NUTRITION SPECIAL ..........You are what you eat

NUTRITION SPECIAL You are what you eat





…..how your brain and gut are connected

The craziness going on around us recently -women committing suicide, men bumping off their girlfriends, and moth ers killing their own daughters -it does makes one wonder what is it that makes these people cross a threshold. What these individuals did was acted on an impulse that made them `lose their mind'. We may not cross the so-called `threshold of madness' but we do reach a point of madness in our lives too. I see that happening very often today with my clients losing their cool, not being present in the moment, stressed, reactive, and generally `losing the plot'.

Michio Kushi, the father of modern day macrobiotics, believed in the concept of food getting you to `One Peaceful World' -a Gandhian concept as well. How about using food to get you to a peaceful world within yourself? Is it just about being thin, having glowing skin by consuming the right amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats, or using foods to create a`fit' mind?
What runs through your brain is connected to your second brain, the entire nervous system -these two brains are connected with a nerve called the vagus nerve.That `gut' feeling you get is often true, if you have a clean gut. So responses start in the gut and travel to the brain, it's a great mind body nexus.If you have a strong vagus nerve profile you are a vagus superstar who is more connected to humanity, compassionate, magnamous, benevolent, philanthropic and our bathed in the neurotransmitter called serotonin. 80-90 per cent of this neurotransmitter is made in the gastrointestinal tract -your gut.

IS YOUR GUT AND BRAIN ON FIRE?

Did you know that you are made up of about ten trillion human cells -but there are about a hundred trillion microbial cells in your body. By these microbial cells I mean that we are 10 per cent human, and 90 per cent microbes. Some you get at birth if you were born vaginally from your mother, others you gather as you interact with the environment: pets, people, dirt, sexual partners, what number of sibling are you [1st, 2nd or 3rd], etc. How you choose to keep your own inner ecosystem healthy i.e., these microorganisms nourished and diverse is entirely up to you. This is the key to everything in your life. Bad eating habits, depleted foods, junk that cannot assimilate, and food you are not aware off consciously that feed the bad microbes; cause dysbiosis, that is destroy the flora and fauna of your gut. This eventually leads to a leaky gut allowing toxins to escape as well. An overgrowth of unhealthy microorganisms causes them to gnaw away at your intestinal lining, allowing pathogens to enter your blood stream-causing inflammation.

What is inflammation? It's a condition of the breakdown of the body, when there is a toxic overload in the system, starting in the gut and manifesting itself throughout the body.Inflammation is the body's coping mechanism to outside elements that it cannot assimilate or recognise. If this process carries on without being corrected your body can go into systemic inflammation leading to diseases of the body, mind and autoimmune conditions. Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, major Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), thyroid, Alzeihmer's, Parkinson's, food insensitivities, SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), accelerated ageing, psoriasis, skin issues, allergies, fibromyalgia. Another thing that could affect you is an imbalance in blood sugar levels, where sugar binds to proteins and fats causing deformed molecules setting of an inflammatory response, something most diabetics, overweight people suffer with.

PRO-INFLAMMATORY TRIGGERS AND HOW TO GET OUT

Wheat -If you are gluten intolerant -also found in many sauces and packaged foods, and known to release cytokines of an inflammatory nature -change to gluten-free flours: sorghum (jovar), amaranth (rajgeera) and buckwheat (kuttu).

Dairy -Releases insulin rapidly, and today's milk is not assimilated. Instead, it leaves us with undigested protein sticking to our gut making our intestines absorb very little. Substitute with almond, soy (minimise), and nut milks like almond.

Sugar (includes jaggery) and refined car bohydrates Increase the insulin levels, causing free radicals to float around and dam aged cells. Refined carbohydrates will raise the body's load to absorb high glycemic (GI) foods, raising the inflammatory markers three times higher.

Reach out for fruit, whole grains like: brown rice, including sweeter vegetables like pumpkin (bhopla), car rots, cabbage, onions, sweet potato and beetroot, to stave off sugar cravings.

Excessive alcohol -Inhibits the production of an enzyme that helps convert plant-based sources of omega three fats into inflammation-fighting com pounds. Keep it minimal: three times a week, and not more than three drinks.

Saturated fats, trans fats and refined oils -Saturated fats from dairy and meats will increase inflammation. Trans fats and refined oils will do the same causing oxidative damage to the cells. Use olive, sesame, avocado, ghee, coconut oil, oily fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, seeds and take a fish oil supplement.

Obesity and a big belly -Inflammation and weight are codependent; the more you weigh the higher is your inflammation; the higher your inflammation the harder it will be for you to lose weight.Keep away from processed, refined foods and eating out. Exercise and avoid everything listed above. Colas, aerated beverages, artificial sweeteners, additives -Everything that disrupts the digestion process feeding the bad microorganisms. Reach out for lime juice instead.Excessive coffee or caffeine -Inhibits the digestion process, increases acidity, first kicking up the production of hydrochloric acid, then depleting it. Less of it makes for an unhealthy digestive environment, promoting bad microorganisms. Reach out for a herbal tea instead.

Stress -Couple of things go wrong which are pre-cursors to things going haywire up there, by this I mean your mind. When you are stressed, a release of excessive cortisol and adrenaline release inflammatory cytokines (proteins) that affect the behaviour of inflammatory cells even in the brain. Biochemicals in the brains of people with disturbances and indicate inflammatory markers are high. Build in meditation, yoga, any activity that will bust stress, pranayam, exercise to release endorphins, and release serotonin.

Include: Turmeric (curcumin), ginger, garlic, black and red chilly powder, using all the Indian spices; as they help fight inflammation.Include antioxidant-rich coloured vegetables and whole grains as they help neutralise free radical damage. Maximise the gut microbe diversity by adding something fermented to each meal like a pressed salad, quick pickle, rejuvelac drink, kanji. These increase new vitamins (B12), enhancing the ability to assimilate foods better, enhancing digestion (inhibit growth of harmful microbes), providing beneficial bacteria.

PRESSED SALAD (2-3 TIMES A WEEK) INGREDIENTS SERVINGS:

1 ½ cup sliced cabbage can use raddish (mooli) or any hardy vegetable and 12 tsp salt

METHOD

1. Mix all vegetable with sea salt in a large bowl, and gently press and massage with fingers (like you a are making atta for rotis) into vegetables until they wilt

2. Place a plate on top of vegetables and press down with a heavy weight, I usually have a brick which I have kept handy wrapped in a clean cloth

3. Allow to stand with pressure on top for 45 minutes and let water release from the vegetables

4. Discard the water and rinse with fresh filter water and eat, as a side dish Pressed salad will help assimilate your entire meal and give you that quick fermentation and good bacteria. You can even save some and have it the next day with another meal. I highly recommend this dish if you are wanting to do a three day detox.

Shonali Sabherwal

MM22APR16