I talk so much about beneficial intestinal flora that I wrote a whole book about it. An imbalance of good gut bacteria has been linked to countless diseases and health conditions due to the resulting inflammation.
Finally, mainstream science is catching up to the knowledge that holistic practitioners have known for hundreds of years.
Hippocrates believed, “All diseases start in the intestines.”
Your bowel system can be a devastating source of inflammation. Once it begins there, it can affect every other organ in your body, wreaking havoc on your basic functions.
I call it “Fire in the Belly” and it will burn down your health.
5 Ways to Boost Beneficial Intestinal Flora
1. Probiotics through your diet. Fermented foods should be your first choice when it comes to having a healthy gut. Whenever you can, choose food over supplements since your body will utilize all of the nutritional benefits. While yogurt is the most commonly consumed probiotic food, there are others such as dark chocolate, ginger beer, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented cheese (parmesan, Gouda, cheddar, and Swiss), green peas, miso soup, pickles, and kombucha (fermented tea) offer excellent probiotic benefit.
2. Don’t neglect prebiotics (they are the food source for probiotic bacteria). Prebiotics are not digested in the same way as the other foods you consume. They are soluble fiber foods that reach your intestines intact and stimulate the growth of critical intestinal flora. Almonds, asparagus, garlic, onions, leeks, apples, and bananas are great foods rich in prebiotics.
3. Detox from heavy metal poisons. If you don’t think you’ve been exposed to heavy metal toxins that destroy healthy gut flora and damage your gut (leading to a whole host of health problems), then you are probably one of the rare exceptions. Mercury in dental fillings, silver in serving ware, aluminum in deodorant and canned goods, lead in children’s toys and paints, arsenic, cadmium, and other toxic substances found in building materials, household cleaners, and our food supply.
4. Remove the overuse of antibiotics in your life. They are put in our food, over-prescribed by doctors, and used in abundance in cleaning products. Too much exposure to antibacterial solutions damages more than the “bad” bacteria. These compounds are unable to distinguish between “good” and “bad” bacteria…and kill it all. Opt for organic foods whenever possible, avoid a prescription if you can, and get rid of all the “helpful” antibacterial cleaning products, soaps, and hand sterilizers in your home.
5. Refuse to allow stress to derail gut health. Several studies have linked inflammation to the reduction of healthy intestinal flora. Stress is (finally) accepted as one of the biggest causes of chronic inflammation. It might not seem like it but stress is manageable if not outright preventable. Evaluate the mental, emotional, financial, professional, and physical stresses in your life and make a plan to remove or reduce the causes. Not only will your gut thank you, so will your heart, your immune system, and your central nervous system. Every cell in your body is negatively affected by stress. Make it stop.
Your Gut Cannot Be Ignored
Did you know that the gut is considered a “second brain” that contains all the identical neurons and neurotransmitters as the spinal cord and peripheral nerves? In fact, 95% of the body’s serotonin is found in this gut “brain,” which thus affects our moods and performance.
In my book “Fire in the Belly,” I tell you so much more about maintaining intestinal flora – where 80% of your immune system resides. You need to put out that fire, urgently and permanently. I’ll be telling you how to do that in this life-saving book.
Here’s a sneak peek of what I share:
- How to rebuild a healthy intestinal flora colony after damage
- Key symptoms that point to chronic inflammation
- How to eliminate “fire foods”
- Why the symptoms are so diverse that most doctors miss the diagnosis
- How to detox from toxic metals without further damage to your immune system
- The varied effects of brain inflammation
- Genes and metabolic capabilities of trillions of microbes tell your body what to do
- The formation of “leaky” gut (it’s not what you thought)
- Plus…how to quench the fire in your gut once and for all.
You shouldn’t delay. Diabetes, arthritis, heart attack and stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease are all inflammatory processes. Even deadly cancer has strongly inflammatory aspects.
All this “fire” in your body is dangerous and chronic inflammation will kill you if you simply ignore it.