Friday, January 30, 2015

In Search of...the Perfect Gut Bug!

Thanks to the Human Genome Project, uBiome, and American Gut we now can see exactly what bacteria call our guts 'home.' A quick Google search will tell us precisely what each microbe does for us and a visit to Amazon will let us purchase the best probiotics available!  But is this the whole story?

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Hot Shit!

I'm just reading an article from the May 2014 journal Cell Death and Differentiation, titled "Gut microbiome and anticancer immune response: really hot Sh*t!." (hattip Gemma, who also helped me write this!)

I read lots and lots of scientific papers, too many, in fact.  But this one has really captured my attention.  It kind of cuts through a lot of the BS and narrows into what is really important when it comes to gut health.

Friday, January 16, 2015

uBiome 2-for-1 until Feb 1st!

$89 for a kit and get a second kit free.  If anyone is wanting to do any before-after's or test two people, here is a great chance!

Go here to purchase a kit.

This is not an affiliate link.  Just passing this on.  I'm always happy to help folks read their results, too. 

Friday, January 9, 2015

In Search of the Perfect Fiber (Part 5...the future!)

OK.  I think I'm about ready to wrap this up.  It's pretty obvious by now that there is no "perfect fiber."  They are all pretty good!  The problem always is going to be in determining what we each need on a day-to-day basis to keep our gut microbiome well-fed.  Will real food ever be enough?  Do we need to take a supplement?


Updated 1/9/2015:


[I think for me, the most compelling bit of evidence for 25-50g per day of fermentable, prebiotic fiber  is the fact that human breast milk contains 15-25g of HMOs (fermentable, prebiotic fiber) per 700 calories.  Recognizing that a baby's immune system is weak, they obviously maybe need more immune stimulating fibers than an adult.  But relatively speaking, it's clear to me that recommending adults get more than 25g per day is a no-brainer. 

A baby, from birth until he, or she, is weaned, ingests about 15-25g of fermentable fibers per day.  Recommending an adult get at least that much, via resistant starches, inulin, and a whole host of other fibers makes perfect sense to me.]

Monday, January 5, 2015

In Search of the Perfect Fiber (Part 4...'ancient' science)

So far we've defined fiber and prebiotics, discussed that 20-50g/day of fermentable fibers is a good target, looked into real food and supplemental fiber sources, and also created a bit of confusion.  The topic of "fiber" is anything but simple.  You'll see in this post why so much confusion exists and why we really should pay attention.  The concept of fermentable fibers is very new, though we've relied on them for millions of years..

Sunday, January 4, 2015

In Search of the Perfect Fiber (Part 3...supplements)

In Part 1 we discussed a target of 20-50 grams per day of the fiber types considered "fermentable" or "prebiotic." In Part 2, I confused things a bit by showing you that it's nearly impossible to accurately count fiber.

In Part 3, I'd like to show you what is available for fiber supplementation and give some ways to incorporate a fiber supplement into your diet.  I want this post to be a reference that people stumble across in 2,5,10 years from now when they are looking to buying fiber because their neighbor/doctor/kid told them they 'need more fiber.'

Thursday, January 1, 2015

In Search of the Perfect Fiber (Part 2...food)

In Part 1 we discussed what fiber is, does, and how much we need.  To recap, nearly all governing agencies and nutritional advisory boards recommend that we need somewhere in the range of 20-40 grams of fiber per day.  Less for women, children and the elderly (defined as 'over 50,' ha!).

I proposed that we shoot for a similar amount, 25-50 grams per day, but we should only be counting what has traditionally been called "soluble" fiber, or the type that we now consider prebiotic fiber.  We also discussed that it is probably not necessary to eat an exact amount every day, and even taking a day or two away from fibers is maybe a good plan, in line with ancestral eating patterns.

In Part 2, let's discuss food choices designed around getting as much fermentable/soluble/prebiotic fiber as we can. I've invited three very knowledgeable folks, GabKad, Gemma and Wilbur, to help me write this post.