Fasting in moderation can certainly be used to maintain weight and maintain overall health. Having said that do consider that lack of diagnoses or absence of major symptoms doesn’t mean there aren’t underlying issues such as a chronic low level of inflammation or mild deficiency/ insufficiency in one or more nutrients (vitamin D, omega-3s, magnesium are common).

Rather than your husband emphasising restriction at this stage it would make more sense to focus on eating a really wide variety of nutrient dense wholefoods

Yes fermenting reduces sugars – think yoghurt, wine, cider – but it can make other carbohydrates more available. Indigestible fibres may become available carbs and/ or sugars may become alcohol.

Not sure you’d be able to accurately assess the available carbohydrate content of a DIY fermented product since it would depend on the vegetable, the specific microbes and the duration of fermentation.

Hi all,

I’m wanting to do the 5:2 diet with my husband. For me, it’s just as much about weightless as anything else as I sit at 120kg (173cm tall). So I know that this is the right choice for me, but my questions is for my husband.
At this stage he’s presented no significant health problems (like diabetes) and he’s in a healthy weight range (175cm and 65kg) with good waist measurements. But there are so many health benefits from fasting outside of just weight loss and his current diet isn’t very healthy in general let alone for his gut health.
Is it safe for him to do the 5:2 diet? Having 2 days a week at 800cal and the other 5 with a healthy diet based off the Mediterranean diet? Or would it need to be altered so that he doesn’t lose more weight?
If it should be altered, how so?
I’d also like to know this for myself for when I get back to a healthy weight range.

Do you know if the fermenting process reduces the natural sugars in carrots. I try to follow LCHF and while it won’t stop me eating the carrots I am just interested to know.

I have used an unfiltered extra virgin olive oil for some years now that I can either buy from Ocado, Waitrose or Sainsbury’s……. called Il Casolare it is cold pressed and unfiltered…… concerned now with all the ‘additives’ found in extra virgin olive oils which contaminate it………how can I find out how pure this product is?

I have used an unfiltered extra virgin olive oil for some years now that I can either buy from Ocado, Waitrose or Sainsbury’s……. called Il Casolare it is cold pressed and unfiltered…… concerned now with all the ‘additives’ found in extra virgin olive oils which contaminate it………how can I find out how pure this product is?

If you live anywhere near London I highly recommend The Fermentarium. Also Fermenting Friends Facebook group

Thank you so much for this encouragement. I will try more fermented foods and less sugar.

To-day’s big breakthrough is the use of Anti-inflammatory Drugs in the fight against Heart Attacks,cancer etc.
You might like to have a look at The Inflammation Research Foundation.
The NHS used to prescribe fish-oil BUT only AFTER a heart attack.
35 years ago I worked extensively in Japan and could not understand how they had the best “health-span” and yet smoked like chimneys.
Over the last 9 years I have understood why , by almost daily revelations like this one.
As an example ,recently , it was revealed that blood fatty acid profile is a predictor for Dementia…Being a simple ex-chemical engineer, I wondered why this fact could not be turned around ..and maybe Dementia can be avoided/treated by improving blood fatty acid profile?
Michael Mosley recently had a very interesting TV program on Fish-oil .
Kindest Regards

Hi, Dot,
The powders you bought are not grains and they do not produce grains. If you buy already made live organic kefir from a supermarket/health shop, you can make about the same amount of batches (5-7) from it, using 50-100g of kefir as a starter mixed with 2-3 litres of milk. To produce steady flow of high-quality kefir, you have to buy real kefir grains. Many health shops sell them.
You can find detailed info about kefir and other cultured foods here: https://www.culturesforhealth.com/
Cheers!

Hi, Jenny,
I have been sensitive to salycilates and amins my whole life (49 years) without even realising it. I had eczema, migraines and was slightly overweight (BMI 26). 1.5 years ago I finally found a good dietician who put me on the elimination diet and we discovered my sensitivities. I have been on the extended elimination diet for a year and felt quite well, if I did not stray from it too far. But I love spices and diversity of fruits and veggies and sticking to that diet was not easy for me. 2 months ago I bought the Clever Guts Diet book and after reading it started to experiment with myself. I followed Michael’s recommendations and ate all those wonderful spices and veggies that have been out of bounds for me before. On top of that, and I consider it a major point, I have loaded myself with fermented foods: kefir, sauercraut (started to make it myself), kim chi, natural Greek youghurt, kombucha, etc. I also completely abandoned sugars in any form except apples and some other not-too-sweet fruits (oranges, for example, but not mangoes or grapes) and went gluten-free, as I suspected to have a light form of IBS. It worked like a charm! Even though I would have had a reaction to many of those spicy foods loaded with salycilates before, it has not happened yet! Besides, I have lost 7kg within a month since the start of this experiment and keep counting! My BMI is under 24 now and I feel great! My skin feels and looks the best in my life!
This is my experience and I hope you will find your way through your problems!
Cheers!

Dear Sarahwhite82,

Thank you.!
I have just found that FMT has cured the Lyme disease which Lesley Paterson,3 times world champion x-terra triathlete had….your enquiry acted as the catalyst !
If you google” Lesley Paterson triathlete lyme disease”, the 3rd item is her own video which has been there since March!!

So thank you, again.
Kindest regards

Lastly use the diary to consider which gut friendly and nutrient dense wholefoods have never featured much in your family’s diet. Some of the most frequently undereaten in the US/ UK are oily fish (rather than white fish), the full rainbow of bright and dark coloured fruit and vegetables, mineral rich seeds (rather than peanuts or tree nuts), beans and lentils.

Please do discuss any additions with your medical team. HTH!

Hopefully your paediatrician or dietician has advised you to keep a detailed food and symptom diary, with weighed and measured quantities, as you exclude suspect foods. You can review this yourself: looking at variety and balance of food groups (eg. grains, dairy) and food types within that (eg. wheat/ rice/ oats, cows/ goat/ sheep).

Also look at what you are replacing eliminated foods with – where possible other wholefoods (eg. brown or black rice) not heavily processed substututes (eg. Gluten free bread)

The inital phase of Clever Guts is restrictive in food types, calories and potentially in key nutrients. Any exclusion diet should be medically supervised in a growing child, someone underweight or those with certain health problems.

The later phases emphasise a really wide variety and balance of minimally processed wholefoods. This should be suitable for almost anyone, because the main things restricted are processed and/ or low nutrient.

Dear Sarahwhite82
I would be very interested to learn what Glenn and his team at Taymount Clinic have to offer.
They were recently featured in a companion TV program to Michael Mosley…where they even fixed C-Diff by changing gut microbe profile..
Kindest Regards

Hi,
My name is Sarah. I am a mum of 2 boys. My youngest is 3 years old. He is under weight. After going to doctors and specialist it has been found that his gut doesn’t have enough good bacteria. We have been removing foods that upset his guts.
While reading the clever guts diet I read that it’s not suitable for children.
I am just wondering if anyone has used this with young kids or if anyone can tell me if it’s ok if I try this with him.
Thank you in adavance for taking the time to read this and respond.
Sarah

@annelizabeth,
So glad you are now better.
I notice that you were cured by a course of 2 antibiotics in Australia.
This sounds very similar to the Australian winners of the 2011 Nobel Prize , the knowledge which Michael so ably promoted in the 1990’s.
Kindest Regards

@ Nicole8
Great News…I am so pleased .
Did you test for helicobacter pylori ? .In the U.K. it is now easy thanks to Michael’s pioneering work in the 1990’s.
Kindest Regards

I was on PPI’s. Gave me diarrhea and made my hair fall out. I don’t think I was absorbing any nutrients. I stopped it after thee months and cut out suspected causes of my reflux ie. coffee, chocolate and bread. Starting taking digestive enzymes before my meals and half a teaspoon of baking soda and a splash of Braggs apple cider vinegar in a glass of water first thing in the morning an at night. Three weeks later, my reflux has gone. My hair has stopped falling out and my tummy has settled. I know some people have to take PPI’s as their reflux is severe but I won’t touch them again.

I’d certainly consider the book by Dr. Barry Sears.

I’d certainly consider the two books by the Bluezones author Dan Buettner

And also The Pioppi Diet by Aseem Malhotra

I really loved this idea….but how should I defrost them?

Will it change their chemical makeup if I put them in the microwave on defrost…..or should I just let them defrost naturally?

Any suggestions??

Thanks

Rosalin

New out this month so I don’t own this book as yet … Thus only a suggestion not a full blown recommendation: ‘Wild Mediterranean’ by nutritionist Stella Metsovas might be a good fit with the ‘Clever Guts Diet’.

Please post your thoughts if you buy it, and I will do likewise. HTH!

G’day, first post….
Does anyone have any recommendations for good books about the Mediterranean diet? I was hoping Dr Mosley had written one, but it doesn’t seem so (as yet anyway)….

Lee

I would like to be involved in the potato starch project too please.

Dear Ladyhaddon, Microscopic Colitis is an inflammatory condition.
You might , therefore , like to have a look at The Inflammation Research Foundation.
Kindest Regards

I have also recently taking Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (with The Mother) diluted every morning with honey. No adverse side effects yet but I have noticed I keep needing to pee…!

am pleased to learn that the cause of your problems were helico- ..not diet as my friend found in 1994.regards

Do consider your intake of magnesium rich foods, of which there are relatively few (certain seeds, cocoa, brans). Magnesium is lost in sweat and loose stool, and has many functions inc. muscle relaxation.

HTH!

I would suggest starting with the detailed food and symptom diary (p 187 of the Clever Guts book). Every mouthful as you eat it, with weighed and measured quantities. If you add or subtract too many foods/ ingredients at this stage you won’t know what helped or hindered.

Look at the balance and variety of foods in your current diet: oily fish and other seafood, natural dairy, wholegrains, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds are just as important as brightly coloured produce.

Curries can be spicy without being hot (chilli). Spices are loaded with antioxidants.

I have just been diagnosed after colonoscopy with diverticulosis two pockets not inflamed. Strangely I have never suffered with constipation if fact the opposite so don’t understand how I got them. I do however love curry and very hot so wonder if this is the cause. I eat very healthy no rubbish eats lots salad and veg and go to gym 3 to 4 times a week.

Is love to know what caused it but I am now going to be more careful no more hot curries and will look into the Apple cider vinegar and kefir. Any advice very welcome.

I have just been diagnosed after colonoscopy with diverticulosis two pockets not inflamed. Strangely I have never suffered with constipation if fact the opposite so don’t understand how I got them. I do however love curry and very hot so wonder if this is the cause. I eat very healthy no rubbish eats lots salad and veg and go to gym 3 to 4 times a week.

Is love to know what caused it but I am now going to be more careful no more hot curries and will look into the Apple cider vinegar and kefir. Any advice very welcome.

That’s really interesting, I’ll definitely be reading more, thanks 🙂

There is thread on this in the ‘Newbies’ forum. 🙂

Ivy22: I combined reading about archaeology and diet (purely amateur interest) with my existing knowledge on nutrition/ dietetics (prior qualifications and employment) to decide which foods to eat more of.

As GrahamSPhillips says Prof. Tim Spector’s book is excellent, as is the ‘Human Food Project’ blog if you want to read more about the gut microbiome.

Was just wondering if it affects digestion at all?

Ivy22: it also seems that humans are more or less adapted to digesting large amounts of starchy foods, partly dependent on the number of copies of the amylase (an enzyme) gene. It is believed farming of certain grains originated in the Middle East but spread to the Mediterranean and Europe thereafter.

Of course, we cannot know our full genetic history, nor eat many of the plants available to our ancestors. Habitats have altered and selective breeding altered many from the ‘wild type’ beyond all recognition!

What is the reason for waiting??

Ivy22: evolution or selective adaptation of humans and our gut flora over thousands or millions of years. An example would be the ability to digest lactose (milk sugar) into adulthood. This is common in Europeans but uncommon in East Asians, where many are lactose intolerant. This is believed to be because dairy farming was widespread in Europe from the Neolithic (late stone age), but not in East Asia.

Is it healthy to drink a glass of water or cup of tea/coffee with your meals or should you wait 30 minutes?

Thanks Graham, I will have a read 🙂

The theory is that there are pre-historic genetic adaptations to the human genome. Or to put it another way humans adapted to their very different environments..(compare say Eskimos to African tribes) so the balance and nature of a “good diet” depends in part on the diet and environment that your genetic predecessors bequeathed to you. If you are interested there is lots about this in Tim Spector’s Diet Myth

Please may I be considered for the Potato Starch Survey?

Hi Firefox7275

I am just wondering what your ancestry has to do with the food you eat. I’ve never come across this before and am intrigued 🙂

Thank you. 🙂

Sorry meant 51.30 but the whole video is interesting!

Hi Tofu63
Watch this video by the fermenting guru Sandor Katz: http://www.wildfermentation.com/sandor-at-the-river-cottage-food-fair/
hopefully it will reassure you there is little to no chance of any issue with botulism. Particularly relevant at 41:30.

Crunchy alternatives to rice crackers for spreads or dips include skin-on apple or pear slices, raw vegetable crudites (bell peppers/ caulifliower florets/ sprouting broccoli/ baby corn/ sugarsnap peas/ carrot/ asparagus), whole rye crispbreads or oatcakes. There is a recipe for grain-free nut and seed crackers in the CG book.

Chopped nuts or seed butters are standard ingredients in blue cheese dip/ spread and houmous.

HTH!

Nuts and seeds farmed or eaten in the Mediterranean and Middle East include walnuts, almonds, tahini/ sesame seed paste, flax or linseeds (must be ground to release nutrients). Other healthy fats from olives, avocados and oily fish.

I also include soaked hazelnuts or filberts and hazelnut butter, because these fit with my North European ancestry and have a decent fatty acid profile. Nut butters tend to be oily or tasteless without salt or sugar, so I use as an ingredient only (salad dressings/ stir fry sauce).