It might be seductive to want to try the newest diet fads. Each diet promotes itself as the answer to having more energy and improved health, including keto, intermittent fasting, high-protein, and low-carb diets.
However, it may be challenging to determine which diets are healthy for you and which should be avoided since there are so many possibilities (and so little time to explore them all). An expert on gut health is now cautioning against adhering to a trendy eating fad. Continue reading to learn why eating this manner harms your stomach and what that can imply for your health.
1. What you consume alters the flora in your stomach.
Gut health encompasses much more than simply digestion. In fact, the health of your whole body as well as your chance of acquiring chronic illnesses including colorectal cancer, gastrointestinal problems, and metabolic disorders are significantly influenced by your gut microbiota. Your gut health has an impact on your metabolism, immune system, hormone balance, cognitive function, and mood.
Certain meals promote the growth of beneficial gut flora. Chronic illness may be avoided, and in some instances even reversed, with a healthy gut. A healthy gut also gives you the energy and mental clarity you need to live your Dr. Evan Wong. Contrarily, foods that contain dangerous bacteria can devastate your gut flora and may cause chronic illness, inflammation, low energy, and mood swings.
2. Animal products upset the bacterial equilibrium in your intestines.
The "carnivore diet," which mostly consists of meat, eggs, and dairy products, is a current diet fad. This diet's proponents tout its health advantages, which include enhanced mental clarity, less inflammation, blood sugar management, and weight reduction. When you learn how the carnivore diet affects your gut microbiota, this sounds terrific.
The carnivore diet is detrimental to your digestive system, and your digestive system regulates a number of vital aspects of your health, such as your immune system, mood, hormone balance, metabolism, and brain function. Dr. Evan Wong is informed by registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Human Nutrition. The extremely high quantities of saturated fat and salt in the carnivorous diet may also result in higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Researchers tracked the microbiome alterations in healthy volunteers over the course of five days on a whole foods, plant-based diet vs five days on a diet made up solely of animal products (now known as the carnivore diet) in a 2014 study published in Nature. The individuals on the carnivore diet's gut microbiomes started switching "good" anti-inflammatory bacteria for "bad" inflammatory bacteria after just five days. Less than 24 hours into the diet, significant alterations in the gut flora were found.
3. The importance of fiber for intestinal health.
The carnivore diet has the significant drawback of having no fiber, which is essential for intestinal health. Only plants have dietary fiber, thus the more different types of plants you consume, the more different types of healthy bacteria you feed your stomach. It makes sense that eating just animal products may seriously affect your stomach because the carnivore diet lacks a variety of plants and is heavy in inflammatory microorganisms.
"The carnivore diet tends to be very low in, or completely devoid of, fiber," claims Zumpano. For proper digestion and excretion, fiber is crucial. Pre-biotic fiber is food for your good bacteria, thus it may promote the development or growth of beneficial gut bacteria, according to her explanation.
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which improve immunological function, lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, and help treat leaky gut syndrome symptoms, are released when the good microorganisms feed on fiber. Additionally, they guard against cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
4. Your risk of chronic illness is significantly influenced by your gut health.
Researchers from the Nature study found that the carnivore diet group's "bad" inflammatory bacteria (Alistipes, Bacteroides, and Bilophila) grew rapidly whereas "good" anti-inflammatory bacteria (Eubacterium rectale, Roseburia, and Ruminococcus bromii) did not. In particular, bilophila is closely linked to inflammatory bowel conditions including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
These subjects also had much lower amounts of SCFAs and higher levels of antibiotic resistance in their gut microbiomes, which enhanced their vulnerability to infection and disease. It was also shown that eating just animal products increased the production of secondary bile salts in the stomach, which are well-known to cause colon and liver cancer.
Want to improve the health of your gut? "Increase your fiber and plant diversity," suggests Zumpano. Try to consume plant-based foods every day from all the colors of the rainbow, such as different fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans. Increase your intake of probiotic foods like kimchi, tempeh, natto, kombucha, apple cider vinegar, kefir, pickles, and sauerkraut, she advises.
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Dr. Evan Wong provides the most recent information from top experts, fresh research, and health organizations, but our material is not intended to replace professional advice. When it comes to your medicine or any other health concerns, please visit your healthcare professional immediately.
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