Can visiting the in-laws at Christmas change your Microbiome (your bacteria in the gut)?

 

Beyond being a festive and holiday season, Christmas also has an environmental factor, both physically and mentally.  Studies have shown that the Christmas season has brought with it changes in the gut microbiota.

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam in 2019 conducted a prospective observational study on 28 healthy volunteers celebrating Christmas. Using 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing, faecal samples were collected between 23rd and 27th December.

In the study, researchers found the changes in the faecal microorganisms in the study subjects over Christmas, particularly those subjects visiting their in-laws.  There was a significant change in the Ruminococcus species of organisms.  Decrease in Ruminococcus species is linked to increased perceptions of stress.  There was also a reduction in microbial diversity in both groups, those who spent Christmas with their family and those who spent Christmas with the in-laws.  Reduction in microbial diversity is associated with increased psychological stress.

The mechanism in which in-laws affect the change in microbiome is still not fully understood.  However, microbiome changes is related to psychological stress and depression, metabolic syndrome and obesity as well as inflammatory bowel disease.

However, changing your perceptions of the festive season could change the microbiome.  If you are feeling the stress of the season because of relatives, think about the people who do not have family to spend Christmas with.  Be grateful for what you have.  Perhaps also, consider changing your focus:  What are your wins this year (health, career, family, relationships, friends, community)?  What are you truly grateful for?  What is definitely worth celebrating this year end?

When you focus on the positives, you produce different chemical messengers in the body, you also grow different microbiome.  You are calmer, make better choices, make kinder remarks and the whole experience could turn out quite different.

 

Are allergies keeping you sneezing, streaming and itchy?

Are you struggling with allergies? If stepping outside on a sunny, spring day makes your eyeballs feel like they are on fire, and nose stream nonstop, it’s time to heal your gut… my gut?  But my nose and eyes are streaming and my skin is itchy!  Why my gut?

Let me explain…

When your immune system overreacts to something normally harmless, such as pollen or dust mites, triggering inflammation and producing allergic symptom, ranging from sneezing, itchy eyes, eczema and asthma, to life-threatening anaphylaxis, we call this an allergy.

The quick fix pharmaceuticals such as antihistamines, provide symptomatic relief.  However, targeting the underlying drivers of allergy, particularly your gut health and function, can provide long-term health benefits.

The overreaction of your immune system can be calmed down if your gut, the seed and centre of your health, is clean and efficient, i.e. absorbs nutrients from your nutrient rich wholefoods and supplements, and eliminates in a timely manner. 

Your microbiome a.k.a. your gut bacteria is the foundation to regulating your immune system.  70% of your immune system resides in the gut. Dysbiosis, a term used to describe an imbalance in the types and levels of gut bacteria and the integrity of the gut wall have been identified the cause for inflammation causing a downstream effect or itchy eye, streaming nose and itchy skin. The release of histamine causes many inflammatory symptoms related to allergies.

 

Therefore, looking after the integrity of the gut wall, eliminating trigger foods that cause inflammation and reactivity, as well balancing the microbiome are keys to solving the seasonal allergy problems.  Having and adequate daily intake of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables is a great way to feed the microbiome.  The naturally occurring Vitamin C in fresh fruits and vegetables reduces histamine reactions.  The gastrointestinal wall also requires adequate amount of zinc to function properly.  Zinc rich foods include oysters, mussels, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and almonds.

Photo:  from Pexels by Nita

Which Diet is Best?

I have often been asked this question – which diet is best?  Nutrition is probably the only art and science that can be both right and wrong at the same time.  Why?  Simply because we are all unique and one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

The common ones are:

1. Paleo (eating foods that our hunter gatherer forefathers used to eat, no grains or legumes)
   
   
2. Keto (over half your caloric intake is from fats, about 30% from protein and approximately 10% from carbohydrates)
   
3. Gluten free (eliminating wheat, rye, barley, oat, spelt and kamut)
4. Dairy free (eliminating all foods made from the milk of a cow, goat or sheep)
5. Vegetarian (mainly plant based with some eggs, dairy, honey) 
   
6. Vegan (no animal products at all)
7. Low fat (when fat is taken out, the mouth feel changes, satiety factor is reduced so other flavours, salt and sugar is enhanced to make the food palatable)
8. FODMAP (where specific carbohydrate containing fructose and the various saccharides make digestive symptoms worse)

Each diet has its own merits and demerits, some more than others.  Ultimately it depends on the health objective (do you want to lose weight, gain weight, increase your energy, eliminate bloating, flatulence, gut pain or diarrhea or constipation or reduce pain), the genetic make up and the presentation of health or disease.  There are some strong indications of certain diets consistently being useful for a lot of the times with certain conditions, e.g. gluten and dairy free with IBS or eczema.  In times that the benefit is not there, there is a deeper underlying cause.  The most important aspect of any diet or treatment is to identify the underlying driver of that imbalance.  Sometimes the underlying is simple to identify, other times, most tests, functional and pathology tests have to be employed to work out what caused the symptom(s).

In summary, no ONE diet is the best.  What we do know is best is feeding ourselves only until we are 80% full at a meal and to have a proper break from meals between dinner and breakfast, hence the name break-fast.  We are designed to be fasting at night, or what is better known as time restricted eating.  Whilst we could be feasting during this holiday season, just remember to have a break from feasting after those big, rich meals to allow your body to recover and have a break!  Make 2021 your best year yet, feel the vitality and confidence!

What does your bowel movement say about your state of health?

A toxic digestive system has been implicated with multiple chronic diseases from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract to mental health issues (via the gut-brain connection).  A toxic digestive system includes moving your bowels too frequently or not move your bowels enough.  If you have to move your bowels 3 times before you get out of the door in the morning, that is a problem.  Conversely, if you move your bowels every other day, that is a problem too.

The number of items classified as food has changed dramatically over the last 100 years with industrial revolution and creation of fast food, man made food like substances, highly processed, high sugar, high fat, low fibre, high preservative foods that has substantially altered the bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract (also known as our microbiome).  The change in microbiome has affected the ability of our bodies to burn fats, created problems with blood sugar balance and altered mood and brain function.

Increased use of antibiotics, acid blockers, medication, steroids, chronic stress, highly processed foods and lack of sleep all alter out gut microbiome and function and lead to chronic diseases.  The disruption in our microbiome can change our bowel habits, although bowel habits can also be related to the balance of minerals in your nutritional intake, stress, hydration, lack of digestive energy and inappropriate fibre content of your food.

Most healthy adults have 2-3 main meals a day and it is normal that we have a bowel movement after a meal.  That way, we do not keep rotting remnants of food in our gastrointestinal tract that can feed the bad bugs.  Bad bugs in the gut cause gastrointestinal permeability which in turn can cause loose bowels or constipation, or alternating between the two, weight gain, brain fog and mood swings.

It is also important to minimise added sugar in our food. In this age of lots of processed foods, sugar can be hidden in many foods.  We should only have sugar from fresh fruits and vegetables. (Note:  dried fruits are very sugar dense).  From clinical observation, I have also seen dairy and gluten sensitivity common for people with chronic symptoms particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. However, we are all unique and one man’s meat is another man’s poison.  Identifying what causes your irregular bowel movement is important.  The target is for a Type 4 bowel movement on the Bristol stool chart and that you get a movement every day at least once a day, which does not contain mucus or blood.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxsQtQJ8Ihg

Sweet potato (Kumara) hash brown

Do you fancy hash browns?  It only takes minutes to make up a batch that has no gluten, dairy or any nasty additives in it.

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, grated

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp tapioca flour

1 tsp salt to taste

1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil

pepper

Method:

Mix all ingredients together and pan fry on low heat until it is cooked through.  This is useful for an afternoon snack or for lunch boxes.

30 min deconstructed gluten and grain free burger

This is a vegetable rich burger which has no grains, no gluten and no dairy.

Ingredients:

3 medium kumara (sweet potatoes, steamed)

1/2 head of cauliflower (steamed)

1 tsp garlic powder (optional, omit if you are on FODMAP)

1 tsp onion powder (optional, omit if you are on FODMAP)

4 Tablespoons tapioca flour to bind

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Steam the vegetables.  Allow to cool and blend together all ingredients.  Roll into patties and pan fry on low heat.

To assemble burger, you can use any meat or non-meat options of burger patties.  I just use pan fried salmon.  Garnish with lots of salad greens.

https://youtu.be/xkq-F6KMIz8

Gluten free diet

This is a follow on educational video from the previous one that I share about how to be gluten free or low gluten without breaking the bank account.  Dr Kylie Vincent and I also talked about the problems when we cannot break down gluten.

Gluten: differentiating between Coeliac disease and gluten intolerance

Coeliacs Awareness Week runs from 14-20 June 2000.  I often hear comments like Ïf you are not coeliac, then you can eat gluten".    Any practitioner that makes this comment certainly is not up to date with their scientific knowledge of what affects the gastrointestinal tract. 

In year 2000, the protein Zonulin was discovered by a gastroenterologist and scientist that affects the tight junctions in the gut and how it affects non-coeliacs. The result of having compromised gut integrity that creates permeability is an increase in body burden and inflammation.  This has many downstream repercussions in our state of health.  Enjoy this video and the next one which is my interview with Dr Kylie Vincent on Gluten free diets.

Easy Satay chicken on vegetables

If you love satay and would like to make a convenient satay chicken (or tofu or beef), know that the trick is in the marinate.  It does not need to be skewered for home made satay.

Ingredients for marinade:

3 large thumb piece of turmeric

1 large stalk of lemongrass

1 piece galangal

6 cloves ginger

1 large onion

2 chillies

pinch of salt

lemon juice to taste

Vegetables blanched:

Bean sprouts

French beans, sliced

Carrots, cut into strips

Fresh mint leaves

Prepare you protein source, which can be 500g of chicken/ beef/ tofu.  Slice protein source.

Method:  

1. Blend together all ingredients for marinade.  There will be enough marinate for at least 2 serves.  Save the extra serve in a small container in the freezer.

2.  Use the other half of the marinade in your prepared protein source.  Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge.

3.  Heat oil in pan and fry marinated meat/tofu until cooked.  Add an extra squeeze of lemon if preferred and some maple syrup to taste.

4.  Blanch all vegetables.

5.  Serve with cooked meat.  In this meal, I used chicken.

Kale and Beetroot salad

These two dark coloured vegetables, kale and beetroot, are super food for your liver.  This easy to make recipe is super tasty.

Ingredients:

2 medium size beetroot

1 bunch of kale, removed from the hard stem and torn

Sea salt

Mustard seeds

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Method:

Chop beetroot into chunks, drizzle with oil and slow roast in the oven at 160C for 45 minutes.

Wash kale, spin dry, remove leaves from hard stem and tear large leaves up.  Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle seasalt.  Rub the kale, oil and salt together.

This can be roasted on a lower tray from the beetroot for the last 10-20 minutes of the beetroot.  Short period of roasting of kale just wilts the kale, longer periods will result in some kale chips.  You can choose if you just want it wilted.  I often go for just wilted kale.

When beetroot is soft and kale limp, mix in lemon juice and mustard seeds.

This is a nice roast that can be made in advanced and extras stored for next day's lunch or next meal.  As there is very little manual job once you put the beetroot in to roast, you can spend the time vacumming the floor or wiping down surface whilst the veges are roasting!

Do you need to worry about the coronavirus COVID-19?

With the World Health Organisation declaring the coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic and massive panic and uncertainty going on around the globe, people should look at facts and take smart action to reduce their risk.  Most importantly do not panic but take the necessary precaution and plan ahead with an emergency kit set (which I will share in the next blog).  Supporting your immune system is important as the weather changes anyway, as we are going into the colder months.

Here are some facts about the COVID-19 virus:

1. The symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu are very similar – fever, cough, fatigue, and in severe cases, difficulty breathing
2. 85% of people who contract it will have mild symptoms
3. Those who suffer severe symptoms and complications often have other chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease and the elderly.  Smokers are also at higher risk.
4. This virus spreads through mucus membranes.  There has been a run on masks, but are they really protective?  According to Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, the answer is NO. A more specialized mask, known as an N95 respirator, can protect against this coronavirus.  However, it is not recommended as it is challenging to put on these N95 masks properly and wear them for long periods of time. (source:  https://www.livescience.com/face-mask-new-coronavirus.html).
5.  It is also not wise to have a run on these masks as medical workers are hospitals will need them. If you are sick, then please use a face mask but what you really should be doing is stay home and refrain from sharing your pathogens with other people.  
6. Talking mucus mebranes, should we also have a run on goggles? If you are using masks without goggles, you need to think again.  
7. The coronavirus can live on inanimate surfaces for up to 9 days.  Hand washing is really important.
8. Children who have contracted this coronavirus seem to have mild symptoms compared to adults.  However, this may pose a risk to the adults in the family, or elderly, as they may not be aware that the children have the said virus.
9.  Wash your hands with warm water and soap regularly.  It is a better strategy compared to hand sanitisers.

Preventative measures:

1. Wash your hands with warm water and soap regularly.  It is a better strategy compared to hand sanitisers.
2. Support your immune system – take Vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbate – we have lots of sodium channels in our body to take in vitamin C.  Take about 3000mg of sodium ascorbate daily in split doses of 1000mg, 3 times a day, upto maximum bowel tolerance.  Vitamin C is water soluble so splitting the dose is beneficial.
3. Take Vitamin D, get free Vitamin D from the sun, and orally if your levels are low to have the protective effect.
4. Zinc is a crucial mineral for the immune system.  Keeping this level in check will help your immune, gut and skin health.  We have simple test in clinic to assess your levels of zinc.
5. Eat lot of vegetables, some of which need to be dark coloured vegetables.  I made a beautiful kale and beetroot salad which I’m sharing the recipe on this website.
6. Keep a healthy microbiome, by eating whole foods and cutting out junk food and unnecessary, especially recreational drugs.  If you gut is healthy, adding fermented foods is useful.  However, if you suffer a lot from gut pain, bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation or alternating between the two, you can get a worsening of symptoms when you introduce fermented foods.  You will benefit from healing the gut first before adding fermented foods.  A Complete Microbiome Profile can be ordered to understand your microbiome, gut integrity, enzymes and digestive function.
7. 70% of your immune system reside in your gut.  If you have problems in the gut, fix it now.  Some patients with no overt gut symptoms but have autoimmunity should also be working on the immune system in the gut.
8. If you suffer from colds and flu in the winter typically, this is a good time to start on an immune enhancing tincture.
9. Maintain a positive state of mind.  It is easy to get panicky with the doom and gloom and uncertainty worldwide as the media keeps reporting.  The panic will do more harm than the virus.  Economically, we are already seeing the effects on stock market, tourism declining, restaurant businesses needing to shut down and the list goes on.  Be smart.  Manage your risk.  If all of us play our part in supporting our immune system and maintaining hygiene, we will conquer this pandemic.
10. Have enough rest.  Avoid late nights on Netflix.
11. Avoid crowded places.  Keep a social distance.  We will conquer it, and life will return to normal.

Sugar substitutes - which ones can we use?

As spring approaches, and we try to shed those few extra pounds gained in winter, sugar is the first to get struck off the list.  But which are good substitutes?  In this article, I explore the different sweeteners, natural and artificial, and recommend the ones that can be used and the ones we should avoid.

Fructose - Avoid

Many of a weight loss diet or low carbohydrate diet use fructose as a sweetener.  Fructose goes straight to your liver for processing and gets converted to glycerol, so whilst it does not create an immediate spike in insulin, it does create an insulin spike a few hours later.  Fructose raises triglyceride (cholesterol) levels.  Fructose is naturally found in fruits and some vegetables, but in its natural form, the naturally occurring fibre in fruits and vegetables slow down the fructose absorption.  However, high fructose corn syrup, a processed fructose from corn added to many processed foods like fruit juices, jams, desserts, soft drinks, protein shakes and other commercially processed food or drinks create huge imbalances in blood sugar levels and can increase fatty deposits in the liver leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.  Fructose can also create bloating in patients with gastrointestinal problems.

Sucralose - Avoid

The most common tradename for Sucralose is Splenda, although a few other companies also make sucralose sweeteners.  Sucralose is bound to maltodextrin, which has about 12-15% sugar which causes insulin response, making it difficult to reverse diabetes and work on weight loss.  This additive has a E number index of E955.

Stevia – Can use 

Stevia is a plant with extremely sweet non-caloric leaves that contains no carbohydrates.  It is 30 times sweeter than sugar, and putting too much of stevia powder or liquid into your food or drink makes it bitter.  It does not stimulate an insulin response.  Be careful that you do not use stevia with maltodextrin.

Buddha’s fruit (or Luo Han Guo) – Can use

This is a relatively new sweetener, with zero calories and does not raise blood sugar levels.

Aspartame - Avoid

The most popular brand names of aspartame are Equal and NutraSweet. Typically, if the product/ drink says ‘Diet’ it is may be sweetened with aspartame.  Long term use of aspartame can create other problems particularly of the neurological systems like headaches, migraines, dizziness and mood disorders.  Aspartame in powder form sold as Equal or NutraSweet contains maltodextrin which leads to weight gain and metabolic syndrome.  This sweetener has been shown to affect the gut microbiome.  This can have a huge impact on weight loss.  This additive has a E number index of E951.

Acesulphame K - Avoid

This is one of the most popular artificial sweeteners.  It is used in many ‘diet’ products.  Though it contains no calories, it sparks an insulin response and weight loss is difficult with Acesulphame K.  This additive has a E number index of E950.

Saccharine – Avoid

This is one of the oldest brand names around.  Whilst it contains zero calories, the latest tests have shown that saccharine disrupts the gut microbiome which we now know has a great impact on weight loss.  Hence, this is not a good sweetener for weight loss purposes.  This additive has a E number index of E954.

Erythritol – Can use with care

This is a sugar alcohol with very little sugar and very low glycemic index (GI=1).  It is good for dental care (does not contribute to tooth decay) but is not easily digested in the stomach, so is fermented by bacteria in the intestines.  This can increase flatulence.

Xylitol – Can use with care

This is a sugar alcohol with a higher glycemic index (GI=10).  Like erythritol, it does not contribute to tooth decay and some clinical trials claim that xylitol may even prevent dental plague.  However, xylitol may cause diarrhea in susceptible individuals or in larger doses.  Use with care.

Thaumatin – Can use

This is a natural sweetener and has zero glycemic index.  This is extremely sweet.  This sweetener is not easily available.  However there are no known disadvantages using it.

Is alkaline water better?

This is a question I have been asked often by patients.  Often, they have been approached by salesmen of some alkaline water systems to buy a machine to alkalise water.  So do we need to drink alkaline water?  Some systems allkalise water to run at a pH of 9 for drinking.

Let’s go back basic physiology. Our blood runs at a pH of 7.35-7.40 (mildly alkaline), BUT our stomach runs at a pH of 1.5-3.5 (acidic), our small intestines and large intestines range in pH of 5.5 to 7 (mildly acidic to neutral).  Our stomach needs to run in that acidic pH range in order to breakdown proteins.  When the stomach acidity is compromised, there is delayed breakdown of food and rotting begins.  (you are now thinking about overacidity, that is lactic acid from fermentation, not hydrochloric acid which we need for proper breakdown of proteins!)

So if you drink alkaline water at a pH of 9, it will start to neutralise your hydrogen ions from your hydrochloric acid (which you need) in your stomach and bring stomach pH to a less acidic level (bad for your digestion, slows it down, decreases absorption of minerals that need an acidic medium like calcium and magnesium, and increase gas from fermentation). Not a good idea at all.  There is a distinction between body (blood) pH and stomach pH.  If you truly want to alkalise yourself, drink lemon in water, make sure your mineral intake is adequate and eat plenty of vegetables and some fruits.

So the conclusion is:  You should just drink filtered water.  Invest in a good water filter and keep yourself hydrated! You don’t need fanciful alkaline water machines.

Is Plant based protein better than whey protein?

Whey is the by product of cheese making, when rennet is added to cow’s milk.  Cheese curds forms out of the rennet and milk mixture and the by product liquid that is strained away is whey.  Whey protein in its pure form has to be heavily flavoured as it tastes bad.

Whey protein is high in casein, the protein in cow’s milk, that is hard to digest and has a high allergenicity risk in many people.  A calf has 4 stomachs, to digest cow’s milk that contains casein. Humans have one stomach and we are not designed to drink the milk of another animal when we have weaned from our mothers.  With just one stomach and limited digestive enzymes, humans have trouble digesting whey giving rise to digestive symptoms of bloating and flatulence.  Approximately 75% of the earth’s population, and over 90% of Asians, have problems digesting lactose, the other component that is present in whey. 

There are many types of plant based protein but the 2 least controversial and low in allergy are pea and rice protein.  Pea protein is tasteless in its pure form.  Pea protein contains all 9 essential amino acids but low in methionine and cysteine but high in lysine – great for your cold sores!  Therefore when combined with rice protein, which is high in methionine and cysteine and low in lysine the two makes a complete protein.

Pea and rice protein typically do not cause allergic reactions.  These proteins are easy to digest and absorb.

Both whey and pea protein are high in leucine and BCAA, the amino acids that helps to build muscles to raise metabolic rate and lose fats.  Since there is difference in leucine and BCAA, it is better to obtain the amino acid from pea compared to whey!

Another important difference between whey and pea protein is how it affects body pH.  Whey protein is acid forming, whereas pea protein is alkalising.  A balanced body pH tending towards slight alkalinity is optimal to provide for healthy cell function.

I have a strong preference of pea and rice protein compared to whey protein for the many reasons listed above to help build muscles, burn fats and make you feel healthy!

Decoding your face on your state of health

Many civilisations have used the face, skin, nails, tongue and pulses to decode a person’s state of health.  When you look at yourself in the mirror, some of the observations you have can alert you to health issues that are starting and may not be full blown and diseased yet.

1.       Puffy face and thinning of eye brows – we all love skinny face and long eye brows to highlight our features but if you have been noticing that your face is getting puffier and your outer third of your eye brows are thinning, it could be a sign of iodine deficiency.  Iodine is a trace mineral that we need a very small quantity of, but if you are deficient in it or cannot absorb it, you will have different symptoms that will show up.

2.       One side of the face droops – this can be caused by a viral infection affecting the vagal nerve causing a condition called Bell’s Palsy.  If you have always had a symmetrical smile and notice you are not, get it checked to make sure you haven’t had a stroke.  If what you have is Bell’s Palsy, acupuncture soonest possible can help save you from ongoing droopiness.

3.       Puffy and flaky eyelids – this is usually from some form of allergic reaction, quite often from topical applications or skin care that you have put on.  Eliminate all topical applications and allow skin to heal.  Choose skincare that are as natural as possible and has the shortest list of ingredients.  Avoid any bottles that contain ingredients you cannot pronounce.

4.       Rashes or blotches – this often indicates a food allergy or absorption issues in the gut

5.       Pale and cracked lips – this is often an indication of iron and B vitamin deficiencies

6.       Persistent hair growth on your face if you are a woman – this could be a sign of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.  You will need to get blood tests and preferably scans done to confirm the condition.

7.       Enlarged tonsils – these could indicate ongoing infection or a deficiency of vitamins A,C,E and zinc.

8.       Dry, thinning hair and dandruff – this can be a sign of deficiency of essential fatty acids and hormonal imbalances. 

7 ways to use turmeric easily in your daily life

I use turmeric from fresh grated/ blended root and also turmeric powder.  This super antioxidant, anti-inflammatory herb boasts of an impressive list of health properties from decreasing pain to soothing the gut and supporting the liver.  It enhances dishes, sweet and savoury and is a great way to enjoy food that is healthy and tastes good.

      1.  Make a Sunrise Shape Up Smoothie with it – this super antioxidant smoothie is not just great to help keep your weight in check, it also helps to keep you young. 

      2. Add a crushed thumb piece of turmeric to bone broth to fortify it.  

      

      3.  Stirfry cabbage with 2 pips of chopped garlic, sprinkle of black pepper and ½ tsp of turmeric powder.  

      

      4.  Make a marinate or curry base with fresh turmeric.  I often prepare this in advance and keep single serves frozen in the freezer.

2 stalks lemon grass (just the white part), roughly chopped

1 clove garlic peeled

1 thumb piece ginger

2 thumb pieces turmeric

3-4 kaffir lime leaves

1 handful chillies (optional if you want it hot, and can tolerate the nightshades)

Blend all the ingredients in a strong blender until crushed and well mixed.  This can be frozen and used in curries or marinates for chicken, fish or meat.    

5. Season toasted vegetables with olive oil and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder.  This works well with vegetables that taste quite bland like cauliflower, kumara and potatoes.  

6. Make a golden milk with turmeric.    

7.  Blend some turmeric in your salad dressing to give it some colour and make it more interesting.

IBS Symptoms and what you can do to overcome them

How your gut feels can make or break your day.  IBS affects about 15% of the population, more commonly occurring in women than in men.  The symptoms of IBS include bloating, flatulence, excessively frequent bowel movement with soft, watery stools, or absence of bowel movement causing it very hard to defaecate.  IBS is different from IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease the likes of Crohn’s and Ulcerative colitis).  IBS patients do not have increased risk of bowel cancer but IBD patients do.  However, IBS patients can still feel a lot of abdominal discomfort, suffer from fatigue, headaches, nausea and dehydration.  

The triggers for IBS include food, stress and hormones.  Common foods that trigger IBS include dairy, coffee, chocolate, wheat, fried and fatty foods and fibre.  Some forms of IBS do well with more fibre and other form of IBS do better with less fibre!  Stress and nerves can make IBS worse and IBS can make mood worse.  That’s because the gut is the second brain.  Serotonin, the neurotransmitter that makes you feel good, control your appetite and sleep well is made predominantly in the gut.  Patients with IBS often can feel low in the mood due to low serotonin production.  Addressing your IBS will lift your mood and improve your sleep.

Women tend to suffer from IBS more than men as the menstrual cycle changes the hormones at different times of the month.  The days of ovulation or immediately following ovulation and a day or two prior to the period is when IBS symptoms can exacerbate. 

Is it possible to have IBS and be symptom free?  Yes, absolutely.  What needs to happen is to identify your trigger, help your gut heal and you don’t need to suffer from IBS anymore.  Identifying the trigger can be tricky. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. If you have problems, seek the help of a naturopath or naturopathic nutritionist who would address the underlying cause of your symptoms rather than mask the symptoms.  

If your IBS is more constipation than diarrhea, the focus is to help the bowels relax and reduce straining. If you do not empty your bowels adequately daily, you are not helping your body detoxify effectively and this can cause problems in the longer term.  Make sure you are well hydrated, 30mls per kg of body weight of fluid intake per day, and you are consuming adequate fibre from nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables that do not irritate you gut.  If you are constipated, you may get the common symptoms of headaches, nausea, bloating or abdominal pain.  So understanding why you have IBS and what drives your IBS can help you sort out the root cause of your problem!

Inflammation: Problems with anti-inflammatory drugs and what you can do naturally

Inflammation is a biological response in our body to injury, infection or irritation to remove damaged cells and tissues and initiate repair.  It is likened to the lighting of a spark to attract attention of the immune system to hasten the healing process.  The hallmarks of inflammation include redness, pain, swelling and heat. More severe inflammation can lead to loss of function. Some or all the hallmarks may be present. Acute inflammation is necessary to move white blood cells to the area of need to carry out biochemical events to help the tissues heal. 

Long term inflammation that is not resolved will result in chronic inflammation.  That is when the spark that was intended to help the tissue heal or remove the irritation now turns into a forest fire.  When chronic inflammation happens, the conventional medical treatment is to use anti-inflammatories, which is commonly in the form of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.  These drugs can have many undesirable side effects, for example the increase in cardiac risk from the use of diclofenac sold under tradename like Voltaren. In 2004, the FDA in the US pulled a drug made by Merck, used for arthritis, Vioxx, off the market because of the increase in incidence of stroke and heart attack from its use. 

Think about this:  if pain and inflammation is a signal from your body to tell you that you are out of balance, why do you shut off that signal?  If your car dashboard has a red light, wouldn’t you want to know what has triggered the red light to happen?  You won’t use a hammer and smash the red light or use a plaster to cover over the red light, so that you don’t see it.  Why do we do that to our bodies?

We need to deal with the underlying cause of inflammation.  Identifying whether the source inflammation is from the diet, lifestyle, mental states e.g. stress, insomnia or depression; lack of nutrition, excessive exercise or increased exposure to toxins is important to treat the cause rather than just the symptoms.  It is important to maintain good quality of life whilst you correct the underlying physiology and using natural anti-inflammatories in therapeutic doses like turmeric, fish oil, astaxanthin and mineral combinations can help to manage the cause of inflammation without undesirable side effects.

One man’s meat is another man’s poison.  Addressing your individuality and which food works for you and which ones do not can reduce a large inflammatory burden on your body.  A review of your toxin exposure, exercise and lifestyle can also reveal where other triggers for inflammation are for you.  Your naturopathic or functional medicine doctor will be able help you do that.  Most of your diet should be made up of good, wholesome, clean food, not necessarily raw, but lightly cooked to assist digestion and uptake of nutrients.  You do not need to be vegan to reduce inflammation, as long as food is nutritious and wholesome, you will benefit.  As to which food items are setting off your inflammation, this needs a personalised approach and it is advisable for you to seek professional help.

So when the dash board light comes on, be curious!  Find out what is driving that problem, do not put out the light by just shutting it down.  The engine could be struggling hard and is a ticking time bomb waiting to burn out or break down.

7 foods to avoid if you have GERD/ heartburn

Whether you have a sour taste regurgitating at the back of your throat, or a burning sensation in your digestive tract, coughing and choking in the middle of the night or have griping chest pains that is not a heart attack, you have heartburn or reflux. 

Lifestyle and diet changes can help heartburn.  The 7 top foods that I have observed, when removed help reduce incidence of heartburn:

1. Coffee – the acidity and caffeine exacerbates acid reflux
2. Chocolate – have been found to be a common culprit in heartburn
3. Tomatoes – especially acidic tomatoes, non-acidic tomatoes are usually fine.
4. Alcohol – some people use alcohol to help relax and fall asleep but it is precisely the acid reflux that wake them back up! 
5. Spices – cayenne, garlic and onions
6. Gluten – it is hard to digest, especially if there are gastrointestinal problems, and starts to ferment in the stomach, creating pressure to bring up acid
7. Flour products – processed foods made out of flour can be a problem with acid reflux – breads (even gluten free ones), pancakes, etc.  Eat whole foods, rather than processed foods made out of flours, worse if it is white!

And don’t eat close bed time.  Sit upright and chew you food, 20 chews per mouthful. Your stomach does not have teeth, you need to make it easy to breakdown.

Why Proton Pump Inhibitors should not be used long term

One of the most commonly prescribed drugs is proton pump inhibitors to treat acid reflux, indigestion or heartburn. The most commonly prescribed PPIs in New Zealand are omeprazole, lansoprazole and pantoprazole.  Some patients take it to overcome severe reflux or heartburn or as part of a triple treatment for H.pylori infection.  Others who use this group of drug do not have regular symptoms and use it as a preventative which in the long term can cause other problems.   

After a big meal, the esophageal sphincter (that connects your esophagus to stomach) can undergo some stress and reflux some contents up to the esophagus.  However, this should not happen often, or else you are overeating.   Cells in your esophagus are not designed to handle such acidic state.

If your portions are right for your size and activity, then overacidity can be an excess of hydrochloric acid or lactic acid.  Hydrochloric acid is the resident acid in our stomach released by the parietal cells.  It is there to facilitate digestion.  The pH of the stomach should range from 1.5 to 3.5. Lactic acid is the acid produced on fermentation of food in the stomach.  This can happen if food is passing through the digestive tract too slowly when the pH of the stomach is not appropriate.  When food is not digested properly in a timely manner, fermentation occurs and production of lactic acid is part of the process.  If proton pump inhibitors are taken to neutralise lactic acid from already inadequate hydrochloric acid, this will create a snowball effect, causing more problems in the digestive tract.  This is what I commonly see in clinic.

Antacids and proton pump inhibitors should at best be used as symptomatic care or as part of the triple therapy used short term.  The root cause of the heartburn, bloating and reflux is not because of the acid. 

Long term use of proton pump inhibitors causes many symptoms of nutrient deficiencies, because food does not get broken down properly and nutrients that need an acidic pH to absorb do not get the right environment to absorb.  This can lead to many long term problems like tiredness, cardiovascular problems, bone density problems and increased risk of fracture and increased risk of infection from altered gut bacterial balance. 

For common causes of acid reflux  and how to overcome it, refer to my article http://blog.nutriactionz.co.nz/2016/06/causes-of-acid-reflux-and-how-to.html

Lastly, know the difference between heartburn and a heart attack.  It can safe you your life!  If you are uncertain, please go to your GP or A&E clinic.  An immediate test can be done to check troponin, CK or myoglobin in your blood, to see if you’ve had a heart attack.