The Top 7 Foods and Supplements for Gut Health

There are affordable, readily available foods and supplements that can revolutionize your digestive health, immune system, and even mental state. 

In this episode, I recount my personal journey towards a thriving gut microbiome,  and the daily routine that has developed through my health certification, as well as key interviews I conducted with experts on this show.

In this episode you'll become armed with knowledge to craft your own gut-friendly arsenal.

Listen in as I share a blueprint for daily habits that pave the way to optimal gut health.

Find episode links, notes and artwork at:

https://blog.dirobi.com

This show is for informational purposes only.

None of the information in this podcast should be construed as dispensing medical advice.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Transcript

Dave Sherwin: 0:12

Welcome to the Diary of the Health Show. Today, I'm talking about seven foods for gut health, and this is not some kind of a theoretical exercise or some generic article off of the internet that I discovered Nothing like that. As a matter of fact, it's something that has happened in my life and products that have accumulated over the course of my being in the health industry since 2009 and getting health certification and just generally being a geek who does almost constant experimentations with food, and over time, I realize I've got these seven things and, taken individually, you might have one or two or three of these in your fridge at the moment, but I doubt many people have all seven, and, as I've interviewed hundreds of people and done the research I've done, I kind of added these one at a time and now I find I can't be without them, and so I thought, well, this is something I ought to share, so I hope you find this valuable. These are seven things that are in my fridge or pantry at all times and each for different reasons, so I'll go through them and then you can just decide whether they're going to become staples for you as well or not. But let me just give you my pitch on why I have these products in my house, in no particular order. So first of all, kombucha.

Dave Sherwin: 1:35

I'm a big fan of kombucha. I didn't love it when I was first introduced to it. I knew it was a health drink. Generally speaking, when someone says, would you like to try a health drink, I'm assuming it's not going to taste very good. But kombucha is a fizzy fermented drink that has a variety of flavors and it is sort of an acquired taste. However, I kind of have a soda addiction. Let's just say I don't drink much soda, don't get me wrong. I kind of treat it like I'm an alcoholic who's in recovery. I love soda and I luckily don't. I'm not tempted that often. Generally speaking, I'll have popcorn and a soda at a movie which we do like once a month. So I'm not drinking near as much as I used to, but I do have that urge for fizziness. Okay, and kombucha gives that to me. I love that aspect. It kind of satiates the desire for fizzy drinks and so it's super healthy. I don't drink that much as a matter of fact. Combined, these things are a little bit expensive, but you don't need that much of them. For example, I might only have a third or half a cup of kombucha per day. It has billions of probiotics and so a small amount can go a very long way.

Dave Sherwin: 2:52

The next one is kefir and is it has its own strands of goodness. I guess you could say it's like yogurt, right? The same type of active enzymes that are in yogurt are in kefir, except that the ones in kefir are unique to kefir, and I believe it was developed in Russia a long, long time ago. The strands have been passed from home to home and down over time, and it's kind of a fascinating story that these kefir strands of bacteria are still being passed on the way that they are through their cultures. It's like yogurt, but a thinner consistency. You drink it. You can get it flavored or unflavored. Be careful with the flavored ones, because they tend to have added sugar. A flavored one might be a hundred and ninety calories per cup. So again, don't have too much. Be careful that you're not adding unnecessary calories. However, again, half a cup of kefir taken per day can be terrific for your gut and has a delicious, tangy sort of a flavor. If you like yogurt, especially plain yogurt, then you'll for sure like kefir. If you don't like it plain, there are some terrific flavors.

Dave Sherwin: 4:05

Next is kimchi or other fermented foods. Now, in the old world they have a lot of fermented foods in their diet and in the new world we don't, and we pay a price. We have a lot more gut and health related issues than people do in the old world Greece, japan, areas of Russia, etc. And kimchi is one that I like because it's convenient and easy. I buy it, I put it in the fridge and I add a little bit of kimchi on my plate with certain as a side with certain dishes and, again, a bit of an acquired taste. It's too hot for a lot of people, but you can get it in a mild flavor so that it's easier to stomach if you don't like things that are hot.

Dave Sherwin: 4:49

So, whether kimchi or sauerkraut or some other fermented food, adding something like this to your daily regimen, or at least a few times a week, can make a big difference to your gut microbiome. And you know, let me back up for just a minute. The gut microbiome is a very complex ecosystem. There are trillions of bacteria that are of all different shapes and sizes and do different roles and a balanced microbiome. Biome not only aids in digestion, but it supports our immune system, it influences our mood and our mental health, and so this is a big deal and we hear a lot of talk about it, but I don't think that many people have a really strategic way of taking care of their gut microbiome, and so I hope that these things really do make a difference to you and that you'll implement some of them.

Dave Sherwin: 5:41

The next one is plain whole milk yogurt or whole fat yogurt. The labels will be different from brand to brand, but yogurt is very healthy for us. Again, not too much because it is very calorie dance, but a little bit of whole yogurt, not fat free, but full fat. And again, just, it's better to have the less processed food, in my humble but correct opinion on this particular aspect of nutrition, than to get a more processed one and one that has flavors and sugars added. I'm a little more leaning it on the kefir Yogurts, though. I mean, think of like a gogurt, think of how yogurt can be completely candified. Okay, you don't find that in kefir, but you find it in yogurt, so be careful with that.

Dave Sherwin: 6:32

The full fat version, a little bit, can really add to your gut microbiome. The way I do mine is I put about half a cup or a third of a cup in every single overnight oats that I make, and I have overnight oats for breakfast pretty much every single day. That's just become my routine. I love it because I can make four breakfast at a time. I put them in the fridge, they're ready to go, and it just saves me time in the morning, which is my most effective time for work. And I mix the yogurt in with that and that's how I make sure that I get whole unflavored full fat yogurt in my diet almost every single day.

Dave Sherwin: 7:13

The next one is psyllium husk powder. Now the gut microbiome is not only taking in all the nutrients but it and then processing them and putting them into the bloodstream where we can use them for energy and for nutrition. But its job then is also to expel, to get rid of the waste, and a whole lot of people in this country have problems getting rid of the waste. They have hard stools or two soft stools, they go too long without pooping or just generally have other related problems with getting rid of the food after it has been processed in their body. And so the entire process of taking in nutritious food, having it absorbed into our bloodstream and have it go into our muscles and soft tissue and operate our brain and our digestive system is how the whole thing should work, and then we should eliminate very naturally, comfortably and easily on a regular basis.

Dave Sherwin: 8:10

If that's not happening for you, psyllium husk powder, but very inexpensively on Amazon or your local health food store, can be a godsend. You don't need very much and it's super inexpensive. I would experiment with a teaspoon first of all. Mix it into something like our greens and reds superfood or any other drink that you have. I would make sure it's quite a large volume, because otherwise it will really thicken it, but this is a fiber powerhouse that will help your digestive system run smoothly. It will make a noticeable difference. Again, start small so that you don't have too big of a difference, and then get mad at me that you put this into your regimen and didn't like it. However, if you start small and then, over time, find out just how much works for you, I find that about half a tablespoon in a drink in the morning and another half in the afternoon is really a great ratio or mix for me. But experiment with how that works out for you and this could be a very inexpensive addition to your diet that could make a big difference.

Dave Sherwin: 9:18

Number six is eat anything Rx from our own store, dirobycom. This is specially formulated to support digestion and nutrient absorption and mostly used by people with malabsorption issues, and that's what made it famous. However, what a lot of people don't realize is this is a digestive powerhouse, truly in every sense of the word. It's not just for people who have trouble digesting, it's for anybody. I take one every morning with breakfast and one every evening with dinner, and I wouldn't be without it. It not only helps break down fructose, but proteins, lactose, glucose I mean this thing. It is a full spectrum digestive aid. If you have any symptoms after eating certain meals, like bloating or indigestion or pain, then take one about 20 minutes before you eat a meal and you may be amazed at what happens. We have hundreds of testimonials to this effect that you can see on dirobycom. So if you're having trouble digesting, it could be that your gut microbiome is missing either enzymes, prebiotics or probiotics that would help break down that food, and all of those elements are in eat anything are X. So give that a try.

Dave Sherwin: 10:34

And the next one is also found at dirobycom, and I've mentioned it earlier. It's the Greens and Reds Superfood. It's packed with nutrients that support the gut microbiome. It has adaptogens. It has fiber. It has many phytonutrients. It has over 50 ingredients to help you have more energy. It'll help you digest better, as is the focus of this particular podcast. It has elements in it that would be impossible to keep in your fridge and pantry because there's so many. So make sure and check out the ingredients in Greens and Reds Superfood. We also have some phenomenal testimonials on that product as well.

Dave Sherwin: 11:12

I have one scoop every single day and would not be without it, and with the combo of these seven things, I feel like my gut health is in really good condition, and it is. I don't have a lot of the problems that people have. As I do my free consulting with people that I do for customers of diroby, I hear about all kinds of problems people have, many of them related to digestion. Now a couple of thoughts. We're assuming here that you're drinking enough water. Right, I mean, really, water could be number one, because our bodies are made of 70% water, so these things will really help. But if you're chronically dehydrated, drink more water, of course.

Dave Sherwin: 11:55

And one other caveat that I would add make sure you stop eating after dinner If you want to do your gut microbiome a huge favor.

Dave Sherwin: 12:04

Eat your dinner, then brush your teeth. Do your evening routine early so that you're not tempted to eat any more food, because that is one of the problems that we're creating for ourselves. When we eat food after dinner or late at night, it's the wrong time, it's usually the wrong foods, it's disrupting our natural hormones that are helping us go to sleep and those hormones that are working during the night elevate HGH, estrogen and testosterone and others and during the night, our digestive system has a chance to cleanse itself, to go to work, getting rid of pathogens, carcinogens, etc. So those are a couple of habits that you really ought to add into the mix as well, beyond these seven products that I'm talking about. So I hope you've enjoyed this episode and that you'll try out one, two, three or maybe even all seven of these things and implement them into your own diet. If you do, make sure and use the 10% off code podcast to get 10% off of anything you buy at Dairobycom Until next time. This is Dave Sherwin, wishing you health and success.