Hello there!

Has anyone done any research on what are “proper cheeses” and who sells them?

I’m a bit confused about what to do and what to buy?
Did you read the book first and then follow the recipe’s or does it not really matter what way you do it. Also did you go for the recipes you like the sound of or buy all the ingredients?
I have had IBS for about 30 odd years (funnily the same amount of time that I have been married). And have only recently come of Omprezole tablets for acid reflux after many years of being on them. I had an endoscopy a few weeks back and showed I had a hiatus hernia which I knew I had due to a previous endoscopy and my dr told me I had to come of Omprezole for two weeks, it was hard at first but after reading about cider vinegar, I decided to give that a try and I am not going back to the Omprezole tablets. It hasn’t taken away the pain completely but I feel much better for not taking them and will continue taking the apple cider vinegar

I am using apple cider vinegar by Bragg from holland and Barrett. You have to make sure though it say’s ‘with mother’ it’s about 9.99 I started taking it about 5 weeks ago as I had to come of Omprezole tablets as I was having an endoscopy. I have started feeling better for it and don’t think I feel or look so tired

I recently cut out foods that made my blood sugar levels to go up and down too much; sugars, potatoes, pasta, rice etc which has stabilised my blood sugar levels, consequently I don’t get so hungry and more importantly I don’t get dizzy, cranky, excessively tired etc when I haven’t eaten for a few hours, which I used to before. Followed a bone broth ‘diet’ protocol for 3 weeks which sorted out my blood sugar. This ‘diet’ also advocates fasting for 2 days a week so on those days I start with a veg juice, perhaps including 1 apple but no more fruit than that, and add an avocado to make into a smoothie along with some of the fibres from the juiced veg. For lunch and dinner I have a veg soup and for the afternoon slump I drink a cup of golden milk using unsweetened almond milk and turmeric paste, videos on youtube as how to make the turmeric paste. This works really well for me, also fast on the 2 days a week I work as very busy those days and am also away from my own kitchen and temptation. But to me sounds like you need to get your blood sugar under balance which is best to do by avoiding all sweeteners and sugars for a few weeks, as Dr Mosely recommends in his book, the things you crave are best avoided if you want to readjust your biome.

I hope it improves things for you. Best of luck.

Tevenie

I am now reading through Dr Michael’s book for the 2nd time, skipping the bits that are not relevant to me. I am finding it very informative; I now know the difference between probiotics & prebiotics & he confirms some of the information I have acquired scouring various IBS related websites which I tended to think was not always accurate. I am 77 years old & have suffered from IBS for about 30 years & over the past couple of years it has steadily got worse. 18 months ago I went to a homeopath for food tests with shocking results. It seemed I was intolerant to wheat/gluten/dairy/anything in the cabbage family/chocolate (ouch) etc, etc. I stuck to a diet omitting almost everything suggested, apart from sugar in my tea but although I did see improvements it wasn’t the “miracle cure” I was looking for. The downside to this diet is that I have lost so much weight which I could ill afford to lose, that I now resemble a stick insect & I am desperately trying to gain some weight while keeping to the gluten/dairy free regime. I now eat lots of home made cakes & biscuits, crisps, chips etc. For me it’s a Catch 22 scenario.
My life is not all doom & gloom & I do have “good” days when I feel almost normal.
My joints are a bit stiff but that’s old age. I sleep well & have loads of energy. I try to be positive & keep myself busy & stop thinking about my IBS which as Dr Michael says is due to the brain in the gut communicating with the brain in the head. If only there was a way to sever the cord between these two brains, I think it could solve my problem!!!

Hi. Staff at my local Holland and Barrett said they don’t sell it until my daughter pointed out the empty space on the shelf.

Must have been a run on it.

I lower my carbs on fast days and increase protein and fat, e.g. By using eggs and fish, putting butter on green or coloured cooked veg or olive oil on salad. If you measure amounts carefully you won’t go OTT and fats help you feel full longer. I avoid all white carbs such as pasta, flour products and white potatoes. You can always have them next day if you want.
Frittata with roast or steamed veg is delicious and comes in at about 150-250 cals depending on egg size, whether you have one egg or two and how much fat you use. Very sustaining too.

On the intermittent fasting website people suggested slightly increasing salt intake on fast days to improve headaches and dizziness, especially if you are also lowering your carb intake as kidneys can dump salt when fasting. I found it helped – I sometimes have miso soup or Marmite in hot water on a fast day.

I’m having exactly the same problem!

Hi the book says there is a list of the best brand of probiotics here. Can anyone help me find it please? Thanks x

Yes I expected to have to wait. It’s fine. The only slight annoyance is that I’m already now taking more probiotics and fermented foods, the results might show normal. Oh well, we will see!!

Hi Steve, I gave the donation too and I’ve just had a look how long it took for me. I paid on 25 Feb and the pack was postmarked 8th March, so I’d give it a week or so yet.

My fermenting jars are 1 litre, so I guess it’s ok to double up the ingredients for the purple sauerkraut?

In a recent ” Which” article on olive oil, they had a blind taste test, the experts picked out the M&S Extra virgin olive oil. I have tried it and it’s excellent.

Thanks cj20

I’ve yet to receive the kit, I ordered early last week. Was keen to get in early as I thought the promotion from this book might increase demand!

It’s a little difficult to track as according to the site, I’ve given a donation (which provides the perk of a test), rather than actually buying a test.

If I don’t get the kit within the next few days, I’ll give them a call.

Steve

Hi Steve,
It does say it takes a couple of months or so to get the results from British Gut but mine was only a month. I’m not sure if I was lucky or if the process has speeded up!

I cannot find the list either.

I’m not sure if it features in the list of good olive oils but one of the best I’ve found (and now many supermarkets stock it which is great!) is ‘Il Casolare’. It tastes exceptional and quite unlike most of the stuff you can get in the UK 🙂

Hi all!
I wondered if anybody could point me in the right direction of the best cider vinegar for improving gut health? I’m in the UK so only things I can get my hands on over here 🙂
Thanks in advance!
C

Does anyone know what to do about skin inflammation? 6 months ago I started having stomach pain and, after an endoscopy and various other tests, it’s still not clear why. Exactly coinciding with this, I have developed red, in places spotty facial skin. Reading the Clever Guts guide, I’m pretty sure it’s all linked and am DETERMINED to find the link and allow it to recover. Does anybody, please, know more…?

Thagks Tarabuome.

Feel better today.

I think I’ve worked out what’s going on.

If I stick to the diet suggestions from Dr Mosely, I feel actually worse. Hot all over, my ezcma inflamed. But actually the headaches and pains in my neck (that I had previously) are gone. Plus I feel more relaxed.

If I then have a naughty treat (even something like toast) the rashes almost go and I feel brilliant – better than before.

Then on the fast days, I feel good. Each fast day is getting better.

So I think what is happening is that when I stick to the diet, there’s a little gut flora war going on in my stomach, resulting in die off and toxin release. I can then stop the ‘war’ by eating bread or something. But it’s only temporary.

The fact that I feel better on a fast day is a sign, I think, that I’m winning and gradually things will improve as more of the candida (if it is that) clears up.

Drinking water helps too.

I’m determined to beat this. Thankfully Im working at home for the next week or so, so this is a good time to do it.

I see the light!!!

Very helpful cj20 – I’ve saved that website for when I eventually get my results from British Gut. I understand it might take 8 weeks.

I think that’s my Sunday night sorted! Loads to look at here – thank you so much CJ20!

I would like to sign up too but how do I do this???

I’m rather confused by the book. It mentions listing the best olive oils here but I can’t find anything.

Hi Tara, I had mine analysed through the British Gut Project and am still researching my results. The Gut Club http://thegutclub.org has some forums and a facebook page that can help. This page is also useful:
https://www.vitamodularis.org/articles/how_to_interpret_your_microbiome_data.shtml. I’m not a doctor so can’t verify that the info on these sites is correct but they are a useful starting point.
Hopefully as more research and information is available, there will be more useful guides to help with analysis. At the moment it seems to be mostly scientific papers that are not easy to read for a non-scientist!

Hi, I’ve just finished reading The Clever Guts Diet. Very interesting and informative. Michael mentions that certain supermarket brands of live full fat yoghurts have been tested and the results are on the website. It’s probably just me, but I can’t find them. Does anyone know?

As a self confessed gut-geek I did the Kings College analysis for £75.
I now have a moderately helpful pretty chart and a long long list of unpronounceable microorganisms and a comparison to other women, westerners, age group etc but now I need to know what I need to increase or decrease. It’s good to see a list and spot a few superstar biome inhabitants like christensenella and go off to google but the scientific papers are tmi for my little brain. I am not sure I’d do it again but my purpose isn’t to fix anything – but to contribute to the science.

For you guys with fungal problems have you tried :

a) drinking diluted cloudy apple cider vinegar
b) teatree oil (topically on nails – don’t drink it!)
c) oil pulling – if you have a yeast overgrowth the one place to spot it is your tongue. If it’s furry, cloudy yellow, or claggy try swishing coconut oil for 10 to 20 minutes per day – spitting out the contents; and avoiding listerine which kills all the good and bad oral bacteria!

Google will give you the low down on how to do this stuff.

Bimuno back in stock: buy direct from their website – bimuno.com you will be redirected to Clasado Ltd – they bought the patent from Reading Uni I think…

Keep us posted on how you get along… it’s the first I have heard about resistant starch and I’m fascinated!

If you are new to fasting make sure you are drinking plenty. You might get a week or two of purging symptoms (swiftness rather than the runs) and killer headaches. This is normal but can put ppl off continuing.

In this mini heat wave in the uk watch your salt intake on fast days too. I have a miso soup, Bovril, or stock cube or just a sprinkle of salt in a glass of water or sugar free squash (I know I should avoid sweeteners) but on fast days squash ensures I drink enough.

Good luck on your journey; keep us posted on the benefits!

So fabulous to see you on here Pia. I am a student at ACES so have seen your presentations and played with some of your lovely smelling seaweeds in the lab. and now I’m reading about you in Michael’s book. My worlds are colliding. I think I’ll have to come and visit you and find out when the capsules will be available. In the meantime I love your idea of sea weed by the stove. Do you have any recommended local suppliers or can we buy at your “cellar” door ?

Yep I will give it a go. Meant to ages ago. Was on the to do list x

Hi IKeeptrying
I don’t like the sound of those mouldy Kefir grains, I’d ditch and start again. I make my Kefir every day, it is a bit of a chore but its worth it, its odd how I’ve gone from ‘Hmmm I don’t like that but its doing me good so I’ll force it down’ to ‘is it Kefir time yet, Yum!’ It really is an acquired taste but we find we now crave it.
You mention diet a lot and and its obviously very important. What about exercise? You will get a synergistic effect if you can do that too. Bear in mind this is coming from someone who’s was overweight all their lives, hates sport and never did exercise (I was no couch potato as I enjoyed country walks and got plenty of steps in at work but was nowhere near fit, never doing any cardio). I got the fast diet book and invested in a cross trainer to do HIT. I won’t lie its hard work but its over quickly! I have to say the results for me have been a revelation. The appetite suppression you get with HIT is very helpful and its very time efficient. 15 mins three times a week I’m sure would really help you. I’t does mean some financial outlay. I spent approx £300 on a (new) cross trainer (although I think a exercise bike may be more suitable fro most and is what Michael recommends) for me that outlay was affordable but enough to make me commit to using it and I have. I can be done cheaper, Ebay and Gum tree are full of these that people give up on. However beware of whats for sale. In my opinion you need a decent machine that is electronically programmable so you can dial in a programme and just concentrate on getting through it without worrying about turning dials to change resistance. Honestly its the best money I’ve ever spent. You also need somewhere to put one, the cold dark garage isn’t going to be very appealing in the winter…….I’m lucky and have room for mine in the dining room over looking out over the garden, it’s not the most attractive piece of furniture but it’s there for the greater good and it’s staying! I still don’t enjoy doing the exercise (I guess I’m just wired that way) but I do get a feeling of virtue once I’ve done it and as my fitness has improved it’s much easier to tolerate even tough I keep pushing my boundaries. The effort has been worth it. I’ve been overweight my whole life but now I’m now a perfect BMI, my waist is less than half my height. Honestly I think if I can do it anyone can assuming they are mobile to start with. I feel better now than I did when I was 20. I didn’t realize how bad I felt before and I’m not going back! BUT it has been an effort and I have been committed. I exercise every day alternating cardio with strength exercise I have missed an odd day or two but honestly only an odd day or two in 6 months, I hope this is self perpetuating as I don’t want to go back to my old ways – I’ve put too much in to achieving my goal. Time will tell hence the username….. recoveringfatty

My reply got lost: trying again -Good to get some responses, yes you’re right mixnmatch it will probably take time to pick and build up a momentum. Well done to you both on your weight loss, I’m envious- I really really want to shift this weight – 2 stone or more but I seem to start a diet and either lose my motivation and drift off it after a few weeks. I tried 5:2 several times and liked it, but I got headaches and a hungover feeling, I’ve been loosely sticking to a Mediterranean diet BSD while I waited for the clever guts book to come out and I’m hoping it will be the answer for me as I realise that my IBS and my guts have always caused me to struggle with diets, so hopefully I can start to put them right while trying to lose weight. I’ve had the nausea and hungover feeling for 3/4 days since I began trying to sort my guts out this week which makes me think it’s some sort of withdrawal symptom.
So far I’ve bought a kefir drink (until I get organised to order the kefir grains – I bought some 2 months ago but they’ve gone mouldy – I don’t know if I should use them or not? I’ve got VSL#3 probiotic that Micheal recommends, and I’m cutting out wheat and sugar and trying to eat more healthily and will look at doing some fermented stuff. I’m working towards doing the 5:2 but think I should improve my guts first.

I googled her name and found her website http://www.phycofood.co would be a massive amount of air miles to bring them to the UK

Good to get some responses, yes you’re right mixnmatch it will probably take time to pick and build up a momentum. Well done to you both on your weight loss, I’m envious- I really really want to shift this weight – 2 stone or more but I seem to start a diet and either lose my motivation and drift off it after a few weeks. I tried 5:2 several times and liked it, but I got headaches and a hungover feeling, I’ve been loosely sticking to a Mediterranean diet BSD while I waited for the clever guts book to come out and I’m hoping it will be the answer for me as I realise that my IBS and my guts have always caused me to struggle with diets, so hopefully I can start to put them right while trying to lose weight. I’ve had the nausea and hungover feeling for 3/4 days since I began trying to sort my guts out this week which makes me think it’s some sort of withdrawal symptom.
So far I’ve bought a kefir drink (until I get organised to order the kefir grains – I bought some 2 months ago but they’ve gone mouldy – I don’t know if I should use them or not? I’ve got VSL#3 probiotic that Micheal recommends, and I’m cutting out wheat and sugar and trying to eat more healthily and will look at doing some fermented stuff. I’m working towards doing the 5:2 but think I should improve my guts first.

Dear Pia,
I would like to get your seaweed capsules too. Information or a link please.
LCB

I would also like to sign up for the potato starch study. Having had my rising colon removed I need to get my gut in the best possible state.
Thanks.

I’m a BSDer and just visiting at the moment looking for tips on making my weight maintenance easier to manage, but with no experience of the diet and never having read the book can’t currently offer much but general support. Good luck to everyone trying to improve their health. I expect the forum life will develop as people get more used to the diet and its effects.

Thankyou that’s helpful & reasssuring!

Hi
I’ve been making Kefir for a few months now. From what I understand as long as it smells/tastes/looks OK it will be OK. The good yeasts/bacteria in there will out compete any nasties that may get in (although very few should get in if you follow good hygiene) I always keep mine covered and ferment in a pyrex dish, I strain with a nylon sieve and prior to each use I scald all the equipment with boiling water to help sanitise. It ferments very quickly, about a heaped desert spoon of grains finishes 2 litres of Organic Full fat milk in under 24 hours in my experience. My grains multiply pretty quickly, I eat the surplus. Once the Kefir is ready I bottle it and put it in the fridge. I either drink it straight or as a smoothie base (usually adding Berries, Chia seeds, Spinach, Avacado and Prebiotic supplement)
Hope yours goes well.

Agree seems a bit quiet, maybe people are just lurking as I was so I thought I’d say Hi! Maybe others will too?
A few things I’ve done an I’m interested in:
Read the Clever Guts Diet Book (and all Michael’s other books) very interesting and has inspired me to take better care of my guts!
Lost 2.5 stone in approx 6 months (and counting) doing HIT and changing my diet, as a result I feel fitter and happier than I ever remember doing so even though I had no known issues previously (except been overweight)
Been successfully making Milk Kefir for a few months now, drink it every day.
Fermenting a few bits and bobs (Just made the Purple Sauerkraut)
Started taking the Prebiotic supplement as featured in the ‘Truth about Sleep’ I’d like to know how other people get on with that. It’s a bit pricey so interested in alternatives.

I to would like also like to take part in the study. Thank you.
Plutark

Hi I have been on Dr Mosely’s intermittent fasting diet for about 18 months. My normal diet has always been high in vegetables, fish and low in carbohydrates as a normal choice. I have read Dr Wahls books and research but haven’t taken it up. I am gluten intolerant therefore don’t eat bread, pasta cakes etc. Foods containing even the smallest amount of gluten turn my legs a purple/red and increase my level of pain and inflammation within hours. Not pleasant. I am going to give the clever guts diet a go, it has got good research behind it and I trust Dr Mosely.

Me too I’m up for it

If you have a slow cooker I highly recommend using it to make your own yoghurt 👍 Cheaper tastier and no additives, just buy whole organic milk and try to save some for the next batch !

Whaere are you all is anyone there???(
What do people want from a forum like this? I was hoping for advice, mutual support and encouragement, sharing information. None of this can happen if there aren’t any people coming on this forum and sticking around