This column is the third in a series on how to heal your gastrointestinal tract to improve your health and change your life. To begin, science is in its infancy of discovery about how the gastrointestinal system contributes to your health. One important discovery has been the relationship between your diet and your immune system. In short, dysfunction of digestion can impair your immune system which can lead to disease.
The feedback from the first two columns in this series has been positive. Besides positive feedback, I have received many questions. What foods are recommended? Today we will explore the specific recommendations for a healthy diet and gastrointestinal system.
The interesting part of a clean-gut diet is not what to eat, but to discover what not to eat. All of us have food sensitivities whether we are aware of them or not. Some people are sensitive to gluten, but some people are not. Some people have lactose intolerance, but not everyone. The goal of a clean-gut diet is to determine which foods you are sensitive to. These are called your toxic triggers.
The diet program is 21 days long. During that time the goal is to eliminate all foods that can be inflammatory. The focus is on whole foods that are easy to digest. Reducing inflammation is the intention for the three-week period. After the 21 days, you selectively add certain foods slowly back into your diet and evaluate how you react to those foods.
You cleanse the system, and then you test it. For instance, you remove dairy products entirely for the 21 day interval, and then you add dairy back slowly monitoring how your body responds. This same process is done with gluten, caffeine, sugar, alcohol and other potential toxic triggers you may have in your diet.
The clean-gut diet is based on the work of Alejandro Junger, MD, who has a book of the same name. This book has changed my life in several ways. The greatest benefit I have seen is my energy level has improved and also my emotions. I feel so much better eating the right foods. You are what you eat is a very true statement.
The diet is divided into two categories. What foods to include and what foods to exclude. The included foods are whole foods easy to digest. What is a whole food? A whole food is one with a single ingredient. Avocado, spinach, blueberry, salmon are all single ingredient foods that are easy to digest and highly nutritious. If what you’re going to eat has a list of ingredients, stay away.
This doesn’t mean you can’t make a recipe. Recipes can have a list of whole single ingredient foods including salt and pepper. You can download the list of included and excluded foods at cleangut.com.
The excluded side of the diet consists of gluten, caffeine, dairy, sugar, alcohol, corn, soy products, artificial sweeteners and all genetically modified food.
Essentially you are removing all potentially reactive foods that are difficult to digest. This allows your system to heal. A common question also is can I eat meat? Thank goodness the answer is yes. However, you include only free-range grass fed organic meats.
Organic is critical for meat consumption because nonorganic meat can have hormones and or antibiotics. These substances are highly reactive within the gastrointestinal system. In my last column I mentioned the total surface area of the gastrointestinal system is 200 times the surface area of your skin.
Many of the foods we eat are like eating poison oak. We just can’t see the rash that the food can give us inside of our bodies. Think about this the next time you consider eating a piece of bacon or salami. If these foods are a particular toxic trigger in your body, eating them is no different than poison oak.
I can do anything for 21 days. So can you. If it changes your life for the better, it will be worth it. This program is unlike any other diet you have ever considered because the focus is not on weight loss, but on the discovery of which foods can make you sick. Once you find that out, I promise you, your life will change.
Matthew McQuaid, DPM is a board certified foot surgeon practicing in Lakeport. He has a particular interest in Mind/Body medicine and its impact on healing. He is an award winning author and teacher. For more information call (707) 263-3727 and visit www.drmcquaid.com.
