NE Community Acupuncture Blog

Hi hello hey to the 3 (generous guesstimation) faithful readers of Whole On The Go.

You might have noticed I’m not posting as much as I used to. You are not wrong. BUT that doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing.

Since being hired on at NE Community Acupuncture + Wellness, I’ve started writing posts for their blog to help drum up some interest and business.

I’m actually super proud of these posts. Some were pretty intense topics to research/write. If you’re interested in learning more, there are three posts at the moment:

• How I Managed My Chronic Pain with Nutritional Therapy pt. 1 – Gut Health
• Cholesterol and Statin Drugs
• Why Magnesium Deficiency is SO Common

Click HERE to read them.

There will be many more on the way. If you have any topic requests, let me know by following the contact tab above.

If you’re interested in finding out how Nutritional Therapy can help YOU, follow this link to schedule a FREE 10-minute phone/in-person consultation with me.

NE Community Acupuncture & Wellness Center

Hello readers! I have some exciting news to share.

I have been invited to bring Nutritional Therapy to NE Community Acupuncture &
Wellness Center in Northeast Minneapolis!

I started attending NECA over the summer to treat some drummery tendon issues.
The care I received was immensely helpful in getting past the pain, the atmosphere is incredibly relaxing (I passed out for 55 minutes on my first visit…), and I can NOT wait to join the amazing staff.

I’ll be starting with Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Click here to book your nutritional consultation!

No rancid oils, please and thank you.

Something happened last night and I just had to share. I’m currently on the road playing a string of Christmas shows. We’re finishing out the tour with a weekend in Fargo, ND. The shows have been great, the company, the hotels; all of it great.

I’m moving quickly through my self-stocked supply of whole foods so I ran down to the hotel restaurant for dinner last night. No surprise here: there’s ONE thing on the menu that I can have; a wicked-bland salad that I snazzed up with some salmon. They brought out the olive oil and vinegar and I was set to dig in.

I reached for the olive oil and noticed that the glass container was warm. Uh oh. I opened the cap and gave it a sniff. The oil smelled like crayons. Uh oh, again. Why the double “uh oh”? Those are just a few of the warning signs of rancid oil!

A few months ago, I wrote about the importance of fat in our diets. I eat VERY little sugar so my need for fat is slightly higher. I opt for fatty fish and healthy oils whenever I can. But fats can be finicky. Before we get too far into this, we should quickly dive into a very easy science lesson.

Fatty acids are made of carbon and hydrogen molecules. Different combinations create the three different types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. If each carbon atom in the chain has bonded with two hydrogen atoms, this makes a fully saturated fat. The chains look like nice, sturdy, straight lines. Because of their straight shape, these stable acids fit together perfectly and form a solid at room temperature. Examples of saturated fats are butter and coconut oil.

Sometimes one of the carbon atoms is missing a hydrogen atom so it forms a double bond with the next carbon atom in the chain. That leaves one link unsaturated by hydrogen, or a monounsaturated fatty acid. This produces a slight kink at the site of the missing hydrogen bond so it’s not quite as sturdy. That kink doesn’t allow the acids to fit together quite as well so these are found in liquid form at room temperature, but can solidify in the refrigerator. Examples of monounsaturated fats are olive oil, avocado oil, and almond oil.

Lastly, there can be multiple sites missing a hydrogen bond. These are called polyunsaturated fatty acids and they have all sorts of kinks and curves at each unsaturated site. Because of all the kinks, these fatty acids are very unstable and also form a liquid at room temperature. A few examples of polyunsaturates are fish oils, flaxseed and most other seed oils, and most vegetable oils.

There’s a fourth type of fatty acid that I should include while we’re on the subject. Trans fatty acids begin as an unsaturated fat and are put through a treatment process with heat, chemicals and certain metals (like nickel) to make it fully and artificially saturated. Yum. This process is called hydrogenation. Avoid these fats at all costs. I’m looking at you, margarine.

All of these types of fat, aside from trans fats, are found in nature and are all necessary for the health of our bodies. But much like any other type of food, these fats can spoil, or rancidify.

Rancid fats are toxic when eaten. The more unsaturated/unstable the fats, the more easily they can spoil. Heating oils beyond their threshold can damage them and create free radicals (which can lead to cancer, heart disease, and all sorts of other issues). For this reason, it’s safest to cook with saturated fats like butter, lard, and coconut oil as they can withstand higher heats. Monounsaturated oils can be used at low heats. Polyunsaturates must never be heated.

In addition to heat, light and oxygen exposure can damage oils. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to detect rancid oils:

• Smell: Unrefined, un-heat-treated olive oil has a really wonderful olive-y aroma. If it smells like Elmer’s Glue, crayons or putty, fermenting fruit, rotten fruit, or just plain unpleasant, it’s probably rancid and should be thrown away.
• Taste: The taste of rancid oil is similar to the smells. It can be pretty obvious when an oil has gone bad. Additionally, if there’s absolutely no flavor at all, it has likely gone bad. Make sure you don’t swallow the oil if you detect a foul flavor.
• Feel: If you put a little oil in your mouth and swish it around, a greasy feeling is indicative of rancidity. Again, if you suspect the oil is past its prime, spit it out.

In my case, it was very clear from the smell alone that my oil had gone bad so I decided to eat my salad dry. Weeeee.

I know a lot of us are already on very restricted diets so I never like to add to the list of “don’ts”, but it is extremely important to examine the oils at restaurants before you use them. It is in your body’s best interest to avoid denatured, inappropriately heated, or rancid fats. You would never willingly eat a rotten piece meat or a slimy old vegetable, so why would you eat rancid fats?

---

While You’re At Home: As I mentioned above, heat, light, and oxygen exposure can all damage delicate oils and fats so proper storage is key. Any mono- or polyunsaturated oils should be kept in airtight, darkened glass containers (plastic can leach BPA and other chemicals into the oil) away from direct light. Avoid storing your olive oil in the cupboard above the stove. The heat from the stove travels upward and can vastly reduce the shelf life of your oil. I like to keep my unsaturated oils in the refrigerator. When it’s time to use them, I run the bottle under warm water until the oil liquefies just enough to pour.

Baby Carrots Pt. 2 – Bleach Bath

In part 1 of the baby carrot chronicles, we looked at the vast difference in nutritional qualities between baby carrots and carrots in their standard form. We also addressed how flavor – or lack thereof – can sometimes shine a light on the nutritional quality – or lack thereof – of certain foods. But there’s something else you should know. Something more important. Something that will make you avoid baby carrots forever and ever. Remember the disinfectant-like taste I noted? Well, that’s exactly what I was tasting.

You see, baby carrots are skinned as part of their processing ritual. Just like the skin on your beautiful human bod, the skin on carrots serves as a protective barrier against bacteria and other harmful substances. Without the skin, the baby carrots are susceptible not only to bacterial invaders, but also to a cosmetic deterioration called “white blushing” that gives them a weird, white, dry look. (Have you ever seen an UNprocessed carrot do that? Of course you haven’t…)

To kill the bacteria and prevent white blushing, the carrots are dipped in an exceptionally potent chlorine bath – sometimes twice. This chlorine bath is roughly 5-20x as potent as what is found in our drinking water or even a swimming pool. What!? (The EPA states that it is acceptable to keep chlorine levels in drinking water under 4 parts per million. Swimming pool chlorine typically range between 1-3 ppm. Experts say that in the war against bacteria on baby carrots, 15-20 ppm is the standard.)

It probably comes as no surprise to you that chlorine is pretty harmful in our bodies. The toxin stresses out and weakens the liver as it tries to process it (and all of it’s harmful metabolic byproducts), kills the GOOD bacteria in your gut, hinders metabolism, irritates the vascular lining (leading to systemic inflammation and potentially cardiovascular disease), weakens your immune system, and even aids in the production of cancer-causing free radicals. If that wasn’t bad enough, chlorine even deactivates the antioxidant properties in vitamin E that we need to counteract those free radicals.

I’m not trying to dog on baby carrots too much. Certainly they’re a healthier gas station option than a bag of Funyuns or that weird hot dog that’s likely been cooking since the Bush administration. But I DO recommend avoiding them when possible. A good rule to live by is to always opt for foods that have gone through little-to-no processing; foods of nature, not of commerce. Honestly, it doesn’t take that much time to throw a couple whole, unprocessed carrots in a bag. They’re better for you, and heck, they don’t taste like bleach.

Baby Carrots Pt. 1 – Flavorless Nutrition?

I found myself in a dire situation a few weeks ago when I was playing a gig out of town. I had never played with this group before so it was sort of an all day event: get to the theater and set up at 2, soundcheck at 3, rehearsal at 3:30, break for dinner at 6:30, show starts at 7:30. Dinner was to be provided, great! Only…it was pizza.

Uh oh. That breaks literally all of my Lyme/EBV/NTP rules: no sugar, no gluten, no grains, no dairy. This was a rare occasion where I didn’t pack a ton of just-in-case food. Not to worry, I had a good breakfast with a ton of fat to keep me going until I could find something nearby. The problem was, 6:45-ish on a Saturday just happens to be right in the middle of the dinner rush for all three restaurants within walking distance of the theater. No one could get an order finished for me in time.

Crap.

I popped two fish oil capsules, jumped on stage, and got to work. Not an ideal evening nutritionally, but I made it through. It was 11:15 before I was packed up and on the road. I stopped at a gas station and picked up a couple Epic bars, a pack of baby carrots, and a bag of kettle chips (shut up, I’m not perfect). This was my first time having baby carrots in well over a year and I was struck by how completely tasteless they were. In fact, if I could taste anything at all, it was a hint of “disinfectant.” It got me thinking, “I wonder if tasteless equals nutrient-less…”

When I got home I pulled up SELF Nutrition Data and started comparing the values of standard and baby carrots**. What I found was that in every category (calories, fiber, protein, vitamins A, C, and K, a handful of B vitamins, calcium, and other several macro and micro minerals) the standard carrot had the edge. And in some cases, like vitamin A and calcium, it wasn’t even close. After doing some serious digging, it appears that this is because baby carrots are bred to grow and ripen much faster than the standard, organic carrot of Nature. Less time in the soil yields a weaker product.

But does that lack of nutrients thereby yield a tasteless carrot? Every animal in the history of the world has relied on taste to find the nutrients they need to survive. You don’t see a koala reading the label on a eucalyptus plant, do you?

Humans are no different. Have you ever had a craving for chocolate? That’s typically your body saying, “I need magnesium,” after it has equated the taste of chocolate with the little bit of this hugely important macromineral found within. (Note: there are WAY better sources for magnesium than chocolate…) Cravings for certain flavors can tell you a lot about the nutrients your body needs.

I just read a Wall Street Journal report on a study done in 1939 in which toddlers – relying solely on their body’s innate intelligence – were completely in charge of the foods they ate. The results showed that when placed before a vast variety of foods the babes ate those that most nourished their bodies; steering clear of the simply sweet foods. One kiddo in particular gravitated heavily towards cod liver oil. Why? Because that baby had a vitamin D deficiency. The scientists knew that cod liver oil had high amounts of vitamin D but there was no way for the baby to know that. It just knew what tasted good and went nuts with the oil until that deficiency had been cured.

As if that wasn’t enough proof, the WSJ article references a 2006 study in which a team of chemists proved that the flavor compounds in tomatoes are directly linked to the nutrients found therein. The same science can be applied to a huge range of foods.

Let’s get back to my baby carrot car-ride hypothesis. The complete lack of carrot flavor suggested to me that those lil’ cuties lacked the nutrients of their “fully grown adult” counterparts. And science has proven that to be true; whether it’s because of soil fertility, length of time in the soil, or the chemical processing they go through (more on that in part 2). If flavor is my body’s way of finding foods to provide the nutrients it needs, it seems I can cross baby carrots off that list.

---

**The serving sizes were different so I used my impeccable math skills to level the playing field. Don’t worry. I made sure it was a fair fight.

Dynamic Fruits & Greens

Are you eating enough fruits and veggies? The current USDA Guidelines recommend 5-13 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.  There are a number of issues where I don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with the USDA  but this is a generally good rule to try to follow.

We need those fruits and veggies for enzymes, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants; all the things our bodies need in order to function optimally. As a nutritional therapist, I always recommend we get these things from real foods before supplementation. But, as we all know, sometimes our busy lives simply don’t allow us to follow those ideal USDA Guidelines. We’re in meetings all day then we have to cart the kids to their piano lessons and football practice. We’re traveling for a week and, try as we might to plan ahead and pack a cooler full of veggies, we still aren’t getting enough of these life-giving foods.

Back in June, I wrote up a quick post about what I was bringing with me on a short trip out west. I was lucky enough to borrow a small cooler that I filled to the brim with my Lyme/Paleo necessities. But I also brought a small tub of Dynamic Fruits & Greens, a powder supplement to dissolve in water and drink throughout the day. 

This stuff is really amazing. I’m looking at my bottle right now and I’m counting 43 different freeze-dried fruits and vegetables in this particular blend (Berry). Also noted on the bottle, “…antioxidant power of 20+ servings of fruits and vegetables.” 20!!

I should mention here that this product’s claims have not been verified by the FDA. But a lot of really wonderful things are not backed by the FDA because they aren’t directly increasing revenue TO the FDA. So, take the FDA’s stamp of approval with a grain of mineral-rich unrefined sea salt.

Now, back to the ingredients. To add to the 43 foods, there’s also a probiotic and enzyme blend (4 probiotic strains, and 7 enzymes) as well as a fiber blend to help keep you regular – a must on the road. (I can’t even tell you how many folks I know who get “stopped up” when they travel – could also be due to a tendency to get stuck in the sympathetic ANS and halt the digestive process, or even dehydration…but I digress). Best of all, of the ingredients used in ALL of the different blends, a ton are certified organic, non-GMO, and they are free of the common allergens (like gluten and dairy).

This is important so I’m giving it its own paragraph. There’s NO added sugar. This is huge for those of us with chronic diseases and a need to limit sugar. This is huge for a world that is hurting from the effects of the over-consumption of sugar. This is huge. Only 3g of sugar per scoop.

So what are these amazing ingredients giving us? As mentioned, boatloads of antioxidants. Antioxidants protect our cells from the damage inflicted by every day wear and tear as well as toxins and pathogens in our blood. The amount of antioxidants in each scoop of this powder has been measured to equal that of 3 cups of blueberries – one of the most antioxidant-rich foods out there. There are loads of vitamins to help our metabolic functions as well as boost immunity – perfect for those of us who are in constant Go-Mode. And, according to the “Science” tab on their website, up to 70 trace minerals. These minerals are necessary to help enzymes do their thing, they are important in the structure and function of our bodies, and they help balance our body’s pH.

I can’t recommend this stuff enough. Super easy to pack with you, easy to mix, and it tastes SO MUCH BETTER than you would ever expect (seriously no gnarly vitamin flavor…). I’ve even been adding it to my smoothies lately for an added nutrient punch. If you’re lacking in the fruit and veggie department and need a quick and easy way to get back on track, consider picking up some Dynamic Fruits & Greens.

Response to Star Tribune: Supplements

I was surfing Twitter today and came across an article by a local newspaper. The article is called We Still Love Our Dietary Supplements Even Though They Might Not Help. I wrote the following response on my Facebook page. This doesn’t necessarily fall into the “On The Go” platform this blog is based upon, but I figured it was worth including.

____________________________________

I just saw this on Twitter (@wholeonthego) and thought I’d respond.

Supplements are just that, supplemental. They are one part of a multifaceted protection against disease. To suggest that these vitamins/minerals/what have you are our only defense is exactly what’s wrong with the reductionistic western medical approach.

We need to seriously assess and change the bad habits we have first and foremost. The article mentions heart disease. Increasing good fats (especially omega 3s), reducing the inflammation brought on by refined sugars, staying hydrated, and exercising frequently are all totally necessary steps in protecting against heart disease. To think that just taking a One-A-Day with your bowl of Fruit Loops (is that even still around) every morning will keep your heart healthy is totally misguided.

Also, I’d like to mention that not all of the supplements on the market are even in their most bioavailable form. That is to say, our bodies can absorb and utilize some forms of nutrients more efficiently than others. There are some vitamin B complexes on the shelves at Target, for example, that can actually clog up your system and lead to toxicity. Finding the most bioavailable forms of your supplements is key.

The more you know, people! We can prevent illness, and supplements are extremely helpful in that process! But they need to be implemented alongside real dietary and lifestyle change in order to be truly effective.

Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, and Cinnamon!

I had a different post scheduled for today but I stumbled across something and I just had to share it. But first, a little bit of set-up information.

Nuts and seeds can be an amazing snack filled with all sorts of beneficial vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and fiber. They’re a discreet, high-energy burst for busy days at the office and crazy easy to pack for long trips. But like anything else in our diets, proper preparation is key. Reason being, nuts and seeds (and grains and legumes) have enzyme inhibitors in the form of phytic acid.

Phytic acid has beneficial protective qualities for nuts and seeds in nature, but can wreak havoc in our digestive tracts. The phytic acid binds itself to other nutrients making them indigestible. This can cause some problems in the small intestine as well as nutrient deficiencies.

Soaking and sprouting nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes are the two most historically used methods of deactivating phytic acid. It dates all the way back to the Aztecs, soaking pumpkin seeds in a salty brine before their use.

There are small differences in the soaking process when it comes to the different varieties of nuts and seeds. But the general idea is letting them soak in warm, salty water for 7-24 hours. The Aztecs would then rinse them off and let them dry in the sun, but we can certainly use our ovens on very low heat until the nuts/seeds are fully dry. This is necessary to prevent mold.

This simple process deactivates the enzyme inhibitors, making these nutrient-packed snacks fully “bioavailable” – easy for our bodies to digest, absorb, and utilize.

____________________________________

So, as I said, I stumbled across a super easy recipe yesterday. I was getting ready to put my pumpkin and sunflower seeds in the oven to dry and I wanted to spice things up a bit. I just happened to have some ground cinnamon lying around and, as we’re heading into fall, I figured ground cinnamon would be perfect. Well…I was right. Here’s what I did:

• Put pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a big ol’ bowl and cover with warm, filtered water. Note: it’s said that it’s best to soak each type of nut/seed individually. I skipped that recommendation because I’m…well, somewhat lazy.
• Add a tablespoon of unrefined sea salt
• Let soak for roughly 12 hours.
• Place seeds in a colander and rinse with cool water.
• Place on baking sheet and drizzle with unrefined sea salt, way-more-than-drizzle with ground cinnamon.
• Place in oven at 150 degrees fahrenheit for up to 24 hours. Note: it really shouldn’t take that long for pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Keep an eye on them, take them out and feel/taste them. You’ll be able to tell when they’re dry. 
• Eat them all in one sitting because they’re far too good and you simply can’t stop. Note: as a nutritional therapist, I do not condone binge eating. It’s probably not super wise to eat several pounds of seeds in one sitting. Use your best judgement. You’re a smart cookie.

While You’re Home: Bone Broth

A big part of being healthy away from home is building health while you are AT home. This is our time to recover, recharge, and refuel and we could all be better at fully utilizing this time. In doing this, we can ensure that we have a solid foundation and healthy stores to draw on when we’re out and about. That’s what this new series is all about; easy little things we can do at home to help us rebuild after a stretch of travel, or to build us up before.

In the last post, we talked about intestinal permeability. Whether this looks like a food allergy, sensitivity, or even autoimmune dysfunction, this can really put a negative lens over an otherwise positive and fun trip. It can make long drives very uncomfortable. It can put us in a fog as we run from meeting to meeting. It’s made drumming almost impossible for me at times with joint and tendon pain. But there’s hope! We can seal up and rebuild our intestinal membranes through simple diet shifts, healing foods, and supplementation, and we can get back on with our lives, forgetting that “new normal” and feeling strong, focused, and healthy again.

One of those healing foods I mentioned is bone broth. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “that’s just another hippie food fad.” I thought the same thing when I was prescribed bone broth for the first time last year. I even allowed my roommates at the time to have 1 free hippie/foodie jab each before they had to keep quiet about it. But the truth is, there are really TONS of benefits to this nutrient-dense beverage.

Bone broths have been a staple to tons of traditional cultures for thousands of years. Those cultures, all over the world, were deeply connected with nature and knew the immense sacrifice that the slaughtered animal made for them; to waste anything would be to dishonor the animal. What’s more, in their infinite, innate wisdom, they were aware of the healing properties of this broth.

The huge plus here is that the nutrients found in the broth are easy to digest and already in a highly bioavailable form – meaning it’s super easy for our bodies to absorb those nutrients and put them to use. On the subject of small intestine permeability, bone broth is a rich source of collagen, gelatin, glycine, and glutamine; all essential for optimal gut health. As your gut heals, you’ll begin to ward off those pesky allergy symptoms while also enjoying a stronger immune system and healthier skin.

Bone broth also contains glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate which are helpful in protecting and rebuilding the health of the joints. You can also find calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur, and a bunch of other minerals essential to your bodies various functions; from maintaining bone health to aiding the flush of toxins.

So whether you’re trying to seal a leaky gut, boost your immune system, bring life back to your skin and hair, or just enjoy a warm, hearty beverage (I like to add pasture-fed butter or a raw egg yolk to mine), I hope you’ll give this miracle tonic a chance! It’s a great addition to any recharging, rebuilding routine.

____________________________________

Recipe:

• A couple pounds of bones (beef, chicken, or even fish – pasture fed and free of hormones and antibiotics)
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 yam
• 1 yellow onion
• 6-8 cloves garlic
• Filtered water
• 1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

First, you’ll want to get high quality products. You can find good bones at your local butcher shop or the frozen meat section of your local co-op. If you’re using beef bones, start out by roasting them for about 25 to 35 minutes at 350-375F. While the bones are roasting, chop all the veggies in largish, 1-inch chunks. Put everything in a stew pot, crock pot, or slow cooker and fill with just enough water to cover everything. Bring the water to a boil. Once you’ve reached boiling, reduced heat to a low simmer. After you reduce the heat, you might notice a film starting to form at the top. You can feel free to remove it. Simmer on low heat for at least 12-24 hours for chicken bones and 24-48 hours for beef bones. Keep in mind, the longer you cook the broth, the more flavorful and nutrient-rich the finished product. Once it’s complete, strain the broth into glass containers and refrigerate or freeze until use. The broth keeps for 5-7 days in the refrigerator.

Fundamental #1: Digestion pt. 4 – The Small Intestine

We’re nearing the end of the series on digestion but we haven’t even gotten to the place where 90% of digestion actually happens! With only 10% happening in the mouth, stomach, and large intestine, all 22 feet of the small intestine is needed for the majority of the digestion and absorption of our food.

The first segment of the small intestine is called the duodenum. This is sort of a holding tank, in a way. This is where the hopefully super acidic glob of food comes after it’s released from the stomach. That acid, however, would burn itself right through the intestinal lining so a substance called bicarbonate is summoned from the pancreas. This bicarbonate raises the pH of the food blob closer to “neutral”. The pancreas also spills out a bunch of enzymes to come and keep breaking down the chemical content of the food. Lastly, our gallbladders secrete bile to break down fats. By the time the blob (it’s called chyme, by the way) is ready to travel into the next section of the small intestine, the carbohydrates have been broken into their smallest part, glucose molecules, the proteins have been broken into amino acids, and the fats fatty acids.

This breakdown of nutrients doesn’t mean anything if we can’t absorb them. That happens in the next section, the jejunum. The jejunum is lined with millions of little finger-like protrusions called villi; each villus (I had to look that up…) lined with a ton o microvilli. These little guys grab onto the small molecules as they pass by. Eventually the nutrients pass through the membrane of the small intestine, into the bloodstream or lymphatic system, and to the liver for processing/storage or to certain cells for immediate use.

Everything I just described only occurs in an ideal digestive situation: you relaxed and got your body ready for food, you chewed thoroughly, and you had plenty of stomach acid. As we know, that’s not always the case and sometimes we can actually injure our small intestines.

Occasionally some of the systems on the front half of the digestive tract fail and leave large chunks of food to pass through the intestines. I look at these chunks like huge boulders flying down a mountain, taking out all the plants and trees in its path; the pieces of undigested food starts to wear down the villi. Eventually that food starts to grind across the mucosal membrane of the small intestine and can even break through completely. This is known as leaky gut. There’s no longer any barrier between the “food-tube” running from your top to you bottom and your insides. Food, toxins, bacteria, viruses, parasites, everything that was once contained and dealt with or eliminated ban now freely pass into your body.

This puts a huge strain on your immune system which sees the intruders and mounts a defense against them. Some of those intruders, remember, are actually pieces of food! This is where food allergies and sensitivities come from. Your immune system doesn’t know how to distinguish between a piece of turkey and pathogenic bacteria. It just attacks foreign invaders. Sometimes the proteins we eat resemble proteins that make up certain organs in our bodies. This confuses our immune system, causing it to attack those organs, leading to autoimmune disorders. Food that was once supposed to be nourishing is now a full-fledged assault on the body.

Symptoms of leaky gut and food allergies include: Abdominal pain/cramping, nausea, gas, diarrhea, headaches, fogginess, hives, rash, itching, sinus congestion, sneezing, phlegm, shortness of breath, racing heart rate, fever, swelling, irritability, depression, and joint pain. These, and many more possible symptoms, can occur shortly after eating or even 12 hours after eating.

Luckily, it’s relatively easy to rebuild the intestines. First and foremost, target and avoid your allergens (see list at the bottom of the post). Removing them from the diet is essential for healing. Start incorporating healing foods to your diet. These include bone broth (rich in glycine, gelatin, collagen, and glutamine which are essential for repair), aloe vera juice, sauerkraut juice, and healthy fats including lots of omega-3s. Nutrient supplementation is also available.

Most importantly, supporting your digestion by following all the steps we’ve talked about in previous posts is ESSENTIAL for healing the intestines and preventing this injury from happening in the first place.

I know a lot of the previously mentioned symptoms VERY well. It can make a fun tour, gig, job, whatever, extremely unpleasant. If you’ve been experiencing any of those symptoms, please don’t just write them off as “feeling weird” or “indigestion, it’ll pass.” Listen to what your body is telling you, respond by changing some habits, and feel GREAT.

____________________________________

Common allergens: wheat, corn, milk, soy, legumes and peanuts, nuts and seeds, eggs (particularly egg whites), fish.

Common sensitivities: addictive foods, sugar, food chemicals, environmental factors.