Break The Rules #24: Is Your Olive Oil Rancid? with Tony Kasandrinos of Kasandrinos Olive Oil

Not all olive oil is created equal. In fact the majority of it is fake, rancid and highly processed. In this episode of Break the Rules we get the real “dirt” behind the olive oil industry and how to shop for the best quality with olive oil expert and Greek himself Tony Kasandrinos of Kasandrinos olive oil.

Tony Kasandrinos is founder and Co-owner of Kasandrinos International. He founded Kasandrinos International in 2012 while on active duty with the Marine Corps while stationed in Philadelphia when he was sharing his family olive oil with his fellow crossfitters. Since that time, Brother and sister Thanasi and Effi, along with cousin Efrosyni have joined the team.

Check out Tony’s delicious olive oil and find out more myth-busters at www.kasandrinos.com

The post Break The Rules #24: Is Your Olive Oil Rancid? with Tony Kasandrinos of Kasandrinos Olive Oil appeared first on Meet Dr. Lauryn.

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https://drlauryn.com/podcast/break-the-rules-25-is-your-olive-oil-rancid-with-tony-kasandrinos-of-kasandrinos-olive-oil/ ** Dr. Lauryn Lax __Nutrition. Therapy. Functional Medicine ** https://drlauryn.com/

5 Easy Ways to Heal Anxiety Naturally

Natural Remedies To Heal Anxiety

There are many all-natural remedies to heal anxiety. Mental health illnesses are one of the leading diseases in the U.S.—affecting 1 in 5 adults every year. Read on to find out more

Mental health illnesses don’t necessarily mean text book cases like schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder either. Common (often unspoken) mental health illnesses also include chronic anxiety, eating disorders, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), depression and “serious psychological distress (SPD)”—a term to describe feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and restlessness that are hazardous enough to impair physical well being.

Typical treatment solutions routinely include a prescription for therapy/counseling, meditation or yoga and SSRI medications.

However, despite our nation’s efforts to reverse these disorders, the numbers are not getting any better. 

Why?!

One word: The gut-brain connection.

THE GUT-BRAIN CONNECTION

Your gut health influences your brain health, and vice versa, your brain health influences your gut health.

Unfortunately, statistics reveal that approximately 3 in 4 Americans have some sort of GI distress or dysfunction. With such high statistics, NO WONDER mental health is on the rise. 

How does the gut-brain connection work?

Considering that the gut is the “gateway” to your health (ALL nutrients and toxins MUST filter through your gut), if you gut is unhealthy, then your brain will feel the effects as well—unable to receive the nutrients it needs to fuel healthy brain cells, give you energy and help you think CLEARLY.

Beyond just nourishing your brain cells too, your gut and your brain are highly connected. So before you jump to any conclusion on how to heal anxiety, consider this.

In fact, your vagus nerve—the nerve that controls digestion—is connected directly from the frontal lobe of your brain to the top of your stomach. 

NO WONDER you get “butterflies in your stomach” when your brain gets nervous! And NO WONDER when you feel constipated or bloated, your discomfort is all you can THINK about in your head!

In addition, more than 90% of your serotonin (your “feel good” brain chemicals) is produced in your gut, and your serotonin not only responsible for helping you feel calm, peaceful, happy and enthusiastic, but your serotonin ALSO assists in digestion and gut motility (helping you fully digest and go #2). 

Hence if your gut health is poor and unable to produce serotonin, then say hello to feelings of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and bloating or constipation.

The Bottom Line:

Your gut is like your brain’s heart beat. If it’s healthy and strong, so is your brain. 

So how do you get a “healthy” gut? Current treatments may NOT be the solution and finding the right solution to heal anxiety can be a challenge.

THE LITTLE KNOWN TRUTH ABOUT SSRI MEDICATIONS

SSRI medications can be beneficial for many, especially as a short-term solution for helping a person navigate a difficult time in their life, however, like many other drugs—(from Advil for headaches, to birth control for PMS, to PPI’s like Nexium for heartburn), SSRI’s are not a long-term healing solution or cure for reversing mental illness.

 They are more part of treatment and management.

In fact, a little known truth about SSRI’s is that they may actually perpetuate mental health issues more by killing off or disrupting healthy gut bacteria. 

While a large percentage of pharmaceutical research has highlighted the devastating effects of antibiotics on the gut microbiome, and what impact that has on human health, a landmark March 2018 study (Maier et al, 2018)  was the first to systematically profile interactions between non-antibiotics and human gut bacteria—SSRI’s included. 

Researchers found that SSRI drugs may be just as detrimental to the human microbiome—if not more—as they inhibited MORE (healthy) gut bacteria than many antibiotics, PPI’s (proton pump inhibitors that treat reflux) and anti-diabetic drugs used in the study. On the flip side, researchers ALSO speculated that SSRI’s strong effects on gut bacteria could be a reason WHY many people experience a “therapeutic” effect on SSRI’s—at least initially as bacteria is . 

If pathogenic (bad) bacteria is contributing to a person’s mental health condition, then SSRI’s may actually also disrupt unhealthy bacteria. However, similar to antibiotics, SSRI’s also disrupt the “healthy” gut bacteria, contributing to the dog-chasing-its-tail cycle of an unhealthy microbiome over the long term and continued gut-brain disruption. 

The Bottom Line

SSRI medications don’t heal. They manage. If you want to truly “heal” your brain from the inside out, address and heal your gut first, while not discounting your total health and lifestyle as a whole (Read: You are not a diagnosis, an ICD-10 code for insurance, a disease or symptoms. You are a person). 

Here are some natural cures to heal anxiety and other mental health solutions for natural (gut) healing. 

NATURAL ANXIETY & MENTAL HEALTH GUT HEALING SOLUTIONS

A number of remedies have been studied to heal anxiety. If you dealing with it today, medication doesn’t have to be your only treatment. Try the 5 natural ways to heal anxiety.

1. Assess Your Current Gut Health

Fungal overgrowth, parasites (Nyundo et al, 2017), bacterial overgrowth and gut infections are all leading causes of “gut issues” and many people go for years—if not their lifetime—not realizing their gut was unhealthy. A thorough gut assessment can help shed light on what, if any, underlying pathogens may be wreaking havoc on your gut.

A good baseline assessment would include: comprehensive blood panel, comprehensive 3-part stool and parasitology test, and possibly a SIBO breath test (assesses for bacterial overgrowth). Working with a skilled nutritionist or functional medicine practitioner can help make this step easier. Once results are back, a specific (short-term) supplement and nutrition protocol may be prescribed for you, based on your results, in order to heal (no longer just manage) gut symptoms (and brain symptoms).

2. Support Healthy Digestion 

Incorporate a daily baseline gut health routine (just like brushing your teeth) that includes:

• Take a Daily Soil-Based Probiotic & Eat 1-2 Fermented Foods/Daily (sauerkraut, grass-fed full-fat plain yogurt or kefir, low-sugar kombucha).
• Prebiotic Fiber (1/2-1 tsp/daily).
• Drink 1-2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar in 2-4 oz. water.
• Breathe deeply before or after meals for 1-2 minutes, chew your food well, and rest and digest (i.e. don’t eat in a rush or on the go).

3. Detox Your Lifestyle

Beyond juice cleanses, several lifestyle stressors and toxins wreak havoc on your health—especially your gut health—as your liver becomes overburdened with filtering these toxins in and out, and toxins promote bacterial overgrowth. We are exposed to over 85,000 “approved” chemicals and toxins in our cleaning and hygiene products, food sources and environments—many of which are banned in other countries. No, you can’t live in a bubble, but by mindfully reducing your toxic exposure, you CAN detox your gut health (positively). Consider detoxing one of the following:

-Replace plastics with glassware and stainless steel

-Choose hygiene products that rank 1 or “A” on EWG’s “Skin Deep” database (paraben, sulfate and toxin free)

-Use white vinegar and baking soda as natural cleaning agents

-Gradually replace makeup with more natural solutions as you run out

-Buy the “dirty dozen” in organic versions and opt for grass-fed, organic meats and fish as much as possible

4. Eat REAL Food & Clean (Filtered) Water

It may sound oversimplistic, but food is like medicine for your gut and brain, and if you haven’t given real food a “shot” to see how it affects your brain health…I dare you. Cut out the non-real food products for 7 days and see how you feel, including:

NOT RIGHT NOW FOODS

• Gluten and grains (cereals, bread, rice, pasta)
• Dairy
• Non-soaked nuts
• Conventional meat and eggs
• Packaged, processed foods
• Artificial sweeteners and sugar
• Sodas, juices and alcohol
• Instant coffee

It doesn’t mean forever, but sometimes a brief time away from common gut-brain irritating trigger foods (inflammatory) can help your brain “come to life.” Build your daily meals and snacks upon:

EAT THESE FOODS

• Sustainable proteins (wild caught, grass-fed, pasture raised).
• Dark leafy greens (cooked and/or raw).
• Starchy tubers (yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, plantains).
• Fibrous veggies
• Some fresh fruit
• Healthy fats (avocado, olives, olive oil, coconut oil, coconut butter, ghee, grass-fed butter, etc.).
• Clean filtered water (70-80% of people drink carcinogenic water with over 100 cancer cross contaminants).

5. Continue Your Healing Work

Though gut healing and physical well-being greatly impacts your total body health—brain included, none of this is to discount the heart and head work that continued “healing” in counseling, therapy, coaching and connecting to your personal passions and purpose can give you in your healing process. In fact, “gut love” goes much deeper than taking probiotics alone.  (i.e. learning to love yourself, tapping in to your unique personal hobbies and passions, and connecting to community and spiritual connection).

The Bottom Line:

• Gut assessment and healing 

+

• Real food
  +
• Gut Love (Heart & head “work” in therapy/counseling, and connecting to your passions, purpose and other people) 

=

Healing!

Resources

Maier, Lisa & Pruteanu, Mihaela & Kuhn, Michael & Zeller, Georg & Telzerow, Anja & Erin Anderson, Exene & Brochado, Ana & Conrad Fernandez, Keith & Dose, Hitomi & Mori, Hirotada & Patil, Kiran & Bork, Peer & Typas, Athanasios. (2018). Extensive impact of non-antibiotic drugs on human gut bacteria. Nature. 555. 10.1038/nature25979.  

Nyundo, A. A., Munisi, D. Z., & Gesase, A. P. (2017). Prevalence and Correlates of Intestinal Parasites among Patients Admitted to Mirembe National Mental Health Hospital, Dodoma, Tanzania. Journal of Parasitology Research, 2017, 5651717.

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https://drlauryn.com/mindset-body-love/5-easy-ways-to-heal-anxiety-naturally/ ** Dr. Lauryn Lax __Nutrition. Therapy. Functional Medicine ** https://drlauryn.com/

How to Heal Your Gut for Good

How to Heal Leaky Gut Fast

How to heal leaky gut? And will my gut EVER heal?

If you’ve been in the “game,” of gut healing and treating leaky gut for any amount of time, you know how frustrating and time consuming it can be. 

While approximately 3 in 4 people struggle with some sort of gut dysfunction like leaky gut throughout their lifetime, MANY people don’t realize it—chalking their “bad gut health” up to being normal.

Is poor gut health your normal?

• Pooping every 2 to 3 days is “normal”
• Feeling bloated or passing gas is “normal”
• Never feeling hungry is “normal” or always feeling hungry is “normal”
• Abdominal cramping is “normal”

However, for those of us who DO realize we have leaky gut, or that our “gut is a mess,” what happens when you do ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, but our leaky gut is STILL not healing?!

Do you do “all the right things?”

• We take a probiotic and prebiotic
• We pop digestive enzymes with our meals
• We Google search terms like “low stomach acid” or “coffee enemas”
• We pay close attention to eating a “clean” or anti-inflammatory 
• We sip kombucha 
• We use toxic-free face wash and non-fluoride toothpaste
• We drink filtered water out of stainless steel water bottles

Yup, despite our efforts to heal leaky gut naturally (and even though we feel better than when we first started)…our gut health is still a mess  Constipation, bloating, gas and all-around GI discomfort are STILL our “norm,” and we cannot figure out HOW to heal leaky gut for good!

“What gives?!” you cry. 

Answer? There are 3!

3 Essentials to Heal Leaky Gut for Good

Keep in mind….

1. Gut healing is a marathon (not a sprint). 
2. There is a DIFFERENCE in “healing” vs. “managing” your gut health
3. And, often times, the path of LEAST resistance is where the MOST healing will be won. 

Let’s talk about each. 

1. GUT HEALING IS A MARATHON (NOT A SPRINT)

Pop question: How long have you been struggling with your “gut health?” Moreover, how long did you lead a stressful, or non-gut-supportive lifestyle prior to “healing your gut?”

Chances are the time you spent eating processed foods as a kid, taking antibiotics, burning a candle at both ends, eating artificial sweeteners and OTHER non-gut-friendly lifestyle behaviors far outweigh the time you’ve spent towards healing your gut now.

That said, patience and time, my friend.

Behold the turtle—the slow and steady—that wins the race.

When it comes to “healing your gut” or improving leaky gut syndrome, consistency, time and persistence will be the biggest game changers that pay off. 

And, while it takes approximately only 5 days for your gut lining itself to repair itself and form new tissue, IF you continue to have other underlying (unaddressed) stressors—such as SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), parasites, fungal or bacterial infections, or unaddressed food intolerances (even “healthy” foods)—then gut healing will be a longer process. 

All things considered, don’t forget where you started, as well as where you’ve come from,. 

This day in age, typically, the amount of time spent on gut healing vs. living a stressful lifestyle does not compare, and the slow and steady gut healing will also win the race. 

2. HEALING VS. MANAGING YOUR GUT HEALTH

Are you “managing” or “healing” your gut health? There IS a difference.

Often times, people wander down the rabbit hole of “gut healing,” without realizing they are actually simply managing their gut health. 

They do things like:

• Take probiotics and prebiotics
• Eat fermented foods
• Drink water
• Eat Paleo, or AIP, or GAPS, or Low-Fodmap
• Sautee their vegetables
• Sip bone broth

—And beyond

However, they have yet to actually address the UNDERLYING gut conditions that brought them to not feel well in the first place. Sort of like cleaning your room versus hiding all your toys in your closet to make your room look clean, gut HEALING vs. gut MANAGING is different too. 

Beyond probiotics and prebiotics, clean eating and gut-loving bone broth, if and when you have an UNDERLYING pathogen such as:

• Undiagnosed Food Intolerances
• SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)
• Parasites/Fungal Overgrowth
• Dysbiosis (Too Much or Too Little of certain bacteria)
• Viral Infection
• Autoimmune Conditions

Then, often times, all the clean eating and probiotic popping in the world will not fully correct or reverse the “problem.”

A customized gut-healing approach involves two essentials:

a.) Assessing and realizing what gut “pathogen” (underlying condition) you have in the first place.

b.) Treating it appropriately with a more targeted protocol (such as anti-microbial herbal supplements to “kill off” SIBO, or taking certain strains of bacteria while eliminating the others).

If you’ve been at the whole “gut healing thing” for a little while and your gut is “still not healing,” considering what (if any) underlying forces may be working “against you,” and treating them with a healing—not simply managing—approach.

Where to start? Working with a trained Functional Medicine Practitioner or Nutritionist who can help you “dig deeper,” underneath the hood in order to figure out your body’s imbalances is critical.   

3. TAKING THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE

Last but not least…sometimes we are the greatest forces standing in our own way of truly healing leaky gut for good, versus holding on to our gut struggles (and gut identity). 

While there is still a highly physical component to the process of healing leaky gut, there is also a great mental component—and sometimes our mentality is the biggest game changer in moving us forward or keeping us stuck.

Are you keeping yourself stuck?

• Are you clinging to the food intolerances you have—and neglecting the abundance of foods you CAN eat?
• Have you been eating an AIP diet for a LONG time, and you’re scared to “step outside” the box and experiment with a food your body actually may be able to handle now?
• Do you constantly ask Google questions about gut health?
• Do you dread feeling constipated or bloated so much—that it actually happens EVERY time?
• Do you continue to lead a stressful lifestyle outside your food factors (like not getting enough sleep or overtraining) that continues to drive your symptoms?
• Do you continue to eat certain foods you know don’t make you feel well, but you cannot wrap your head around WHY your protein powder (with stevia) or sweet potatoes don’t sit well with you?
• Do you stress out over food or how poorly you feel that stress dominates meal times and your daily thoughts? 

One of my favorite studies around gut healing involves the integration of hypnotherapy in the treatment of IBS (Lee et al, 2014). Findings reveal that hypnotherapy is just as effective—if not more—than conventional treatments.

Truly a mind over matter.

So as we think, therefore we become.

While there IS a big physical component to healing leaky gut and how we feel as a whole, do NOT discount how our mental approach (and our own resistance to trusting that our body knows what it needs and how to heal) can help us thrive…if we just listen. 

Want to really know how to heal leaky gut for good? Dr. Lauryn Lax takes a whole-body approach to your gut healing—mental, physical and emotional support to help you:

1. Figure out what—if any—underlying conditions are driving your symptoms
2. Customize a nutrition and lifestyle plan the works for your body
3. Support your mental and emotional healing—including improving your relationship with food and your body
4. And ultimately, help you feel good, inside and out

Schedule a 10-minute complimentary phone consult Dr. Lauryn today to find out how Dr. Lauryn can help you thrive—not just get by—in your gut healing journey today. 

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https://drlauryn.com/gut-health/how-to-heal-your-gut-for-good/ ** Dr. Lauryn Lax __Nutrition. Therapy. Functional Medicine ** https://drlauryn.com/

Break the Rules #23 – The Dirty Secrets of the Wine Industry & How NOT to Get a Hangover with Todd White of Dry Farm Wines

Wine and hangovers, headaches, blood sugar or energy dips are normal, right? They don’t have to be. Especially when your wine DOESN’T contain GMO’s, additives, toxins and histamine-triggers. Todd White of Dry Farm Wines is on to something, and dedicated to educating and empowering people to “have their cake and eat it too” with wine that actually makes you feel good. Find out how.

www.dryfarmwines.com/breaktherules –promo code

Todd has been serial entrepreneur and creator since he was age 17.

Today, after 15 years in the wine business his life is dedicated to educating and helping people make better choices about food, nutrition, and how they think about consuming alcohol. He is the founder of Dry Farm Wines; a writer, speaker, and a leading authority on healthy organic/natural wines and the importance of micro-dosing alcohol for health, longevity, and vitality. Todd’s passion is unlocking the best way to enjoy alcohol, how to enjoy the benefits of moderate consumption while avoiding the negative outcomes. Todd has been the featured guest on many of the Nation’s leading health influencer podcasts including Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof Radio, Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint, Abel James’s Fat Burning Man, Robb Wolf’s Paleo Solution, Drew Manning’s FIT2FAT2FIT and Jimmy Moore Livn Low Carb show.

Dry Farm Wines is endorsed by many leading U.S. health influencers including Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint, Dave Asprey’s BulletProof Executive, Robb Wolf, Abel James, the Fat Burning Man, WellnessMama and best selling nutrition author JJ Virgin. Dry Farm Wines is also the Official Wine for many of the leading U.S. health and performance conferences, including Paleofx, Dave Asprey’s BulletProof Conference, Peter Diamondis’s A360, Joe Polish’s Genius Network Conference, LOWCARBUSA, Baby Bathwater Institute, The Environmental Health Symposium, KetoKademy and JJ Virgin’s Mindshare Summit.

Dry Farm Wines are also friendly to Low Carb, Paleo, ketogenic and diabetic low sugar diets. Dry Farm Wines have no impact on blood glucose or ketone production.  Dr. Dominic D’ Agostino, widely considered the most influential ketogenic research scientist in North America also endorses Dry Farm Wines. Jimmy Moore, the best selling author of Keto Clarity and a leading advocate for the ketogenic diet also endorses Dry Farm Wines.

Dry Farm Wines is the only lab tested, all natural  health quantified wine merchant in the world that bio-hacks wine; quantifying organic and natural farming practices, as well as low intervention natural winemaking practices. Dry Farm Wines curates all natural pure real  wines from all over the world, working with small family farms that are committed to producing pure natural wines. Dry Farm Wines is also excited to be the largest natural wine merchant in the world.

Todd is a self described Biohacker who practices daily meditation, Wim Hof breathing, cold thermogenesis, a ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting and he is a fitness enthusiast. He is also a frequent speaker on the ketogenic lifestyle. He was most recently the featured ketogenic speaker at 2016 BulletProof Annual Conference on Biohacking.

The post Break the Rules #23 – The Dirty Secrets of the Wine Industry & How NOT to Get a Hangover with Todd White of Dry Farm Wines appeared first on Meet Dr. Lauryn.

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https://drlauryn.com/uncategorized/break-the-rules-23-the-dirty-secrets-of-the-wine-industry-how-not-to-get-a-hangover-with-todd-white-of-dry-farm-wines/ ** Dr. Lauryn Lax __Nutrition. Therapy. Functional Medicine ** https://drlauryn.com/

20 Best Natural Bloating And Constipation Hacks That Work Fast

Effective Natural Bloating And Constipation Hacks

Face it: Bloating and constipation hacks are necessary when discomfort strikes. 

When your belly feels gassy and like a balloon, or you can’t go #2 (no matter how hard you try), you want relief, and you want it now!

Enter: natural bloating remedies and natural constipation remedies. 

And while bloating and constipation often go hand-in-hand, there are also some distinct differences in the two conundrums. 

What is Bloating? 

Bloating is swelling or distension in the abdominal region, often characterized by a distended belly.

Bloating may be accompanied by burping (belching), gas (flatulence, farting), abdominal discomfort, and a feeling of fullness. It typically occurs directly after a meal or within 1-2 hours after. However, if you have food sensitivities, it’s not uncommon for it to extend or occur within 24-48 hours.

Bloating is most commonly caused by:

• Bacterial overgrowth or pathogenic bacteria in the gut
• Poor quality foods & food intolerances
• Low stomach acid
• Low water intake

• Poor food hygiene (such as eating too fast, eating spoiled food, eating on the go, not chewing your food thoroughly)
• High sugar, starch intake
• Low fat intake

 

What is Constipation?

Constipation is a condition in which there is difficulty in emptying the bowels, usually associated with hardened feces. One typically experiences a high level of constraint or restriction; and/or a pronounced lack of ease when going #2. Ideal elimination happens on a 24-hour cycle. Constipation is diagnosed in conventional medicine when a person has 3 or fewer bowel movements in a week.

Constipation is most commonly caused by:

• Medications
• Stress & HPA-Axis Dysfunction
• Poor sleep and movement patterns
• Low water intake & dehydration
• Poor quality foods & food intolerances
• Low stomach acid

• Underlying gut conditions (SIBO, parasites, dysbiosis, fungal overgrowth)
• Hypothyroidism
• Low Vitamin D
• Low fiber intake (soluble fiber)

 

 

Regardless of what you are feeling, it is UNCOMFORTABLE and if bloating or constipation have got you down, look no further than these 20 bloating and constipation hacks and natural remedies that work FAST! In fact, many of them can work for BOTH conundrums!

Bloating & Constipation Hacks & Natural Remedies

Lifestyle Basics

1. Sleep 7-9 Hours

Chronic under sleeping leads to chronic constipation. Why? Your body goes hard to work when you sleep to detoxify and assist in the elimination process. If you’re not sleeping enough, then things get backed up.

2. Move…But Not Too Much

Exercise and movement gets things moving and grooving in your digestive tract—as long as you’re not overdoing it. Even as simple as walking, yoga (downward dogs) or rebounding on a mini trampoline (or simply jumping up and down) can provide relief from both bloating and constipation. Overtraining or under-recovering equally backfires and wreaks havoc on your elimination patterns, as your stress levels suppress stomach acid, and prevent the proper process of digestion. 

3. Apple Cider Vinegar

Low stomach acid can trigger constipation AND bloating. Boost yours with 1-2 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar in 2-4 oz. of water with meals. 

4. Drink Up

Half your bodyweight in ounces of clean, filtered water each day as a baseline to keep things flowing. Add in a little more (at least 1-2 glasses) for warmer weather and/or exercise.

5. Keep it Real (Food)

Real food (think: outside perimeter of the grocery store or a farmer’s market) does a body good. Build most meals with: A sustainable protein (wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, pastured chicken), something green and healthy fat, add in 1-2 servings of starchy tubers and/or fresh fruits each day, and drink your water.

6. Probiotic Up

A soil-based organism supplement, coupled with 1-2 medicinal dose servings of fermented foods each day AND a prebiotic (supplement or food) are like brushing your teeth for overall gut health—essential to promote healthy gut bacteria. Find out more about probiotics here and here. 

7. Temporary Low FODMAP Diet

Already eat real food? Up the ante by considering a Low FODMAP approach if bloating or constipation is a regular occurrence for you.“FODMAP” is an acronym for a collection of foods that contain certain short-chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that can activate gut-related symptoms due to their ability to breed and feed unhealthy gut bacteria. FODMAP stands for fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Basically, FODMAPS are sugars, starches and fibers that unhealthy gut bacteria thrive on. If you experience irritable bowel syndrome, bloating or constipation, consider eliminating high FODMAP foods from your diet.Common FODMAPS include:

Veggies

• Artichoke (fructose)
• Asparagus (fructose)
• Broccoli (fructans)
• Cabbage (fructans)
• Cauliflower (polyol)
• Garlic (fructans)
• Jerusalem artichoke (fructans)
• Leeks (fructans)

• Okra (fructans)
• Onion (fructans)
• Shallots (fructans)
• Snow peas (fructans, polyols)
• Sugar snap peas (fructose)
• Raddichio (fructans)
• Tomato sauces and tomato paste (fructose, fructans)

 

Fruits

• Apple (fructose and polyol)
• Apricot (polyol)
• Cherries (fructose and polyol)
• Mango (fructose)
• Nectarine (polyol)

• Peach (polyol)
• Pear (fructose and polyol)
• Persimmon (polyol)
• Plum (polyol)
• Watermelon (fructose and polyol)

 

Proteins

• Legumes (lentils, beans, and peanuts)
• Soy (including edamame, tofu, tempeh, and soy milk)

Fats

• Vegetable oils and high pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats (canola, sunflower, safflower, grape seed, soybean, cottonseed and peanut oils)
• Prepared mayonnaise and salad dressings (canola oil)

Dairy

• Cheese
• All commercial dairy products made from non- pastured, grain-fed cows, such as commercial yogurt and pasteurized milk

Nuts & Seeds

• Pistachios (fructans)
• Almonds
• Hazelnuts

Herbs & Seasonings

• Sugar-, grain-, soy- or gluten-containing seasonings or condiments (ketchup, soy sauce, some tamari sauces, balsamic glaze, commercial mayonnaise and salad dressings)
• Chicory (fructans)
• Sugar alcohols (sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, etc.)
• Gums, carrageenan, soy lecithin
• MSG and colorings

Sweets

• Agave syrup (fructose)
• Artificial sweeteners (Splenda, aspartame, etc.)
• High-fructose corn syrup (fructose)
• Honey (fructose) Refined sugars

Drinks

• Beer
• Wine
• Fruit Juices

Now for a few more specific (immediate) bloating and constipation hacks.

Specific Bloating Hacks

Fire Cider

An age-old gut-boosting tradition, with apple cider vinegar, plus herbs and anti-inflammatory spices (like turmeric, ginger and garlic) to give your bloating an extra punch. I love True Tonic.

Ginger Tea

Herbs like Ginger are known as carminatives that help soothe the digestive tract and relieve gas. Ginger helps alleviate gas, bloating and cramps, Sip up (like Yogi) with a squeeze of fresh lemon to debloat. Small amounts of Ginger Kombucha or raw ginger (chewing on it) can also help. 

Minced Garlic

Chop and mince cooked/steamed garlic and eat straight, or add to a spoonful of applesauce to help the medicine go down. Garlic has properties that stimulate the gastric system and help relieve gas and bloating. You can also find it in supplement form. 

Oregano Oil

Oregano oil has natural antibacterial, anti fungal and anti-microbial properties. Try ADP OR dilute 1-2 drops of oregano essential oil in water or coconut oil and take under the tongue. 

Hemp (CBD) Oil

A natural anti-inflammatory to sooth the inflammatory (bloating) response and ease digestion. Take a liposomal form like this one under the tongue. 

Digestive Enzymes

Encourage complete digestion to prevent bloating caused by undigested food by taking 1-2 digestive enzymes with meals. Try Digest for every day use or Carbo-G (for starchier or gluten-contaminated meals). 

Atrantil

An “anti-microbial” supplement, specifically designed with bloating and SIBO in mind by a holistic and conventional Gastroenterologist. Find it here.

Specific Constipation Hacks 

Activated Charcoal

Helps flush out toxins that may be causing constipation. However, if you take activated charcoal, it’s crucial to plenty of water (approximately 12-16 cups of water per day). Activated charcoal can cause dehydration if adequate amounts of water aren’t consumed with it. Try this one.

Magnesium 

A natural “relaxant” for the digestive system. For constipation specifically, Magnesium glycinate (200-600 mg) and Magnesium citrate.

IB Guard 

Peppermint essential oil contains antispasmodic properties, which can relax the muscles in the digestive tract, making the bowels looser. Try IB Guard.

Prokinetics

Prokinetics help fire special nerve receptors in your gut that help you go #2. In the case of chronic constipation, sometimes these receptors are not working like they should. (Hello backup!). Try: 

• MotilPro  
• Iberogast

Vitamin/Electrolyte Blend

Vitamin C, Magnesium, Vitamin K, Calcium all in one for power pact constipation relief, like this supplement.

Bloating and constipation be gone!

The post 20 Best Natural Bloating And Constipation Hacks That Work Fast appeared first on Meet Dr. Lauryn.

Source/Repost=>
https://drlauryn.com/gut-health/natural-bloating-and-constipation-hacks/ ** Dr. Lauryn Lax __Nutrition. Therapy. Functional Medicine ** https://drlauryn.com/

Do You Have Orthorexia or Just Eating Healthy?

What Is Orthorexia?

Have you heard of orthorexia? Do you consider yourself orthorexic because you eat healthy and avoid certain foods? Or is it “normal” to eat healthy, and still not want to eat certain foods? 

Let’s explore…

Orthorexia 101: 

Orthorexia, the “obsession with healthy eating,” is a classified eating disorder according to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). 

It is defined as: “an obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy; a medical condition in which the sufferer systematically avoids specific foods in the belief that they are harmful.”

Like those with other eating disorders, individuals who struggle with orthorexia often find themselves a little bit obsessed, anxious or overthinking food on a daily basis. 

However, sounds quite a bit like those who are on any current diet or health protocol to recover their health doesn’t it?

From the Whole 30, to Keto, Vegan, GAPS, the Autoimmune Protocol, Paleo—and everything in between—many individuals who adhere to certain diets for health and wellness reasons can easily find themselves a little bit obsessed or anxious as well with food. 

The lines may blur, but there are distinct differences:

ORTHOREXIC VS. HEALTHY EATING: THE DIFFERENCE

Some examples and characteristic differences in orthorexic patterns vs. genuine healthy eating include: 

ORTHOREXIA

• Research every ingredient in any food they eat
• Google search answers to random health questions in search of the healthiest answer
• Often have self-imposed rules (from multiple different sources online or experience) that construct a restrictive diet
• Increasingly become more and more restrictive 
• May only eat 5-7 foods and tend to eat the same things every day
• Emotionally distraught if food does not go as planned or in unknown situations (social settings, new restaurants, travel)
• Feel guilty when stray from rules
• Avoid foods prepped by others and/or social situations with food
• Find a sense of achievement or self esteem in what they eat
• Often talk or obsess about foods
• Think critically about others who do not eat like they do
• Overtraining or rigid/routine exercise is often correlated 
• Strong beliefs about “good” and “bad” foods

HEALTHY EATING

• Adhere to certain dietary guidelines, based on physical health reasons
• Not distraught if they can’t go to their restaurant of choice
• Open to trying new foods (especially if they are feel-good foods)
• Recognize that eating can’t always be perfect, and adhere to more of an 80/20 philosophy
• Aim to incorporate as much variety and different foods as they can 
• May feel nervous about travel or eating out, but do best to plan accordingly and adjust
• Self-esteem is not dependent on what they do or don’t eat
• Move their bodies in ways that feel good and energize them (not out of rigidity or militant beliefs they “should”)
• Instead of labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” views foods as “better for me foods,” and “don’t make me feel my best,” foods

While this list is generalized and broad, at best, I know of both because I’ve lived it. 

MY STORY: FROM ORTHOREXIA TO GUT HEALING & THE IN-BETWEEN

Been there, got the t-shirt. On both sides.

As I initially began to recover from anorexia at age 17, I quickly found myself immersed in another type of eating disorder—orthorexia—in my pursuit of the “ideal body,” and being on the cover of a fitness magazine. 

My diet was restricted to turkey patties, steamed vegetables, Crystal Light and protein shakes, and my schedule revolved around my three workouts every day. 

Fast forward to my recovery, and my pursuit of my education in nutrition and functional medicine and as I began to learn more about the underlying health conditions I had struggled with for years (constipation, autoimmune disease, anxiety, hormone imbalances), my personal food philosophies began to shift.

“Food is medicine” became my mantra, and food began to take on a whole new meaning—a way to restore my body. Organ meats, cold-water fatty fish, nutrient-dense dark leafy greens, bone broth and grass-fed butter energized me! And I loved how actually nourishing my body with a variety of real foods and gut healing foods (fermented foods, etc.) made me feel!

While there was also brief lapse of time during my nutrition training that I ALSO fell back into my old orthorexia ways of fearing “unhealthy” or “bad” foods (i.e. I became a little too obsessed with gut healing, and hacking my diet with certain diet philosophies like GAPS and SCD), I “woke up” from this obsession quickly when I realized all the stress about food was actually making my own digestive issues worse (not better). 

(Stress is the #1 driver of all disease and imbalance). 

To say the least, I went from the dark side, to the light side, and have realized, it’s NOT bad to want to feel good or to take the best care of your body. Food intolerances, gut conditions, autoimmune conditions, skin breakouts, hormone imbalances, anxiety and beyond are real, (and your nutrition can be a game-changer for healing), but they do NOT have to dominate your own well-being inside and out. 

GUT HEALING & HEALTHY EATING GONE OVERBOARD: ARFID

ARFID—Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder—is a common “phenomenon” many individuals experience on a gut healing or body healing diet.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of fearing what food will “do to you” when your diet becomes restrictive for health reasons. 

Labels aside, ARFID or Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder is a silent “eating disorder,” many people are not talking about in the health, wellness or functional medicine community. Primarily because the main goal of treatment is to help you feel better physically.

However, in the case of ARFID, your diet becomes so restricted that you may experience many symptoms similar to orthorexia—particularly emotional angst about food, primarily because you “can’t” eat eating. The stress over food itself may even exacerbate or extend your healing process. 

Common symptoms of ARFID include:

COMMON SYMPTOMS 

1. You lack variety in your diet
2. You fear how foods make you feel
3. You wrap your identity in what you eat
4. You know ALL the protocols in the book (GAPS, SCD, AIP, etc.)
5. You’re HYPER AWARE of how food makes you feel
6. You get sick when you eat out
7. NOTHING seems to change how you feel
8. You read EVERYTHING on Google about your condition
9. You’ve tried countless protocols. 
10. You have low energy
11. You rarely feel hunger/fullness cues
12. You get easily weepy or have pent up emotions
13. You try to “forget” you are sick but feel trapped
14. You tend to be a perfectionist or Type-A personality

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT: ARFID & ORTHOREXIA SUPPORT & HEALING OPTIONS

To date, there are not a ton of resources or support options for individuals in recovery from ARFID or Orthorexia—primarily because many clinicians steer clear from eating disorder support in general, as well as due to the HUGE emphasis on healthy and clean eating and dieting by and large.

As the diabetes and obesity epidemics only continue to escalate (currently 1 in 3 Americans), the emphasis from many professionals in healthcare focuses on “leading a healthier lifestyle” in general. 

“What’s so bad about eating more greens, running 

DECLARE FOOD FREEDOM

While formal treatment options may be far and few between, working with a skilled practitioner one-on-one in the areas of nutrition, mental and emotional health, and body healing can be “game changing” for your relationship with food. 

Here are a handful of principles I teach my clients in my clinical practice to help them overcome their orthorexic tendencies and declare food freedom. 

Have a “DTR” with Your Food 

“DTR” stands for “determining the relationship.” In a romantic relationship, it’s the conversation you have with your significant other about your relationship status—are you all “on” or “off.” Together? Dating? Friends with benefits? 

You need to do the same thing with your relationship with food. DTR is all about knowing your WHY—why you eat what you eat, as well as your what—what your beliefs or philosophy about food really is (and exploring where that came from in the first place). 

For instance, one of my personal food philosophies for how I eat is based on the principles of an anti-inflammatory diet. WHY? Because I have an autoimmune disease, and autoimmune disease genetics, thus if and when I eat certain foods that are more inflammatory to my body, like nuts, grains and eggs, I not only feel awful physically (constipation, bloating, nauseas), but I also flare my conditions more (IBS/IBD and even skin breakouts).  It’s not that I don’t like these foods, but my “why” behind eating less of them is based on how my body reacts and feels.

Another food philosophy of mine is to have NO food rules or food labels! This “why” stems back to the 15 years I spent entrenched in following every diet under the sun! And this “why” is what helps keep me sane from even dabbling in any mainstream hyped diet philosophy (be it Keto, Intermittent Fasting, Atkins or Vegan). I don’t label how I eat as anything more than “real food” and base what goes in my body on how my body feels, as well as mindfulness with needing a VARIETY of nutrient-dense foods. 

In the reverse, a FORMER food philosophy of mine was ALL ABOUT labels, and rules, and calorie counting obsessions. At one time, my goal was less than 500 calories per day, and less than 0.5 grams of fat (how absurd, right?!). At the time though, I totally thought this was what I “should” do—my “why” was all about checking off boxes of food rules and my ultimate goal (weight loss). 

What are some of your personal food philosophies you currently follow (and WHY do you believe or adhere to them)?

• As If Mindset

Once you have an idea of your current relationship with food and your food philosophy, now you get to think about what kind of relationship you want with food!

Do you want to be controlled and dictated by what you can and can’t eat—such as worrying or feeling anxious about going out to eat with friends or traveling on vacation?

Or do you want to fuel your body to the best of your abilities with foods that make you feel BEST, but when and if you can’t do so, be able to adjust accordingly?

I call this the “as if” mindset. So as we think, therefore we become. Envision how healthy, thriving, truly healthy (inside and out) you approaches food in any and all situations:

• Travel
• Dining out
• At the grocery store
• Packing your lunch
• Making dinner

Get a clear picture of what healthy, thriving you looks like, acts like, talks like, treats her body like, and then…act accordingly.

• Make Your Own Rules

Rules were made to be broken, and when it comes to food rules, I encourage all my clients to make their own (new) recovered, healthy, thriving rules for vibrancy and freedom that buck the system or their former beliefs that were wrapped in fear, worry, angst, or overthinking food. 

In turn, your new “rules” aren’t actually rules at all, but more like mantras—declarations for the healthy relationship you want with food and your body.

For instance, in my own recovery and continued healing journey with food, my rules or mantras became: 

“No diets.”

“Listen to your body.”

“Know your truth.” (i.e. what is disordered vs. healthy mindset me)

“Eat out of love, not fear.”

You get the picture. Erase the old rules from your brain. 

• Abundance Mindset

What CAN you eat, versus what CAN’T you eat?

There are hundreds of foods in the world, and often times in the midst of gut healing or “clean eating” protocols, it can be EASY to get stuck on your “CAN’T” list or “I DON’T EAT ___” list.

Aim for the LEAST RESTRICTIVE approach as possible, and eat with an “abundance” mindset. 

• Vary it Up

Along with abundance, variety is the spice of life, and when we eat the same things day in and day out, not only do we deprive our bodies of essential nutrients, but we also dumb down our palate (i.e. “boring” foods). 

Aim for 2-3 different colors at each meal to keep things fresh, and while you’re at it, simply try different herbs, seasonings and spices to enhance flavor, continually challenge and fire up your tastebuds, and boost nutrients too. 

Check out this “rainbow” food chart (scroll to the bottom) by nutritionist Deanna Minich to see how different colors and variety enhances our bodies, beyond just giving us “antioxidants.”

• Eat Out of Love, Not Fear

Simply put: How can you eat out of love for your body, then eating (or not eating) based on food fears?

Bonus: when we eat out of love (and have more peace with food), we actually can even enhance our digestion for the better (stress and cortisol inhibits optimal digestion). 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Healthy eating or clean eating is NOT a bad thing. It all comes down to your mindset.

Want support in overcoming orthorexic or ARFID tendencies? Or looking to heal your gut, hormones, or other health condition without a crazy diet mentality or restrictive approach?

Let’s connect. Contact me at DrLauryn.com/Work-with-Me and apply to be a client today (Bonus: a 10-minute Complimentary Consult is included for all accepted applicants). 

The post Do You Have Orthorexia or Just Eating Healthy? appeared first on Meet Dr. Lauryn.

Source/Repost=>
https://drlauryn.com/food-freedom/do-you-have-orthorexia-or-just-eating-healthy/ ** Dr. Lauryn Lax __Nutrition. Therapy. Functional Medicine ** https://drlauryn.com/

What 26 Years of Processed Foods Does to Your Body

Years Living With Processed Foods

How long have you been living with processed foods?

“Please help me go, please help me go” —a breath prayer I often said aloud for years while sitting in the Loo (i.e. on the toilet)—in the pit of discomfort!

I often just WANTED (and needed) to “go,” but, many times, I not able to “go” for days. 

Constipation is Real

Stuck—often times how I felt in my own skin. Stuck in my gut. Constipated. And like my body was at war, in my own skin. 

At age 26, even though I ate “healthy” (on paper), something was not right. 

Greens? Check.

Sweet potatoes? Check. 

Salmon? Check.

Almonds? Check.

Eggs? Check. 

Broccoli? Check. 

Coconut Butter and Coconut Oil? Check.

I was doing ALL the “right things,” so why did it have to hurt so much?

Answer: Healthy “being” goes far beyond diet alone. 

At least once you’ve been enlightened…

Exhibit A: Day 1 Nutrition School (You & I Are NOT Alone)

“Stand up and introduce yourself. What got you interested in studying nutrition?” the teacher said. 

One by one, my class of about 40 other aspiring nutrition therapy practitioners had to stand up and give their “elevator speech” as to why we were all sitting upright in the classroom, pen and paper in hand, eager, anxious and beaming with BIG vision, to learn how to save the world one  food myth at a time. 

As we went around the room sharing our stories, one by one, we also began to realize that…we were not alone. 

Many of my fellow classmates were survivors of the processed-food, antibiotic, vaccine, sedentary lifestyle and chronic disease generation, and somehow, had all lived to tell about it.

“My son was diagnosed with Autism, and the doctors told me there was nothing we could do about it except lots of therapies and behavior plans. So I did some research myself, and began to find stories about the brain-gut connection—how food can influence how we think and help kids with Autism. As a family, we started the GAPS diet, and my son, who was non-verbal, said his first words,” Charlotte said. 

“I was a vegetarian and vegan for over 15 years, and on the cusp of my 30th birthday, I got sick—really sick,” Lynan said. “My skin was pale, my hair started falling out, my nails were brittle, I was tired all the time, lost my period, and began experiencing bloating around meals all the time. Something wasn’t right. I thought it was something to do with my hormones, or maybe mono, or anemia, so I went to a doctor a friend recommended and he said nothing was wrong with me.

I just needed to eat meat again, telling me, “You know you are doing the same thing to your body that inhumane chicken and beef farms do to their animals—feeding them lots of grains and processed foods, restricting them from all the nutrients their bodies need to thrive. Your body needs balance,” …I was so desperate for anything to feel better, so I gave it a try, and within a matter of months, all my health problems went away. I got my period and energy back, the bloating subsided and I felt better than I had in those 15 years,” Lynan said.  

“I got terminal brain cancer. The doctors gave me 2, maybe 3 months, to live, and told me it had spread through every bone in my body and that there was nothing I could do,” Bob said, adding, “But then I looked on the nutrition label of the tube-feeding formula the healthcare company sent me, only to see the worlds ‘Nestle’ and ‘high fructose corn syrup’ on the ‘medicine’ meant to help me get the extra nutrients I needed, and I thought, ‘There’s got to be another way.’ So I decided to start juicing my own food and smoothies for my feeding tube, and just ate real food. Months later, I was completely cancer free and years later, I have a son they never told me I could have and I lived to tell about it. I want to help people,” Bob said. 

Mic drop. 

Nope. None of us were alone. 

What 26 Years of Processed Foods Does to Your Body

We all have a story. Often times, multiple stories. That shape us for the better or the worse. Your stories are written via your life experiences, and chances are, when it comes to your health, you’ve had multiple experiences that have set the stage for where your body (and health markers) are today. 

Even if you “eat healthy” and “do all the right things” today, your past experiences paved way for the way you feel (or don’t feel) now.

I’m a Survivor

Hi, I am Lauryn and I am a survivor of the processed food, “take a Tylenol or Tums” (for everything), antibiotic, “drink juice as your water,” frozen broccoli (with cheese sauce), Lean-Cuisines-and-Quest-Bars are convenient (and healthy) generation.

 For the first 26 years of my life, my body didn’t see a real food—really. 

Sure, I ate Fiber One cereal, not Cookie Crisp, for breakfast.  Packed 99% lean turkey on whole wheat bread with pretzels (not chips) for lunch (with the special occasion Pizza Lunchable).  Noshed on apple slices (with Peter Pan peanut butter), or string cheese and whole grain Wheat Thins between meals, and I ate a low-fat dinner, including a protein, starch and veggie with a glass of milk most nights for dinner…but even though I was eating “healthy,” (according to Standard American Diet criteria), my body did not see a real food. 

Fast forward to my teens and college years, when I began to make my own food choices for myself, I looked to magazines, social media, and Google for advice on what to eat (and not eat), following hundreds of food rule under the sun. If it was deemed “healthy,” or “clean” by Shape or Cosmo, it was “a-ok “with me including: protein bars and protein powders, frozen dinners, raw veggies, tons of nuts and almond butter, egg white omelets, and no carbs, no meats or no fats (depending on the popular trend at the time).

Eating disorder treatment is a whole other can of worms complicating the story. Over the accumulated three years of my life spent in inpatient treatment centers and hospitals, along with the 15 years of meal plans with prescriptions to eat McDonald’s Egg McMuffins and Dairy Queen Blizzard’s, I equally did not see (or eat) a real food—at least not much of it. 

The universal theme? My body—namely my gut—didn’t know how to deal with the influx of foods that were difficult to digest.  The result? A host of inflammation and imbalances. 

Even though, at age 26 I found “real food,” was well beyond my eating disorder and discovered the art of “stressing less,” I had ALOT of “damage” to heal and make up for from the previous 26 years of my life. 

In short: How you feel today (or how you will feel tomorrow, or 10-50 years from now) is a result of the choices you made years ago.

Survey Says

I spent the entire 26th year of life, studying nutrition and forming the foundations of my current functional medicine, nutrition and therapy business. 

The next year, I found myself in two rigorous functional medicine trainings and sinking my teeth (and brain) into anything that explained more about WHY I felt the way I felt (i.e. constipated and bloated ALL the time), trying to understand WHY it seemed like no doctors could help me just feel good in my own skin.  Instead of believing “bloating and constipation are just a part of life,” I dedicated my studies and used my body as my own experiment to find out if healing was truly possible. 

The following images from a few of my lab tests are just a glimpse of what 26 years of processed foods, lifestyle and gut stress does to your body. 

 Osteoporosis: 

Cause: Malnutrition, lack of essential fatty acids, inability to absorb nutrients (“leaky gut”) and bacterial overgrowth

 SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)

Cause: High grain consumption, low stomach acid, stress, overtraining, artificial sweeteners, low fat diets, FODMAP foods, antibiotics, processed and packaged foods

 High Cortisol (i.e. stress hormone)

Cause: “Leaky gut,” overtraining (or sedentary lifestyle), lack of quality sleep, lack of water, burning a candle at both ends (trying to do it all), gut-inflammatory foods and food intolerances, high caffeine or sugar/artificial sweetener consumption, NOT going with your gut (and being true to yourself), LED light/screen exposure

The Bottom Line

Knowledge is power, and healing IS possible—(even with 26 years+ of processed foods and other health stressors under your belt).

The secret? 

It goes far beyond “clean eating”….

How to Heal Your Gut

It’s easier than you think.  It involves 3 simple steps: 

Step 1: Identify the Underlying Root Cause(s) of your Gut Issues

(note: even if you don’t have bloating or IBS or constipation, skin issues, allergies, thyroid/hormone imbalances and “slow metabolism” issues ALSO are often rooted in your gut)  often made out to be more complicated than it is. Common “root causes” of gut issues include:

• Environmental toxic burden
• SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)
• Parasites, fungal or bacterial infection
• Dysbiosis (imbalanced gut bacteria)
• Food intolerances 
• Intestinal permeability
• Chronic infections (Lyme, Ebstein Barr)

Bonus:

To figure out your root causes, the fastest route to seeing a clearer picture of everything going on is testing (not guessing) your health woes. Work with a functional medicine practitioner who can help you decide what (if any) testing may be helpful including: 

• Stool testing
• Comprehensive blood chemistry testing (not just a CBC)
• SIBO breath testing
• Organic acids testing
• DUTCH hormone/cortisol testing
• IgG, IgA, IgE food intolerance/allergy testing
• Heavy metals/essential nutrients testing

Step 2: Get Back to the Basics

You cannot supplement or eat your way out of a stressful lifestyle. The “unsexy” simple health basics are game-changers for calming stress AND gut healing including:

• Eating a nutrient-dense, whole-foods ancestral diet (proteins, carbs and fats included)
• Drinking half your bodyweight in ounces of water daily
• Taking a quality probiotic, prebiotics and eating fermented and prebiotic foods daily
• Sleeping 7-9 hours per night
• Resetting your circadian rhythm (limiting screen exposure/artificial light at night; eating at normal times; getting fresh air)
• Daily movement/exercise (but not TOO much)

Step 3: Heal (Don’t Manage) Your Symptoms

Healing your gut is not just about taking probiotics and drinking kombucha. Once you identify your ROOT causes of your gut imbalances, you must take action steps to HEAL your gut (not just manage gut health or suppress symptoms).

This step will be unique to you and is best first accomplished with the guidance of a skilled practitioner. Request a complimentary 10-minute consult with Dr. Lauryn’s clinic today to start your own healing journey. 

 

The post What 26 Years of Processed Foods Does to Your Body appeared first on Meet Dr. Lauryn.

Source/Repost=>
https://drlauryn.com/gut-health/what-26-years-of-processed-foods-does-to-your-body/ ** Dr. Lauryn Lax __Nutrition. Therapy. Functional Medicine ** https://drlauryn.com/