Additions include:

One serving (~80g) other fruit, eg half an apple, mini banana

Half a teaspoon cinnamon powder

One tablespoon cacao nibs

Two portions (~150g) frozen summer/ black forest fruits (no grapes)

One portion (~150ml) plain live Greek yoghurt/ skyr/ fromage frais

Sweetener to taste

Half a teaspoon inulin

Top with one to two tablespoons cracked linseeds.

Unfortunately the suggested suppliers for probiotic pills doesn’t ship to Australia. Any suggestions for an Australian supplier?
Also if you haveFODMAP intolerance should you starve out the bad bacteria or take a probiotic

I always use organic rapeseed oil which I get in Tesco. I heard several years ago that Lindane, which has been linked to cancer, is used on rapeseed. I don’t know if it is used today but apparently rapeseed has a wide range of insect pests so non organic oil will probably contain insecticide residues.

After reading Clever Guts, and suffering some of the symptoms described, I decided that it would be useful to take a Microbiome test. I have received the test kit from µBiome, but I’m not sure how to return the sample to them in the USA.

Royal Mail clearly state that any kind of biological specimen is prohibited from being sent internationally and contravention may result in prosecution.

Has anyone successfully returned a sample to µBiome and if so which shipping method did you use ?

Many thanks in anticipation.

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/pharmacy/pharmacy-news/probiotic-viability

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Empty-stomach-Probiotics-professor-clarifies-findings-of-efficacy-study

Most books I have read recently on the microbiome stress the importance of eating good fats including olive oil, butter and coconut oil and avoiding the rest including most seed oils which tend to be high in polyunsaturates. However, rapeseed oil is different in that it has a healthy profile and is high in omega-3. The American writers advise us to avoid rapeseed (which they call canola) on the grounds that sources are genetically engineered and may therefore be subjected to higher levels of pesticides, and production methods use solvents which are to be avoided. However, am I correct in thinking that any rapeseed grown in the UK and the EU is not genetically modified, and if the oil is cold-pressed and produced without the use of solvents, surely these issues do not apply? I find the flavour preferable to olive oil although I appreciate that rapeseed does not carry the heart-protective oleic acid found in olive oil.
Can anybody please enlighten me?

Michael has written about probiotic brands in his post “A note from Michael on the book” in the Welcome section of the forums.

posted by cleverguts (CG Admin)
on 5th June 2017 at 10:46 am Reply • Report post • permalink
Hi everyone,
Welcome to the Clever Guts website. I’m hoping that people will come here to share their experiences and create a community. The book that this website is linked to is selling well in the UK and Australia (where I am currently doing a book tour), which is great.
In the book I said that people would be able to come to the website and get additional information. So, first of all, an apology. I have not been able to pull together more information on things like probiotics, olive oil and a proposed sleep experiment as fast as I would have liked. It is happening and below are some updates, but things are progressing slower than I had hoped. I am, I promise, onto it. Do sign up for the newsletter and I will keep you better and more rapidly informed.
Probiotics
As I mentioned in the book probiotics are the living bacteria that are sold, mainly in capsule form, in the hope that they will help improve a number of different conditions. If you don’t have a specific condition then I suggest you aim to improve your microbiome by following the menus in the book and on this website. I also suggest you try adding in some fermented foods to your diet (see Clare’s video about how to make delicious purple sauerkraut here)
Although they do contain living bacteria I think it is unlikely that buying one of those yoghurty drinks in plastic bottles will make a significant difference to your health. That said, some people swear by them. You should be aware that they may contain significant amounts of sugar or artificial sweetener (depending on whether you go for regular or light versions) and relatively few bacteria (usually 6-10 billion in a bottle. You should be aiming at more like 20 billion)
If you do have a specific issue that you want to try a probiotic for then below is currently the best I can do. Recommending a particular brand is tricky because it depends on the reason you are wanting to take it and the strength of evidence behind that brand. The following brands have a degree on scientific evidence behind them, but I would be grateful for any feedback on how helpful (or otherwise) you have found these products. Also if there are others you would like me to take a look at.
VSL#3
This is a probiotic which contains a mixture of different strains of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus. It has been shown to be effective in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, though I would still recommend that if you have IBS you try to sort your diet out before/while taking VSL#3. You can buy VSL#3 via their website.
HOWARU Protect
This is a probiotic which contains Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus acidophilus According to Medline Plus, part of the US National Library of Medicine, taking HOWARU Protect may help reduce reduce symptoms of cough and runny nose, also lung infections in children under 6. Visit their website for more information
Health Span Elite
This is made by a British company for athletes and was recommended to me by someone who also advises the English Rugby team. He recommends their products on the basis that they contain what they say, and nothing more, something which is important for an elite athlete. The danger with buying supplements in any form off the internet is they can contain substances like steroids which for an elite athlete would be career suicide. More information on Health Span Elite at their website.
Sleep and Prebiotics
In the book I wrote about wanting to set up an online study to see if consuming potato starch helps improve sleep quality. Since writing the book I have also tried a special pre-biotic fibre, which was originally developed by Reading University. I found this to be more effective than the potato starch, though also more expensive. What was striking was that within a week of starting on the fibre supplement the quality of my sleep, as measured by devices leant to me by scientists from Oxford University, had improved significantly. It could be chance and there is no guarantee that it will work as well for others, which is why I want your help.
I’ve decided to set up an online survey asking people to try this, potato starch, or another well tested way of improving sleep quality, and report back. We’re just ironing out some glitches and I’m hoping this trial will be ready to go soon, for anyone who fancies joining in. I will give you full details of the pre-biotic and where to get it then.
Olive Oil
In the book I also wrote about the fact that extra-virgin olive oil is the most counterfeited food in the world and that I would try to find brands that have some degree of certification. It is still early days but what I would say is that small, specialised providers are likely to be your best bet for price and quality, though they will be more expensive. If you are particularly concerned, it appears that Italian olive oils have some of the biggest problems. I will update when I hear more and happy to get recommendations from you for your personal favourites. I also welcome any manufacturer who cares to get in contact who can guarantee, on the basis of lab tests, that their extra-virgin, really is extra-virgin.
All the best,
Michael
posted by Beatrixinvogue
on 6th June 2017 at 1:10 pm Reply • Report post • permalink

I’ve just made the purple sauerkraut. Am I being thick? Am I supposed to put in spring water and salt straightaway? There are not enough juices to completely cover the mixture in the jar, but the whole thing looks very damp!

Sorry, only just seen this. I don’t think Dr Mosley says anything about organic vegetables as far as I can see, although the recipe for the Healthy Gut Green Smoothie uses organic spinach.
I suppose the fewer pesticides etc we consume must be better.

VLS#3 MAY decrease bloating. I’d welcome news of how successful you find it. Thanks for the info about Amazon as a supplier. Good luck!

Please sign me up 🙂

had bowel cancer so colon removed, now have stoma and bag — but with no colon where will the clever bacteria congregate?

Lakeland yogurt maker is HALF price at the moment at Lakeland!! £10 for it with 3 year warranty!!! 👍🏻😄

Michael wrote a post on the 5th June in the Welcome section of the forums. It’s tilted “A note from Michael” and he explains why the information isn’t on the site yet. He has some recommendations for probiotics in the post.

I was diagnosed as having Rosacea by my GP about 7 years ago. She prescribed antibiotics and various lotions & creams. The latter did not seem to help and I was very unenthusiastic about long term antibiotics. I read about sugar free diet for Rosacea on an American rosacea online forum, name of which I have forgotten. It made a huge difference and I have kept my sugar intake very low over the years since diagnosis, as well as avoiding high glycaemic foods since then. Occasionally I have been tempted by my great love of chocolates and very quickly I pay the price with the appearance of nasty pustules. A return to the straight and narrow of sugar free diet always succeeds for me. I hope that Tree top can find a dietary solution because it is a very unpleasant condition to have.

Try as I might, I can not find any of the information that, according to the book, I am supposed to be able to read up on on this website.

Be it further research, recommendations ECT
I think Olive Oils was one of them but many other mentions too.
Am I just being blind??

So sorry, not concentrating. Mosley!

Thank you Firefox, that’s such interesting information. I think it sounds like Rosacea, from your description and a look on the NHS website. I’m delighted to hear about potential dietary links and a book on the topic. As it is apparent from just a quick look online, this is a common issue and a very sensitive one. I hope you find the diet answer which works for you, and I’ll investigate further too. Perhaps Dr Moseley might write his next programme on our largest organ – the skin… :0)

I have papulopustular rosacea: short lasting ‘pimples’ on bulb of nose and/ or inner cheeks under eyes, intermittent flushing on nose/ inner cheeks/ chin/ rarely ears. NO chunky blackheads in rosacea, as in regular acne. I had NO idea how often I flushed until after diagnosis so ask friends and family!

If this may fit you consider your oral/ dental health – bacteria in the mouth cause inflammation in the face, and can get into the body via swallowing, via bleeding gums or small cavities.

Lastly consider your past intake of oily fish for omega-3s and vitamin D. Your gut issues starting in winter may signify deficiencies.

HTH!

Without a diagnosis for your skin or gut issues it will be very difficult to identify a single cause, BUT it is unlikely to harm to try an anti-inflammatory, gut friendly, *balanced and varied* wholefood diet.

In ‘Feed Your Face’ Dermatologist Jessica Wu advocates just such a diet for various skin issues.

Rosacea has been linked to Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and Histamine Intolerance, both of which can be treated with diet. Coeliac Disease and Leaky Gut Syndrome may present as dermatitis.

The skin and gut are similar: both organs, both semi-permeable barriers, both coated in a layer of good (and bad) microbes. Diet absolutely affects both: efficacy of barrier, balance of microbes, nutrient deficiencies, inflammatory diet and lifestyle, allergies and intolerances (can develop at any time).

Hi Sorry, I just looked at this again & it does make sense that you say that most people have an AA/EPA greater than 18.00 when it should be between 1.5 & 3.0 Wow that sounds highly significant. Do you have to pay a doctor to test for that or can you self test?

Thanks for your reply. My GP is busy trying to investigate my gut problem so hasn’t spent much time looking at my skin, unfortunately. I had assumed it was acne, related to something (toxins?) being produced by / not processed by my stomach since January; interestingly it’s almost entirely on my cheeks, so it feels as if there is a link to one particular cause. A friend said to recently me spots in the t-zone of the face are due to hormones, but on the cheeks they are caused by diet. This made me wonder! The facial skin is such an obvious part of the body, linked to self confidence etc, I’m interested in seeing if I can find a dietary answer here, which might also help others.

Oily fish is the only rich source of *long chain* polyunsaturates omega-3s, which balances out omega-6s (from most nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, grains). The vast majority of westerners eat way too much o-6 and way too little o-3. Dr Mosley recommends a variety and balance of foods, inc. fatty ones.

Balance/ type of fat is key in healthy blood cholesterol, as well as quantity. Coconut oil is rich in *short chain* saturates which have different effects to *long chain* saturates from hard animal fats. Butter is surprisingly rich in the same monounsaturate as olive oil! If from grass fed cattle can be a source of omega-3s and CLA (polyunsaturates with anti-inflammatory effects).

Difficult to balance fats, since most nuts seeds and soy are rich in omega-6 and obviously no omega-3/ vitamin D rich fish or eggs. Might be worth consulting a registered dietician about supplements?

Wholefood vegans have a running start on prebiotic fibre! 😉 But challenging to make complete proteins in the initial phase (avoid gluten grains/ pulses).

Hi, Very many thanks for both of these responses. They are very encouraging about the glucose monitoring.
With regards to Omega 3 I have read that most supplements of omega 3 are not worth taking as they take such a long time to get processed that most are rancid and so not healthy to ingest. I try to eat wild salmon and mackerel twice per week for that reason. How do you take omega 3, how often do you get blood tests to ensure your AA/EPA remains in that range and I don’t understand that >18.0 is not in the range that you detail? Thank you for sharing.

Having said that, the PubMed website indexes studies and reviews published in many scientific journals.

Drugs/ organs/ systems have several names so you may need to try multiple search terms.

Dr Mosley may have limited his comments on laxatives (= drugs) to avoid giving medical advice. The best placed to answer your questions would probably be your gastroenterologist or a young-ish pharmacist.

What is the medical diagnosis for your skin issue? Certain forms of rosacea, acne and dermatitis look VERY similar. All are inflammatory, but very different in underlying cause and therefore treatment.

I buy Biona Organic ‘with the mother’ from Amazon UK. I use it as a meal ingredient (primarily in salad dressings) not as a standalone dietary supplement.

Many European PDO (defines method, origin, name) cheeses are made from unpasteurised milk or are mould-aged or rind-washed. In the UK these are widely available in grocery stores.

HTH!

Cheeses made from unpasteurised milk, mould-aged or rind-washed should contain probiotics. There are published studies on Roquefort and Pecorino Romano (both from unpasteurised ewe’s milk).

I too have read the book and have had trouble sleeping for 25 years. I would like to join the trial please.

hi i am having the capsule endoscope tomorrow and spent a day today having bowel prep!!! would be interested to see what michael says about starting the diet
would be good for some advice

I am taking inulin (chicory root) Is this the same as taking potato starch.

I have read the book and as I have had troubles sleeping would very much like to trial the Potato Starch and be part of the study.
Fascinating

This is a very exciting approach. A diabetic friend has for many years regularly tested his blood sugar level responses and often had surprise results and he individualised his own diet based on his personal results. Thank you so much SueC for drawing our attention to this YouTube video.

We make our yoghurt using 750 ml of A2 milk and 2 to 3 tbsp Woodland organic sheep milk yoghurt* (bought at Waitrose). * Contains lactobacillus acidophilus and bulgaricus, streptococcus thermophilus. I can’t find listed products on the website.

Reading about this research in the clever Guts book filled me with excitement that my family and I could perhaps learn more about how our own individual bodies work and get the key to finding out what foods work best for each of us.
Alas, on the website where you can potentially get your faeces tested and the answer to this question they tell me that this service is not available to UK citizens.
I then watched a you tube from one of the doctors

At the end he suggests that people could discover for themselves what effect different foods have on their system by monitoring their own blood sugar after different foods. So…
Although none of my family are diabetic, I am contemplating buying a freestyle libre glucose monitor so that we can test for glucose spikes after different foods to learn which foods suit who.
Has anyone else tried this and if so did you find a useful list of foods to test and did it work? I think we would have to eat each food in isolation, maybe 1 or 2 hours apart so that just testing a bowl of mixed fruit would take a day! I’d love to hear what anyone else thinks about this or if they’ve done it.

Hi
I’d just like to say that I bought some milk kefir grains a couple of months ago from E bay for less than £3 and have been fermenting them ever since in any old glass containers covered with a kitchen towel and drinking the kefir every day and sharing extra grains with my family & friends. I have twice successfully taken them on holiday in 100mm bottles where they have thrived in the warmer weather & allowed us to maintain our new healthy habit.
Both my husband and I have experienced a huge improvement in our digestive health. I try to eat healthily but felt unable to digest several foods that gave me sleepless nights of indigestion. Now, after the kefir I find to my delight that I can eat garlic, onions, coleslaw, beans and pulses for dinner and sleep like a baby with no stomach pains at all. My husband has also enjoyed a huge improvement with the hemorrhoid problem that has dogged him for several years and sleeps much better than prior to drinking daily kefir.
I find it incredibly easy to ferment kefir and feel more healthy and happy than I have done for years.

*waves* Hi all, hope no one minds me joining in. I’ve just read the Clever Guts book (and I’m halfway through BSD), and ran out to buy Kefir (I found some ready-to-drink kefir in the “Yakult/Actimel” section at my local Sainsbury’s this morning) and sauerkraut ingredients.

Just a heads up, I found a Kefir making kit in Lakeland (yay!), and forgot size of preserving jar needed for purple sauerkraut recipe, so bought a 2L Kilner one (oops)!! Doubled/tripled up on the sauerkraut recipe so it fits the jar. I’ll keep you guys posted on how both these go 🙂

I’d like to know what we should look for when buying yoghurt. I don’t recognise the brands in this thread – I live in Australia so that may be why. I buy “organic” yoghurt but after reading the book wondering if that label is enough.

Thank you for replies all Hypothyroid sufferers. I’ve spent the last 17 years, since diagnosis, trying to keep weight off. I liked the 5:2 diet; whilst I didn’t lose any weight, at least none was added!. Perhaps now I’ve dropped calorie intake too low, I have since gone on one of those VLCD regimes, with a ‘lightweight’ meal in the evening -still hoping to be smaller.

Not sure if this is helpful, but I used to get migraines from red wine until I was through the menopause, when it stopped happening. If this is a long way in the future for you, perhaps drinking the wine diluted with fizzy water, as a kind of spritzer, might help?

Hi, POL that’s an interesting study, thanks. If macrogol can affect it short term I assume that long term use might well have an effect. I might try gradually cutting it down, replacing it with Dorsetcream’s linseeds. (Thanks Dorsetcream.). I’d much prefer to use something natural. Good luck all. 😀

Hello, lots of companies seem to be rushing to sell kefir. The stuff that’s just a starter is probably a waste of money as you have to keep buying it. If you have grains you don’t need a big container, a glass or a mug will do, or a large washed out jar, like a mayonnaise jar. As the grains grow you can freeze them or park them in the fridge.
I’ve got plenty of grains for sale , or you can get from Amazon or eBay.

I’ve had mild IBS ever since I can remember. Around 2-3 years ago I started showing symptoms of perimenopause, mainly Oestrogen Dominance and excessive weight gain. After years of head scratching and research I found that changing my diet would have a drastic effect on my weight. I lost 10.5lbs in 10 days!! I subsequently put the weight back on as I thought it would be easy to lose it again. No. The amount of cruciferous fruit and veg I was eating was not making a difference any more. I then found that Calcium D-Glucarate and Indole-3-Carbinol, which is basically a ton of cruciferous veg in a capsule and also promotes the detoxification of excess oestrogen from your body. Together with a healthy diet and exercise (which wasn’t working before) with the supplements helped me lose the weight again.

My problem now is, after suffering for the past 9 months with stress and anxiety, my IBS symptoms are exacerbated. So much so I was worried so I went to the doctor for numerous tests, only to confirm it is just IBS symptoms magnified. He told me the only way I can ‘manage’ my symptoms is to start the FODMap eating plan. This basically cuts out all the foods that irritate my tummy and create the gas, bloating etc.. You guessed it. All the cruciferous veg and the supplements contain the exact same veg that make my IBS symptoms 100 x worse 🙁

My question is, is anyone else suffering the double whammy? I can’t take the tablets to get rid of my Oestrogen dominance which is preventing my weight lose and water retention because they cause my IBS symptoms which intern causes excess bloating!!

Would be great to find some help..