It Takes Guts Nutrition
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  • Home
    • About Me >
      • My Story
      • My Training
      • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Healing
    • Private Consults
    • Group Programs and Workshops >
      • 7-Day Gut Reboot!
      • SmartStart
      • Guts to Heal
    • Gift Certificates
    • Access to Supplements
  • Fermenting
    • Fermented Foodies!
    • Home Visits
  • Retreats
  • Resources
    • Guides
    • Beat the Bloat NOW
    • Delicious Broth Recipes!
    • Links
  • Contact

Why Low Carb Diets are NOT gut-friendly

29/6/2020

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In the last couple decades, low-carb diets have become a fad for many reasons.

​They attract those who want to lose weight and many have found that they feel better – less brain fog and bloating - when they eat less carbs.


However, this is not a healthy long-term strategy, and here’s why.

In my last post, I talked about your transitory bacteria, the bacteria that stays a while and then leaves. These are your probiotic foods and supplements.

However, there are species of bacteria and yeasts in your gut that ARE permanent – they are called residential. Your residential bacteria and yeasts need a special food to fuel their activity. These foods are known as prebiotics.

And many prebiotic foods are carbohydrates. If you avoid eating carbs, you are essentially starving your permanent bacteria of the very fuel they need to survive.

In particular, there are a group of prebiotic foods that contain resistant starch like grains, tubers and legumes.

Resistant starch fuels the cells of the colon and is helpful for those suffering from Crohn’s, Colitis, diverticulitis, constipation and diarrhea. It also stabilizes blood sugar, increases sensation of fullness and improves insulin sensitivity! All ESSENTIAL for permanent weight loss!

Now there are many other groups of prebiotics. All my clients and members of my Guts to Heal Program get help with knowing which foods to focus on for their specific health issues, but I can tell you this simple and easy-to-remember fact:
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All plant foods are prebiotic!

So if you eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily, you’ll be meeting most of your prebiotic requirements.

Even better, eat fermented veggies like sauerkraut or kimchi, that are both prebiotic AND probiotic!
It's simple.It's food-based. And as my clients and I can attest, it works!

So if you’ve taken probiotics to correct a health problem, pat yourself on the back.

And don’t stop there. Make fermented and plant foods a daily part of your diet.

Interested in taking the next step to building a healthy gut? Or learning how to eat more strategically to solve your unique gut issues?

There is so much to know and it helps to have someone like me to guide you in the best steps to take - steps that make sense for *your* body and *your* life. Send me an email today at katanne@takesguts.ca and we'll get started today!
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What the Probiotic Industry DOESN'T Want You to Know

29/6/2020

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Have you ever taken probiotics after a course of antibiotics or infection and noticed you felt better?

You probably thought you’d helped your gut flora grow back and since you were feeling better (and especially since probiotics are expensive), you didn’t see the need to keep taking them, right?
Well, my friend, you are not alone. This is a common misunderstanding about probiotics and one that – quite conveniently - isn’t being corrected by the probiotic supplement industry!

​
Here’s what you need to know…

Probiotic supplements and foods do not “re-populate” your microbiome. They are not like seeds that take root, grow and remain forever.

Yes, they help us while they are in our gut, but studies show us that probiotic foods and supplements are transitory. That means that they reside in our gut for a short period (about two weeks) and then they are eliminated.

That means your body requires a consistent supply of probiotics – either from a supplement or from food.
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What are some of my favorite “super” probiotic foods? I’ll mention three:
1.    Sauerkraut (click here for recipe)
2.    Kimchi (click here for a northern recipe)
3.    Kefir (try this dairy-free recipe

If you can start to include one or more of these in your daily diet, you’ll be helping your microbiome complete all those tasks that I mentioned in my last email. Eat your way to feeling good, right?!

But there’s more… you also have permanent bacteria in your gut and these require special foods to keep them happy.

And if you’re on a low-carb diet, you don’t want to miss out how it could be harming your permanent bacteria and delaying your healing progress. Stay tuned!
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Your "Own-Grown" Help

29/6/2020

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No, you are most definitely NOT alone.

You’ve heard that there are more than 100 trillion bacterial cells in our gut, right?

What are they doing in there?
I’ve been studying this research since 2013 and one thing is clear: we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what gut bacteria do for us. 

​
But here are my top 5 favorite ways in which bacteria support our health:
  • They help NOURISH us by producing vitamins B1, B2, B12 and K and improving mineral absorption in the intestines.
  • They PRIME and regulate our immune system throughout our lives.
  • They REDUCE inflammation in the body by modulating hypersensitivity responses.
  • They MAINTAIN the villi and cell lining of our intestines.
  • They DETOXIFY and transform many harmful substances for us like heavy metals and BPA
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​Isn’t this great news?

I don’t know about you, but when I started to understand that there were trillions of bacteria inside me - working for me - well, there is some serious comfort in that!

And all we have to do is to care for our microbiome! The four best areas to pay attention to are:
  1. Avoiding consumption of toxins,
  2. Eating plenty of pre/probiotic foods,
  3. Getting enough sleep, and
  4. Reducing the impacts of stress (notice I didn’t say “reduce stress”, but the effects of stress – more on that next week).
So, this weekend, while you are out working in your garden or playing in nature, take a good look at that dirt. Imagine all the microorganisms doing their part for the plants, and know that the same magic and mystery is at work inside you too!
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Soil and Guts

29/6/2020

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I remember when I used to be bloated ALL the time, and I had the worst gas.

Like, peel-the-paint kind of farts.

It was terribly embarrassing, especially since I was a professional dancer at the time.
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Wearing tight clothes for rehearsals meant I had to REALLY suck in my gut to hide the bloating, and since my body was moving in all kinds of ways, it was very difficult to not fart by accident.

This meant I was often distracted, and with the brain-fog that comes with gut issues, I definitely wasn’t rocking my dance career.

And that wasn’t the worst of it, of course. There were many days I couldn't dance or enjoy other activities because my guts were knotted with cramps. Or I'd had another bout of diarrhea. Or I felt nauseous. Or I was just too exhausted.

I’m SOOO glad those days are over now.

Where did the bloating, gas, cramps and diarrhea come from?​
It took me many, many years to figure it out even BEFORE I decided to go to school and specialize in nutrition and digestion. Many years! So pleeeease, don’t feel bad if you don't know either!

Right now, JUNE, is a perfect time for us to talk about our microbiome, the place where many of the symptoms I just mentioned begin.
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Why? Well, all of nature is blooming and growing – and the plants have the soil to thank for that.

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What makes that soil good? Proper nutrients and pH, yes, but also something else. Symbiotic relationships between the microbes and fungi, and the plants! (Symbiotic refers to what is mutually beneficial)

It is the same in our gut. We have our own inner gardens of microbes to attend to so that they can help protect and nourish us. They need the right nutrients, pH and each other!

When our microbiome is balanced and healthy, it prevents pathogens from creating noxious gas in our guts, it helps us break down our food so we get the nutrients we need, it prevents inflammation and regulates our bowel movements.

This and so much more!

Stay tuned because I’m dedicating June to Nourishing a Healthy Microbiome - your own inner garden!  ​​
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    Author

    Hi, I'm Katanne - Nutritionist and Gut Health Specialist. My talent and passion is helping busy people like you to finally enjoy food and life again!! By resolving painful and annoying digestive issues,  we then have energy and enthusiam for our life and being the best version of ourself!
    ​As a busy, do-too-much, everyone-else-comes-first type of person, I learned the hard way that this kind of stress compromises both gut and health. It took ten years to perfect a healing approach that is less about food and more about how we live with our stress.... stress that impacts our digestion, and stress that we often bring on ourselves. We all need efficient and effective solutions that we can integrate into our busy lives, so let me find you some simple solutions to bring enjoyment back to your eating and living!

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It Takes Guts Nutrition
Katanne Belisle RHN​
Gut Health Specialist
Whitehorse, YT, CAN

What Clients Are Saying

 "I was plagued by a myriad of digestive and inflammatory issues and after months of discomfort I was fortunate enough to meet Katanne.  Her insight, intuition, knowledge and caring attention has made it possible for me to heal and thrive with a new understanding of the food I eat.  I am now healthier, happier and have more energy than I have had in quite some time. "  ~ Steve T. 
"Katanne gives well balanced information versed in first hand experience and research. After seeing various health professionals over the years, doing my own research, trials and tribulations, I can (say) that this is the real deal, and that what she provides people is a holistic, realistic approach to healing oneself through food"  ~ Elizabeth G.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from Theo Crazzolara, Stephen Pearson, shixart1985