microbiome

get your gut good!

Your gut. Would you say it’s good, or that it needs some love?

A good gut is one you shouldn’t really notice. Food is eaten, broken down, absorbed and eliminated… ok, there’s a number of other steps and factors in that process, but think large overview here!

This process should largely go unnoticed by us. But yet we seem to have an epidemic of symptoms that tells us things are going so smoothly. Did you know it’s not actually normal to have bloating, belching and gas? These symptoms have really only become ‘normal’ in the past handful a decades.

Why? I have two thoughts on this:

The pharmaceutical industry promotes and sells sickness. Why? A lot of money can be made this way. Through their advertisements, they have ‘normalized‘ sickness. When you see it on television that many others have the same challenges and you can take a magic pill for it … you begin to think everyone has it [insert whatever symptom you are feeling] and that the answer is to pop a pill. Spending on drug promotion has steadily increased since the mid-90’s. In fact, one research article I read claims drug companies spend more on advertising than on research!
Our lifestyles have changed. #truth. We eat more processed foods ON THE RUN. We aren’t sitting down to quiet meal and chewing our food. And we’re completely stressed out, which shuts down the digestive system.

But let’s put blame aside and talk about what’s really important- how to make changes in your life to get your gut working smoothly and seamlessly.

That’s why I created Understanding the Microbiome class. So you can get to the root cause of your symptoms, not just band aide them with a pill that won’t heal the problem. You can FEEL better!

Did you know your microbiome controls how many calories you absorb from the food you eat? It also impacts food cravings. Anxiety and depression. And the release of hormones! WHOA!

In this class, you will learn

What is the microbiome?
What does it do?
Consequences of an unhealthy microbiome?
Environmental factors that hurt the microbiome
What helps the microbiome?

We’ll even connect weakened immune systems with c-section delivery, formula-fed babies, antibiotic use and birth control pills. And relieve for low stomach acid and leaky gut.

Thursday, January 14th. 6pm CT. via Zoom. Register at Happyeatshealthy.com -> Understanding the Microbiome.

Looking forward to seeing you and your happy gut there~
Monique

Understanding the Microbiome: A Virtual Class

Understanding the Microbiome: a virtual class

Acne, allergies, autoimmune diseases, anxiety, bowel disease, migraines, excessive weight … all these are have one thing in common- an unhealthy microbiome.

Digestive health is intricately connected to virtually every aspect of your health. Have you heard of the gut-brain connection?

“Gut-Brain-Skin Axis” theory is a connection that is understood to be a two-way street: emotional states can alter your normal intestinal microflora, which can increase intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and contribute to systemic inflammation. And vice versa—your microflora can influence your emotional states because these vitally important “good” bacteria produce neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers that play a role in mood and cognitive function.

Did you know your microbiome controls how many calories you absorb from the food you eat? It also impacts food cravings. Anxiety and depression. And the release of hormones.

In this class, you will learn

What is the microbiome?
What does it do?
Consequences of an unhealthy microbiome?
Environmental factors that hurt the microbiome
What helps the microbiome?

We’ll even connect weakened immune systems with c-section delivery, formula-fed babies, antibiotic use and birth control pills. And relieve for low stomach acid and leaky gut,

This class has a slight focus for Wellness Coaches, but it’s great for anyone looking to take their health to the next level. Receive a class workbook and handouts you can use to help uncover digestive challenges.

Class details:

Class will be held on Thursday, January 14th, 6 – 8:30pm CT

Class workbook will be sent out prior to the start of class.

This interactive class is accessible to anyone via zoom.

Space limited! Register and save your spot today, register through Paypal!

contact Monique@happyeatshealthy.com with questions or additional payment options.

Understanding the Microbiome: Virtual Class

Understanding the Microbiome: a virtual class

Acne, allergies, autoimmune diseases, anxiety, bowel disease, migraines, excessive weight … all these are have one thing in common- an unhealthy microbiome.

Digestive health is intricately connected to virtually every aspect of your health. Have you heard of the gut-brain connection?

Did you know your microbiome controls how many calories you absorb from the food you eat? It also impacts food cravings. Anxiety and depression. And the release of hormones.

In this class, you will learn

What is the microbiome?
What does it do?
Consequences of an unhealthy microbiome?
Environmental factors that hurt the microbiome
What helps the microbiome?

We’ll even connect weakened immune systems with c-section delivery, formula-fed babies, antibiotic use and birth control pills. And relieve for low stomach acid and leaky gut,

Class details:

Class will be held on Thursday, November 12th, 6-9pm

Class workbook will be sent out prior to the start of class.

This interactive class is accessible to anyone via zoom.

Space limited! Register and save your spot today!

contact Monique@happyeatshealthy.com with questions or additional payment options.

You are more than what you eat.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve most likely heard the phrase: ‘You are what you eat’. Heck, I’m pretty sure I’ve even used that phrase numerous times before.

But what if I told you that phrase is no longer correct? Actually, looking back it was probably never entirely true as written. But thanks to the latest and greatest research we understand the body better than ever.

The new, updated phrase is actually:

You are what you eat, digest, AND assimilate.

We could even take it a step further by saying:

You are what you eat, digest, AND assimilate… and if you’re not careful, you can also become what you don’t eliminate”.

Um … yuck.

Both phrases probably made sense to you on some level the minute you read them, right? We can eat the healthiest food available, but it won’t matter if our body isn’t absorbing the key minerals and nutrients our body needs to thrive.

Whether your digestion is sluggish and moving too slow, bloated, gassy or even if it’s loosey-goosey and moving too fast, these are all signs that you’re not breaking your food down properly and ultimately not absorbing the nutrients.

The signs and symptoms don’t stop there. In fact, fatigue, brain fog, anxiety and depression all can stem from poor or mal-absorption. Shocking, no?

There are a number of super simple, almost mundane, things you can do to help your gut digest and absorb better. In fact, I wrote a previous blog post about how these simple eating hygiene steps can help with your stomach acid woe’s. Yup, these work in many ways and on many health challenges. Here’s a quick recap:

Chew your food thoroughly
Eat slowly, 20 – 40 times!
Sit at a table, not at your desk or in front of the t.v.
Avoid drinking too many liquids with your meal
Eat more warm, cooked vegetables
Avoid fruit after meals
Stop before you are full

Feel like you’re doing all these steps and things still aren’t improving? Your body might need a little extra help:

Add in digestive enzymes or Swedish Bitters. You simple take these with your meal. They do exactly as it sounds- they help you digest your food.
Eliminate gluten from your diet. GASP! Perhaps not the easiest step in the world, but if you’re experiencing anxiety, mood swings, fatigue or brain fog, gluten may be the thing that is preventing your body from absorbing.

More than just WHAT you eat matters. How you eat and when you eat play a huge role. Plus, there is a chance your gut needs further TLC to actually heal. If you find you need a little help getting your gut in order, reach out and let’s talk!

Happy Day

~ Monique

Pre vs Pro-biotic. Who wins in a cage match?

If a prebiotic and a probiotic go head to head, who will win?

Well, that’s a lot like asking whether an apple is better than an orange … they are different so it’s not necessarily a true comparison.

They sound similar, but each are very different and have different roles in our digestive system (aka our gut). Stick with me for a minute, even if this begins to sound complicated.

Prebiotic is essentially a type of dietary fiber that feeds or fuels the beneficial bacteria in our gut. It is a non-digestible, carbohydrate part of food that goes through the small intestine undigested and is fermented when it reaches the large colon where it feeds the bacteria colonies.

Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria naturally created by the process of fermentation that keep our gut in working order. 80% of our immune system is located in the gut, so keeping it healthy impacts your entire well-being.

A really great analogy I recently heard is this-

Think of a garden. The probiotic is the seeds that grow into the plants. The prebiotic fiber is the fertilizer that helps the seeds flourish.

So basically a prebiotic is helpful in increasing probiotics which help reduce disease and increase well being.

OK, so what exactly food wise, is a prebiotic and what is a probiotic?

Probiotics can be found in food or in pill form. From a food perspective- these are fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir and kimchi. They must be found in the refrigerator case (keeping the good bugs alive), not in a shelf-stable can where the good bugs cannot live.

Prebiotic (fiber) can be found in foods like banana, apple (with skin on), asparagus, dandelion greens, barley, raw garlic and onions, and Jerusalem artichoke. Or these can be found in supplement form as well.

Why take a supplement versus eating real food?

Our modern diet is high in processed foods and sugar so it’s pretty helpful to get these into our diet one way or another to help stabilize our guts and improve our health. But not all of us are eating (or have the taste for) fermented foods or even foods high in fiber; that’s where supplementation is helpful.

It’s important to understand that probiotics are fragile and can be killed by heat and stomach acid. There are hundreds of types available but they must ‘arrive alive‘. Purchase supplements from the refrigerator section of the pharmacy.

Prebiotic fiber is more hearty and not affected by heat and digestive juices so are more shelf friendly.

Key Takeaways: Probiotics are great for the gut and our entire immune system. Keep in mind that everyone is different so not everyone needs one and the same one won’t work for everyone. Plus, you don’t need to take prebiotics for probiotics to work, but it may make the probiotics more effective.

Ready to go a litter deeper? Reach out and let’s connect on your gut health!