Dr. Axe has great diagrams on leaky gut and it’s cycle: https://draxe.com/4-steps-to-heal-leaky-gut-and-autoimmune-disease/

At Nutrition Advancement we heal leaky gut through thoroughly addressing food sensitivities, balancing the microflora and correcting malabsorption issues. All vitally important for gut and immune system.

 

 

 

 

Genetically modified foods refers only to the seed of the plant. The reason GMOs are used is to produce stronger plants that can withstand higher doses of herbicides and insecticides therefore producing a higher crop yield. Foods do not have to be labeled if they contain GMO seeds. A USDA organic seal on a food means that it does not contain a GMO seed. You will also find foods labeled as Non-GMO. This means the food does not have a GMO seed but does not mean anything about how the plant is cultivated (whether or not it is sprayed with herbicides and insecticides.)

The most common GMOs in our food supply are: corn, soy, canola, cottonseed oil, sugar cane, sugar beet and golden rice. If it is a USDA organic popcorn then it is not GMO. So why all the concern over GMOs? GMOs are commonly called pesticide plants because of the high herbicide and insecticide levels it can endure.

The most common herbicide is glyphosate or commonly known as roundup. Insecticides are also used on GMO plants. Herbicide and insecticide residues together during long-term cumulative exposure or during sensitive periods of life such as pregnancy, infancy, childhood and compromised health status has possible health effects. The herbicides are associated with possible hormonal, sexual and reproductive effects disorders. The combination of herbicide and insecticide residues together are associated with carcinogenesis, immune, nervous, genetic and metabolic defects.

As you can tell from the list sugar unless it is an organic sugar is all genetically modified. In a study as back as 3 years ago looked at the effects of ingesting GMOs and found that the stomach lining was inflamed after eating the GMO food.

You might be asking yourself, what’s golden rice? Golden rice has only been on the market a couple years and is modified to include beta-carotene (vitamin A), which gives it the golden color. It was developed for countries were beta-carotene is deficient in the food supply. Vitamin A deficiency is the most significant cause of blindness in the developing world with 250 million children at risk.  Vitamin A deficiency is more common in developing countries, where it’s major source of blindness is among children.  Vitamin A deficiency also leads to different birth defects and causes changes in the skin to produce follicular hyperkeratosis that produces ‘goose flesh’ or “toad skin” and the skin becomes dry, scaly and rough. This increases bacterial, virul and parasitic infections from open skin wounds. of course hitting children the hardest. Prior to golden rice single high doses of vitamin A have reduced child mortality by 35% to 70 %. This approach is very costly and therefore increasing vitamin A in the local food supply as a more sustainable approach to deficiency was sought.

In the previous two posts we listed common foods associated with inflammation. We conclude our list with gluten and casein. Gluten is the protein in certain grains (wheat, barley, kamut, spelt and rye). Gluten is also used as a food additive and can be in other foods due to processing. Gluten inherently contains a protein called zonulin which can cause the gut to become more porous contributing to leaky gut. Whether it is the specific protein of gluten or the wheat itself is difficult to say. Wheat is the most commonly consumed grain containing gluten. Wheat itself is not a genetically modified food however it has been changed through the years to increase the content of zonulin. Some folks with inflammatory issues may be able to tolerate a organic whole wheat or organic sprouted whole wheat in moderation and occasionally.

Casein is last on the list for common inflammatory foods. Casein is the protein in milk and is in dairy products. The immune system reacts with proteins, not fats or carbohydrates. The casein protein resides in the fat portion of the milk. Whey is the protein in the liquid portion of milk. Dairy has changed throughout the years as farming and agriculture have changed to increase production to meet demands. Added hormones, living conditions and feeding the animals GMO corn maybe a contributory factor as to why casein can be inflammatory.

If you feel you are dealing with inflammatory issues it’s best to cut through the “trial and error” way of trying to manage symptoms and get down to the nitty gritty of what foods are causing you your symptoms. It could be chronic pain, sinusitis, migraines, headaches, anxiety, depression, diarrhea, constipation or cramping. Let us help you make it quick and easy to find your trigger foods and put you on a path to significantly decrease inflammation, heal your gut and add back your trigger foods with no symptoms. Quality of life is so important. Enjoy your life better by addressing your health at the root cause. Give us a call today! 317-292-2354

We’re continuing here on the most common general foods that cause inflammation.

Omega 6s- Omega 6s are similar to omega 3 fats however they can increase or cause inflammation. All oils contain a mixture of fats. The healthier oils have a higher level of those healthier fats – most notably monounsaturated fats and omega 3 fats. For example olive oil has a high amount of monounsaturated fats but it also includes other fats. Flax oil is high in omega 3 fats. Oils high in omega 6s are canola, margarine made with soybean oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, mayonnaise made with soybean oil and walnut oil. Keep added oils in your diet low to decrease your consumption of omega 6s and get your fats from the whole food such as walnuts. Here are a couple links on how to decrease your consumption of oil and therefore omega 6s.

How to Cook Without Oil (and Never EVER Miss It!)

 

Food Chemicals: MSG and Aspartame or NutraSweet – According to recent research on the gut microbiota (the bacteria in our gut) and inflammation MSG and aspartame are on the list for inflammatory food. Both are flavor enhancers designed to fool our body into a tastier food but can ill effects in the body. Avoid MSG and aspartame by eating whole foods and reading each ingredient label on packaged food. If you’re not sure what an ingredient is leave it on the shelf. MSG only has be labeled as Monosodium Glutamate, if it’s in another form it may not be listed at all. Aspartame will typically be NutraSweet with the logo on the label or ingredient list. Aspartame is a sugar substitute so beware of any diet food products. The only way to strictly avoid it is to make sure you know what your eating. Here are a couple resources on MSG and Aspartame

Check back! More still to come.