Does anyone drink kombucha? Shit is delicious.
[quote]jppage wrote:
[quote]SLAINGE wrote:
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
[quote]SLAINGE wrote:
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I just added kefir and kimchi to my nutrition, I am curious to see what (if any) changes I might see.[/quote]
I been eating fermented carrots and ginger for 3 days now and have noticed a difference. Considering I am not getting any sleep (baby number 3) I am really impressed so far. Got myself some bitters today and will be adding them in also. [/quote]
I slept better, noticeably better. I also woke up with more energy and more amped for my morning workout. I also like the taste of kimchi as well, so this is pure win if it sticks. [/quote]
It’s been over 2 weeks now using bitters and fermented veggies and I have to say my digestion has improved tremendously! Basically I have gone from loose stools to sold logs - sorry for the ‘shit’ images!
I would simply eat a tablespoon of fermented veggies with big meals or add them to salads or on sarnies. I would also take the bitters before big meals. I was never very strict with this but I would do it at least once a day. I can only imagine how things may improve once I start making cabbage kraut using garlic, onions, turmeric etc.
Btw I don’t eat wheat and avoid gluten containing foods. I still have room for improvement but I am very happy with the results so far esp. considering I didn’t purchase any digestive enzymes, glutamine, probiotics etc.[/quote]
Slainge I have been having raw ginger,Kimchi and Kraut before all meals for about a month or so and I’ve had the same good results as yourself.The only thing I haven’t tried but have Is the bitters.How are they working out for ya and I can’t remember what they were supposed to do actually.[/quote]
My understanding of how bitters work is that they promote secretions from liver, pancreas, and small intestine preping your digestive system for the meal to come or enhancing digestion after the meal has been consumed depending on when you take them. When I take them I let them sit in my mouth causing me to salivate, which is the kick start to digestion. I imagine once they hit the stomach etc they have them same effect causing digestive organs to release gastric juices and enzymes, kind of like when you put lemon juice on your tounge and your whole mouth immediately fills with spit. Considering most of us wolf down our food taking bitters can only be a god thing.
The ingredients differ from product to product but they are usually a hit list of beneificial herbs and extracts that you know will do you good, like dandelion, tumeric, ginger, fennel, gentian etc
Does anyone here go for walks after they eat? Apparently it can help digestion.
[quote]rrjc5488 wrote:
Does anyone here go for walks after they eat? Apparently it can help digestion.[/quote]
I can’t imagine why. My understanding is that your blood supply goes to help digestion, which means it’s not as available for your legs.
I know walking usually requires little effort, but it’s the same argument adults tell kids to not go swimming soon after they eat. Today, we can go swimming after we eat, just hold onto the chick with fake tits to remain afloat.
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
[quote]rrjc5488 wrote:
Does anyone here go for walks after they eat? Apparently it can help digestion.[/quote]
I can’t imagine why. My understanding is that your blood supply goes to help digestion, which means it’s not as available for your legs.
[/quote]
This was my exact thought, after a comment MODOK made about digestion in one of his other threads. I’m pretty sure it’s a large percent of our blood supply that is used for digestion of meals, like you said. But…
"
Really? The Claim: Taking a Walk After a Meal Aids Digestion
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
THE FACTS
For many people, the food-induced stupor that often follows a big meal is a good excuse for a nap. But for some, a brief walk shortly after eating is a quick way to burn some calories and aid digestion.
Over the years, researchers have found that a post-meal walk, as short as 15 minutes, can in fact help with digestion and improve blood sugar levels. In one study in 2008, German researchers looked at what happened when people ate a large meal and then consumed either an espresso or an alcoholic digestif â?? like brandy or flavored liqueur â?? or walked at a slow pace on a treadmill. Walking, they found, sped the rate at which food moved through the stomach. The beverages had no effect.
In other studies, researchers have found that walking has a significant effect on blood sugar after meals. Blood sugar typically rises and then falls after eating, but large spikes and variations can raise cardiovascular risk and potentially signal diabetes.
In a study published in 2009, researchers found that a 20-minute walk about 15 minutes after dinner led to lower post-meal blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes than either a walk before dinner or no walking at all. Another study, published recently in Diabetes Care, found that in older adults who were overweight and sedentary, walking for 15 minutes shortly after each meal improved daily blood sugar levels to a greater extent than a single 45-minute walk in the morning.
Researchers say that a post-meal stroll helps clear glucose from the bloodstream in part because more of it is taken up by the muscles.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Heading for a brief walk, instead of the couch, about 15 minutes after a meal may improve digestion and blood sugar control.
"
A lot of other articles come up supporting the idea that walking aids in digestion, but they’re mostly “Dr Oz”-esque sources. That’s why I was asking here, lol.
I’m mainly just curious, as I generally take my dog on a decently long walk at night anyway.
Just up for discussion 
Bitters also stimulate the vagus nerve which is the nerve responsible for stimulating the secretion of many digestive enzymes as well as promoting the liver to flush itself. Like the lemon drink in the AM.
I believe there is something to the walking but more about helping peristalsis and such. As you move around it helps aid the movement of food
[quote]rrjc5488 wrote:
Does anyone here go for walks after they eat? Apparently it can help digestion.[/quote]
Absolutely confirmed in my experience, and the Thanksgiving holiday is where it really pays noticeable dividends.
Try a group walk after the main meal plus one after the dessert spread and see if you can ever go back to walkless feasting.
The Human Food Project
Nobody tells a giraffe how to eat. But for the first time in history, humans donâ??t know what to eat. We no longer know what human food is.
In just a few thousand centuries, our kind has gone from nesting in trees, to making stone tools and digging roots, to kindling fires, to subduing flora and fauna, to finally erecting massive cities and dropping rovers onto distant planets. For most of this evolution, our super organism (us and our microbes) adapted to a nutritional and cultural landscape that literally changed at a glacial pace.
But more recently, rapid adoption of technology and need to feed a growing population a shelf-stable food supply, along with hyper-sanitized food and water, increasing rates of c-section births, formula in lieu of breast milk and antibiotics for every sniffle, we are now out of sync not only with the natural world, but with the microbial world as well. Therefore, it is correct to say that a great many diseases of the modern world represent a discordance with the ancient microbial world…
Worth a look for those interested in Gut Health. Btw it’s not another paleo thing but a serious look at how our guts should be or could be with changing diets or with dietary interventions.
Quick article in Science Magazine (time spent with the Hadza Tribe)
http://humanfoodproject.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/01/Science_NewsFocus_Leach.pdf
In depth description of the above…
Great site well worth a look!
Looks like the first link didn’t work but you’ll find it on this page
http://humanfoodproject.com/about-the-human-food-project/
then scroll down and click 1. Hadzabe of Tanzania
Found this thread while searching for SIBO-related information. Thought I’d resurrect this thread to contribute to it.
To cut a long story short: I have SIBO and a host of other maladies that have been fucking up my life for the better part of three years now.
Let’s get started with listing a few SIBO-related symptoms, anecdotes and factoids, in no particular order.
-
Extreme abdominal bloating: my gut circumference can increase by about 16 inches without having eaten a comparable volume of food. Sometimes this just happens after drinking a few glasses of water, regardless of the water being warm or cold.
-
Temporary fat man biomechanics: waddle-waddle, stumble-stumble, almost tipping over when climbing steps, shortness of breath.
-
Indigestion: sometimes constipation, sometimes diarrhea, but always incomplete evacuation. Shitty BMs, to say the least. On some days, I can’t have a BM without an enema.
-
Fat gain: Since mid 2011, I’ve gained almost 40 lbs without having changed my training or diet parameters. Some of it is muscle, but I’d daresay it’s at least 30 lbs of fat I put on.
-
Apparently, gut problems affect my psyche: every time I’m symptom-free, I’m my usual happy and upbeat self. Once zhe bloat rears its ugly head, my mood worsens. I have a good handle on it since I can compartmentalize and rely on an analytical mindset, but the fact remains: I become a dampened-down version of who I really am. And it shows.
-
I’m only symptom-free during and shortly after a course of the antibiotic rifaxmin: Rifaximin - Wikipedia
-
I’ve dabbled in pre- and probiotics: soil-based organisms have been most promising in this regard, but still a let-down in the end.
-
After conventional docs and medcare couldn’t help, I’ve spent most of my money on doctors who couldn’t help, all the while self-educating myself about this crap. To no avail. I literally wasted the equivalent of 2-3 mid-range muscle cars on this shit. Shit.
-
I used to be a management consultant and travelled a lot. I still vividly remember how I wouldn’t fit in my suit one morning before I had to give a crucial presentation before an exec board. Thank you, extreme abdominal bloating. I put on my sweatpants, waddled out of the hotel over to the next pharmacy, bought a disposable enema. Back in my suite, I tried applying the enema, but both my bulging belly as well as my bulging biceps and bulging lats made the act of sticking the enema up my butt very herculean.
Once done, nothing happened. I walked around, did a few squats and jumping jacks - still nada. Decided I’d need additional enemas. Waddled waddle-a-waddling to the same pharmacy and ended up applying four additional enemas (that’s 1000 ml of water for you) until I finally had a BM. The bloat dissolved some. I wriggled into my suit, still looking like the fattest ass ever - hello, Michelin Man. Got in the car, drove to the client, parked the car, got out - and zhe bloat was back, even worse than before. -
Diet-wise, I tolerate meat and poultry, jasmin rice and glucose and some salad. Fibre, fructose and starchy stuff is the worst I can give my gut. I miss my veggies. I miss my taters. I haven’t been eating bread for about 10 years (with a few exceptions in early 2011 when I dabbled in nutrition partitioning agents - I’m still undecided on whether that high-carb phase triggered my SIBO).
-
It’s also of special note, that roughly 20% of T4 conversion to active thyroid hormone takes place in the gut. Did someone say vicious circle?
-
Lately, the bloat’s become so bad that I can’t even train or leave the house when bloated. Sometimes, the Temporary Fat Man Biomechanics become so bad that the outer top of my right foot gets numb - some pinched nerve in my lower back would be my educated guess (had a few disc herniations in the L4/5 and L5/S1 areas over the years).
-
Digestive enzymes didn’t do zilch. Dito Betaine HCL.
-
Ever since getting some thyroid medication, my digestion improved some and my wound healing is through the roof (which had been horrible since 2005). The bloating perseveres, though and my BMs are still shitty.
-
Sometimes, pressed garlic mixed in warm water can do the trick to stave-off zhe bloat - for a day, that is. That would be due to the allicin produced by pressing garlic - allicin being a natural antibiotic.
Mebbe someone can weigh in on all this crap.
[quote]FattyFat wrote:
Found this thread while searching for SIBO-related information. Thought I’d resurrect this thread to contribute to it.
To cut a long story short: I have SIBO and a host of other maladies that have been fucking up my life for the better part of three years now.
Let’s get started with listing a few SIBO-related symptoms, anecdotes and factoids, in no particular order.
-
Extreme abdominal bloating: my gut circumference can increase by about 16 inches without having eaten a comparable volume of food. Sometimes this just happens after drinking a few glasses of water, regardless of the water being warm or cold.
-
Temporary fat man biomechanics: waddle-waddle, stumble-stumble, almost tipping over when climbing steps, shortness of breath.
-
Indigestion: sometimes constipation, sometimes diarrhea, but always incomplete evacuation. Shitty BMs, to say the least. On some days, I can’t have a BM without an enema.
-
Fat gain: Since mid 2011, I’ve gained almost 40 lbs without having changed my training or diet parameters. Some of it is muscle, but I’d daresay it’s at least 30 lbs of fat I put on.
-
Apparently, gut problems affect my psyche: every time I’m symptom-free, I’m my usual happy and upbeat self. Once zhe bloat rears its ugly head, my mood worsens. I have a good handle on it since I can compartmentalize and rely on an analytical mindset, but the fact remains: I become a dampened-down version of who I really am. And it shows.
-
I’m only symptom-free during and shortly after a course of the antibiotic rifaxmin: Rifaximin - Wikipedia
-
I’ve dabbled in pre- and probiotics: soil-based organisms have been most promising in this regard, but still a let-down in the end.
-
After conventional docs and medcare couldn’t help, I’ve spent most of my money on doctors who couldn’t help, all the while self-educating myself about this crap. To no avail. I literally wasted the equivalent of 2-3 mid-range muscle cars on this shit. Shit.
-
I used to be a management consultant and travelled a lot. I still vividly remember how I wouldn’t fit in my suit one morning before I had to give a crucial presentation before an exec board. Thank you, extreme abdominal bloating. I put on my sweatpants, waddled out of the hotel over to the next pharmacy, bought a disposable enema. Back in my suite, I tried applying the enema, but both my bulging belly as well as my bulging biceps and bulging lats made the act of sticking the enema up my butt very herculean.
Once done, nothing happened. I walked around, did a few squats and jumping jacks - still nada. Decided I’d need additional enemas. Waddled waddle-a-waddling to the same pharmacy and ended up applying four additional enemas (that’s 1000 ml of water for you) until I finally had a BM. The bloat dissolved some. I wriggled into my suit, still looking like the fattest ass ever - hello, Michelin Man. Got in the car, drove to the client, parked the car, got out - and zhe bloat was back, even worse than before. -
Diet-wise, I tolerate meat and poultry, jasmin rice and glucose and some salad. Fibre, fructose and starchy stuff is the worst I can give my gut. I miss my veggies. I miss my taters. I haven’t been eating bread for about 10 years (with a few exceptions in early 2011 when I dabbled in nutrition partitioning agents - I’m still undecided on whether that high-carb phase triggered my SIBO).
-
It’s also of special note, that roughly 20% of T4 conversion to active thyroid hormone takes place in the gut. Did someone say vicious circle?
-
Lately, the bloat’s become so bad that I can’t even train or leave the house when bloated. Sometimes, the Temporary Fat Man Biomechanics become so bad that the outer top of my right foot gets numb - some pinched nerve in my lower back would be my educated guess (had a few disc herniations in the L4/5 and L5/S1 areas over the years).
-
Digestive enzymes didn’t do zilch. Dito Betaine HCL.
-
Ever since getting some thyroid medication, my digestion improved some and my wound healing is through the roof (which had been horrible since 2005). The bloating perseveres, though and my BMs are still shitty.
-
Sometimes, pressed garlic mixed in warm water can do the trick to stave-off zhe bloat - for a day, that is. That would be due to the allicin produced by pressing garlic - allicin being a natural antibiotic.
Mebbe someone can weigh in on all this crap.
[/quote]
-
What is your diet like?
-
What kind of probiotics where you taking?
I’ve been having really good luck with chicken broth and jello. I’m not sure why, I just know that elderly people with GI issues like it so I thought I’d try it and it works pretty well. I’ve read that that they both draw water into the gut which helps with digestion and they both have gelatin which helps heal the lining of the gut but I’m uncertain as to how reliable those sources are. A heating pad on my stomach works real well at night or whenever I have a bad stomach day. 10-15 minutes makes a big difference for a couple of hours.
I might have mentioned it on this thread before, but ultimately a year long round with pharma is what helped me more than anything. A low dose of the tricyclic antidepressant amitryptaline. This was after a battery of test for my blood work and gall bladder. Gall bladder because severe pain and discomfort were one of my symptoms and there’s a history in my family but it turned out that wasn’t the issue.
[quote]FattyFat wrote:
Mebbe someone can weigh in on all this crap.
[/quote]
I wont claim to know anything about your condition but I will offer you up this information that I found that is very interesting.
Resistant Starch
What does the research say?
Preferentially feeds ‘good’ bacteria responsible for butyrate production. It even promotes greater butyrate production than other prebiotics. Since the resident gut flora produce the butyrate, and everyone has different levels of the different flora, the degree of butyrate production varies according to the individual, but resistant starch consistently results in lots of butyrate across nearly every subject who consumes it. Butyrate is crucial because it’s the prime energy source of our colonic cells (almost as if they’re designed for steady exposure to butyrate!), and it may be responsible for most of the other RS-related benefits.
Improves insulin sensitivity. Sure enough, it improves insulin sensitivity, even in people with metabolic syndrome.
Improves the integrity and function of the gut. Resistant starch basically increases colonic hypertrophy, making it more robust and improving its functionality. It also inhibits endotoxin from getting into circulation and reduces leaky gut, which could have positive ramifications on allergies and autoimmune conditions.
Lowers the blood glucose response to food. One reason some people avoid even minimal amounts of carbohydrate is the blood glucose response; theirs is too high. Resistant starch lowers the postprandial blood glucose spike. This reduction may also extend to subsequent meals.
Reduces fasting blood sugar. This is one of the most commonly mentioned benefits of RS, and the research seems to back it up.
Increases satiety. In a recent human study, a large dose of resistant starch increased satiety and decreased subsequent food intake.
May preferentially bind to and expel ‘bad’ bacteria (this may be of interest to you). This is only preliminary, but there’s evidence that resistant starch may actually treat small intestinal bacterial overgrowth by ‘flushing’ the pathogenic bacteria out in the feces. It’s also been found to be an effective treatment for cholera when added to the rehydration formula given to patients; the cholera bacteria attach themselves to the RS granules almost immediately for expulsion.
Enhances magnesium absorption. Probably because it improves gut function and integrity, resistant starch increases dietary magnesium absorption.
What do user anecdotes say?
Improves body composition. I’ve heard reports of lowered body fat and increased lean mass after supplementing with or increasing dietary intake of RS. Seeing as how RS consumption promotes increased fat oxidation after meals, this appears to be possible or even likely.
Improves thyroid function. Many RS supplementers have noted increases in body temperature, a rough indicator of thyroid function.
Improves sleep, conferring the ability to hold and direct (in real time) private viewings of vivid movie-esque dreams throughout the night. I’ve noticed this too and suspect it has something to do with increased GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) from the increased butyrate. Another possibility is that resistant starch is feeding serotonin-producing gut bacteria, and the serotonin is being converted to melatonin when darkness falls.
Increases mental calm. Many people report feeling very ‘zen’ after increasing RS intake, with reductions in anxiety and perceived stress. The latest science indicates that our gut flora can impact our brain, and specific probiotics are being explored as anti-anxiety agents, so these reports may very well have some merit.
Where do you get it?
The richest food sources are raw potatoes, green bananas, plantains, cooked-and-cooled potatoes, cooked-and-cooled-rice, parboiled rice, and cooked-and-cooled legumes.
The most reliable way to get lots of RS, fast, is with raw potato starch. There are about 8 grams of RS in a tablespoon of the most popular brand: Bob’s Red Mill Unmodified Potato Starch. It’s also available at Whole Foods.
If you have’nt tired yet here’s another read…
Gut Instincts. Your Second Brain.
Some thought provoking ideas indeed…
Resistant Starch Vid
Thunderbump! That’d be a good name for a band.
Since starting this thread many moons ago, not a huge amount changed until recently. I have used glutamine, probiotics and digestive enzymes with fairly limited success, however lately I have added a small amount of resistant starch to my evening meal and things have gotten interesting.
IN DEPTH BOWEL MOVEMENT CHAT NOW BEGINNING - BE WARNED
So for pretty much my entire life my morning BM has been loose as all hell slightly more than 50% of the time. I recently turned 29, so that’s a long time to have such a symptom. Nothing really helped. Psyllium helped for a day or two then made things considerably worse. After hearing a bit about resistant starch from various places, I decided to try it. I heard that if you have gut problems you need to start out very slowly, so I started at half a teaspoon a day, and tapered up half a teaspoon every week.
When I got to two teaspoons, something magical happened. I had a diarrhea free week. Consider the significance of that for a moment. I went from having diarrhea 3 or 4 times a week for 29 years to having my first ever diarrhea free week!
I still get the occasional flare up, but things are looking good. It’s not all smiles and sunshine though - if I go above 2 teaspoons a day then the results are - ahem - explosive which seems to indicate that my gut flora is all fucked up. The studies done on resistant starch say you really need 3 tablespoons a day to really get the awesome benefits, but if I tried that I honestly think my bowel would rupture!
It’s looking like I may in fact have Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) which is where bad bacteria get all up in your small intestine and wreak havoc. The solution to this is to destroy those evil little fuckers. Apparently a decent SIBO protocol should have:
-An antimicrobial. Chris Kesser (whom I love) recommends monolaurin which is apparently a good natural one that doesn’t fuck with your gut flora.
-A biofilm disrupter. Very sci fi sounding. Biofilm is like some crazy force field bad bacteria surround themselves with. There’s a few supps you can take for this but the one I like the sound of best is N Acetyl Cysteine because it has about a zillion other benefits (google it if you’ve never heard of it. Seriously schmexy stuff).
Another really interesting thing I’ve learned about SIBO is that it is actually best to AVOID PROBIOTICS! Apparently lactobacillus acidophilus, which is the most common ingredient in probiotics, can actually contribute to the SIBO. Soil-based probiotics are supposed to work great but good luck finding them.
There is a medicinal treatment in the form of rifaximin which, as antibiotics go, doesn’t actually wreak too much havoc on your good bacteria, so it’s something I may consider eventually, but not until I felt I’d exhausted all of the natural remedies.
So, my current gut health plan is:
-monolaurin
-glutamine
-resistant starch
-N Acetyl Cysteine
I’ll try that for a month or so, and if I don’t see an improvement in symptoms, I’ll try the Intro Diet of the SCD diet that I mention in this thread:
After I do that, I’ll continue with the monolaurin, glutamine and NAC for a month or so, and if everything seems kosher I’ll start back on the probiotics and try and slowly build my RS tolerance up to the 3 tablespoons recommended.
If my protocol fails, and my intro diet + protocol plan B fails, then I’ll have to bite the bullet and go see a doctor, requesting some rifaximin.
Is it too much to ask just for consistently normal turds? I can’t help but think that if I got it all fixed then I’d make way better gains in the gym as I’d actually be absorbing and benefitting from all the nutrients I eat.
Time will tell. I’ll report back here with results.
ok, so after a little more deliberation, and reading this blog by Dr BG of Animal Pharm (great blog, by the way, you should check it out):
the final draft of my gut healing protocol is going to be:
-5 days (Mon - Fri) of the Intro Diet to starve out the evil
-After these 5 days I will add a very small amount of the “Bionic Fibre” mentioned in the blog (starting very slowly, like 1/2tsp of the RS and psyllium twice a day) and SBO probiotics (found some online that apparently don’t need to be refrigerated so I don’t have any qualms ordering them from a website) taken at the same time as the Bionic Fibre. Supposedly that helps the good bacteria get to where they’re needed.
-Will take glutamine, monolaurin, berberine, circumin and NAC throughout.
Boom! I’ll be turding out mighty oak trees in no time! Due to a few commitments (moving house and a few other disruptive life events) I’ll not be starting this until the second week in August, but I’ll report back as to how it goes. Apparently, depending on the state of your innards, the dying-off effect of the bad bacteria releasing toxins when they die can make you feel like shit, so knowing my luck it’ll make me feel terrible. Needs must! As they say.
oh, and I’m also going to make my own kefir…
I just ordered some kefir grains from the kefir lady. Should be here Tuesday. I will be using goat milk.
[quote]StevenF wrote:
I just ordered some kefir grains from the kefir lady. Should be here Tuesday. I will be using goat milk. [/quote]
why goat?
Great bump, Yogi.
I re-read the thread and back on page 6 and 7 there was some discussion about how best to get probiotics into the small intestine unmolested by stomach acid.
As was mentioned, taking the probiotics on an empty stomach is important. Then, consume at least 500mL of water to encourage stomach emptying. This will give your tiny little beasties the best chance of making it into the small intestine where they can do some good.