Health issues can occur anywhere along the GI tract from heartburn and stomach pain to absorption problems in the small intestine and disturbances in the flora of the large intestine. No fear! Healthy, whole foods can heal the gut anywhere you encounter problems. Here are the FoodTrients top 10 foods that heal the gut: 1. Aloe Soothing aloe can be used for more than just a sunburn. Aloe can be used as a laxative to relieve constipation and improve stool consistency. It sooths the skin in the mouth and gums, providing healing effects to the inside of the body. Aloe […]
A report published on January 9, 2019 in Nature Communications suggests a benefit for urolithin A, a metabolite derived from pomegranate and berries, in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and are characterized by inflammation due to gut leakage of toxins. “Urolithin A (UroA), a major microbial metabolite derived from polyphenolics of berries and pomegranate fruits displays anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and anti-aging activities,” write Rabir Singh of the University of Louisville and colleagues. “Here, we show that urolithin A and its potent synthetic analogue (UAS03) significantly enhance gut barrier function and inhibit unwarranted inflammation.” “Microbiota […]
More than two thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Why? The conventional explanation is too much food and too little exercise, but new thinking about the causes of overweight and obesity suggests that something else is at work. Research shows that gut microflora and intestinal microbiota play a pivotal role in weight maintenance through its influence on metabolism, appetite regulation, energy expenditure, and endocrine regulation. Gut flora imbalance is why so many people can’t lose weight despite exercising more and eating less. In The Gut Balance Revolution, author Gerard Mullin, M.D. —the foremost authority on […]
While decades of cranberry research has found that regular consumption of cranberry products promotes urinary tract health, leading scientists studying the bioactive components of fruits and other foods reported that cranberries possess whole body health benefits. In a July 2016 Advances in Nutrition supplement, Impact of Cranberries on Gut Microbiota and Cardiometabolic Health: Proceedings of the Cranberry Health Research Conference 2015, a team of international researchers reviewed the complex, synergistic actions of compounds that are uniquely cranberry. Their discussion led them to conclude that this berry may be more than just a tart and tangy fruit. “It has been established that […]
For a long time, it was believed that too-high cholesterol was the cause of dangerous, artery-narrowing plaques. So, giving cholesterol-lowering statin-drugs were thought key in reducing these plaques. It was soon realized that people with low cholesterol levels were also having heart attacks. Clearly, something else was contributing to heart disease besides cholesterol. That’s when we learned that inflammation played a big role in why plaques develop as well. In the last year, cardiac researchers have pinned down another key piece of the heart disease puzzle. You’ll want to know more about it and how you can reduce your risk of heart […]
The American Gastroenterological Association issued the following news release: A healthy and balanced diet, as well as probiotics, have been known to be helpful in preserving gastrointestinal health for quite a long time. But it is only recently that the underlying mechanisms have become somewhat clearer. A rapidly increasing body of knowledge promises to further clarify the effects of our daily food on the gut microbiota and to indicate more targeted applications of probiotics in the near future. This was one of the topics presented at the Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit in Miami, FL. On March 8 and 9, 2014, internationally leading […]
Doreen Virtue is a psychotherapist who knows a lot about nutrition. Her book, Constant Craving: What Your Food Cravings Mean and How to Overcome Them, teaches readers the “art” of understanding food cravings. Her book blends, as Virtue puts it, the psychological, metaphysical, and scientific reasons we crave certain foods. “My education about weight and appetite stems from first-hand experience with food cravings,” she writes. “I’ve learned that maintaining weight loss hinges upon maintaining peace of mind.” As a psychotherapist, Virtue has worked with many drug addicts. “I found that, as was the case with my drug-addicted clients, each food […]
In case you didn’t already know it
Most people either love or hate mushrooms. But hear me out: the beauty of mushrooms is that they take on the flavor of whatever they’re cooked with. They become Asian cooked in a soy or teriyaki-style sauce. They’re Italian sauteed in olive oil, garlic and fresh basil. Sprinkle middle Eastern spices on them such as zaatar or sumac and they become Moroccan or Lebanese. For those who want to cut down on eating meat, a portobello mushroom grilled and placed in a hamburger bun is very satisfying. Mushrooms provide that ‘fifth taste’ (joining sweet, salty, sour and bitter), umami, which […]