The Gut - Brain Connection

I have read a lot lately about the "gut-brain" connection, that is the level of healthy bacteria within the gut and proper (or lack of) brain development in humans.  Some of today's leading researchers in the field, like Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, are highlighting the importance of a healthy gut and how the state of your gut influences the state of your overall health.

It's not necessarily 'new news' that a healthy gut equals a healthy immune system, since the majority of your immune systems is located within your gut, but what scientists and researchers are now finding out is that there is a microscopic world of its own going on right now in each and every one of us.  And it's the communication and interaction between gut flora and the countless colonies of healthy bacteria throughout the body, or our "inner ecosystem" as its being called, that is the hot topic within the field.  And it's this communication between the two that has researchers like Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride convinced that many if not all of the mental disorders on the rise within our society originate within the gut.

"Your gut quite literally functions as your second brain, as it is created of the same tissue. During fetal development, one part turns into your central nervous system while the other develops into your enteric nervous system. These two systems are connected via the vagus nerve, the tenth cranial nerve that runs from your brain stem down to your abdomen."  
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/29/probiotics-for-good-digestive-health.aspx

As you probably know brain related disorders (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Depression, etc.) are increasingly on the rise in the U.S., with the latest numbers by the CDC showing 1 in every 50 children suffer from some form of Autism!  If that's not shocking and terribly frightening I don't know what is.  And more and more research is pointing to poor unhealthy gut development rather than genetics as the cause.

This means a 'Gut-Healthy' diet, one low in sugar and grains and high in fermented foods, is especially important for expecting mothers.  Brain and gut development starts before a child is born and with the typical American diet high in processed foods, sugar, and grains and nearly absent of bacteria friendly fermented foods, poor diet may just be playing a bigger role in the rapidly increasing number mental disorders and disabilities then previously thought.  Add to that the ever growing level of toxic exposure today's unborn and newly born children are being exposed to with vaccinations and antibiotic use on the rise, and the effects on this compromised immune system (gut) and its connection with the brain that can only spell disaster!

So what can you do?

1. Start by eliminating the majority of processed foods from your diet, and making sure that any processed foods consumed are organic and contain the least amount of ingredients as possible.  
2. Secondly, it is crucial to greatly reduce sugar consumption, while eliminating altogether any high fructose corn syrup as well as artificial sweeteners from your diet.  
3. Next, start incorporating unpasteurized fermented foods like sauerkraut and kombucha into your diet.  
4. Check out these sites: Caroline Barringer and Dr. Natasha

More profit driven propaganda!

Because soy is one of the two biggest US government subsidized crops, and because soy is also one of the two most common ingredients, in some way shape or form, in ALL processed foods, and because soy is one of the two biggest GMO crops on the market today, there is an enormous profit driven need and desire to make the public believe that it is healthy.  Many deep greedy pockets depend on it!

So when I read an article like this one in today's health news... Woman who ate more soy survive lung cancer better,  I am not the least bit surprised. Disturbed... but not surprised.

The majority of the soy consumed today as part of the typical American unhealthy diet is through the consumption of processed foods.  And aside from maybe "soy lecithin" the average consumer would never connect the dots between an ingredient listed on the package and its laboratory altered soy derived counterpart. 

This is why GMO soy (and corn) is such big business.  It can be shaped molded and restructured at the molecular level into whatever the food manufacturer wants or needs. 

What this "article with an agenda" fails to mention is that fermented soy (like Miso), not the otherwise heavily consumed filler, binder, flavor enhancer, preservative, etc. that is found in processed foods is the dietary staple for countries like China or Japan. 

It's important to remember that with fermented foods, unlike their unfermented counterpart, any and all anti-nutrients present in the original food are no longer present in this naturally modified version.  In fact fermentation increases the level of nutrients within the given food while adding the bonus of gut-friendly bacteria, which by now you should know is essential in a healthy diet.

So before you jump on the bandwagon and ramp up your already overloaded daily intake of unhealthy soy, make sure you know the facts.

All for a good cause...

I find it disturbing that our society is so hooked on processed sugary foods that it has become socially acceptable... No, expected that we take part in the consumption of them all in the name of "a good cause".

Case in point, Girl Scout cookies.

Today a coworker has brought in boxes and boxes of Girl Scout cookies to hand out to those who previously "contributed to the cause".  My question here is, what exactly is the cause?  Cancer... Diabetes... Heart disease... Autoimmune disease... Obesity?

All valid questions since processed foods (sugar) in the American diet can be blamed for nearly every chronic disease we suffer.  And yet those of us who make a conscious daily effort to NOT support what has become a lifestyle fraught in disease and chronic disorders, but rather support the prevention of disease are left having to explain our actions; or lack thereof.

Label me what you will, I refuse to be a supporter of the leading cause of death and medically induced financial debt in this country.  I stand firmly behind my actions and believe that by NOT taking part in this perceived social obligation is the true action done for a good cause!

I support my local organic sustainable farmers for a Good Cause!

I pasture my own laying hens in my back yard for a Good Cause!

I do NOT support factory farming for a Good Cause!

I support those companies that do NOT support the use of GMOs in our food, for a Good Cause!

I support the act of humanly raising farmed animals rather than the abusive torturous mistreatment they would otherwise endure, for a Good Cause!

I try to live my life with the belief that humans are not a superior all entitled species but rather merely a part (small part in fact) of the circle of life on this planet that starts and ends with the countless microorganisms that make up not only the land we live on but our bodies as well... for a Good Cause!

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

I found this article by Christopher Masterjohn on the benefits and importance of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, K) to be a great example of why a diet high in healthy saturated fat is crucial for optimal health.  The author goes to great lengths explaining how these vitamins along with minerals (Magnesium, Zinc) work together in synergy and how they fall short without the proper daily amounts of each.

The Benefits of Fat-Soluble Vitamins...

I found his detailed discussion on the history of cod liver oil consumption in the US over the last ~100 years to be a great example of the nutritional power of a whole-food supplements, and why taking the right ones can be far superior to simply cherry picking individual vitamins thought to be important.   I started taking fermented cod liver oil a few years ago as a healthy source for Omega-3 fatty acid, but soon found out that it was naturally high in Vitamins D and A along with trace amounts of other beneficial nutrients. 

If you get a chance, give this article a read, I guarantee you it will be well worth your time.  Especially if you are still skeptical on the importance of a high fat diet.