Old fashioned medicine still works for modern gut issues.
Stay tuned I’ll explain…
What’s a modern gut issue?
- chronic diarrhea or constipation
- irritable bowel syndrome and disease
- celiac conditions
- fatty liver and pancreas
- increased cholesterol
- gall bladder issues
- gas and bloating
- blood sugar elevation, pre-diabetes and diabetes
All of the issues above are something I see on a daily basis in my office.
They are signs that the body is out of balance.
All of them are related to…
- the type of food that you eat
- how well you chew
- what environment you choose to dine in
- the water and air you breathe
- how well you digest and metabolize your food
- the health of your gut lining and microbiome
- the amount of fiber you eat
The basics.
One of “the basics” that’s been overlooked for fancy supplement protocols is fiber.
Fiber is a superfood that’s been recommended for decades but very few people actually consume enough.
That’s because the daily recommendations are too low and loosely defined.
I believe Men and Women need 35 grams or more of fiber a day compared to the ball park recommendation of 22 grams (for women) and 30 grams (for men) a day recommendations.
In my podcast interview last Saturday with Ann Maria Tom and her husband Anoop Asok we talked about using fiber as a way to decrease your appetite. (listen HERE)
During the podcast we talked about using fiber powder as a hack to decrease the amount of pizza you would eat in one sitting.
Eating foods or drinking fiber powders can help you to feel full for longer.
Plus it can slow down absorption of carbohydrates and prevent blood sugar spikes.
Fiber exerts it’s benefits by soaking up fluid in the digestive system and expanding.
Because of it’s expansive benefits fiber’s super powers can go way beyond the pizza hack!
The expansion of fiber with gut contents can slow down the bowels or create a stretching reaction that triggers motion of the bowels.
Hence, fiber is good for constipation and diarrhea in addition to slowing the absorption of sugar.
It’s not uncommon for a doctor of any type to promote the need for more veggies and fiber.
Especially if they are talking about cardiovascular disease.
In some patients I have seen total cholesterol and LDL (low density lipoprotein) levels decrease in patients who consume 8-10 cups of veggies a day.
Unfortunately, it’s rare for me to have more than a few patients that will try this out as it’s not easy.
Plus those with diarrhea often prefer not to eat veggies are they provoke diarrhea more often than not.
Ultimately, taking fiber powders is easier.
And it doesn’t mean you have to take fake chemical laden ones in the commercials that say “recommended by pharmacists or doctors”.
Here’s what I’ve seen work for various conditions…
- Acacia fiber is best for diarrhea
- Flax, chia and psyllium for constipation
- PGX fiber – to slow blood sugar elevations with meals and increase fullness
Dr. Krause’s Protocols
Instructions Included
Traveling soon? Looking to detox or reset your gut? Try one of Dr. Krause’s Fullscript plans.
I’ve found isolating the right fiber for the condition one is experiencing is as important as how much water one is drinking.
Drinking a base of 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water a day plus a good 8-12 ounces with your fiber is key.
It’s common for me to hear, “fiber constipates me or doesn’t work for me”.
My first questions is always, “how much water do you drink?”
Fiber needs water to do it’s job.
That being said, fiber is a great tool to start with when you’re experiencing increased hunger or having change in the normal pattern of your bowels.
It is also what can help when your blood sugar, hemoglobin a1c and cholesterol keep going up despite a fairly healthy diet and exercise!
Fiber is a superfood with many benefits!
And it’s doesn’t hurt to ditch everything processed and go to organic closest to nature foods.
If you’d like to check out my gut health plans with fiber for…
- diarrhea and leaky gut – HERE
- constipation – HERE
- stopping feeling hungry all the time or slowing absorption of carbs – HERE
Click the links next to each condition.
Stay tuned for Wednesday where I dive a bit deeper into gut health.
Here’s to getting in more fiber,
Dr. J
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