La Shy: I think you’re trying too hard, and over-complicating things. Dr Mosley’s book will give you a fair idea of portion sizes in the recipes section, and much of the other information is in the book, for example the resistant starch: sorry, but seems fairly straightforward to me – you cook the stuff, let it go cold, stick it in the fridge/freezer till you need it, take out and reheat. Or not, if you’re having it cold! No, unless you’re going to start making your own bread and pasta, you’re not going to eliminate all processed foods, but as long as you buy your meat and fish fresh (though I seem to remember tinned tuna is OK!), ditto fruit and veg, you’re well on the way. And bear in mind, yoghurt and sauerkraut are processed foods, too! But don’t try to quantify everything, an ounce of this and a couple of ounces of that are going to drive you nuts – chill, eat as much as seems good to you at the time, and if you’re still bothered about portion sizes, weigh everything and get a calorie count for a few days or a week – terminally dull, but by the end of a week, you’ll have a very good idea of how many calories each individual food serving comes to. Alternatively, use some sort of measure – I use American cup measures – and once you work out the weight and calorie count of each type of food for a given cup size, you’re sorted.

The Japanese, incidentally, advocate 30 different types of food daily. Sounds horrendous, but isn’t really, as every ingredient counts as a food type, so (for example) a veg soup might be: oil, stock, carrot, cabbage, swede, peas, potato, barley: 8 food types, more if you count the bits and bobs that went into the stock.

La Shy: microbiome changes daily as we poop, eat and drink.If you have a celebration or splurge meal (or day) just get right back on the wagon next meal or next day. Both Dr Mosley and Prof. Tim Spector (British Gut Project) had colonoscopies and got their guts back to normal quickly. Tom Spector (son of Prof.) did a MacDiet – scary results in ‘The Diet Myth’ or somewhere online. Also see blog by Jeff Leach ‘Human Food Project’.

La Shy: I try to think of wholefoods (as close to the original plant or animal as possible) as basic foods, and processed stuff (has an ingredients list) as processed foods or occasional add-ins. I find flavourings/ condiments the most challenging, but easy to minimise wheat-rich foods (cereals, bread, pasta, crackers, baked goods) with a little practice.

Essential to avoid anything advised by a doctor or dietician, or identified by you as problematic in phase one.

If you focus on adding in wholefoods and eating a really wide variety (Dr Mosley says 20-30 varieties mostly veg and little fruit a week) there is minimal room for processed stuff.

Portions check out your country’s official healthy eating guidelines. UK is 80g fruit and veg, 30g hard cheese, 150g yoghurt, dried fruit 30g, meat size and thickness of your palm. Can fit fermented stuff and seaweed into this, personalising over time. It’s fine to have half servings if something is strong flavoured or gives you gas!

On sleep:

I guess maybe there is some confusion because I for one saw the program that Dr M did on sleep on the BBC where he did not use potato starch but instead used the stuff created by Reading University that he references above and the bought and read the book after largely prompted by my own sleep issues.

It took me a while to find it (as no site administrators seem to be answering comments), here is the link in case you’re interested. It’s not cheap but I have ordered a box to see how it works.

I also just started the potato starch (though I ended up buying the brand that is sited in most of the US internet articles that I could find because it seems that not all potato starch/resistant starch is created equal and some potato starch is actually potato flour). Last night was my first try with the PS and first decent night’s sleep in …. ages…. so we’ll see. But it seems that RS is also very good for lots of reasons part from sleep as we know from the book.

The link for the University of Reading stuff (BIMONU) is below in case anyone is interested. You can order online or apparently at boots. It’s quite interesting as it’s been created to mirror breast milk so it’s quite a complex pre-biotic.

https://www.bimuno.com/

Happy experimenting!!

Jay165: but my biggest breakthrough was identifying and eliminating ingredients in cosmetics/ personal hygiene/ home hygiene products that triggered or worsened flare ups. Consider water itself, bubbles/ residues, the briefest contact even rinsed well.

I avoid:

Over wetting or soaking the skin, as weakens the barrier function (gloves when doing all chores, severely limit length or frequency of showers, not always washing hands!).

Cut out all anionic surfactants (in most foaming products, but hidden in aqueous cream, some hair dyes, toothpaste). Shampoo bubbles were the trigger for my large elbow patch of atopic eczema! Now use Simple Refreshing Facial Wash for body and hands (carry a mini tube). Conditioner only wash rather than shampoo hair.

Drying alcohol and fragrances where possible (known irritants/ allergens).

Hello All,

I think that there are a lot of questions that someone could help with. Maybe they are already in the book and I’ve missed them. The contact us function on the site seems to be about marketing questions… but here are a few…(and yes, I have done some research but it’s difficult to find anything that is exact that is backed up by science)
For example,

how much saurkraut and or yogurt is a good amount? Do we know that both of these and the other pro-biotics make it past the acids and into the large intestine? Evidence seems spotty as far as I can tell.

The seaweed study was phenomenal for some of us who have psoriasis but also as a nutrient but how mcuh seaweed should we combine into our life and what kind (there are multiple types)

How cold does rice and potatoes need to be to become resistant starch and for how long? Some on the internet say frozen for 8 hours and others just say less than 130 degrees or does the food need to be cold and then re-heated and reltated, what is the calorific impact of resistant starch or (and this is another question) are we no longer living in a calorie counting world and if that is the case, how do we adapt

It seems pretty impossible to remove all processed and preserved foods from our life because they are everywhere including in basic things like crackers and often bread or even pasta, (cold or not). What is essential to avoid and what is just okay and what is the impact of some of these products on the microbiome and is there a way to compensate…

Hi Jay165: I have several skin conditions linked to a faulty skin barrier/ inflammation (but not dishydrosis). Did far too much geeky research!

I don’t have any known food allergies, mild dust allergy, mild other topical allergies, hayfever and asthma in close family.

For me intake of oily fish/ long chain omega-3s/ vitamin D is relevant to overall skin health and hydration. I eat and supplement *with GP approval*.

There is growing evidence that dysbiosis is linked to a variety of inflammatory skin conditions. There was an episode of trust me i’m a doctor which discussed it. Take a look at the BBC Trust Me website

Hi All,
I have since noticed that when I take inulin, especially twice a day, I get tinnitus. I Googled ‘inulin tinnitus’ and there seems to be a study trying to ascertain whether INULIN does indeed cause TINNITUS in some who take it.
Madeleine

I agree with Firefox7275: Michael’s latest book is superb. The Diet Myth by Tim Spector is the obvious next step and also Rob Knight’s book Follow Your Gut -all available very cheaply on kindle

I’m not clear what definitive answers people are hoping for?
The CG book gives the current (limited) information available, what ‘dose’ Dr Mosley takes and in what base.

If anyone wants to delve deeper into existing published research check out PubMed and Google Scholar, or read one of the books by the Gut Project guys (eg. ‘The Diet Myth’ by Prof. Tim Spector).

HTH!

We got it at Holland & Barrett – but had to ask for it. Between £1 to £2. Still trying to find out how and why to use it, hence coming on the forum. Agree – these would be far better if Michael and his team dipped in to give some definitive answers to save us all flaffing around our own assumptions

Anyone have or herd of eczema dyshidrotic?? I suffer from sever dyshidrotic eczema on my hands

yes I have suffered from eczema on my hands and recently saw a naturopath who found blastocystis hominis am currently taking 3 types of anitibiotics for 10 days

Did you perhaps intend to post this on the Blood Sugar Diet forums?

Some links here on Clever Guts transfer to the BSD website, and have caught me out!

Any healthy eating plan or ‘diet’ worth its salt emphasises balance and variety, and is flexible.

That holds true for the principles of the Clever Guts Diet, and for the official guidelines of many countries.

Have you had a gastroenterologist/ other doctor diagnose this, or advise whether treatment is required? Expensive tests are only useful if the results are correctly interpreted.

Pharmacist ? Yes that’s me!

Best people to ask would be a good pharmacist, or the original drug manufacturer/ patent holder.

If there are any gut related side effects listed in the patient information leaflet they would hopefully be able to explain why. Diarrhoea would certainly mess with the gut flora.

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That’s very generous Graham.

I have them as a PDF but don’t think this forum provides for that.
Kind regards
Angus

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Thank you Graham.
This is an excellent video, very encouraging. I think all three agree that we are entering a new era of nutrition. I have given up potatoes, rice, pasta and sugar. I can give up the deep seated notion that there is a right diet for all, or even for different groups.

I remain intrigued by Estep’s not on of “antagonistic pleiotropy”.
I shall follow Goldfarb’s advice to buy a blood sugar monitor for home use. In my heart I know the most important thing to do was to give up white bread. I have my results from my fecal sample (British Gut Project) though I am still way short of understanding the results.

Hello again, a few of you have bought Kefir from me, thanks for your support.
I have now set up a Facebook page to sell my grains, it’s called Devon Kefir, and also I sell on etsy, my shop is called Devonkefirgrains.
Thank you for reading my post.

Hi ..

I think this is over simplifying matters. Its not a simple question of one oil over another. Its a complex array of the totality of what you eat (I’m talking nutritional value not calories) and the interchange with your microbiome. This might help:

Take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z03xkwFbw4&app=desktop

I’m with Michael all the way….

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Hi Pia, I suffer from atopic eczema and have done since birth, I also have polymorphic light eruption and severe asthma, hay fever and other allergies. I am really interested in trying these capsules. My 17 yr old daughter has icthyosis and very flaky skin, so I think it would also be a great thing for her to try. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you GrahamSPhillips do you know how i have this done?

This is a controversial issue in medical circles, however I believe this bug does not cause disease and doesn’t need to be “gotten rid of”. It should not be treated with antibiotics. The reason it is being found more in people’s guts these days is only because new tests can detect it more easily. As for your low diversity, Michael Mosely’s book offers lots of advice on how to improve that :-).

If you go to the HOWARU website you will see that the study referred to in Michael’s newsletter concerns Upper Respiratory Tract infections, while the Optibac blog refers to asthma, which I think is an inflammation and not an infection.

I would dearly love to use the new clever gut app, but have no device except my computer. Is it possible to download an app on a computer ? I am not very savvy on these things…….can anyone help me ?

jillyB

Thank you Bugs for your advice on mixing potato starch with kefir. I have been doing this , so perhaps this is why I am still not sleeping well. The first 2 nights it worked well, but I can’t remember if I took it with kefir then. Unfortunately I had already had my PS with kefir just before I read your blog last night……..and didn’t sleep !

jillyB

I was diagnosed with that many years ago. I have found that a large daily dose of Omega 3 (high strength) capsules has made a huge difference. So much so, that I forget I have psoriatic arthritis until I stop taking the omega-3. Then my symptoms come back and I’m reminded so i take the omega-3 and then I forget… you get the picture. I try to take 6 capsules a day. It takes a bit of time before you notice a difference.

I’ve been told I have a lot of this stuff in my gut. My naturopath says it’s very difficult to get rid of. Wondering if anyone else has dealt with it. Apparently it’s a parasite of some description. It was discovered through a very expensive poo test. I also found out that my gut is low on diversity. Woe is me. 🙂

Greedily at the same time that I bought the excellent Clever Guts I also bought ‘The Mind Span Diet’ – (Estep, Director of Gerontology at Harvard). I am about half way through and I wondered if anyone else had come across this? He seems, so far, much more focused on iron-enriched food, especially in the US but also the UK. Otherwise there are strong crossovers. Mosley makes clear references to the need to personalise – mainly on genetics, environment and circumstances.

Estep is a geneticist by background. He raises this, to my mind entirely logical and fascinating, suggestion that one of the ways to understand changes is to realise that genes evolve with a focus on reproduction. Once the possibility of reproduction is over other genes may become more dominant, the reproductive drive fades. He refers to this as”antagonistic pleiotropy” – the AP rule. In so far as I understand, which is not a lot, one of the underlying points here is that genes are not designed for life efficacy, just for reproduction (or rather not designed at all). Many genes are harmful to life efficacy, most are generally redundant.

Members of this forum cover all ages as I understand it, from pregnancy to old age. I think that is great. I like the notion of Mind Span as opposed to Life Span, no doubt it will be controversial. It needs a lot of work. On the other hand how many of us have not at some point heard (or said) ‘No Grandad that’s not good for you, that’s for Alice [granddaughter]?’ Science is mapping new understandings, but much has been there for millennia.

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Symprove is a water-based multi-strain supplement that contains 4 unique strains of live activated bacteria. These include: L. rhamnosus, E. faecium, L. acidophilus, and L. plantarum. Normally a healthy gut would already contain all four of these, however when it doesn’t, it can soon become unbalanced.

Sorry to bother you more but do you know how much the map my gut test costs approximately? There’s no one near me – I live in West Wales – so I would have to travel or use Skype. I have a daughter living in London though.

Thanks for this. I am taking it for dysbiosis which is causing constipation and fatigue. I have had gut candida overgrowth in the past which I improved dramatically with diet but I think I have had some more die off with the Symprove. I think I need bifidobacteria to help constipation and that isn’t in Symprove. I will look into mapmygut though because it would obviously help a lot to know what’s actually going on in there! Thanks again.

Yes but there is no particular reason for that particular bifido supplement to work better for asthma than any other. It’s probably marketing. Take a look at this

https://www.optibacprobiotics.co.uk/blog/2013/12/probiotic-supplements-for-prevention-of-asthma

Yes, but rather unusually this specific supplement has been linked to respiratory problems and that’s why the person who started the thread and I are trying to obtain it.

Graham,
I’m not on Facebook but thanks for replying. Thought someone on the forum would know.

Take a look at Optibac probiotic supplements – I’m sure their bifido product is just as good as HAWARU

Hi Pia
I am a family doctor/dermatologist in London. Itreat a lot of patients with psoriasis ,eczema and other autoimmune disease.

Would be very interested in sourcing seaweed capsules in the Uk for my long-suffeing patients,so please keep me in the loop.

All the best

Karen

I have been making Kefir for a while now. I find it better to use raw (unpasteurised) milk when making Kefir as pasteurised milk has all the bacteria removed and then a few strains added back in.

The microbiota play a big role in determining how much calorofic value you extract from the food you eat. Might be worth having your biome mapped?

I can only reiterate the importance of keeping a detailed food and symptom diary, with weighed or measured quantities.

Two glasses of red wine a day … every day or twice a week? What volume is the glass? How many alcohol units a week does that represent?

Same sort of questions apply to animal fats and animal proteins.

Three beers a day –
alcoholic or not – is quite a lot of essentially a junk ‘food’ (contains sugars and additives; if carbonated may irritate the stomach).

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Deffo worth following Michael’s diet but bare in mind that without mapping your microbiome you’re steering blind to a large extent