Download The Gut Immunity Diet This diet is designed to work alongside your

The Gut Immunity Diet
This diet is designed to work alongside your supplement programme. It aims to balance your
blood sugar and generally improve your dietary health. In the naturopathic approach we
concentrate on promoting health rather than fighting symptoms.
It has been found that a healthy intestinal immune system is the best barrier against
intestinal flora imbalances, or other disorders. This diet should help strengthen your gut
immunity and general health in order to combat GI (gastro intestinal) tract problems.
Before long you should start feeling better. This will be a clear indication of your improving
health and provide the base for any specific treatment you might need.
General Rules
Make an effort to eat properly: This is the vital base for your health.
Eat natural foods
Try to prepare your meals as much as possible with natural, unprocessed foods,
if possible organic. Also try to use seasonal foods grown in your own country.
They have the best nutrient levels and least chemical additives.
The immune system is very sensitive to the environment, so try to minimise your intake of
chemicals and stimulants.
Eat 3 main meals + regular small snacks in between if needed.
Have regular meal times: A simple way of balancing blood sugar and calming the digestion.
Try not to eat after 7 pm (maximum 8 pm). Most people are best off having most of their food
for breakfast or lunch, rather than in the evening.
Sit down for your meal.
Chew properly - eat less
Try to eat slowly and always chew well. Our stomach has no teeth, and therefore has
difficulty
breaking down large particles of food. Food needs to be mixed with the digestive enzymes,
which works best when the particles are as small as possible. In addition the process of
chewing makes us feel full faster by influencing the saturation centre in our brain.
Versatile and good quality mixed nutrition
There is no food, which contains all the important nutrients in the right amount. So you
should
ideally eat as wide a variety as possible. This will give you the best balance of nutrients.
All restricted nutrition has disadvantages.
Choose unrefined carbohydrates (Eat carbs according to your workout level!)
Carbohydrate controls insulin; insulin controls fat storage. Carbohydrates like bread,
potatoes, rice, cakes, biscuits and so on mainly consist of starch.
In our small intestines all starch is broken down into sugars by our digestive enzymes.
If the carbs are white, this process is fast. If the carbs are of the brown wholemeal kind,
the breakdown takes longer, because the body first has to crack the cellulose cell walls,
which act like a protective seal around the nutrients. This takes a while, as cellulose is not
digestible. In this way wholemeal carbs ensure that the sugar influx into our blood stream is
low and steady instead of the real rush from white carbs. This prevents the "blood sugar
roller coaster" which can cause reactive hypoglycaemia and many more disorders. At your
consultation we have already discussed what carbs you should focus on , so try and adhere
to those.
Good carbs are any wholemeal products including pulses (they contain for example fibre, B
vitamins, protein and complex carbs). A low GL diet follows these principles. Non starchy
vegetables have the least influence on your blood sugar.
Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice or white pasta
and sugar found in sweets, cordials, cakes, chocolate, sweetened yoghurt.
Select foods rich in fibre
Fibre or cellulose is the part of our food which is not digestible for humans, but is has very
important functions. For example it keeps our friendly bacteria happy and the intestines
moving. There are a number of diseases, which are related to a lack of fibre (constipation,
colon cancer, diverticulosis, piles, gall bladder stones etc.). Vegetables and many fruits are
rich in fibre. You should have at least 5 helpings of fruit and/or veg a day. But watch out for
excess fructose, the sugar in fruit if you already have a digestive issues, or wish to lose
weight.
Examples: A small glass of vegetable juice or a small salad with each meal or crudites with a
dip.
Eat enough vegetable matter prepared from raw vegetables.
Important to add protein at each meal/ snack - will help to stabilise your blood sugar.
Portion size
Choose a small dinner plate.
For your main meal(s) eat a piece of protein the size of the middle of the palm of your hand.
You can imagine your plate to be divided into 4 quarters: The first protein, the 2nd complex
starchy carbs (eg. brown rice, allowed grains in the forms of noodles & pasta etc, root veg
etc.) and the last 2 quarters non-starchy vegetables: raw, steamed, stir fried or salad.
If you prefer you can always substitute the starchy carbs with non starchy vegetables (low
GI). View appendix C Eating enough green veg will prevent you from getting hungry.
Drinking
Remember to drink enough. The best drink is clean, still water. If you find this too boring,
you can add some freshly squeezed lemon juice or a splash of fruit juice or you can drink
light herbal or fruit teas.
Black tea or coffee do not count as liquid because they act as diuretics. This means that you
loose more liquid than you have drunk. If you have a cup, always drink a glass of water in
addition.
They also contain caffeine, which is a stimulant that unbalances blood sugar levels.
So please cut down on quantity considerably. Fruit juices and fizzy drinks do not count as
water because they contain too much sugar. They count as sweet treats.
Milk (avoid all cows milk)
Milk counts as food not just as liquid.
Some people cannot tolerate cows milk. Rice, almond, coconut can be used as an
alternative.
Alcohol
If you drink alcohol, drink it moderately. Alcohol contains a lot of calories (almost as many as
fat). Like sugar it offers only “empty calories” without the necessary nutrients.
Alcohol has to be metabolised in the liver, which stresses the liver. Women are even less
tolerant to alcohol and have to be more careful. During this period you want your liver to
recover and help to cleanse your body. So please be very moderate.
Make sure you sleep properly
This is not dietary advice but vital for your body’s regeneration and the balance of your
nervous system. This in turn has a basic influence on your immune system.
Have at least a 40 min. walk a day, which will supply you with oxygen and make you tired.
If you go to the gym, make sure it is not too late as this might be too stimulating. Horror films
or sometimes even the news before bed can also prevent restful sleep.