Hi Katie

1) Have you had your microbiome analysed? If not we are all steering blind to an extent, trying different and maybe conflicting things and second guessing
2) Take a look at the 5:2 diet. It is profoundly anti-inflammatory, will help you lose weight and its entirely compatible with Clever Guts
3) Post you food diary here. We might have some suggestions

Good luck !

Graham

Katie_KLT: the best news is that you are very much on the right track with analysing your food diary!

From your last post I noted that you were eating mainly higher sugar tropical fruits, but don’t mention low sugar ones (eg. red + blackcurrants, various berries, rhubarb). Also serving sizes may be off: a regular banana or apple is often two (UK serving 80g).

You may have been replacing dairy and grains with processed/ lower nutrient/ microbiome unfriendly alternatives. Over the long term aim to use a really wide variety of nutrient dense wholefoods where possible (seeds, nuts, gluten free grains, sheep and goat dairy products, minimally processed coconut).

This should mean you are not eating too many pulses for your gut to handle. You may find that, as the months progress, you can handle more and more pulses.

From your food diary do also consider your past intake of foods rich in vitamin D, long chain omega-3s and magnesium (oily fish, more oily fish, organic eggs, certain seeds, cocoa).

I mention this because vitamin D and magnesium balance and aid absorption of calcium (less well utilised if not from dairy), omega-3s are anti inflammatory and magnesium is key in muscle relaxation (inc.gut). So potentially important in successfully self treating IBS etc.

HTH!

Katie_KLT: Buried in one of my earlier posts “Much more important are the guidelines on pages 189 to 196. Particularly note the comments of removing and reintroducing foods in stages or individually.” These comments are on pages 190 and 192 of the CG Diet book.

To me the meal planners are examples only, since readers will have very different starting diets, possible allergies/ intolerances, health problems and goals and so on. Unfortunately the book is far from clear about not slavishly following the planners, and how best to use your food diary.

Working slowly in stages is the only scientific/ logical way to use an elimination diet to identify food allergies or food intolerances. If you were following a very strict version *supervised by a dietician or allergist or other medical professional* foods would be removed or reintroduced one a time.

Hi Firefox7275,

I think I am getting more and more confused with this! I’ve looked at my ‘before’ diet and my reactions were mainly when I had gluten, wheat or dairy. I wasn’t eating much of this anyway as I knew it upset my gut and had already placed cow’s milk with soya milk and a lot of bread & pasta with GF alternatives. I ate a lot of fruit; 1 x kiwi, 2 x tangerines, 1 x apple and 1 x banana a day and had quite a lot of beans and pulses and I often suffered bad wind after these.

I’m confused by how the ‘before’ diet works with the Remove & Repair phase? I am following the advised one week food plan on pages 262 – 263 in the book. It specifically says that the plan is low in dairy, gluten, wheat, pulses & grains (except hummus), so this is ideal for me as it cuts out things I know bother me. So I’m unsure why you say not to remove all of these things at once? I thought the meal plan was to be followed exactly?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi J-J,

I’ve cut out legumes as per the Phase One diet plan in the book, all apart from the chickpeas used in the Rainbow Humus. Did you not have the humus at all?

Thanks!

Hello, I’m new to this site and this is my first post. I’ve read others comments with interest. I’ve been suffering with eating intolerances for many years now. I was totally fine when I was younger, but somehow over the years, the problems began.

Firstly, just to mention, about a year ago I ended up in hospital with gall bladder issues, and they also found out that I had diverticular disease. So 2 months later I had my gall bladder removed and had been given a significant amount of antibiotic to calm down the diverticular disease and make the imflamation go away. The reason I mention this is more because I’m now reading The Clever Guts Diet, which was recommended to me by a friend, and I realise that the antibiotics I was given, probably killed off a lot of good bacteria in my gut, which may explain my continued fatigue and general feeling of malaise since that time. So I’m now reading and learning about what I can do to redress the balance. BTW, having your gall bladder removed doesn’t really have any effect on every day life – except it slightly changes visits to the loo (there seems to be less bowel control), but as one of the issues with diverticular disease, (which, BTW, approx 50% of the UK population have this by the time they are 50, but most are not even aware of it), it’s only if everything gets inflamed, that you start getting real pains and problems. One of the things they say to try and avoid to prevent further flare ups is getting constipated. Not having a gall bladder seems to address that anyway. Sorry, probably too much information….

Secondly, back to the food intolerances, this is something that I seem to have had for years, although, even now, many doctors still seem to be very dismissive and sceptical about it (Michael Mosely included). Several years ago I was sent to an ‘allergy specialist’ who did a load of prick tests on my arms in relation to pollen, grass seed, cat hair, dog hair, bed bugs etc etc, as he didn’t believe in food allergies. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t react to a single one, and he simply accused me of taking antihistamines during the course of the test – which I obviously hadn’t done as I was desperate to try to find out the cause. So that was a complete waste of time.

I then spent quite a bit of money on a ‘York Test’ where you send off a blood sample and they come back with a list of things that you are supposed to be intolerant of. They said that dairy was a massive red flag for me and that I should avoid it at all costs. They also listed random things like kidney beans and rice, but put in a caveat saying that if you’d recently eaten them, i.e. had a chilli con carne the day before, then they could be ingored! Anyway, so since then I’ve tried my best to avoid dairy products and spent a lot of money on alternative products, only to find that there was no improvement, in fact things have got steadily worse.

The main effect on me is nasal/sinus inflamation, to the point where I cannot breath through my nose at all. This went on for months last year, and believe me, its no fun not being able to breath through your nose. I was trying to eat healthily and choose the right things, but still having no idea what was causing my problems, but it always seemed to be at its worse after eating and drinking. Purely by chance I happened to catch an episode of Embarrassing Bodies on the TV and they had a guy on there with severe allergies and he was sent off to a specialist in Harley Street. So they did lots of tests on him and came back with an intolerance to salycilates. I had never even heard of salycilates, so quickly went onto Google to find out more. I printed off a list and thought they all looked quite harmless, but was prepared to try anything just to breath through my nose again, so started cutting things out of my diet one at a time. I should also mention that in the meantime I’d been back to two or three GPs, who had simply prescribed me nasal steriod spray – which did nothing whatsoever to help. So I hadn’t gone too far down the list, when it got to tomatoes and tomato products like puree. I love tomatoes and had eaten loads in my life, both raw and frequently used them in cooking. Well I cut all tomato products out of my diet for a few days, and was stunned to find I could breath again. I had never imagined or suspected that tomatoes could have been the main problem. They are not the only problem, and wine and fizzy drinks always block my nose up, but since trying to avoid tomatoes as much as possible, my breathing problems have been considerably reduced. Having read some other blogs above, I think I should try and cut potatoes out as well and see how that goes.

One additiional point I would mention is about antihistamines. I was taking these for years, on the advice of a few doctors. These do indeed help, but a side effect of taking antihistamines is they greatly increase restless leg syndrome, which is something else I’ve had for years. Since stopping taking antihistamines and just trying to avoid problem food and drink, I’ve noticed that my RLS has decreased considerably (but not completely) as well.

It’s like there is a impact from every single thing we put into ourselves, whether it be food, drink or medication. There are no easy answers to any of it, and many more people suffer now than used to with intolerances. Doctors, please take note, food intolerances really do exist in a big way. I will however take on board all that Michael Mosely says in relation to gut health and change my eating habits as much as possible, although sadly his recommendation to eat more tomatoes, is no good for me.

I thought I’d post a quick update. I have been on a very strict diet for over 4 months now and feel like I am finally getting somewhere. It turns out I am highly intolerant to nightshades. A lot of my symptoms have been from eating potatoes, tomatoes and spices. Who knew potatoes and tomatoes could be so bad for you?! It is still early days and I am, still testing gluten and dairy intolerances, but I am starting to feel a lot better and I can eat more. Without the nightshades in my diet, I can eat a range of fresh foods (still not good with processed chemicals) and recently even ate out without too much drama. My chronic pain has been reduced, my migraines are occurring less frequently, my digestive issues are nearly nonexistent and I feel like I am getting the benefit of nutrients from food again. I have naturally reduced my elemental drinks and having got down to 2 day (from 7), this last week I have even had some days without any. I still have a way to go, but I am so excited by this progress and really hope it continues. I can finally see the possibility of my life returning to somewhat normal:-)

Hi there
I hope that your symptoms are getting better I am sure that it can take a while to re-start our guts. I did wonder if you are still eating legumes? I didn’t really know what they were so I looked it up. On another site (Paleo diet) there was a very long article about the danger of legumes to our gut health. I was surprised to find it was lentils, chickpeas, etc. and now I look back I do think that my gut reacts to legumes.
Hang on in there as another has said it may take months to repair.
good luck

Hi Katie! Thanks for your message.

I didn’t have much weight loss or IBS improvements during Phase 1. It really started to kick in during Phase 2 and also when I introduced fasting. I think Phase 1 is really about getting your gut ready to support a good population of gut flora that will do good- a bit of a cleanse to wipe the slate clean so to speak.

I’ve only done phase 1 once. It was the most challenging part in terms of the time it took to organise and prep. I still intend to do a clear guide for this phase in the coming weeks. At the moment I’m a week back in to Phase 2 and having good results in terms of mood and weight loss. Fasting is the big key for me I think. I try not to eat from 8pm and 1pm. It takes a few days to get used to but it’s surprising how quickly you can accustom. On the days I simply can’t manage it I have a smoothie made with kale, berries, yoghurt and almond milk around 10am. The key then is to have very diverse gut friendly meals to support your gut and quicken your metabolism.

Good luck, I hope you get through the rest of Phase 1- it is worth it. I will work on Phase 2 plans and lists this week and hopefully have them ready for you to follow in time!

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I have the meal planner but I was going to only eat the meals that I really like and leave out the ones I am less fond of so probably would eat the granola a couple of times a week. I made the nutty granola and really love it, in fact I’ve been making it now for over a month and I have already noticed a difference in my gut and my weight 🙂 I’m not embarking on this because I really want to lose weight but because I know that some foods I eat don’t agree with me and I’d like to find out what.
I also have some bad habits – wine, potatoes, pasta, rice and sweet snacks which I have been decreasing but need to stop.
I think I can manage to last for 2-3 weeks before introducing different food groups – I am looking forward to it in a way. Taking control it’s a good feeling.

Clever Guts book and website refers to the FODMAPS diet for IBS but not the commonly prescribed (UK NHS) sustained-release peppermint oil capsules called Colpermin. I’m finding some benefit from this. The rationale is peppermint oil is an anti-spasmodic, and Colpermin is enteric-coated, meaning the coating remains intact in hte stomach and dissolves in the small intestine so peppermint oil is released there and calms the smooth muscles of the gut. Wondering if anyone knows about continuing to take this in relation to peppermint oil and the biome, if I do the CG regime. Thanks!

Once you have analysed your food and symptom diary in this way, you should be better able to identify food types or groups you may be intolerant to, food types or groups you need to eat much more or much less of.

Ideally make changes one at a time: Dropping all gluten grains and all dairy products at the same time can massively alter the balance of the diet. This is because we tend to eat these foods in specific combinations/ recipes (eg. wheat as bread, milk in hot drinks) and obviously need to replace them with other foods.

HTH!.

Your detailed food and symptom diary is one of the best tools you could have, so it’s great you have been completing it.

Consider the balance and variety in your ‘before’ diet. Fruit, vegetables and pulses are nutrient dense and healthy, BUT you may have been having too much (wind-producing) soluble fibre/ fructose/ polyols *for you*.

Were you eating a really wide variety of wholegrains, seeds and nuts before? Which type of fruits (eg. berries, tropical, tree, stone)?

Were you eating mostly cows dairy or mostly sheep and goats, milk (lactose) and flavoured yoghurt or only traditional cheeses and live yoghurt/ kefir?

Were your complete proteins more land animal muscle meat/ dairy, or mainly oily fish/ other seafood/ organic or free range eggs? Were the servings as per official guidelines?

I’ve downloaded a book on fermenting, on all sorted food, very comprehensive. I’ve swapped my sauerkraut to midday and my sleep seems to be better. However, new tablets for nerve pain, which may have a bearing on sleep. Christmas may have skewed my daily patterns though! I’ve got a lot of entertaining this week, so won’t get back to ‘proper’ eating until next week.

Have you had a clear stool test for the worms/ other parasites/ anything else the NHS will test for?

Have you been completing a detailed food and symptom diary? Will your family doctor refer you to the registered dieticians at your local hospital to analyse this?

Do you consistently meet or exceed ALL our government’s recommendations for healthy eating, physical activity and lifestyle? Note that UK guidelines have changed within the last couple of years, inc. those related to fibre rich wholefoods.

Which laxatives have you taken, how often and for how long? A couple are safe for regular long term use, but most are not.

It may well be that a combination of the worms, overuse of laxatives, poor diet or lifestyle habits, colonic irrigation has damaged your gut lining/ affected your gut function/ altered your microbiome.

If so a targeted overhaul of your diet and lifestyle, possibly alongside medication revommended by a pharmacist/ dietician, or prescribed by a doctor is the best way to improve your gut health. Think long term commitment, not short term cure and return to old habits.

I travelled to Africa seven years ago where I was completely constipated for 5 months. Subsequently I have had intermediate periods of vomiting, diarrhoea and severe constipation. I have put these down to possible food allergies.
Currently, I am completely constipated and, to relieve the terribly uncomfortable feelings and nausea, I had a series of colonic irrigation sessions. To my horror, a huge bundle of worms came out. On being shown a photo, my GP prescribed the standard tape worm medication which was completely ineffective – and no amount of laxatives has any effect. My GP says my blood is normal and she is at a loss as to what to do. More laxatives (which don’t work) are her only suggestion.
I feel that this problem may possibly have its origins in my trip to Africa. Does anyone please know where I should go from here to get a diagnosis and lasting cure?
Thank you in advance.

Sorry, realised I didn’t answer your question re. NHS. I’ve been referred to a dietitian but to be honest he’s not been much help. He recommended a low fibre diet which I tried for two weeks but it made no difference, if anything the bloating was worse as it pushed me to eat more starch carbs.

Thanks for your reply, Firefox7275.

I did complete the food symptoms diary; I’ve followed the book rigorously since I got it.

I haven’t ever had a poor diet. We make all food from scratch and eat a lot of fruit, veg and pulses. All that’s changed for me with the Clever Guts Diet is removing wheat and gluten, and cutting down on dairy. Hence I expected to feel better, as I knew gluten bothered me. Today is day 8 for me and I’ve had the worst bloating and stomach cramps all day, despite not having any food which I know my body reacts badly to.

I also already do 10,000 steps or more a day due to an exercise demanding Labrador :–) I’ve just added going to the gym to try and aid my weight loss.

Hopefully this will help explain why I am struggling to understand why I am reacting so badly to the diet? My wind and bloating are no different eating this combination of foods to how they were before I began… I’m not sure what to do?

What have you been diagnosed with after the NHS tests? Have you been referred to the registered dieticians at your local hospital?

Have you completed the detailed food and symptom diary – p.187 – during a ‘normal’ week or fortnight (not Xmas or New Year for most of us)? Are you still recording and analysing everything?

To me the weekly meal planners are examples, not to be followed religiously. Much more important are the guidelines on pages 189 to 196. Particularly note the comments of removing and reintroducing foods in stages or individually.

If you have been on a restrictive or poorly balanced or othwrwise unhealthy diet for some time it may well take weeks to months for any micronutrient (vitamin, mineral, essential fat) deficiencies to be restored, chronic inflammation to calm, gut flora to rebalance, excess fat to be shed.

Formal exercise puts the body into a state of stress, as do restrictive or weight loss diets. It would be better to focus on increasing physical activity (10,000 steps a day or equivalent).

Well, my sauerkraut and ‘pickles’ are ready, and yummy, so I’ll let you know how I get on tonight.

The pickles are a lot less acid than homemade pickles I have had before, and more like homemade ‘pickled’ gherkins. istr that the gherkins were made with little if any vinegar, but that mixed pickles had more like 50% vinegar. I have to say, I much prefer this salt/brine only method. 🙂

Both have turned out really nice in the end so it doesn’t matter, but thank you for trying to help 🙂

I presume that I can reuse the brine when I do another batch of whichever?

Just been reading your blog and it’s great to see someone with the same difficulties with Phase One that i’m having. Mainly time spent prepping food!

Today is the start of my second week. No weight loss in week one despite sticking to it entirely, and my IBS bloating is still bad. How long did it take for you to notice your IBS symptoms lessening? Also, did you just repeat the Phse One diet week in the book every week for four weeks?

Thanks!

Me too, thank you!

Hello,

I suffer from extreme bloating and flatulence, as well as stomach cramps. In June 2017 I had an intolerance test done by York Test and it showed am intolerant to wheat, gluten, eggs, dairy, almonds and cranberries. They suggested I cut these foods out of my diet for 12 weeks and follow FODMAP too, but I have found this incredibly difficult as it’s left me wondering what I can eat! Over the course of the past 6 months since my results I’ve buried my head in the sand, gained over a stone in weight and suffered daily from my IBS. It’s making me incredibly miserable.

I’ve been down the NHS route too; I’ve tried taking Amitriptyline to reduce symptoms and this did work, but I stopped it as I didn’t want to me on medication. In the past two months I’ve had stool samples for Coeliac and underlying digestive issues which can be picked up through traveling in South & Central America and Asia, as I spent over a year in those countries back in 2013. I’ve had hydrogen glucose and lactose breath tests too, both have come back negative. Along with this I’ve had a CAT scan and nothing was untoward in my gut. I feel like any serious allergy or illness has been ruled out, which leaves me with diet.

I started the Clever Guts Diet 7 days ago in the hope it will help with my IBS. I have followed the Remove and Repair phase rigorously for 7 days and not eaten any dairy, gluten or wheat. I’ve always had a good diet but have increased the range of vegetables I am eating. I’ve also started taking 2 x tsp of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother before each meal and have increased the amount of exercise I am doing. Despite this, I have still suffered from bloating three of the four days.

Looking at the days this has occurred it’s when I have eaten eggs and / or the Breakfast Bread which contains almonds. Both are foods I was told I am intolerant too in the York Test. I am wondering if I should also be avoiding the foods I was told I am intolerant to in the York Test – or if I should be ‘starting a fresh’ with the Clever Guts Diet and leaving old information behind me? I am also confused as to which foods I should be ruling out, other than those the diet makes clear.

I am also wondering whether the Apple Cider Vinegar will be helping my IBS, or if the acidity of it may make symptoms worse?

I got weighed this morning after the first week and have not lost any weight. This is not the focus of my reason for doing the diet, but it is something I would welcome! I feel overweight and bloated how I am now. I wonder if anyone had a time frame for weight loss, if it is slow to begin with as your body adjusts?

Sorry for such a long message. I appreciate any advice which can be given! Thank you in advance,

Katie_KLT

Hi Everyone
I have found a few times that I get hungry between meals doing 12-14 hour intermittent fasting. I’m wondering if this means I haven’t included enough fat or protein in my meal?
cheers

Thanks RecoveredFatty and Caz9!

Thanks Firefox7275. I had a look through all the topics yesterday after posting this and found the “confused by meal plans” thread. I’ve printed it out to refer to. I notice you reply a lot to a lot of topics. You are very helpful and knowledgeable. Thanks again.

I’ve had chronic hives for three years. I’ve only seen a doctor once (white coat syndrome) and expectantly he basically said he could give me Prednisone (wouldn’t go near it – I watched my mother blow up like a balloon on it and also had a terrible time trying to wean herself off it – for asthma though). He said Allegra would do it as a antihistamine. Yes they do work but I’m basically immune to them now and don’t like fake chemicals in my body so have tried all sorts of natural remedies. IHerb is a good place to go for those. But some work, some don’t. And you can burn a lot of money experimenting.

Like any one with chronic hives, I’ve given up, singularly, everything for a few weeks at least to try and isolate it. Two things have had a major effect. A few months ago I gave up anything with grain in it. So that’s obviously any bread related food but also rice pasta etc. That,over a few weeks dramatically took the heat out of them. But then I gave up ginger. This was hard for me as for the last ten to twelve years I’ve started the day with a hot cup of grated ginger root made into a tea. I’ve become fairly addicted to it but it’s also had a side benefit in that i haven’t had a day in bed in all that time – in fact I’ve never even had a single cold. Anyway, I found that it was related to the deadly nightshade family – ah forgot to say that I’ve given up everything in that family too – potatoes are top of that followed by tomatoes.
Now I should say here that I haven’t completely given up these things. If I’m in town and hungry well down goes a pizza but instead of all those things being part of my daily diet, they’re now maybe once a week at most. Instead it’s vegetables, salads and meat. So it’s helped the hives for sure (still there daily but not nearly as intense and I believe I’ll see the back of them within a couple of months at most). But also I feel miles healthier.
In the meantime I discovered the best and cheapest remedy of all. I bought a couple of cold packs that I keep in the freezer. So, when I get a hive outbreak I just hold a cold pack hard down on them for about 30 to 60 seconds. After that. They’ve gone! When I go out I wrap a pack in newspaper and keep it in the car with me. Doesn’t last that long – maybe a couple of hours before it’s lost its effectiveness because it’s started to thaw but it’s truly a great way to get rid of them. Here’s a link http://amzn.to/2F8N3O5

I have been having the same troubles. It would be good if there was an official list some where not the website.

Hi! I think I may have leaky gut and am wondering about eating potatoes. I read about the benefits of getting resistant starch from eating potatoes that have been cooked and cooled. I also read that potatoes are one of the “food to avoid” if you have leaky gut. Any thoughts on whether their benefits could out weight their issues? or should someone with leaky gut just avoid them?
Thanks!
melinda

You are not the only one struggling with this. See the thread entitled ‘Confused by Meal Plans’ here in the Newbies forum.

Joe Wicks does lots of HIIT workouts on Youtube. Could try them….

Hi all, I’m a little confused by what to eat and not to eat in the remove and repair stage, namely what is classed as a fibrous vegetable or fruit and what is classed as non-fibrous. You are meant to avoid fibrous vegetables but include non-starchy vegetables – I’ve found some vegetables appear in both groups. I’ve googled both and get varying lists. Is there anywhere on the site that would give me a more accurate definitive answer or can someone on the forum help? Thanks.

Stringybean: reduced fat coconut milk is usually watered down, then ‘stuff’ is added …

As a one off or weekly inclusion – Dr Mosely advocates eating a really wide variety of foods and combinations of foods – no single recipe will negatively affect your blood choleterol.

In any case there is NO clear body of evidence that the short to medium chain saturated fatty acids in coconut is ‘bad’ for the heart and circulation.

It is increasingly clear that the problem is a combination of the *type and amount* of carbohydrates, combined with the *type and amount* of fats in the diet.

Clever Guts emphasises healthy fats (extra virgin olive oil, oily fish), and steers clear of unhealthy carbs (added sugar, refinrd grains).

Hi Everyone

It all depends ! What outcome are ou seeking? How much detail do you want? What are your objectives? It is also very country dependent. There is a variety of offerings out there and it varies by country. The British Gut / American Gut is fairly cheap and universal but you’re not going to be able to interpret the results. Its a bit like blood pressure: If I tell you your BP is 200/100 does that mean anything (it won’t unless you know what a normal good BP is .. say 130/70) and even it you do know its high what are you going to do about it. There was a version of British Gut (called map my gut) which gave a more detailed report plus interpretation but they’ve stopped it for now. In my view its was quite limited in value . If I were to recommend one service above all its DAYTWO. You get really individualised dietary recommendations in the form of an ap. Hope that helps

Graham

Watch Trust Me I’m A Dr Next week and Michael Mosley will answer your question

I thought I would give the clever cuts diet a go because I was experiencing problems.

Most of the recipes are delicious but this morning I had the coconut porridge. The recipe does not state whether to use low fat or full fat coconut milk. I used the full fat version and found the porridge was swimming in fat! Surely this cant be good for my cholesterol?

Hi KylieM7
Don’t feel uncomfortable calling me that, it reminds me of where I was…..In truth I should now be ‘recovered’ fatty as I hit my target BMI of 22 back in June, first time in my life I’ve not been overweight….. however I’m still wary of falling off the wagon….
Cheers!

Hey all,

In doing a little digging, I came across this helpful report that contains a chart on page 5, that seems to give you an idea of how each of the various bacteria relate to specific ailments or symptoms. Obviously, this approach is by no means scientific, in any way, but just sharing how I am trying to analyze the results of my gut bacteria test and ways to identify those probiotics to help me populate the good bacteria that my gut is low on.

Since I am not able to attach a file, here is the link for the doc:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jpnl3hnx87f06qv/SmartGut-Physicians-Guidelines.pdf?dl=0

I hope it is useful for you.

Erick

Food58: analysing the microbiome would only really make sense alongside a general medical ‘work-up’.So also consider lists of symptoms (even mild), signs (other health tests), risk factors for or diagnoses of medical conditions.

The average young person is more interested in how they feel now and look now than in twenty or forty years time. Heck many of us supposedly ‘mature’ adults are just the same!

Skin conditions (and hair/ nails), menstrual cycle/ fertility/ sexual activity, body fat and muscle distribution (ie. body shape), mental wellbeing (depression/ anxiety/ social), energy, asthma, sports performance ….

Link these sort of issues to diet and lifestyle and they often want to make healthier choices. That is based on working in healthcare not parenting teenagers BTW!

Thank you ‘Recoveringfatty’ (though I feel a bit uncomfortable calling you that). That’s really helpful – knowing that fast exercise has HIIT exercises in it. Thank you. Congratulations on your progress so far! And good luck with the rest of your journey!

Thanks Efaitch – I will try to check out Scientific7 at some stage!

Food58: the most valuable guides you have at this stage are your detailed food and symptom diaries. For accuracy log weighed and measured quantities as you eat and drink, not later in the day.

Your diaries will clearly reveal the amount of refined/ processed/ sugary stuff in your diet, the balance of the different food groups, the variety within each group/ type.

The average westerner doesn’t need to tweak their diet to rebalance their gut flora and maintain health, we need a MAJOR overhaul.

We have a fairly simple ‘action list’ in officially recommended serving sizes, food types to increase (oily fish, bright coloured veg, lower sugar fruits) and reduce (added sugar, refined grains, added fats) whivh we largely ignore!

Pleased to read you and baby are bonding so well!

Unfortunately there is no single pill, potion or foodstuff that will restore the diversity of your microbiomes. Research suggests a really wide variety of prebiotic rich wholefoods, plus the widest possible variety of probiotic rich fermented foods is important.

It would be safest to discuss including fermented dairy products (kefir, soft unpasteurised cheeses etc) in your diet with your dietician/ obstetrician or suchlike.

Prof. Tim Spector (British Gut Project) has a particular Interest in ‘vaginal seeding’ at birth, in part because his wife needed a cesaerian section. You might read up on his recommendations? Your medical team will hopefully be open to discussing the research to date.

Because coconut products are primarily used as a substitute for cow’s dairy in the recipes, there is not an easy answer to that!

Depending on the detailed food and symptom diary, your confidence in tolerance to milk sugar (lactose) and/ or cow’s milk proteins and/ or soy products, AND after consulting a registered dietician or similar about cross reactivity …

Options include goat’s or ewe’s dairy products, ghee (from pastured/ grass fed cows), soaked cashew nut ‘cream’, silken tofu (but soy), palm kernel oil (NOT palm fruit/ red palm oil, has a very different fatty acid profile).

Depends on your detailed food and symptom diary, form of oats purchased, how you prepare them, how often you include them, portion size.

IF your food diary suggests a potential problem with related grains (wheat/ barley/ rye), OR you currently over-emphasise oats instead of a *really wide variety* of plants, OR you have processed oats (inc. porridge/ instant/ quick cook), you should limit or avoid oats in phase one.

There is the option of including a small amount of rolled oats in the CG nutty cinnamon granola (p.198). But note the granola only features once in the example meal planner (p.261).

HTH!

Thanks, recoveringfatty (great name!)

It tasted slightly less bad the second day – perhaps because I knew what to expect. I think I migt like kombucha better. I’ll see how it goes.

Hi Squidge

My wife and I struggled with Keffir to start with but now we enjoy it, it really is an acquired taste! If you make your own you can tailor the taste by fermenting it for a shorter time if that suits your tastes more, increasing the time and pungency as you get used to the flavour. The same applies to Kombucha. You can also add things to both during the secondary ferment change the flavour.
Try mixing Keffir with other things to make a smoothie-that really masks the taste. I use mixed berries, chia seeds, spinach and avocado in mine (making a pre biotic and probiotic cocktail!) but I also add other things from time to time.
Making Kombucha and Keffir really is quite easy, you will save a fortune making your own and arguably end up with a more diverse mix of microbes . I purchased both my grains and Scoby off Ebay and haven’t looked back.
Good luck!

Thanks, efaitch.

I bought a bottle of keffir. I won’t be buying another! I’m going to try to get through this one though. Am I right in thinking that if we get the bacteria into our gut it can stay there without top ups, as long as we eat well, don’t get ill, take antiobiotics etc? (I have the blood sugar diet book and am following it, and saw the clever guts TV programme but don’t habe that book.)

I’ll try buying komboucha and see if I like it before thinking about making any. I looked up making it and found directions for making the SCOBY too. I could probably do it, but it seems a lot of effort unless I’m sure we’ll drink it regularly.

I had Hair and blood samples analysed through my GP and Natropath. It was quite costly but it has made a massive difference to my life and feeling of well being. I have had chronic problems with my stomach all my life until now.
Sigrid

To be honest, if you can’t interpret and action the results, then no… I don’t think it’s worth it.

I will be interpreting my own results as I understand the science and have access to journals via my institution, but even then, the science is still new, so I have to be careful in what I take from the results…

Honestly? The best thing to do is eat a diverse diet that keeps the gut microbiome diverse (easier said than done, my kids love junk food too :/ )

Hi Erick thank you for this. Yes the book got my hopes up that I could get tested, get data and an action list. Seems it is not quite so easy…..