Dieting—it sucks, right? What's even the point of dieting? To lose weight? Wrong. It should be to facilitate a healthy digestive tract; with a healthy digestive tract, one will begin to see enormous health benefits, including weight loss. Now the question becomes how does one create and nourish a healthy digestive tract?
First things first, everyone needs to watch this video created by Dr. Cary Nelson, M.D. However, since I know most of you are too busy (or claim to be), I'll share the key points with you. We must eliminate (or limit) the four "digestive destroyers," says Dr. Nelson.
1. Azodicarbonamide
Dr. Nelson states that azodicarbonamide is used by some American food manufacturers as a whitening agent in flour; however, it is also used as a foaming agent in plastics—so it's terrible for your digestive tract and overall health. Moreover, the use is banned in Europe and Australia. In Singapore, if food distributors are caught using the ingredient in their foods, a $450,000 fine can be issued and distributors can face up to 15 years in prison. So why is the use still legal in America? Perhaps because big business is behind it and they can't afford to eliminate the use of the product—I say fu*k that. In case you're wondering, here's a list of fast-food restaurants who use azodicarbonamide in their bread: McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's, Jack in the Box, and Chick-fil-A.
2. Artificial sweeteners
Dr. Nelson explains that artificial sweeteners and sugars are directly linked to obesity—and the worst offender of all is any sort of diet soda. Our digestive tract is home to 25 trillion bacteria: some good and some bad. The ideal balance is to have 80 percent good bacteria and 20 percent bad bacteria; having any more than 20 percent bad bacteria is where the problems begin. How does this happen? Well, artificial sweeteners are like "rocket fuel" for the bad bacteria. Even worse, sugar is eight times more addictive that cocaine. Thus, it is easy and very common for the bad bacteria, gut yeast, to begin to take over. Gut yeast in your digestive tract equals suffering of overall bodily health because the yeast can spread throughout your entire body, clog your organs, and cause them to malfunction—this is called "leaky gut." Red flags should be going up, because "all health begins with the gut," according to Hippocrates.
3. Coffee
This was the hardest one for me to learn about—I start every day with a big cup of coffee and can't imagine a world without caffeine. Dr. Nelson says that coffee can cause inflammation, heartburn, and dehydration—none of which are good for your health. However, he says the biggest problem with coffee is the additives, like sugar and cream. The American Heart Association advises people to consume 5-8 grams of sugar per day, but the average American consumes up to 41 grams of sugar per day, which definitely contributes to the buildup of yeast in your digestive tract. Our gut is home to 60 percent of the cells in our body, so it's no wonder that what we consume has such a grand effect on how our body responds and functions. Dr. Nelson says that once the bad bacteria/gut yeast is balanced, then our body will be able to get sufficient amounts of energy from the foods we consume and we will no longer need caffeine. Also, the production of serotonin can slow with yeast in your digestive tract, so once the yeast is gone, you and your body will be much happier.
4. Alcohol
The solution = probiotics! However, Dr. Nelson cautioned listeners on which type of probiotics to buy. Since probiotics have become popular, big businesses have begun producing capsules for people to take. He warns listeners, though, that many of these capsules produced by big businesses are not effective—are you surprised? I'm not. Anyways, he shares three key criteria for find the right probiotic: it must be able to make it past stomach acids and bile, it must contain a large quantity of beneficial bacteria (15 billion CFU's a day is recommended), and it must contain a combination of at least seven unique strains. He also teamed up with researchers and other doctors to create the most efficient probiotic pill in the world: Perfect Biotics. I am going to begin taking one a day and I will post about my results in a month or so.
All in all, digestive health is key. You don't need to completely cut out all four of these categories, just know that moderation and probiotics are key!
