonder that ‘healthy supplement’ companies are taking an ‘any means necessary’ approach to ‘tackling’ the problems. Yet, the supplements that they are creating ultimately contribute to the rise in disease.

Always check ingredients and run them by a dietician, nutritionist, and doctor. You can get away with small doses that can change your microbiota now and again but think about the long-term effects. We have the complete list of what to avoid in the Red Lists, Members. Check the article: How to Silence Hidden Inflammation.

Boosting your health with supplements, even endorsed by doctors and famous people, may just be rendering your body susceptible to disease.

Do take care. Your health is precious. Have a great day!

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10 Ways to Boost Your Immunity Quickly

Vegetarian to Meat Eater

What Is Gut Health?

January 22, 2023

Side Effects of Antibiotics & IBD

Heightening the Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Hello Everyone! A Danish study wanted to determine if dosing and timing of antibiotics were important factors in the development of IBD.

More than 6.1 million individuals were included in the study derived from medical data ranging over 18 years, and the results showed that another critical factor increased the risk.

This article delves into why the side effects of antibiotics are linked to Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, how age is associated with the likeliness of diagnosis, and how you can treat your IBD in the most effective, safest way.

If you are new to Eat Burn Sleep, many factors play pivotal roles in inflammatory bowel disease development. There are many ways to put it into remission, which are all included on this platform.

Side Effects of Antibiotics at Any Age

Can You Get IBD at Any Age?

Why Do You Have Crohn’s Disease?

What Are the Side Effects of Antibiotics?

Can Too Many Antibiotics Make You Sick?

Which Antibiotics Trigger IBD?

How Do You Reset Gut Health?

 

Side Effects of Antibiotics at Any Age

In the study (Faye et al. 2023) determining whether antibiotics were factors in the development of IBD, individuals had to satisfy specific criteria, and they ranged from 10 years old upwards, with no previous diagnosis of IBD—the years from January 2000 until December 2018 were studied.

It concluded that the frequent use of antibiotics that targeted gastrointestinal infections increased the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease among males and females over 40 by 50%. 

However, it also revealed that antibiotic use at any age, including 10 years old and upwards, increased the risk of developing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. 

Each added course of antibiotics over the years from January 2000 until December 2018 created additional risk – the highest risk is seen after 1-2 years following antibiotic courses.

Can You Get IBD at Any Age?

Yes, you can get inflammatory bowel disease at any age, following antibiotics. The study showed the percentage of individuals that would be more likely to be diagnosed with IBD were:

  • 28% for 10 – 40 years old
  • 48% for 40 – 60 years old
  • 47% for those over 60 years old.

Why Do You Have Crohn’s Disease?

Please explore this platform to delve into the cause of Crohn’s disease and, indeed, become a member to put your Crohn’s disease into remission, but one reason could be down to antibiotics.

The study mentioned above revealed that the risk of developing Crohn’s disease after a course of antibiotics was:

  • 40% for individuals aged 10 to 40 years old
  • 62% for 40 to 60 years old
  • 51% for those over their 60s. 

Each course of antibiotics added an additional 11%, 15%, and 14%, respectively.

The figures were slightly lower for the risk of developing ulcerative colitis but still as significant.

The outcome showed that anyone at any age who has had five lots of antibiotic courses or more was twice as likely to develop an inflammatory bowel disease than someone who has not been on antibiotics.

What Are the Side Effects of Antibiotics?

Antibiotics change the microbial environment in the gastrointestinal tract, decreasing diversity and increasing susceptibility to disease development.

Our gut microbiota, which we carry around 4-5lbs of in our gut, changes continuously. It is home to an array of microorganisms that consist of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses. They are paramount to our health.

Our microbiota is made up of our genes, food, drink, and what we are exposed to.

Everything we imbibe will feed the good or harmful bacteria or wipe out all the good.

This includes everything around us. The air we breathe, how we live and eat, and even our thoughts.

Everything we do impacts our gut microbiota.

Everything our gut microbiota does affects us.

This includes aging.

Age impacts our microbiota.

It was found that aging adults have decreased Bifidobacterium in their gut, also seen in IBD patients.

Age-related changes like lifestyle factors can be made worse by antibiotic use, which depletes microbiota diversity, increases candida and thrush, and can have long-term effects.

Recovery from antibiotics takes younger people less than a month to recover, but it takes much longer in older people.

Can Too Many Antibiotics Make You Sick?

Gut microbiota is affected by antibiotics, medication, drugs, sickness, and stress.

So, the antibiotics cause gut dysbiosis, which is linked to chronic inflammation and IBD: Crohn’s, Colitis, and Diverticulitis, as well as other chronic inflammatory diseases.

So, you can imagine that repeat prescriptions over a period of time limit microbiota recovery.

Children are still at risk of developing IBD after antibiotics, but much less. The slow and limited recovery that comes from aging, combined with repeated dysbiosis (unbalanced gut microbiota diversity) from the antibiotics, puts a person over 40 in a perpetual state of susceptibility to disease.

Antibiotic use is a trigger for Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis development.

Which Antibiotics Trigger IBD?

All antibiotics and medications cause microbiota diversity and metabolic changes. The overgrowth of pathogens occurs, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria multiply, for instance.

Antibiotics can wipe out all the good bacteria, leading to inflammatory diseases and immune dysregulation. 70% of immune cells reside in your gut, you see.

So, by using antibiotics to fight an infection, you are actually making your body more susceptible to disease and viruses.

Wiping out good bacteria and pathogens results in the body being even less healthy than before.

This also highlights how medication can cause chronic inflammation and reduced immunity through gut dysbiosis and how medicine can not be effective after a while. 

Gut microbiota is imperative to human health and can be disrupted by many lifestyle factors, antibiotics, and medication. 

It is constantly changing.

It can be changed positively to an optimal state as our environments allow. 

Have you read NSAIDs, Gut Health & Inflammation, Painkillers Not Helping Your Headaches?, Why Aspartame Is Linked to Cancer, & Can Food Poisoning Cause Inflammation?

How Do You Reset Gut Health?

Resetting your system starts here. Our 6-week reset enables you to recover from antibiotic use and dysbiosis, regardless of age.

The 6-week reset reboots the immune system and reduces inflammation, which improves your mental well-being and will cause weight loss, give you more energy, and make you feel and look incredible.

I would suggest that in addition to week 1 advice, follow the advice that I share for Candida Overgrowth for more recommendations to reduce bacterial overgrowth.

It’s a powerful protocol for resetting your health and taking control of your IBD, reducing Crohn’s and colitis triggers.

It takes 21 days to revive your mind and body and 42 to feel absolutely incredible!

Then, you maintain your lifestyle with 300+ microbiota-loving recipes, keeping you in tip-top health, having what you like now and again, which will keep you happy.

The platform has amazing craving hacks, but remember, it is not about perfection. Follow the EBS method 80% of the time. Have those foods and drinks that you love, too.

Nothing is cut out 100% (keeping the bacteria), which keeps many people feeling unrestricted.

Aiming for an 80/20 mindset most of the time allows you to dip to 70/30 and sometimes 60/40. You just jump back when you can. It is all about damage limitation, and it works!

The wonderful thing is that you feel it, and as you get to know your body more through the marked changes that Eat Burn Sleep promotes, you are more likely to be on this IBD and chronic disease-reducing lifestyle effortlessly.

Incremental changes over a year make a massive difference.

Plus, your gut microbiota won’t want those trigger foods one day.

It’s hard to believe right now, but it’s true! It’s amazing. Don’t just take my word for it; check out the testimonials.

Remember to go easy on yourself, and have a wonderful day.

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Depression, Anxiety & Gut Health

What Is Gut Health?

Reduce PCOS & Belly Fat