JumpyTheFrog Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 I want to work on my gut health. Here's my list for January: start probiotics twice a week make mason jar salads for the next few days cut up veggies twice a week for snacking take the fiber and prebiotic supplement that's been sitting in my kitchen for a long time 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 I already started in November when I got a probiotic supplement. I have started to eat more fermented foods, drink kefir regularly. I might try to make more fermented drinks and food in 2021. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Eat raw sauerkraut every day. Start fermenting my own veggies. Look into Fast Tract diet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) You might try to increase the variety of ingredients of foods you eat each week. I don’t mean foods, I mean ingredients. Most people eat corn, wheat, dairy, and only a handful of other food ingredients. I read a book that challenged you to eat 50-250 base foods each week. Apparently the wider the variety the healthier your gut. eta: varieties of foods count. IE: if your salads have romaine, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, arugula, iceberg, green cabbage, white cabbage, and parsley, they each count. Edited December 27, 2020 by Katy 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 I just ordered my probiotics from iHerb. I chose three different ones in order to have a larger number of strains. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 57 minutes ago, Katy said: I read a book that challenged you to eat 50-250 base foods each week. Oooooh, that is a great idea. I think I will start with eating twenty different vegetables per week. Would green bell peppers and colored bell peppers be considered two different vegetables or do they only count as one? If they only count as one, would hot peppers be separate from bell peppers? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 9 minutes ago, JumpyTheFrog said: Oooooh, that is a great idea. I think I will start with eating twenty different vegetables per week. Would green bell peppers and colored bell peppers be considered two different vegetables or do they only count as one? If they only count as one, would hot peppers be separate from bell peppers? Every color of sweet pepper counts. Every variety of hot pepper counts. Every variety of every kind if produce counts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 I'm with you. I'm trying to rebuild my gut and health in a couple ways. In January, I want to stick with the diet I was prescribed and add in the step of really knocking out sugar. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 cut out sugar (including alternatives, some of which are just as bad.) go low carb (which will turn into sugars in the gut.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 I think fermented veggies are addictive! I crave fermented sauerkraut and pickles if I don't have them often enough. Hoping to get a case when my CSA farmer has some ready! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 I eat a bean, pea, chick pea, lentil and as many veggies as I can soup just about every day for lunch. Just one serving . lentils and pulses are meant to be really good for gut bacteria 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 (edited) 22 hours ago, Katy said: I read a book that challenged you to eat 50-250 base foods each week. Apparently the wider the variety the healthier your gut. I was curious about this so I thought I would track a normal day. So far - it's afternoon here - I've eaten eggs, olive oil, red peppers, courgette, aubergine, onion, garlic, cheese, salt, pepper, basil, oats, wheat, rapeseed oil, Marmite, leeks, parsnip, mushrooms, soya, green beans. Only two fermented products in there - Marmite and cheese - but lots of variety. 20 items so far. ETA: add in prawns, quinoa, red cabbage, mandarin and chocolate. So 25 for the day unless your split out the constituents of the chocolate. Edited December 28, 2020 by Laura Corin 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 I am going to go on the diet I have been told to do many, many times but haven't stuck to. The Mediterranean diet. I need to get my inflammation under control. One thing I read yesterday was that simmering is healthier than pan searing? I have never heard this before and don't really see how it can change the health of the cooking, but maybe someone can explain to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 12 hours ago, gardenmom5 said: cut out sugar (including alternatives, some of which are just as bad.) go low carb (which will turn into sugars in the gut.) Are you cutting out stevia too? I am cutting out sugar and flour/wheat for sure, but not completely low carb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 59 minutes ago, DawnM said: Are you cutting out stevia too? I am cutting out sugar and flour/wheat for sure, but not completely low carb. I refuse to use stevia. (and have never used it.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 57 minutes ago, DawnM said: Are you cutting out stevia too? I am cutting out sugar and flour/wheat for sure, but not completely low carb. Though your question wasn’t directed to me, I will answer. My nutritionist wants me to limit fruit to 1-2 per day and add in tons more vegetables. They want me to drastically lower my fructose intake. That means mostly not sweetening what I eat, and if I do then I can sweeten with either maple syrup or stevia. In my case, they are saying that fructose is contributing to gout and other gut health markers. On a side note, I have found that maple syrup in coffee makes it taste beautiful, with deep caramel notes. It does not taste mapley. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 4 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said: I refuse to use stevia. (and have never used it.) I would be interested to understand why. I have read widely varying reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 1 hour ago, DawnM said: I am going to go on the diet I have been told to do many, many times but haven't stuck to. The Mediterranean diet. I need to get my inflammation under control. One thing I read yesterday was that simmering is healthier than pan searing? I have never heard this before and don't really see how it can change the health of the cooking, but maybe someone can explain to me. I am doing this as well, for inflammation as well as gut health. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 2 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said: I would be interested to understand why. I have read widely varying reviews. people think 'sweetness' is all about calories - it isn't. it's about what it does to your gut. it feeds the yeast that lives in your gut - and that can be worse than calories. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 3 hours ago, gardenmom5 said: people think 'sweetness' is all about calories - it isn't. it's about what it does to your gut. it feeds the yeast that lives in your gut - and that can be worse than calories. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditto Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 Can anyone recommend a probiotic? I get overwhelmed trying to figure it all out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 I think I need a tracking sheet for checking off all the different vegetables I eat in a week in order to help me each a much wider variety of foods. If anyone knows of one, please post a link to it. I think I'll start out with thirty different vegetables per week and see if I can hit fifty by the end of the month. I suppose I will have to start buying three different types of onions and adding spring mix to my broccoli slaw salads. That should get me to about twenty different veggies per week. I'll have to start roasting broccoli and cauliflower in the air fryer, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 Here's a vegetarian shopping list with a checklist for fruits and vegetables. Although I'm not a vegetarian, I thought the list would be a good place to start tracking produce consumption. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VickiMNE Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 On 12/28/2020 at 4:37 PM, DawnM said: I am going to go on the diet I have been told to do many, many times but haven't stuck to. The Mediterranean diet. The folks at Oldways have tons of information on the Med Diet and will be starting a January "We are in this together" group/help. Details available on the website. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 7 minutes ago, VickiMNE said: The folks at Oldways have tons of information on the Med Diet and will be starting a January "We are in this together" group/help. Details available on the website. Thanks. have you done it? I am hesitant to join as they say you have to follow their menu plan. My time is quite limited and I have allergies, soI really don't want to be locked into a specific daily meal plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 On 12/28/2020 at 11:48 AM, gardenmom5 said: people think 'sweetness' is all about calories - it isn't. it's about what it does to your gut. it feeds the yeast that lives in your gut - and that can be worse than calories. Are you cutting out fruit too? I think I will plan to keep stevia and fruit in my diet for now. I may eliminate and see if it helps down the line, but for now, I don't plan to eliminate them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 The Daily Dozen app by Dr. Greger is really good and also free. It's aimed at getting in the dozen healthiest food categories, and within each category, there is a list of various things that belong in the category, as well as serving size. You can be vegan, but don't need to be vegan, to use it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VickiMNE Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 10 hours ago, DawnM said: Thanks. have you done it? I am hesitant to join as they say you have to follow their menu plan. My time is quite limited and I have allergies, soI really don't want to be locked into a specific daily meal plan. Last year I didn't have the book and used the daily posts as inspiration to do what I could. This year I have the book and will follow along somewhat. People make it their own. There are some other MedDiet FB groups as well which can provide some inspiration and encouragement. I suppose it depends on if you want a info on the Med Diet, a strict plan to follow, or inspiration to adapt what you are already doing to be more Med Diet compliant. I can point you to different blogs/groups depending on your goals. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 My probiotics should arrive today. My next step is to dig through the vitamin stash and get things ready for treating my suspected SIBO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 My goal for this week (January 1-7) is to eat thirty different vegetables, plus ten different fruits. Here's what I have so far: Vegetables broccoli snap peas red leaf lettuce butter leaf lettuce carrots grape tomatoes Fruits blueberries cherries 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) Where does the suggestion to eat such a huge number of different fruits and veggies come from? No traditional diet can be like that unless you live in the tropics; that's only possible if you transport the produce long distances from the growing area, which adds all kinds of other concerns. We can't possibly have evolved to require this type of eating for health. Cherries and blueberries aren't in season in most of the country. Edited January 2, 2021 by regentrude 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) 52 minutes ago, regentrude said: Where does the suggestion to eat such a huge number of different fruits and veggies come from? No traditional diet can be like that unless you live in the tropics; that's only possible if you transport the produce long distances from the growing area, which adds all kinds of other concerns. We can't possibly have evolved to require this type of eating for health. Cherries and blueberries aren't in season in most of the country. Yes. Different colours of veggies are doable though and offer a range of nutrients. In season here at present are a variety of colours of brassica and carrots. Traditionally in this climate I would have been eating stored apples plus a variety of preserved fruit, however. Edited January 2, 2021 by Laura Corin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 1 hour ago, regentrude said: Where does the suggestion to eat such a huge number of different fruits and veggies come from? No traditional diet can be like that unless you live in the tropics; I agree. However, I believe the idea is that the different types of fiber and prebiotics in the different types of produce feed different species of bacteria, so a more diverse diet would lead to more diverse gut flora. My gut flora is a mess because I was on antibiotics repeatedly as a toddler for ear infections and then from ages 8-16 for numerous sinus infections and bouts of strep throat. A stool test showed extremely low diversity of beneficial bacteria and overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Seasider too said: Honestly, I found it much easier to train my tastebuds away from sweet tastes than to try to keep track of which sweeteners are acceptable. I’ve tasted stevia a few times but didn’t like it. I believe it was just as easy to train myself to eat no sweet flavor at all as it would have been to learn to like an oddly-sweet alternative such as stevia. When I am well on pace with my food plan, I can use a little maple syrup, but the only place I use that is a drizzle over oatmeal and a once-in-a-blue-moon maple vinaigrette dressing. But I will try a few drops in my coffee some time, as suggested upthread! I remember when I ate NO added sugar at all. - including milk products and fruit. graham crackers were overly sweet. ( I ate one as a 'treat'.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Seasider too said: Are you dealing with SIBO? Or only gout? Fructose is a hard sugar to digest with SIBO. I stick to mostly berries but when my gut bacteria is under control I can add other things. Thanks for the maple syrup tip. I am seriously getting back to my SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) control diet, including kicking out the gluten, sugar and most dairy. Sort of low FODMAP/whole food/low carb/ Mediterranean, though it doesn’t exactly fit any of those categories because over the years I’ve learned what makes my body tick right (and wrong!), food-wise. My dietician calls it Pegan (pee-gun), because it’s near the same foods as vegan plus clean lean protein. I am supposed to keep coffee consumption under 10oz daily, and will switch over to tea for the most part. Also, gut motility is an issue with SIBO, so regular exercise including a later afternoon walk helps with overnight food processing. So, concise list: Eat clean & hydrate Increase regular exercise Take supplements faithfully This is the “for now” list. I have a physical with blood work scheduled for mid-February, if things look ok there - which would surprise and thrill me after my covid winter diet diversions - I will move on to further diet and lifestyle refinements according to the stricter plan based on genetics work I had done a few years back. Thanks for the kickstart, Jumpy! The doctor has not used the term SIBO for me. A couple years ago I experienced a devastating and life-threatening c diff infection that put me in the ICU with sepsis. I had to take major nuclear antibiotics for six months to kill it off. Nothing has been the same since. I gained a ton of weight rapidly and have had a hard time losing it despite a healthy diet and intense exercise 4-5 times per week. (Though I am really glad to say that the intense exercise has had a remarkable effect on pain and on health.) Lab tests showed food sensitivities (especially gluten and dairy) and difficulties with fructose. I don't really understand it all, to be honest with you. The doctor said I do not digest food well and that the infection and the antibiotics killed off gut flora needed for a healthy system. I also have gout and EDS. Your approach is much of what I am doing. Love the term pegan! I am taking supplements in hopes of healing what is damaged and reseeding the system. There are some things I will have to avoid for the rest of my life--I feel sad about that but am trying to be proactive in finding foods that are genuinely tasty. The toughest part has been getting away from sugar and from cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 I'm thinking of adding a Green Tea Extract supplement and possibly a Garlic supplement as well. If I do add them, I'll do one for 3 weeks and see what effect it has and then try the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 Okay, my nutritionist had said to have maple syrup or stevia for sweeteners. Accordingly, I ordered a bag of stevia, though the plan all along has been to become radically low sugar. I just thought it would be good to have the option. It tastes HIDEOUS. I just cannot even 😵 I will have to just go low sugar and no sugar, because there is no way I can ever become acclimated to this white demon powder. I can still taste it lingering on my lips and it's giving me a headache. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 For those discussing pegan eating, you may want to check out cookbooks by Dr. Mark Hyman. https://foodthecookbook.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 44 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said: Okay, my nutritionist had said to have maple syrup or stevia for sweeteners. Accordingly, I ordered a bag of stevia, though the plan all along has been to become radically low sugar. I just thought it would be good to have the option. It tastes HIDEOUS. I just cannot even 😵 I will have to just go low sugar and no sugar, because there is no way I can ever become acclimated to this white demon powder. I can still taste it lingering on my lips and it's giving me a headache. I have been seeing Monkfruit Sweeteners everywhere I shop for the last couple of years. I have never tried it, but seems to be a favorite amongst the previously-stevia uses i know. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 On 12/30/2020 at 9:09 AM, Monica_in_Switzerland said: The Daily Dozen app by Dr. Greger is really good and also free. It's aimed at getting in the dozen healthiest food categories, and within each category, there is a list of various things that belong in the category, as well as serving size. You can be vegan, but don't need to be vegan, to use it. I agree. Love this free app! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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