Death by diet

This is the crux of what can make or break your micro biome - and as we have covered the gut microbiota is one of the primary collections anywhere in the body. If you were some form of health masochist and felt the need to wipe your good bacteria out or imbalance it - here’s a few things to try: Antibiotics - this is a hornet’s nest of discussion in the medical/nutrition community, but we’ll get back to this in coming articles Eating processed meats or meat from animals raised in CAFO’s or con_ ned Animal Feeding Operations Eating processed foods high in high fructose corn syrup. (read the label of most products and you will _ nd this) High fructose (sugars in general) feeds yeast, fungi and bad bacteria – leading to an unbalanced gut Consuming emulsi_ ers - sounds like something in paint, but its more than likely something in any product that needs to be emulsi_ ed, say, like…. milk, ice cream, even soups. It might as well be in paint though.

So that last part. Ah! The bane of my existence.

A couple years ago, I became a coffee junkie. Seriously - we’re not talking the difference between instant coffees but a serious attention to brewing the perfect expresso or Americano every morning. But, that came with a heavy splash of evaporated milk. It’s milk, that’s been boiled extra - to ‘evaporate’ some water and make it thicker right? Well, maybe. But if you think that some farmer somewhere is churning milk for your coffee in that manner, you’re wrong. It’s being produced at mega factories - with (check for yourself) carrageenan.

Within a few years I had decimated my good gut biota, leading the assault _ rst every morning with a dose of the in_ ammatory carrageenan. Other emulsi_ ers found in food include common ones like polysorbate 80, polyglycerols, lecithin, and xanthan gum, which more recent research has shown can have a very detrimental effect on your microbiome, even increasing the possibility of obesity and in_ ammatory bowel disease.

Not convinced? Here’s more on that actual study:

In this study, widely used food additives caused chronic colitis in mice with already abnormal immune systems. In mice with healthy immune function, they resulted in mild intestinal in_ ammation and subsequent metabolic dysfunction that led to obesity, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance. Most notably, the emulsi_ ers were fed at levels that an average person would be exposed to if eating a lot of processed foods, suggesting these additives may indeed affect the health of many Americans.

How many of you haven’t purchased something from a franchise in the past few weeks - from coffee houses, to fried chicken to dessert shops? We have almost wholesale adopted an aspirational American style of living with no thought to impacts on our people. In fact, fast food is leading to such a health risk that it should be taxed similar to cigarettes and alcohol. But the sad reality is - take a look at most drive thru windows - it’s the go-to dinner solution for tired mothers, single parent families, families where both parents work, the rich and the poor, but more so the lower income demographics - the people most in need of proper nutritional information and the health complications that bad eating can result in later on.

And if you think the Ministry of Health or the US FDA has its facts in order to protect you, also be mindful of this research recently:

A 2013 study published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology found that nearly 80 percent of the food additives approved by the FDA lack testing information that would help the agency estimate the amount people can safely consume before suffering health consequences.

More of your assisted suicide by diet next week.

This information is culled from dozens of books, medical studies, discussions with professionals and experience. Always consult your doctor, your nutritionist or preferred health advisor before starting any health changes. Most of all, listen to your body.