It takes guts

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There’s a lot of buzz about gut health these days. It is key to our overall wellness. But some people think you can just pop a probiotic pill to protect it and you’re good to go. Dr. Zach Bush has a better idea. Zach is an expert on the microbiome and nutrition and in today’s conversation he sheds new light on what constitutes a healthy gut and how to keep it that way.

The threats to our gut health include glyphosate, herbicides and pesticides that compromise our gut lining and result in allergies, sensitivities, and chronic health conditions. These chemicals are found not only on our food, of course, but also in the soil, the air, our water.

Zach goes into detail about how to shore up our guts against these attacks. It takes guts to make the dietary and lifestyle changes he suggests. But if we do, we can be sure that we will improve our own health, and potentially impact the health of future generations.

Notes:

The answers to our health issues may be found in the dirt! In the last 40 years, our soil has changed so significantly that it is affecting the foundation of our health: our gut. Our gut is truly our “first brain.” Without a healthy gut, our health deteriorates. Dr. Zach Bush has dedicated the last eight years working to reverse chronic disease with intense nutrition programs. On the way, he has learned much about our gut health, its relationship to food, the soil, and more. It takes guts to challenge the status quo and make some changes for improved health. Listening to Zach’s recommendations is a good place to start.

Highlights from the episode include:

• A definition of gut health
• Step One – Create a diverse ecosystem. We are outnumbered by the number of microorganisms that live in and around our bodies, and these microorganisms have a profound effect on our genetics, metabolism, how our brain works, and how we store and burn fuel. We should have between 30,000 – 40,00 bacterial species in and around our body, and we should have 5 million fungal species.
• Step Two – The intelligence of gut barrier system. The gut barrier is a complex layer of proteins, which separates your immune system from the outside world. The gut has one cell layer thick, which is only half the width of a hair! The integrity of the lining is the most important to define gut health. It is too often challenged and broken apart by environment. Herbicides and pesticides break this down (Roundup, or glyphosate, is the most prevalent). The presence of glyphosate is doubling every 6 years, killing the biodiversity we depend on, in the soil and in our gut. Glyphosate is in our water and the air. It functions as an antibiotic and wipes out our ability to detox. Glyphosate is also the reason for the rise in gluten sensitivity.
• How to protect ourselves and rebuild our gut barrier
• Do everything you can to eat as “organic” as possible.
• Pay attention to your water system. Our water is very contaminated, so it is important to reverse osmosis your water or get bottled water.
• Get back into nature. Get into new ecosystems; trees, mountains, swamps, beaches, etc. to expose your gut to microflora that you don’t normally breathe in.
• Take your shoes off and put your bare feet in the soil. Work in the yard, get your face close to the soil, pull weeds, etc. Be a part of your agricultural system by interacting with a piece of soil and a plant system.
• Eat fermented food, such as sauerkraut, beets, or kimchi. Try to eat 1-2 tablespoons with each meal.
• We all need to work to restore and regenerate the soil back to a healthy and natural state.

Resources

Diet Against Disease – Dr. Mercola and over 50 experts, including world leading doctors, scientists, researchers, and survivors. Discover a diet that can help shield you and your loved ones from disease.
Kiss The Ground – A non-profit organization to empower people to restore soil and help accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture.
Savory Insitute – An organization to promote large-scale restoration of the world’s grasslands through holistic management.
Restore, a soil-derived supplement developed by Dr. Bush and his team

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