Why Low Carb Diets are NOT gut-friendly

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.

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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:

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!