Bulk cooking and freezing is fine..

Doesn’t actually say on the package which is why I’m wondering if the real product can be made into capsule form. The capsules can be found on Amazon.

Hi Lee
Have you seen your GP? If not then please do.

Hi.

Just finished reading the Clever Guts book and was fascinated by it and the research behind it.

Almost want to feed the gut rather than the body of that makes sense.

The reason for the post and please excuse it being a little graphic for my first post but I’m looking for some thoughts on a ‘problem’ that I have had for as long as I can remember.

I’m sure this is diet/gut related.

My bottom leaks. Not poo but a clear water like fluid. Aside from being clearly wrong the main downside to this is that I tend to have damp pants all the time.

I tend to go to the toilet 5/6 times per day and have problems clearing my bowels.

I thought perhaps it’s an irritated bowel that is ‘weeping’ but to be honest I have no idea.

I can’t say that I suffer from bloatedness or any other issues discussed in the book but I guess like most people I probably do but have lived with it so long I do not recognise it.

The only two sensitivities that I am aware of is that I get very firstly after eating lots of onions and I get itchy ears (that weep faster lots of scratching) if I eat to much cheese.

Happy to answer further questions if that helps but can anyone’s offer any ideas. I’ve researched lots and can’t see anything.

Lee

Hi! Very excited to get started on this diet! Just wondering if cooking foods in bulk and then freezing ( where possible ) and then microwaving is ok? Ie – pumpkin porridge, buckwheat blinis & the gut soothing bone broth?

I have heard with broths especially that microwaving kills the goodness in them.

Any information would be greatly appreciated

Hi, I’ve read the book and am fascinated by what I’ve read. I am very fortunate that I do not have any food intolerances but I have always eaten too much sugar! I am hoping that the diet may help me get this under control, and also increase the range of foods that I eat! Am I correct in assuming that, since I have no intolerances, it would still be best for me to do the whole Remove and Repair thing? Many thanks for any guidance. I’m really excited!

Hi Nindy
I would like to use coconut to make yoghurt as I am trying a vegan diet. Could you please tell me how you go about it? I have made yoghurt with dairy before. Can you use Alpro coconut milk for example?

Hi! I have success with making coconut cream yoghurt at home. I use an electric yoghurt maker which keeps the temperature exactly where it should be for as long you want. Are you adding pectin into your yoghurt mix? This will help make it thicker (if pectin is ok to use). Hope this helps.

I am a chronic insomniac (max 2 hrs per shut eye) horribly light sleeper and on lots of pain meds which also fail to make me sleep! Last year, I’m 51, I found out that I’m allergic to potato starch! It has been the cause of my chronic migraine for years and my stomach and face swelling approx 2 mins after ingestion! Bizarrely no one suspected this culprit because I am also coeliac and lactose intolerant and it was by pure chance that I realised that I had eliminated everything from my diet and still had eye piercing migraine and found potato starch in pretty much everything!! One year on and my migraine profile is down from 20-25 days out of 30 pcm suffering from migraine or recovery (yes really!!) to 10-15 days pcm, almost halved (I’m very happy!) Hopefully the ‘Clever guts diet’ will sort out the rest! Gp is in full support. So please do be careful with trying the potato starch

I work at a Fairtrade shop and the Zaytoun olive oil from Palestine is very pure. It’s picked by hand from 3 different areas and comes in various forms including Organic. It’s not cheap but tastes really good. http://www.zaytoun.org

Gilli

Ding: For me the takeaway message from that blog post is that a restrictive/ imbalanced diet *plus* high doses of a single prebiotic may worsen digestive problems for some.

Thankfully Dr Mosley advocates eating a really wide variety of different wholefoods plus only modest doses of isolated prebiotics.

As an aside it makes no sense that grains/ pulses/ certain root vegetables are “not paleo” but highly processed potato starch is.

Dr. Michael Mosley and Prof. Tim Spector (British Gut Project) both had colonoscopies without altering or improving the balance of their gut flora. A normal gut ‘cleanses’ itself: if you are constipated/ are concerned about impacted poop consult your family doctor or pharmacist.

Are they live/ raw?

Thanks for your advice. I will look for the FB site.

Yep but yoghurts have a much narrow range of microbiota than Kefir – why it why it seems that Kefir confers greater health benefits

I disagree. Unless there are very profound reasons to mess with your entire microbiota I’d leave it well alone. You are proposing a total deforestation . Instead fertilise the good guys and allow them to do their stuff

Get some KEFIR grains – healthier option and ever so easy. My guess is you need to allow longer for the ferment. Join the fermenting friend Facebook group !

Shankley9296 you might want to provide a bit more detail/background?

Thank you for replying. Also noted your advice about missing out on key nutrients.

I have tried making my own yoghurt but it is very runny. I followed The recipe and method in the book. I incubate it in an Easiyo yoghurt maker but don’t put the hot water in as I would usually in that yoghurt maker. Should I add the water?
Any ideas on what I am doing wrong would be appreciated.
Thanks

Reread the first paragraph of the introduction (page 9).

Please do not make the elimination phase any more restrictive than it already is: you could easily end up missing out on key nutrients.

Very disappointed that I am putting on weight during this phase whereas my husband is losing. Do I keep going or start removing certain foods to see if weight start to drop?

Ii also would like to participate in the potato flour study.

Have a look at this blog, it seems potato starch may cause more problems then good for some people.
http://www.holistichelp.net/blog/is-resistant-starch-healthy/

I’m no expert, but I would say yes, a colonic could help. A colonic clears the large intestine of waste matter, including matter impacted and unmoved for sometime and in doing so, flushes out the colon and leaves it cleansed. This gives you a ‘blank canvas’ on which to build you nice new biome, using all the recommended Clever Guts foods.

Hi J5E no, I’m not “part” of Clever Guts. But I do think its excellent. I’m an independent community pharmacist based in the UK, with a fascination for longevity and health. FWIW I did ask if I could have my biome mapped by DAYTWO when I was in Israel recently but they were reluctant because each country has a characteristic micobiota of its own so mine wouldn’t fit. I know UBiome offer the service in various countries but I assume they have country-specific results.

Most full fat greek yoghurts I have found have information about their live cultures on the packaging somewhere. From my local shops these include Milbona, Tim’s Dairy, Fage Total, and Yeo Valley but I am sure there are others available around the world. I sometimes use these as a starter to make my own using whole milk or gold top usually, and they have all been successful. Some supermarket own brands are good as well, particularly the Waitrose 1 full fat greek yoghurt.

I live in Australia so don’t know if that will work. May I ask Graham, are you replying to me to be helpful or are you part if the Clever Guts etc organization ?

I too have searched for the list of commercial yogurts without success. I do not want to make my own, I want to find the list as mentioned in the book.

We bought the sachets of grains and every other day we save 1/5 and add it to fresh milk for the next batch, it seems to work for us and it’s been 8 weeks since the sachet was opened, we really see grains as such tho ?

Hi Pearsey you might want to take a look at this:

Anyway, Michael’s book is superb in my view and following it will take you a very long way. If all is then fine-and-dandy you are sorted. If not then the logical next step is to get your microbiome properly, scientifically, analysed together with the appropriate dietary and lifestyle advice..

All the best

Graham

Hi Graham, you are obviously much more clued up on this subject than me as I don’t understand your question. The 1st report identified: Benificial bacteria: Lactobacillus species – no growth
E Coli 4+
Bifedobacterium 2+
Additional Bacteria: gamma haemolytic Streptococcus 3+
Klebsiella pneumonia 1+

I think I did the reset in 2014 – 2015 when I ate a paleo diet which meant I avoided all the foods that are listed in the reset section of the book. My diet now is very nutritious but I didn’t understand about prebiotic foods and so have now started eating more of these foods.

Well I am a bit embarrassed to say this but I had one of those electrode intolerance tests done at a local health shop. I know they get terrible reviews but I felt desperate. It felt like mumbo jumbo but a few foods were identified, interestingly not wheat, and so I started omitting and then eating them again. I had already cut gluten out of my diet. When I reintroduced gluten I started to get terrible wind and bloating again, eating potato and tomato give me brain fog and fatigue about three hours after I have eaten them. I can’t recommend the intolerance test because I don’t understand how or even if it works but it encouraged me to find out my food intolerances and avoiding these foods has certainly improved my health.

Hello peeps
For more on Kefir take a look at The Fermentarium. I did their course. Lovely people! And join the facebook “fermenting friends” group.

Hi, I discovered these, “Pure Naturals Apple Cider Vinegar” capsules, while looking for an alternative to the fermented liquid.
Has anyone got information on this product? Is it a good alternative? Or is it a, keep away?
Thanks

Hi LCB, you were interested in Kefir. I have a couple of goats and make goat milk Kefir daily. I keep grains (aka glob) in a large lidded tea mug on the sink bench. Daily I tip the lot into a beaker, remove the grains, use the Kefir for a smoothie, put the grains back in the mug and top it up with milk. Very easy as a system. If I can’t rehome the extra grains I blend them into the smoothie. I’ve been doing this for several years. I don’t get upset stomachs, but no idea if its the Kefir or not.

Hi Pearsey: that’s interesting. I’m wondering based on what you say just how good the Genova report is and what its scientific basis is? Do they analysis the 16S rna of the entire bacterial genome ?

And of course the reporting and analysis is as important as the mapping?

Anyway the risk of cutting out more and more foods is that you serially reduce the diversity of the microbiota. I guess the logical thing to do in your case would be to follow the reset that Michael suggests towards the end of his book. I can also highly recommend The Diet Myth by Tim Spector

Good luck

Graham

Hi Pearsey how did you find out that you were intolerant to gluten, potato and tomato

Hi Naddy, sorry to hear you have diverticula disease. In 2010 I was hospitalised for 4 weeks with diverticulitis, ended up with massive abscess, drain inserted through abdomen wall etc etc, nil by mouth for the duration, tube fed antibiotics and food though another line. Not a nice experience but I probably don’t have to tell you that!
After discharge from hospital I stumbled upon Dr Moseley’s 5:2 diet via a friend at work, I weighed in at just under 16 stone and was convinced my history of eating poorly had contributed to my diverticula problem. In just over 18 months my weight dropped to 13 stone. I now follow the 16:8 style of eating (eat between 12pm and 8pm, usual don’t eat past 6pm though) and I eat very healthily, loads of salads, veggies, eggs, fish etc and steer clear of sugar, refined cabs, bread, white pasta, white rice etc.

After reading the Clever Guts books I also now drink apple cider vinegar mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice every morning, lunch time and b4 bedtime. Make my own full fat yoghurt and just starting to make homemade souerkrout to aid with gut health and take one 100% Organic Kelp capsule everyday too.

Since starting 5:2 / 16:8 and follow the Clever Guts Diet I haven’t had any flare ups at all. Also I don’t take any notice of the ‘don’t eat anything with pips, seeds etc as they will get trapped in your diverticula’ train of thought.

So to sum up intermittent fasting, looking after your gut, not eating rubbish really works for me!

Hope all my waffling helps and hope you have a healthy future with no more bouts of diverticulitis!

Hi Graham, I had the comprehensive digestive stool analysis and parasitologist test (CDSAP)done privately by Genova Diagnostics via Smart Nutrition. You need to collect 3 poo samples over three days plus a sample for the parasitologist test. The results are quite complicated to understand but you are given a summary of the findings which are easier to understand but then I have a nursing background so maybe that helped. The results indicate the state of your digestive system, the amount and type of the gut bacteria. Although after reading the The Clever Guts book I now realise there are a lot more types than I was given in the results (5) but it did show that I had a very low amount of beneficial bacteria. The parasitologist test revealed the Blastocystis hominis. It is an expensive test but set me on the road to recovery, I now feel 99% cured – at my worst I had less energy than my 90 year old father. But it has taken 3 years of trial and error to get to this stage. The first step was to take the diamotaceous earth. For the past 2 years I have repeated the CDSAP annually which has shown that the Blastocystis hominis had been eradicated but that my gut bacteria is still messed up. Which is why I have read the Clever Guts book. I have also discovered that I am intolerant to gluten, potato and tomato and so have cut them out of my diet; I eat a primal diet: make my own yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut; take prebiotic and probiotic supplements and also sublingual B12 tablet twice a week. Sorry for the long reply but as you can see my road to recovery has been long.

Hi Pearsey: Can you expand on what you mean by Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis? And are you fine now?? Regards Graham

What dietary advice have you received from the hospital?

You could try rice flour or coconut flour, both gluten free. Hope this helps.

Hi there, quite often in the book you mention IBS, but nothing about diverticula disease. I have been hospitalised twice with this now and don’t want a 3rd. Will the clever guts diet help with my symptoms and help prevent future episodes ???

Thank you.
Naddy

I started being ill with chronic fatigue syndrome in 2011. My GP was not interested and so I spent a couple of years researching the condition. This took me to have a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis which showed that I had a Blastocystis hominis infection which is known to be associated with chronic fatigue (which I think I picked up when on holiday in Switzerland) and dysbiosis. Again the GP wasn’t interested and after much research on line I took 1 tablespoon of diatomaceous earth daily for a year ( I didn’t want to take antibiotics because my gut bacteria were already messed up). I then had another stool analysis and found that the Blastocystis hominis had been eradicated but that my gut bacteria was still in a mess. That started me researching about the gut biome and how to improve it.

Exactly like the ones before me, I ended up in this website looking for more info on how to source good olive oil… Has anyone found out anything? I am in Australia…

Hi Tanya, have a look at http://www.badbugs.org. I was diagnosed with blastocystis homini last year and was successfully treated a couple of months ago with antibiotics. It is a nasty bug and quite difficult to get rid of, so the treatment is quite aggressive. But finally the symptoms are gone. Good luck!

The DAYTWO service is currently available only in Israel and USA. AFAIK there are no plans to extend this to UK any time soon. In my view the best option (because of the quality of information and advice) of the UK options is map my gut. If you take a look at their website you can download a specimen report.

All: I can’t talk with any authority about what’s available in Australia. But you need to be certain what you are getting. A one-page summary with no interpretation simply doesn’t provide sufficient information or interpretation to be meaningful or helpful. I would look at the type and quality of information that DAYTWO or map my gut provide and ask your local providers if they can more-or-less match that. If not you’ll be wasting your money

Just looked at uBiome as would like to use them but seems like they don’t offer the SmartGut™ service outside of the USA: https://ubiome.com/go/smartgut-pilotprogram But they do offer other tests internationally here: https://ubiome.com/explorer

This is the difference between the two: https://ubiome.com/smartgut-compare

Issue is I have Ulceric Colitis and would really like the SmartGut™ test… Any recommendations in Australia? I have seen a specialist, but he’s a ‘traditional’ specialist that has just prescribed medication, not even asked about gut health etc so I need to find answers myself. Simply don’t believe that there is no link between the gut / diet and issues like UC and Chrones.