The Gut Brain

On September 25 Mom and I went to a conference called: Understanding the Gut Brain: Stress, Appetite, Digestion & Mood. Here are my take aways.

There are three to four pounds of bacteria in our guts.  Most are good.  If our bacterial gut gets out of whack it can cause allergies including asthma, constipation and IBS, GERD, poor immune response or overactive immune response, depression, anxiety, parkinsons, alzheimers, cancer, behavioral changes and disorders...

So here are the todos:
Eat:
1/4 cup flaxseeds per day, fresh ground or soaked
cumin/tumeric
low glycemic foods
protein at each meal
healthy fats
strawberries
carrots
lentils
asparagus
spinach
apple
nuts/seeds
artichokes
bananas
beets
barley
Leeks
Soybeans
ancient grains (teff, quinoa, amaranth, millet) instead of wheat
fermented food (kefir, yogurt, kombucha, kimchee, miso
grassfed beef
organic/free range/etc

Diets to research:
DAN diet (defeat autism now) no wheat or dairy
Fodmap diet (for IBS)
Feingold diet (for adhd) no preservatives, additives, or dyes
GAPS diet

Supplements:
fish oil-not krill, no omega 6's,
pre/probiotic -everybody should take. get ones with dosage and storage instructions.  Keep refrigerated. best in blister packs.  Measured in CFU billions. Average dose 10 billion a day. Not from dairy if you are dairy sensitive. Don't get with inulin.
ginger tea -gerd
DGL licorice -gerd. It coats esophogus, and prevents reflux.
chamomile tea -stress
curcumin -everybody
melatonin -1/4 mg for sleep, 30-40 mg for cancer
B vitamins -everybody, but B12(100 mcg) for foggy brain. Folic acid 400mcg
Take these three together at bedtime:
   vitamin D -everybody 5000iu
   calcium 600mg
   magnesium 100mg work up to 1000mg
L glutamine -improves mood
5HTP-but only from a pharmicist

AVOID:
Inulin-causes gas and gastrointestinal issues.  also called chicory root.
Antacids.  Stomach acid is necessary for proper digestion.  Instead change diet.
MSG-also called gualamic acid, amino acid, natural flavoring, natural spices, hydro veg protein, yeast casinate.
high fructose corn syrup
fruit juice -too much sugar, eat fruit instead
GM foods

GET:
Only plastics with the numbers 1,2,4, and 5.
Fooducate app for iphone and android