Gut Health Hacks

Hippocrates was a really smart man that lived lightyears ahead of his time. He said, “Every disease stems from the gut.” He understood the important role that gut health plays in each of our lives. Getting your gut in check can mean the difference between living with or without pain and disease! We are all about living our best lives so we are talking about our top 3 CSE Gut Health Hacks to help you build a bulletproof gut. 80% of communication in the body happens from gut to brain, not the other way around. Also, 80% of all energy consumed over the course of your lifetime is in your digestive system. EIGHTY PERCENT! That means that all other systems in your body have to share the remaining 20%. If your gut is a mess, your body has no choice but to rob energy from neighboring systems. Enter: inflammation, disease, degeneration, aging, cellular breakdown, compromised immune function, autoimmunity, IBS, Crohn’s, Graves, diverticulitis, colitis, Hashimotos, acid reflux, ADD, ADHD, etc. If you, or someone you know, is on this list don’t despair! There is hope for a much better life and we promise you… it starts with food. First, let’s look at things you need to avoid for a healthier gut!

TOP 3 THINGS TO AVOID

1. Antibiotics.

There is a very specific time and place where antibiotics may be necessary but these are rare, few and far between. Antibiotics literally means “AGAINST LIFE.” Not only do they kill harmful bacteria but all the good bacteria that lines your intestinal walls. 80% of your immune system lives in the gut and taking a high dose of antibiotics is like dropping an atomic bomb on your immune system. Good or bad, nothing survives. Antibiotics are not only given by prescription from your doctor but nowadays they are also found in our food! Scary thought. Be sure that your meats are organic, grass-fed, wild caught, free range, no antibiotics or hormones given. EVER. You will either pay a little more for the good stuff now or you will pay dearly for a decline in your health later. It’s not even a question.

2. Artificial sweeteners.

READ YOUR LABELS! If you see Sucralose, aspartame, saccharine or any other artificial sweetener in your supplements, protein powders or food products… RUN! The short and long term effects of these “gut disruptors” aren’t even a little bit great so steer clear as much as possible. Sucralose, for example, is 600 times sweeter than sugar and is extremely inexpensive to manufacture in a lab. That’s why it’s so widely used in the supplement industry. It’s sweet and it’s cheap! For a minute, your body can rid itself of these man-made toxins but after consistent use over an extended period of time this chemical additive can build up in your system in the form of cellular toxicity and disrupt the microbiome (or ecosystem) where life begins. That’s not good.

One of the ingredients in Walden’s Syrups is Sucralose. Which is slightly confusing - as this is part of the recipes in many meal plans. 

We’ve explained this a few times before. The right answer would be to avoid it altogether. We are working hard on developing our own natural syrups to fill this need. If we used maple syrup in the recipe then you wouldn’t be getting any pancake!😉Right now it’s a macro thing. We have pancakes once a week so it’s definitely in moderation and not a daily deal like our protein powders and other supplements. This is a pain point for us for sure and we are working on substituting WF syrup with one that we have complete control over what’s inside. 🙏🏼

3. Refined sugar and processed foods (AKA: The Typical American Diet).

The bad bacteria that so badly wants to crowd out the good bacteria in our gut survives and thrives on refined sugar. The more sugar we consume, the more we crave it because the bad bacteria are having a feeding frenzy on the stuff! We aren’t saying you can never have another cookie in your life but be mindful of what’s going in the tank. If your day looks like cans of sugary and bottles of sugary soda and juice, white breads and pastas, cookies, cakes, donuts, chips, crackers, fast food, takeout, etc, etc… you get the picture! These things wreak havoc on your gut, your mind, your body and your quality of life. Live by the 80/20 rule (or better yet… 90/10! where 80-90% of your diet comes form whole, nutrient dense foods. Your plate at each meal should be balanced with quality protein, carb and fat options and filled with variety and color. Oh, and food SHOULD taste amazing! Don’t think for one second that eating healthy means bland, boring and dull. If you are following the CSE Meal Plans you know how much we LOVE food! Avoid the processed junk and the refined sugar as much as possible!