Hi Amy:good advice above from Firefox. Besides the dietary aspects, what comes into contact with the skin? I f you have a tendency towards eczema/dermatitis then you need to review absolutely EVERYTHING that touches the skin. Soaps, shampoo, washing powders, cosmetics. Literally any of these can cause a flare. Also try googling GLADSKIN. Which may well be worth trying

Take a look at Moseley’s 5:2 diet. In general the CleverGuts diet IS anti-inflammatory ( the typical western diet is very inflammatory by comparison) so Cleverguts could well assist any type of inflammatory condition

As above – look at Gladskin. It specifically re-balances the skin microbiota in a healthy direction

There’s absolutely no reason to avoid coffee- ideally black coffee- all the evidence is that drinking black coffee has significant health benefits probably related (at least in part) to the healthy changes to the microbiota from drinking coffee

Hi OliveOil

Firefox’s advice above about diet is spot on and I’d go with that. The cleverguts diet is one I highly recommend. But WHY are you anaemic in the first place? What tests has your GP done to establish the reasons and what other tests have you had? Anaemia can be caused by many things but you want to know IF there is an obvious cause. There may well not be

You GP’s prescription is totally appropriate. I think you are confusing the elemental iron with the total size of the tablet. Iron is presented as a salt of one sort or another (hence ferrous sulphate or ferrous fumeratate) but its the no of mg of elemental iron that counts. I’d really not worry about taking an iron supplement.. the risk of toxicity is incredibly low, whereas the side-effects of iron deficiency are really not pleasant.

People (wrongly) assume that a veggie diet is automatically healthy. It is’n’t! But a healthy veggie diet IS the healthiest. That said maybe your iron deficiency is dietary related. Simply put, find an iron supplement that you get on with, one that contains sufficient elemental iron to be effective, and stick with it at least until your levels normalise

At a quick glance, Culturelle only has the one probiotic bacteria. That is hardly an advantage. One size definitely does NOT fit all. I can’t see anything special or uniquely recommendable about the Culturelle range. Also don’t over-rely on probiotics. A healthy diet high in pre and pro-biotic foods is key!

Also think about your toothbrush: a small head is less likely to score your gums and don’t use too much force!

Thank you so much to everyone who has responded. I am replacing my toothpaste and buying the Propolis liquid as a start.
Many thanks again

In answer to my own question if anyone’s interested, I’ve just found Quorn Cottage Pie in the Clever Guts Cookbook, so quorn must be good!

Thank you very much indeed. I have passed the information on! And thanks for the recommendation of other brands. Are they just as effective as Culturelle? So far as I can tell, Culturelle is the only one that has Lactobacillus GG

I think that’s a misunderstanding. You can’t “get hold of” specific gut bacteria. The best you can do is optimise your diet (as recommended in Clever Guts) to give you the best chance of achieving a healthy micriobiota

Yes, all antibiotics kill good bugs as well as bad. The broader the spectrum the antibiotic and the more doses given, the greater the effect. Repeated, frequent doses seem to have a long term effect. The recommendations in clever guts will help. I can also recommend some of the probiotics from the Optibac and Healthaid ranges. Both do kids-specific probiotics and both do probiotics targeted at reducing the dysbiosis after anti-biotic treatment. I would suggest ALWAYS take these when taking anti bionics and for a month after

I agree – if your microbiome is disrupted then it affects the lining of the mouth and the rest of the gut. So the clever guts diet should help. I tend to recommend a high dose vit d plus vit c which works for a lot of people. Ask your local pharmacist..

probiotics are only effective in a transitory period. if you stop, there is no recolonisation within the gut. Get rid of the pathogens, use prebiotics if not sensitive to them or fermented foods if not sensitive to these, ELIMINATE SUGAR, FRUCTOSE, and processed foods, plenty of fiber from LCHF vegetables – cheers

there seems to be differing opinions about Keto diet. Lowcarbdownunder will give you the preferred option and direction you need.

I had very bad mouth ulcers with chemotherapy some years ago and had great success with Propolis liquid. Its a black fluid from bees. I got the liquid from the health food shop and applied it directly to ulcers. Its messy but u can feel the ulcer closing the moment u put it on. God luck

Does anyone know the effect of Quorn on the microbiome? Would you class it as a fermented food or a processed food?

Do all antibiotics kill the friendly gut bacteria in children? Are some worse than others? My 7 year old granddaughter is currently on her 3rd course of antibiotics. The first 2 for a skin infection, rapidly followed by a urinary tract infection. I think she has had Trimethoprim and Amoxicillin, but not sure. Her Mum seems to think that because of the type of antibiotics they are, her gut will be OK. She hasn’t had any diarrhoea. I am offering to buy her a course of Culturelle, but I have to persuade her of their value! How many months would she need to take them for?

You say in the book that we can get hold of Akkhermansia and Christensenella . Can you let me know where please ? I would love to be part of a trial or go to a medical centre that researches and provides the Probiotics . Can you let me know if that is possible
Mimi7

What changes should be made to your family’s current diet to make it properly balanced and very varied depends where you are at present.

Complete and analyse a detailed food and symptom diary (p.187) for each person: every sip and mouthful, all weighed and measured. Obviously monitoring your seven year old’s diet will be easier during the holidays/ vacation than in the school term/ semester!

Diet and lifestyle choices absolutely impact immune function and the health of all tissues, as does the gut microbiome. But, because the interplay is so complex and the field so new, there are few proven cause-effect relationships between dysbiosis and specific health problems.

Clever Guts emphasises a nutrient dense, balanced and varied wholefood diet, which will optimise your family’s health including your oral/ dental health.

Whatever the changes in your gut microbiome, your dentist will approve if you eliminate sugars and refined carbs, and increase sources of vitamim D, calcium and magnesium.

Ulcers are essentially damage to the mouth tissue, permitting bacteria in the mouth and/ or enzymes in the saliva to do further damage.

A weakened immune system, dental care practices (too little or too rough) and dental care products may contribute.

Product-wise try eliminating drying alcohol (often in mouthwash), anionic/ sulphate surfactants (‘foaming’ element in many toothpastes), essential oils and their components (strong minty flavours, tea tree).

Hi, I have just bought the Clever Guts Diet recipe book, and was very interested in the ferments section. I have already made kefir, which works very well to control my IBS type symptoms. I have just started to make kombucha, and am trying to make other ferments.
Today I tried the preserved lemons recipe from your book, but ran into a problem. You list live apple cider vinegar and coriander seeds in the recipe, but there is no mention of them in the recipe instructions. I took a guess and added both to the jar when filled with lemons, and gave a good stir before closing the kilner jar. Was that OK?

I’m also very interested in this as I have been suffering long term sinus problems. I have just started the remove and repair meal plan from the Clever guts book and I’m keeping close track of my sinus problems. I will let you know how I get on.

Thank you for your reply. So if I wanted to make a smaller amount of all of the recipes, I should essentially divide the amount of the ingredients for each of the colour recipes by four so that a Clever Guts themed dinner party isn’t necessary! 🙂

I suffer from mouth ulcers and so does my 7yr old daughter. I wondered if there was any evidence of there being any foods that one should be eating which would in turn help the gut perhaps to prevent mouth ulcers from happening in the first place ! Maybe it’s just a dream but if anyone has any comment/advice please do get in contact.

I agree with your comment on more care needed with recipes
I had made Seeded Soda bread and it was a disaster the omount of liquid is clearly not enough as the dough was still very crumbly I did add more fluid but it was not a nice bread.
Also I am now in the process of making No-Knead Sourdough and low and behold it says to add Salt but there is no salt in the ingredients!!! So how much is one supposed to add?
H

I think more care needs to be taken with the recipes. The pictures of some are clearly not the recipe quoted, for example the Green Brekkie Bowl which shows chillis, not in the recipe. The methods of cooking are sometimes not clear – for example grilling a Portobello mushroom for 3 minutes does not work – in my grill anyway. Maybe mine are too large. I do find I have to amend many of the recipes though after a near disaster trying to make them like the ones in the app.
Having said that, I love them although could do with more non-meat ones. I particularly love the courgette fritters.

Hello. Loved the book and very keen to get started. And would esp be interested in the potato starch experiment please! Am also keen to have gut analysis, but uBiome and British Gut seem to require the input/collaboration of a GP. Is that correct?? Thanks.

Stevoka: Not a silly question, the name ‘muddies the waters’.

The original recipe – one can of chickpeas – serves four. With any single coloured vegetable addition one can of chickpeas is bulked out to six servings. So green OR purple OR red OR yellow.

If you make four times the basic recipe – four cans of chickpeas – and all four colours you’d have to eat hummus for every meal, or have a Clever Guts themed dinner party!

Could either of you help with a query about the rainbow hummus? I don’t know if I’m supposed to make 4 times the original recipe then add the ingredients for each of the different coloured hummus or whether I am supposed to divide the original recipe into 4 and then use a quarter for each of the coloured hummus recipes. Have you tried it? Any advice? Thank you!

Hi there Oliveoil. We have recently become vegan and we don’t always feel hungry through the day. We eat oatmeal and a slice of toast for breakfast, a few nuts or stir fry for lunch if we are hungry, then a salad wrap for an evening snack if we are hungry. I have found that some foods tend to hold onto weight and muck up the iron, potassium balance. My partner just donated blood today and his iron levels were higher now than when he was eating meats and leafy green veges. So perhaps something in your diet is depleting the iron. We don’t eat those foods now and feel better for it. I do eat 2-4 bananas throughout the day though.

OliveOil: sometimes the journey is frustrating, but the goal of lifelong good health is tempting! You sound very positive which is a great attribute.

Potential imbalances in vegetarian diets include magnesium to calcium ratio, anti inflammatory long chain omega-3 (in oily fish!) to inflammatory omega-6 (in many nuts + seeds) ratio.

Long chain omega-3s are toughest to adequately supplement, since marine algae extracts are expensive in worthwhile quantities. Good to read you are taking vitamin D.

Few multis are decent sources of absorbable magnesium (eg. citrate) but some calcium supps do include it.

Just reviewed your post and noted your reference to nutrient absorption issues and aversion to prescribed tablets.

The best absorbed form of iron in the human diet is haem iron, found particularly in organ meats and animal blood (eg. black pudding). Many Western omnivores won’t eat these, and it would be insensitive for a medical professional to recommend such ‘delicacies’ to a committed vegetarian!

Dietary iron is best absorbed in a meal containing vitamin C: found in various fruits and vegetables.

Iron tablets are backed by a solid body of published research but, like all prescription drugs, there are side effects which are worse for some than others. Unfortunately supplement tablets/ capsules are a necessary evil for anyone whose diet is sufficiently restrictive to fall short on essential micronutrients.

Hi Firefox,

I use an app to record everything I eat (which I weigh/measure/scan) and I started using this for the very reason of keeping an eye on my iron and potassium. The app also shows if you are keeping within the nutrient balance each day, including macros, and I usually do ok, sometimes go overboard with carbs but these are now whole grains and not white pasta like it would’ve been before. I also record symptoms on another app and I have a fitness tracker. Oh and I have a plate and bowl with portion sizes marked on it, recommended by our weight management clinic, who I’m also going to be monitored by 🙂 I’m hoping to pick the Nurse’s brain on the iron too.

I ‘top up’ with a multi-vitamin (3 tablets – general, including iron; calcium + VitD; omegas etc) My B12, folate and calcium were all very good in the blood tests.

I follow Michael Mosely’s books, another nutrition website and NHS healthy eating stuff on occasion.

I’m concerned over the restrictions too, this is why I wanted to see a Dietician. but not the vegetarian aspect – I’ve become allergic and/or have reactions to things since my last child 9 years ago, that I used to eat normally before e.g. apples, kiwis, cherries, quorn, pine nuts, almonds and hazelnuts *with* skin, but OK without, salt, coffee…even alcohol. Now the iron pills shouldn’t be taken with dairy, spinach, almonds or walnuts. Have been vegetarian most of my life so very used to no meat. My diet in the last few months has been the best it’s ever been, our house looks like a health food store. But foods are getting eliminated that I relied on.

I haven’t met with much enthusiasm even when mentioning Dr Mosely and other research I’ve seen. Gets scoffed at as ‘internet stuff’. Was really surprised my Doc didn’t bat an eyelid when I mentioned I’d been trying fasting.

I am going to ask our Pharmacy re the Ferrous Fumerate at 210mg = 69mg elemental iron. It’s what everyone else takes isn’t it, but just doesn’t agree with me.

Thanks for your reply, answering you made me realise how much I’m paying attention to myself at last.

OliveOil: Are you completing a detailed food and symptom diary, weighed and measured? Is your current diet properly balanced and varied in ALL the food groups/ types you can eat?

Are you taking any vegetarian specific micronutrient supplements (vitamins, minerals, essential fats)? Are you following healthy eating guidelines on vegetarian charity websites/ healthcare provider articles for veggies?

My concern is that a vegetarian diet is naturally restrictive in that meat, fish and seafood are eliminated. Eating twice daily is another restrictive practice. It would be very challenging to construct a nutrient complete, balanced vegetarian diet in only two meals. I would struggle, and I have a background in lifestyle healthcare!

Ideally you would consult a registered dietician. But they may well not support DIY combo diets, instead advising weight management via evidence-based methods.

Consult your pharmacist on the iron tablets. The mg weight is the combined iron and sulphate/ fumerate portioms.

Bikerboy: Progress already!! 🙂 Rosaceans do get flares and remissions over the years, but they can be mild and brief if you have the basics in place.

Have you tried azelaic acid 15% gel (Finacea) on prescription? On top of the great things you are doing skincare and diet-wise, the anti inflammatory effect may be the extra kick needed to keep the pimples away.

Azelaic acid is gentle but often itches for the first few days of use, so apply to small areas or you may have to sit on your hands!

Hi, this is my first post although I’ve been following the book and fasting since late September. I decided to try the overnight fasting as this fit into my day really well, and I’ve found it easy. Extra push on eating whole foods and generally been eating very well (am vegetarian for 40 yrs but rather keen on pasta, pizza and crisps!).

I have lost nearly 12lbs, feel great, and so went along to my Dr to get checked out, see where I was starting from cholesterol and glucose-wise etc. while I work on the next 6 stone! Yes, obese vegetarian 😉

Everything is fine, except my iron is low (9) and red blood cells on the “lower end of normal”. So I’m iron deficient without anaemia.

Thing is, every time I’ve ever had my iron tested I’ve been low, for years. Sometimes with anaemia. Lowest iron has been 3 and highest has been 36 (that I know of)

So yet again I have a prescription for iron tablets – but I’m scared to take them: I can never take as prescribed because I feel terrible…stiff, painful joints, legs feel like lead, weak, tired, dizzy. I stop taking them and go back to normal. I have told my doctor(s) this at least 3 times but they just say my symptoms are more likely to be the effects of the iron deficiency and so to persevere (how can they be the low iron, the symptoms stop when I stop the pills…still got low iron but no symptoms).

So today, they’ve given me Ferrous Fumarate instead of Ferrous Sulphate, and to my dismay, these are higher iron, 3 times a day. I’ve to try these for 6 months. I understand they are different, but I am *so* reluctant to take these. I daren’t! I asked to see a Dietician but Dr said I don’t need to …until I’ve tried more types of supplement 🙁

I have read online that the upper tolerable limit is 45g a day – taking these 3 times a day means I’m taking 207mg (69g each) on top of all my iron rich foods. How is that good?

I know these cause nausea and gut issues, but that’s not the worst of it for me and what happens in my body seems more akin to iron overdose … maybe my body is used to low iron and this is overkill *for me*. Last time I was on pills my iron went up to 17, not exactly a big jump.

I’m pleased with my fasting, my new whole food diet and feel great – I didn’t go to the Dr feeling lousy, so was saddened to see my iron at 9. Part of me wants to just keep on with the diet and see what happens, but I also don’t want to become anaemic. I won’t have bloods tested again for 3 months.

So, apologies for the long post but I feel I can’t go ask/question the Doctor’s opinion *yet again* but after all these years, can’t we just skip the horrible pills and go to the Dietician, or look at absorption issues?! I also don’t know when to take the pills – I only eat twice a day and they say to take them with food to avoid the gut issues. Doing well with the fasting, do not want to change it. For all I know, my iron might have been even lower before I started fasting, and the whole foods have bumped it up…so if I keep going I might boost it naturally. But then again I might not.

Thanks if you read this far!

Paul Jaminet in The Perfect Health Diet allows coffee with MCT Oil in the fasting period.

Thank you Firefox7275 your input has been very helpful. I was floundering hopelessly with a miserable combination of bad gut’s and a fear of my Rosacea returning if I stopped the Lymecycline. When I stopped b4 for 3 weeks the spots returned so I resumed but the stomach and gut problems just got worse and worse giving me al sorts of problems night sweats constipation gut pain etc. I was also using a quite harsh washing regime using a rough face cloth and towel thinking the exfoliation would help. Throughout all this the spots were better but I felt they were just being kept subdued and were just under the surface waiting to explode again. Ten I saw the clever gut’s diet in the Daily Mail and it all just clicked. It’s a week since I took a tab now and I swopped my cleansing routine I’m stil frightened they’ll return but hopefully my lifestyle changes will slowly help improve things I’m making my own Kefir and Saurkraut and removing the harmful stuff from my diet. By the way I would never add things to my face i was unsure about I’m just using the Simple range of products wash, clay mask and moisturiser now and can feel a reduction in the burning sensation around my nose. Thanks again

AmyOscarCharlie: if there is any asthma or hayfever in the family, moisturise all over liberally daily or even twice daily.

Some research suggests this skin barrier support can reduce the risk of the ‘inflammatory cascade’ from eczema to hayfever or asthma during childhood. Yes I know it sounds unlikely but potentially an amazing health sidestep!

AmyOscarCharlie: sorry if you already know all this, but here in the UK basic dermatology knowledge is poorly publicised.

Do not use any foaming type products, even well diluted or seemingly rinsed, that contain anionic surfactants or alkaline soap. No aqueous cream (1% SLS).

In damaged or defective skin even tiny amounts can penetrate and irritate: in eczema ALL skin is considered damaged/ defective even seemingly healthy!,

Minimise bathing frequency and length because wetting and soaking flushes out the skin’s natural moisturising factors.

Crikey I hope not, I have more than one during my fast days 🙂

AmyOscarCharlie: The maximum recommended servings per week of oily fish for a child, supplyimg anti inflammatory long chain omega-3s and immune supporting vitamin D.

Smaller fish (mackerel/ sardines/ herring/ anchovies) are considered safer than large species. Depending on your current diet and family tastes rainbow trout or salmon or the above as fish pate may be preferred!

Cut down hard on any vegetable oils or nuts rich in inflammatory omega-6. Go for monounsaturates like extra virgin olive oil and hazelnuts (kids may digest better if toasted or water soaked).

If you have determined from the detailed food diaries that dairy is well tolerated select products from grass fed/ pastured cows and ewes milk where possible. Also organic free range eggs. These also supply some healthy fats (CLA).

Probably a silly question, but for the rainbow hummus recipe in the Clever guts book, do I divide the original hummus recipe into 4 and then use a quarter in each of the recipes for adding colour or do I need to make 4 lots of the original hummus recipe?

Thank you for confirming my thoughts

Hi Firefox7275 😛

I have a 2.5year old with eczema on the back of his knees, which is not catastrophic, but it does cause him itchiness and irritation. Is there anything that I could add to his diet specifically that would help his immune system – is there any literature linking specific gut friendly foods to helping this? A bit of background… he was delivered naturally and breast fed to 11 months where he self weaned, otherwise generally healthy 🙂

Cheers!
Amy.

Would it be breaking the fast to have a black coffee first thing in the morning? I like the idea of fasting from early evening to the following mid morning. I would find it difficult to go without coffee though… just wondering what others do. Also, how would it affect the fast? thanks 🙂

A quick and dirty eye over a couple of study abstracts suggests that fermenting eliminates glucosinolates (sulphurous compounds) unless the vegetable is blanched first, and reduces the polyphenols (red-purple colour).

So basically pasteurised white saurkraut or kimchi is next to useless nutritionally. I

As a source of probiotics? I wouldn’t bother with anything pasteurised.

For beneficial sulphurous or polyphenol antioxidants, green or red leafy cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, kale, sprouts) are apparently far superior to white.

Not sure whether fermenting increases or reduces availability of these over raw or lightly cooked vegetables tho. Likely an answer somewhere online!