Monday, December 8, 2014

so how DO we heal our guts?

Something Jan said made me want to talk about this, today.  After we've dropped grains and their fibers and damaging proteins from our diets, if we're not completely "all better" what do we do?

There are all kinds of things KNOWN to irritate our digestive systems, and there are a few which are REPUTED to help them heal.  What can we count on to be helpful?

Perhaps the first thing to consider is that things we LIKE can possibly be doing harm.  Even though you're lactose-tolerant, there may be some aspects of (or ingredients in) your dairy products which bother you, like pasteurization-damaged proteins.  Some people find cross-sensitivity with coffee if they have problems with gluten or such things.  Maybe you have a subtle problem with nightshades (like me!), or maybe it's FODMAPs or ....

Dr. Atkins said that some of the things we like best are things we're actually sensitive to -- and which we'd be best writing off.  If it's fresh crusty Italian bread, I think all of US agree and have already abandoned it, but what if it's ... oh, strawberries, or citrus, or shrimp?  What if it's cruciferous vegetables?  Both "paleo philosophy" and conventional wisdom tend to canonize these healthyfruitsandvegetables and protein sources.  I mean if we can't eat even some of THOSE, after all the other things we've given up, what are we supposed to do?

I suppose, we make some tough decisions.  It's trade-off time!

HOW bad do we feel?  HOW endangered do we suppose we are?  If we suspect we need to go the extra mile, it's time to do yet ANOTHER elimination and see how awful it IS when we re-introduce that salsa to our chicken.... 

As we get older our tolerance to a lot of things goes down.  Our appetite does, too.  Chances are, if we can only eat a small amount at some point, the things we DO eat had better be VERY good for us.

Where HEALING is concerned ...?  Removing the irritants is the FIRST thing we need to do.  Next, we make sure we're very well-nourished.  Next, ... it's said that bone-broth is healing to the gut, especially the connective-tissue fraction.  Earlier this fall, I bought "Nourishing Broth," Sally Fallon's latest (I think...), and i'm in the middle of an experiment with gelatin as a result of reading it.  Problem is, one can't really expect to see results for like three or four MONTHS.

MONTHS.  This is one of the shortcomings of natural means of healing -- it doesn't happen very quickly most of the time.  Glutathione -- I saw the improvement within HOURS.  A lot of herbs work their magic within days or weeks:  epazote was unique in being fast-acting!  Other things can take 4-6 weeks to be perceptible.  Gelatin and collagen can take a SEASON or two.

Gelatin DOES have other benefits -- it can reputedly improve your protein usage (absorption?), and I agree.  I seem to need smaller servings of animal protein foods since I started taking a tablespoon in my coffee every morning.  I strongly suspect that our "protein requirements" are dependent upon exactly WHICH amino-acids we're getting, not some nebulous "X grams of 'complete' protein per day."  Just as zeroing-in on omega-3 seems to be beneficial as compared to generic "polyunsaturated fats," getting specific about how much of which amino-acid we eat may be instructive.

So I wasn't totally ready to talk about gelatin/collagen yet, but decided to jump the gun a little.  My three-month point will end with the year, and I might need another month's grace before I can really, confidently recommend the stuff.  At this point, all I can say with assurance is, "it feels good," and gelatin feels better than the collagen hydrolysate.  Certainly, if one is poor and trying to make one's grocery dollar go as far as possible, nutrition-wise, i'd definitely advise using gelatin (and bone broth) as an excellent way to stretch the protein budget.

23 comments:

  1. Excellent post. You are quite a bit more 'into' than this is, but I suspect it's at least in part because you have more sensitivities than I do. That being said, I'm becoming more sensi, so.... ;)

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    1. thank you, Gwen! :-) I also have more time to spend on it -- your job keeps you busy during my "study hours"....

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  2. Have you thought of manganese?

    Haha, jk.

    Are you talking about putting the powdered gelatin (the stuff you use for aspic jelly) in your coffee? I hadn't thought of that.
    I notice eating a lot of pork skin pretty much kills my appetite for any more meat. I'm not sure exactly what is in pork skin. Never looked into these matters.

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    1. I do get my manganese. ;-) It's not as important to me as magnesium, zinc, iron and iodine, but it IS essential.

      What I use is the powdered stuff, yes -- Great Lakes has excellent-quality gelatin from grass-fed cattle, and it comes in a big canister, not those pathetic little pouches. I soften a tablespoon of it in cold water, then add a bold coffee to it -- I don't notice a texture issue unless I let it cool too much.

      Pork rinds are great food, and they do have a nice protein profile. My daughter has learned that she can take them to her favorite Mexican restaurant to dip into the salsa or queso ... and they don't mind. ;-) We asked first if THEY sold chicharrones, just to make sure -- some places do.

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  3. May be the step #1 is making sure there is no carraginan is consumed with anything.
    I think the safest thing to eat is soft-boiled eggs and the boiled meat which contains a lot of collagen, like cheek meat, pork feet, tong, only cooked to a softness vegetables, butter. For what it is worth, I noticed some people feel not right in a stomach after a very strong broth.

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    1. :-) after I pushed the "publish" button I almost went back and added carrageenan to the objectionable side of dairy....

      it's interesting that broth can bother some people! I wonder what the offending ingredient is.

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    2. I believe I've read that some people have some sort of histamine response with broth.

      I love chicken broth, but it does give me heartburn drinking it "straight" :o( I still drink it thinking it's healthful, but maybe not if it's triggering the GERD (DARN, just bought $12 worth of organic chicken for a new batch). It doesn't seem to bother me when we use the broth in cooking.

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    3. ohhhh.... yes, that makes sense. i'm sorry for their sakes! haven't i read, though, about a version of broth that's more tolerable? it's cooked a much shorter time? refined gelatin and collagen can be added to it, maybe? i need to review the book! :-)

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    4. It is sort-of amusing. English-language google-search gives the results about the wonders of a broth, while Russian-language googling gives pages after pages about the importance of avoiding strong broths and even broth altogether, especially from chicken and duck, when people have allergies, particularly small children.
      From my days when I was very unwell with an eczema, I remember how offensive a strong broth could be. I was allowed to eat only boiled meat, which was removed from the broth immediately after cooking. For my son when he was a toddler I had to cook a meat long time changing liquid couple times in order for meat to be safe to eat.
      My opinion - the safest for an allergic broth to eat - so called second boiling broth. You get it after boiling a meat for 5 - 15 minutes, changing the liquid and continue cooking till most of the connective tissue gets very soft.
      It is the same situation again - there is no wonder foods, just foods good for a particular health situation because a food is a medicine we take at least two times a day. What makes a chicken soup the perfect thing to eat during a cold, makes it the wrong food to eat when an allergy. Keeping that in mind, a broth should be good for h.p..

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    5. how very interesting -- thanks! despite similarities between cultural "superfoods" that you see in "Deep Nutrition" and "Nourishing Traditions," there ARE significant differences.

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    6. Nourishing Traditions articles are the good source of information, but with slightly romanticized view on food. "Real food" may cause issues in susceptible individuals. When I read food bloggs it is "real food" against modern food, but the reality is more complicated

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  4. I am so glad to read these comments. I have found in the past year that my homemade chicken broth, as delicious as it tastes, gives me a raging headache every time I eat/drink it. I could never understand it.

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    1. Body reactions don't lie. It actually doesn't matter what the problem is. Do any other foods give you a headache?

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    2. Yes, alcohol (any kind, it can be beer, wine, distilled potato vodka). A few sips I can tolerate, but more than that and I regret it. The headache will not seem to go away without some seemingly lethal combination of acetaminophen, ibuprofen and diphenhydramine. Those are the only two things (alcohol and homemade chicken broth) that immediately come to mind as predictably giving me an awful headache. Is there anything that is in both of them?

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    3. Try turkey broth, in my experience it is less allergies promoting than chicken one and tastes way better.

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    4. Thank you, I will try it. I planned to try it after Thanksgiving, when to my dismay, my dear family (who had graciously offered to clean the kitchen for me) dumped the turkey carcass in the trash. I could have kicked myself for not specifically asking them to save it.

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  5. The only similarity I can think of is all substances you have mentioned is their ability to put a body in an allergy-promoting state . Many people think of allergies as rashes and wheezing, but it is also swelling. I don't want to sound too dramatic, but it came to my mind that Bruce Lee died from a brain swelling - it was his allergic reaction on meprobamate and aspirin combination he used to alleviate his pain.

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    1. I had no idea Bruce Lee dies from that. Yikes. Reading around here on Tess's site, I wonder if histamines might have played a role, too. Thank you so much for your input, Galina! And thank you, Tess, for your blog and sharing so openly.

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    2. You're welcome! :-) And my thanks to Galina for being "on duty" here while I was Christmas-busy in the kitchen!

      Histamine issues are distinctly possible -- that's how they hit me, as a general "feeling like hell" a little while after eating or drinking the wrong things. Benedryl helps ... as does nicotine gum! I don't like using nicotine after about 4 in the afternoon because it can interfere with my sleep. Daosin is better than nothing, but not nearly as good as the gum (2 mg).

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  6. I usually buy a turkey drumstick or couple of wings for the broth making. I don't know is it a histamine to blame in the case of a broth reactions. There are other foods which contain histamine and are not problematic.

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    1. I understand that any food that isn't extremely fresh can cause histamine/tyramine/salicylate problems in sensitive people -- some can't stand any fish unless it's fresh out of the water and gutted immediately. Leftovers can't be put in the fridge, but must be frozen as soon as possible after cooking. Broth, which is frequently leftover-based, is problematic for some people.

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    2. You are welcome, Tess. I went down abruptly with an unusual cold on Monday- I had a high temperature - close to 100, chest congested with a mucus, so I cancelled all kitchen activities. A lot of people were suffering from colds around me, as usual I thought flu was the illness others get, but it got me now. I blame eating sugary macarons cookies in a French restaurant where I went for my birthday and exercising when I felt tired (because I payed for classes in advance). While being with a temperature,I mostly slept and chat on my computer while drinking hot tea or a hot broth (from a lamb head). My temperature is back to normal, I started inhalations to clear chest.
      Check Wooo's blog. Poor Richard was caught sock-puppeting and looking way less healthy than he claimed. He hopes for a sudden turn for a better.

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