Tag Archives: Nutrition

Gut and Child Development

28 Jan

Notes from Gut and Psychology Syndrome

by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride

IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT

All babies are born with an immature immune system. If the establishment of a balanced gut does not take place around the first 20 days of life, then the baby is left immune-compromised.

Many children with ADD, ADHD, Autism, etc. have signs of an imbalanced gut, like gluteomorphons and casomorphins in urine, candida and other opportunistic bacteria in stools.

Many studies have been found that link ADD/ADHD, etc to the MMR vaccine (measles).  Many children are exposed to antibiotics through the breast milk of the mother which can cause repeated ear infections, chest infections, impetigo and mastis in the breastfeeding mother.

The main reason for infantile colic is a dairy allergy fed to the infant through the mother’s consumption of dairy.

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Top 10 Immunity Boosters & Inhibitors

27 Jan

Notes from Gut and Psychology Syndrome

by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride

TOP 10 INFLUENCES WHICH BOOST IMMUNITY

  1. Fresh animal fats (from meats and dairy) and cholesterol-rich foods (particularly raw egg yolk)
  2. Cold-pressed oils: olive oil, fish oil, nut and seed oils
  3. Onion and garlic
  4. Freshly pressed vegetable and fruit juices
  5. Regular consumption of greens: parsely, dill, coriander, spring onion, garlic, etc.
  6. Probiotic supplementation and fermented foods.
  7. Contact with animals: horses, dogs, etc.
  8. Swimming in unpolluted, natural waters
  9. Physical activity in the fresh air
  10. Exposure to sunlight and sensible sunbathing

TOP 10 INFLUENCES WHICH DAMAGES IMMUNITY

  1. Sugar and everything containing it
  2. Processed carbohydrates
  3. Chemically altered and artificial fats
  4. Lack of high quality protein in the diet from meats and fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts and seeds
  5. Exposure to man-made chemicals
  6. Exposure to man-made radiation (computers, phones, etc)
  7. Drugs (antibiotics, etc.)
  8. Lack of fresh air and activity
  9. Lack of exposure to sunlight
  10. Lack of exposure to common microbes in the environment

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Recommended Diet for People with an Imbalanced Gut

26 Jan

Notes from Gut and Psychology Syndrome

by Natasha Campbell-Mcbride

DAILY DIET

The book recommends 3 stages of diet for people with an imbalanced gut:

  1. The Introduction Diet
  2. The Full GAPS Diet
  3. Coming off the GAPS Diet

I will focus mainly on the Full GAPS diet because it is of most interest to me.  There is much more in the book about the Introduction Diet, coming off the Full GAPS diet, etc. Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride recommends staying on the Full GAPS diet for 2 years for GAPS patients.   Throughout the diet, the book recommends that you take a sensitivity test to test foods that you think may be problematic (or that you are re-introducing into your diet).  To perform the sensitivity test, take a drop of the substance and place on the inside of the wrist at bedtime. Let dry, and check in the morning for any irritation.

Start the day

Start the day with 1 cup of room temp/warm mineral or filtered water with a slice of lemon or apple cider vinegar or fresh pressed juice. Then have a probiotic.

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Eggs for breakfast should have uncooked yolks and cooked whites, and should be served with cooked and fresh veggies, meats and perhaps an avocado. Include plenty of cold-pressed olive oil and pre-soaked seeds. Avocado with meat/fish, lemon, cold pressed olive oil. Soups with homemade meat stocks and some sour cream. Drinking homemade meat stock is also an option as well as nut pancakes.  With lunch, include some probiotic foods.

Right Before, Right After or Between Meals

Meat stocks are great to drink with and between meals, and so can ginger, mint or camomile tea.  Sauerkraut, or is juice is great 10-15m before a meal, and some kefir, yoghurt or sour cream is great before dinner or right before bed.  Fruit should only be be eaten between meals.  Before bed, homemade yoghurt, kefir or sour cream is good.

Getting better and symptoms

When you introduce a probiotic to the system, it kills pathogens, which releases toxins. This may make symptoms get worse, including becoming more tired and developing a skin rash. Take them after food, to protect them from stomach acids.

To stimulate the body to produce its own stomach acids, one should have a few spoonfuls of cabbage juice or salad or sauerkraut.

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An Imbalanced Gut: What, Why, How & How to Cure

25 Jan

Notes from Gut and Psychology Syndrome

by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride

BACTERIA & YOUR GUT

There is a natural balance amongst the 3 types of bacteria in the gut:

  1. Essential bacteria
  2. Opportunistic bacteria
  3. Transitional flora.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A GUT IS IMBALANCED?

When the gut becomes imbalanced, opportunistic flora take over, and:

  • produce toxic byproducts of their metabolism
  • damage gut wall, making it leaky
  • cause an overproduction if histamines

If beneficial bacterial are damaged and depleting, the walls of the gut are malnourished and compromised and become subject to candida and other opportunistic bacteria.

The absence of good bacteria always coincides with bad bacteria getting out of control and the inability for the digestive system to function properly.  Wheat (gluten) & milk (casein) are good examples. First, in the stomach, they get hit with digestive juices and get split into peptides. Then, peptides move to the small intestine and are hit with pancreatic juices and are broken down by enzymes (called peptidases) by the microvilli of enterocytes. This last stage is missing in people with abnormal gut flora because their enterocytes are distressed. A poor state of enterocytes means the system won’t work. Casomorphines & gluteomorphines slip through the enterocytes and get absorbed into the bloodstream and cause issues with brain function and immune system function.  The poor state of enterocytes also means good minerals, vitamins, waters and gases do not get absorbed.

Most people with abnormal gut flora have various stages of anemia and become predisposed to atopic or allergic reactions, chronic inflammation autoimmunity, chronic viral infection, chronic fatigue, candidiasis, asthma, eczema, ADD, autism, etc.

Abnormal Villi

WHAT CAUSES AN IMBALANCED GUT?

  1. Antibiotics: They eliminate good bacteria (hence being crucial times for probiotics).  Most antibiotics require 2-4 weeks for the beneficial gut flora to recover.
  2. Antifungal Antibiotics
  3. The pill
  4. Painkillers
  5. Steroids
  6. Diet (fiber, sugar and carbohydrates)
  7. Fasting
  8. Stress

HOW IS AN IMBALANCED GUT RELATED TO THE BRAIN

  • Candida highjacks dietary sugars and beaks them down through a process of alcoholic fermentation producing the byproducts of alcohol (ethanol) and acetaldehyde.   An overgrowth of yeast causes symptoms of alcohol consumption, and in the case of pregnancy, can effect the child’s development.  Alcohol and acetaldehyde also bind to proteins and block absorption of essential nutrients like Vitamin B6 an thyroid hormones.
  • Gluten & Milk produce gluteomorphins and casomorphins which are similar in their structure to opiates, such as morphine and heroin.  When not processed correctly by the digestive system, they can leak into the bloodstream.

TREATING AN IMBALANCED GUT WITH DIET

WHAT TO EAT AND HOW

People with an imbalanced gut should avoid:

  1. All processed foods
  2. All grains and anything made out of them (including quinoa and millet)
  3. All strachy vegetables and anything made out of them (including yams)
  4. Sugar and anything that contains it
  5. Starchy beans and peas
  6. Lactose and anything that contains it (real allergy to milk is one of the most common allergies in existence, because dairy products have a wide variety of anitgens and is a main reason for infantile colic).
    1. For gut-imbalanced patients, home-fermented dairy products are recommended (yoghurt, sour cream & kefir).
    2. Introduce dairy slowly and start with Ghee (homemade), then butter, then fermented dairy. (Ghee has no lactose and most imbalanced gut patients can handle it).

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Nutritional Value of Foods

24 Jan

Notes from Gut and Psychology Syndrome

by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride

Meats and poultry are rick in Vitamin B1 (pork), B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, and K2 (organ meats). They should be eaten in combination with vegetables (not grains or fruit) for balanced stomach acidity.

Meat, bone and fish stock is a great nutritional and digestive remedy.  They provide building blocks for the rapidly growing cells if the gut lining and they have a soothing effect on area of inflammation in the gut, and have been used for centuries. The book mandates that the broth be homemade and that you use the joint, giblets, and cut the bone to access marrow.  It should last for 7 days in fridge.

Fish are rich in Vitamin A, B12, B6, B2, and D (fish oils especially).

Liver: great and essential for anemia.  Rich in Vitamin A, B1, B5, D, Biotin, Folic Acid. An absolute for an anemic person.

Eggs are one of the nourishing and easy to digest foods on the planet.  The yolk is absorbed almost 100% without digestion. Eggs help the liver and nervous system function because of cholin – an amino acid. Egg allergies are usually attributed to the whites. Eggs are rich in Vitamin A (yolks), B1, B2, B6, B12, D, Biotin (yolks), essential fatty acids, zinc, and magnesium.

Probiotic foods like homemade sauerkraut and fermented vegetables are essential.   When you introduce a probiotic to the system, it kills pathogens (which releases toxins and can cause a temporary increase of the symptoms).

Vegetables:

  • Leafy veggies are rich in folic acid.
  • Non-starch fresh vegetables include: french artichoke, beets, asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, celery, green beans, marrow, zuchinni, eggplant, garlic, onions, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, parsley, green peas, peppers of all colors, pumpkin, squash, spinach, tomatoes, turnips, and watercress.

Fruit: Apart from avocado, fruit interferes with digestion of meats and should be eaten only between meals.  Only lemon, avocado and sour varieties of apples can be combined with meats.  The book notes that imbalanced gut patients should avoid fruit if they are experiencing diarrhea.

Milk: Milk is rich in Vitamin A (butter), B2, B12, K2 (butter, cream, fat cheese).  However, as noted above, an allergy to milk is one of the most common allergies in existence, and is a main reason for infantile colic. In ranking, people should drink milk in the following order: Raw milk is better than pasteurized milk; organic milks is better than non-organic milk; goat milk is better than cow milk.

Nuts and seeds should not be roasted, salted or processed in any way.  They are rich in vital minerals, amino acids, magnesium, selenium, zinc, omega 6 and omega 3.  If there is trouble digesting nuts, one should soak shelled nuts in salty water for 24 hours

The safest Beans and legumes are dried white (navy), haricot, Lima, string, lentils and split peas; the rest are too starchy.  Soak beans for at least 12 hours, then drain and rinse to remove lectins and starches.

Sugars should be avoided. All natural, cold expressed honey is okay.  Try to eliminate even this to get rid of candida.  When one has candida overgrowth, they should avoid honey and all sweet things, even though the body will crave sweet starchy things, particularly when there is an overgrowth.

Drinks should be limited to water, freshly pressed juices and meat/fish stock (homemade).  Weak tea or coffee is also allowed, as well as homemade almond milk and coconut milk.   A slice of lemon or tablespoon of apple cider vinegar is beneficial in water or tea.  Drinking water at meals is not advisable because it may interfere with digestion.  Stock is a preferred drink with meals.   Fresh pressed juices help speed up the detoxification process.  Alcohol should be avoided, but occasional dry wine, gin, Scotch, whiskey, bourbon and vodka are permissible (not beer).

Ginger is a good digestive aid.

Fats: Animal fats are the best fats to cook with because they do not change in their chemical structure when heated. Cooking should be done with Ghee, butter, or animal fats. Natural, non-hydrogenated coconut oil can be used for cooking and baking as well. Avoid all oils apart from virgin, cold pressed olive oil and other cold pressed oils (but still, don’t cook with these oils because the heat destroys a lot of nutrients and changes unsaturated fats into trans fats).

Salt, table salt that is, should be avoided.  Eating a good salt is essential.

 

Omega 3’s and 6’s
3’s: Needed for brain, nerve, visual, adrenal and sex glands.

6’s: needed for brain, immune system, hormone metabolism, inflammation, blood clotting.

Both need to be accompanied with vitamin C, B3, B6, magnesium, zinc, C and some enzymes.

Omega 3 sources: flaxseed oil, hemp oil, chia. Cold water fish help absorb including cod liver oil.

Omega 6 sources: primrose oil, borage oil, blackcurrant seed oil, safflower, sunflower, walnut, hemp oil, nuts.

A 2:1, Omega 3’s to 6’s is preferred.

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