How to Optimize Gut Health

 If your life is constantly go go go, your food will always be grab grab grab.

In 2007, I went to my doctor because I was having chest pains, and I had an EKG that afternoon in the office.

Cardiovascularly speaking, I was normal.

“You have to deal with your stress,” my doctor told me. “And stop eating in your car.”

With that, he sent me on my way.

It would be many more years before I registered the second statement. That tends to be how I learn. I can hear something and ruminate on it for years before I integrate it, and this was one of those times.

Years later when I became a nutritionist, I began to see a pattern: while all my clients wanted to know what to eat, they actually really needed more help with when and how to eat.

Yes, it matters what a person eats, but that is just one leg of a three-legged stool. Of course, when to eat is another leg of that same stool.

Today, I want to talk about the third leg of that stool which is how to eat, and I believe that as it relates to gut health, this leg of the stool is the first priority.

I now say this to clients all the time: You are not fast, cheap and empty, nor should your food be, but that’s a far cry from how I lived back in 2007.

Be a rebel, go slowly at breakfast.

I was always eating on the run.

I would eat in my car or at my kitchen counter. I would eat quickly at my desk or shovel food into my mouth at dinner after a long day of not taking time to eat. I would have difficult conversations with my spouse at the dinner table, as that was often the only time we got to connect.

Looking back it is hard to believe that in 2007 I didn’t have children yet. This is to say that once I became a mother in 2008, my eating-on-the-run patterns got far worse before they got better.

I was always worried and hurried, and with my constant rushing, my sympathetic nervous system was switched on, and over time it became harder and harder for me to switch it off.

The sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our flight-or-flight response, stands in direct contrast to our parasympathetic nervous system, which is is responsible for our “rest-and-digest” mode, and it is the gear we were designed to downshift into, especially while eating.

The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems can not both be on at the same time, so when we are constantly rushing around digestion can’t happen. This is one reason why irritable bowel syndrome is exacerbated by stress, as constipation and/or diarrhea are often a response to a dysfunction in the nervous system.

For our GI tracts to work optimally, it’s important that GI tissues (which I think of as the soil of the garden) are healthy and free of irritation, and not only are constipation and diarrhea a result of irritation, they also cause it.

The vast majority of the ~ 40 trillion bacteria in our body actually resides in our intestines. We’ve got thousands of different species of bacteria living in our digestive tract, and each species plays a specific niche role. Although a small percent of these can cause illness, most of these gut bacteria keep us healthy, aid digestion, help regulate our body rhythms, and even improve our mood. The gut bacteria ecosystem is truly unique to each person, as much as our DNA is.  No two people have the same species or assortment of bacteria. This gut bacteria ecosystem is often referred to as our gut microbiota, gut flora, or microbiome.

Given the critical roles our gut microbiota play, it’s important to treat them well. Different types of bacteria need to remain in relative balance, where the “good” bugs balance the “bad” bugs.  The “good” bugs need to be kept well fed to ensure good gut function. This is how our health remains in a positive state.  It is also how we can reverse diseases and restore our health.  

Here are some easy ways to optimize our gut flora and parasympathetic nervous system and support optimal health:

#1. Eat a Wide Variety of Fresh Plant-Based Whole Foods

By consuming lots of different fresh foods rich in a wide range of nutrients, we are adequately nourishing our gut flora and helping it be diverse. The greater the diversity and number of gut bacteria species, the more significant their contribution is to our overall health.

A typical Western diet does a poor job of feeding a diverse gut microbiota. The standard American cuisine (SAD) tends to be excessively high in saturated fat, salt, sugar, and toxins.  There is a limited variety of fresh plant-based food. Instead, the SAD diet is rich in all types of animal proteins, including chicken, beef, fish, eggs, and milk, that overfeed bad bacteria and eventually cause disease. Many complimentary side dishes include highly processed vegetables and grains, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, wheat, and rice provide a limited number of nutrients. When we overcompensate by eating a ton of fruit, we drive up our blood sugar level and continue to overfeed bad bacteria.  In the end, the SAD diet lacks enough variety of nutrients to cultivate a healthy gut flora and keep us thrive. 

Studies have found materially higher levels of diversity in gut microbiota in rural regions of Africa and South America.  In these areas residents eat more fresh, locally-grown legumes and whole grains. They rarely eat processed foods, animal products and refined sugars.  Their diets lead to greater diversity of gut flora and, hence, healthier lives. 

#2. Enjoy Fermented Foods and Probiotics

Our gut microbiota appreciates probiotics found in fermented foods such as cooked beans, kimchi, and sauerkraut. Yogurt and kombucha, which are not handmade, tend to have low levels of live bacteria (probiotics) and high sugar content. This often overfeeds the “bad” bugs and hurts the gut flora.  

Fermented foods contain the bacterium, Lactobacillus, which thrives in the digestive tract.  At sufficient levels, lactobacillus will limit the growth of other less friendly species like Enterobacteriaceae that are associated with chronic digestive issues and inflammation. 

Probiotics and fermented foods support the gut microbiota and help strengthen our immune system and overall health.

#3. Limit Sugars

As we eat certain foods, we encourage the growth of specific gut bacteria which feed upon them. Sugar, artificial sweeteners, bread, alcohol, animal products, processed food, and excessive natural sugars (such as in fruit, tomatoes, honey, agave, and maple syrup) overfeed our “bad” bacteria. Enterobacteriaceae and Clostridium are examples of bacterium species which overgrow when fed sugar. This immediately damages the gut lining and leads to poor digestive health.  Additionally, indulging in high levels of sugar, in any form, on a regular basis starves the beneficial bacteria and instead, triggers the overfeed of microscopic cancer cells.  

Refined sugars have become ubiquitous in foods in many modern Western countries. They’ve become difficult to avoid completely. Processed foods, condiments, dressings, breads, grain-based products, dry spice blends, corn starch, and most drinks besides plain water have high levels of sugar. Minimizing these would help improve our gut health. We can instead make our own alternatives from scratch. Condiments and most salad dressings are often easy and quick to replicate. Whole ancient grains such as oats, millet, amaranth, and quinoa are great alternatives to bread or white rice. We can taste the amazing difference gained from eating fresh, non-processed foods and mixing in quality spices compared to pre-packaged items. The improvement in food quality and our gut microbiome will compel us to never go back to old eating habits. And we haven’t even talked about how much improvement we will feel in our overall health. 

#4. Get Enough Fiber

Fresh green vegetables, ancient whole grains, and legumes which are not refined or turned into flours, are high in fiber, protein, complex carbohydrates, and vitamins. These plant foods’ sugars are the ideal way to nourish the “good” bacteria in the large intestine, such as Lactobacilli, Bacteroidetes, and Bifidobacteria. 

As a side benefit, foods rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates are great for our digestive health. They help balance blood sugar, keep us feeling satiated and decrease the risk of disease.

#5. Eat Plant-Based Foods

A whole-food, plant-based diet is rich in polyphenols. Polyphenols are plant compounds that cannot be easily digested or metabolized. Most polyphenols make their way to the large intestine where they are absorbed by the gut flora and boost the “good” bacteria considerably. Foods that are particularly high in polyphenols include leafy green vegetables, broccoli, lentils, leeks, spring onions and berries.  A plant-based diet where meat is an indulgence rather than a staple, quickly and materially improves gut flora diversity and health, which in turn improves overall health.

We can maintain our gut flora balance by regularly consuming polyphenols.  Doing so keeps inflammation, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure in check.

#6. Sit while you eat and Take your time to enjoy the eating. 

Avoid driving while eating, as driving can be stressful. Try not to eat at your kitchen counter. As much as you can, sit with intention for your meals.

Eat slowly. Our bodies need time to move from one mode to another. If we rush eating, our bodies can sense this as running from a tiger and the shift might not happen. Breathe deeply before eating, and go slowly.

Take your time cooking. 

Build appetite during the day, but don’t get to starvation mode. It is easy for me to tell you to cook slowly and savor the eating process, but this assumes that you are not depleted and your blood sugar is not plummeting. Take a little time in the beginning of the day to make space for eating so that the gas tank doesn’t get to empty at the wrong time.

Pay special attention to your first meal of the day. At breaking a fast it is especially important to eat slowly, and this flies in the face of what American breakfast has become about with cold cereal, Poptarts and grab-and-go bars becoming the norm. Be a rebel, go slowly at breakfast.

And, last, keep mealtime conversations light. Avoid having tough conversations like those about bad grades, marital disagreements or heated politics at the table. Meal time is a time for neutrality and lightness so that we can all rest-and-digest without feeling the fear and angst of tough topics. As a note, if you are a parent, avoid chatter around how much or how little your child is eating, as this can be stressful for everyone as well.

If your life is constantly go go go, your food will always be grab grab grab. I didn’t come up with that concept, but I couldn’t agree more. In the end, how we eat is a reflection of how we live. This is just one more reason for us to downshift and simplify life. Our gut health depends on it. 

Dr. Bhandari Is Available to Support Your Gut Health and Microbiome!

Integrative, functional medicine physician Dr. Payal Bhandari M.D. believes in the Hippocratic philosophy that “food is medicine”.  Making the right positive changes to one’s diet can quickly promote a healthy gut microbiota and address chronic health issues ranging from obesity, inflammation, lethargy, digestive issues, sleep disturbances, mood swings, long haul COVID, to cancer. 

If you are facing any other health issues – work with Dr. Payal Bhandari M.D. She specializes in the microbiome, digestive, endocrine, and immune systems, and environmental toxicology. By coming the best in Eastern and Western Medicine she uncovers the root causes of diseases on a cellular level. With her exceptional guidance, you are guaranteed dramatic improvements in optimization of your health. Book a consultation today!