I am currently enjoying a great read – Fiber Fueled by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz. I was given this book by a doctor friend who has recently adopted a plant-based lifestyle. He went from carnivore to 95% plant-based! Yay! He delved so deeply into the books I loaned him, (like How Not to Die and Proteinaholic), that he bought me this one when it was released. He actually found a book on plant-based eating that I didn’t already own. 😉
Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, the author of Fiber Fueled is a board certified, award winning gastroenterologist. To find out more about him and his book Fiber Fueled, you can find him at www.theguthealthmd.com.
I realize that not everyone is interested in reading about fiber and why we should consume it. Therefore I have read the book and am summarizing the main points for you in this blog post. There is so much more to learn from Dr. Will’s writings, but here is my quick summary:
Why is gut health so important?
The importance of gut health has become a very hot topic as more and more is learned about the importance of the 39 trillion bacteria held in our gut. Scientists have learned that we are only 10% human and 90% bacteria! (page 6) Imagine!
I would like to summarize the main points in Fiber Fueled, referencing the pages to give you a quick go to account of what “Dr. B” is teaching. I hope my blog post will accelerate your path to healthier eating!
“The greatest determinant of your health during your lifetime is the food that you choose to eat.” Dr. Will Bulsiewicz
Cutting edge facts on Gut Bacteria: Poop, Gluten, Antibiotics
- “60% of the weight of your stool is actually bacteria, both good and bad. All of these years we have been trying to destroy the bad guys when all we needed to do was empower the good guys. Let’s work to restore the balance to our command center and allow the 39 trillion workhorses to naturally enhance our immune system, metabolism, hormonal balance, cognition and gene expression.” (page 11,12)
- “Poop… we disrespect it and overlook it, but it may be the savior of modern medicine. There are dozens of active clinical trials evaluation the role of fecal transplant in human health. My prediction is that fecal transplant will be more effective for acute illnesses (like infection) than for chronic illnesses (like colitis or Crohn’s disease) and that concurrent lifestyle changes are needed to support the newly received microbiota.” (page 149)
- “You are not the victim of the genes you were born with. You may have certain predispositions, we all do. But you ultimately control your health destiny, in large part through the effects of your diet and lifestyle on your microbiome.” (Page 25)
- “Discard all (or most) of what you’ve ever learned about metabolism, diabetes and weight loss. It’s a loss of diversity in the gut microbiota, increase in pathogenic bacteria, and low-grade inflammation from bacterial endotoxin that is associated with diabetes, weight gain, and obesity.” (page 19)
- “Drugs like Ibuprofen (Advil), and naproxen (Aleve), alter the gut microbiota, destroy the intestinal lining to create ulcers, and predispose to inflammatory bowel disease and microscopic colitis.” (page 37)
- “Antibiotics- decimate the gut microbiota. Just four days of three broad spectrum antibiotics can permanently destroy 9 beneficial species of bacteria. The result of all of these antibiotics is a “new normal” microbiome with more antibiotic- resistant microbes that leaves us vulnerable to infection, allergic conditions, osteoporosis, and obesity.” (page 37)
- “Gluten- it’s not bad! If you have absolutely no symptoms and absolutely no reason to suspect you have celiac disease or any of these conditions, you should NOT be on a gluten-free diet. You are intentionally damaging your gut and increasing your risk for other conditions like coronary artery disease.” (page 105-111)
How much of certain food types do Americans consume per person per year?
- meat – 220 pounds
- sugars – 152 pounds
- highly refined carbohydrates – 120 pounds
- salt – 3 pounds
- pizza – 23 pounds
- cheese – 31 pounds
- artificial sweeteners – 24 pounds (pages 38,39)
Just take a second look at that list. Think about it based on your personal body weight. Those statistics are astounding!
Today is a new day.
Every single bite we take, all 3 pounds of food per day, flows downstream to your gut microbes. They are not passive observers. Our food is also their food. But not every microbe eats the same food. Each dietary choice make will empower a specific group of microbes, while others will languish. If you permanently remove a food group, the microbes that thrive on that food will starve into extinction. The food choices you make in twenty-four hours will alter the evolution of fifty generations of microbes. It doesn’t take days or even weeks to change your microbes; it only takes one bite. You control what it is you bite into, and therefore you control the makeup of your microbiome. (page 7)
What is causing damage to our gut bacteria? Here is a summary:
- Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
- Glyphosate, also known as Round-Up
- Oral contraceptives
- SAD, the Standard American Diet
- Sugar
- Salt
- Oil (trans-fats and saturated fat)
- Chemical preservatives, additives and food colouring
- Processed foods
- Fad diets, (Keto/Carnivore and Paleo diets)
- Prescription Drugs
- Chemicals – herbicides, fungicides, insecticides
- Antibiotics – decimate the gut microbiota. “Just four days of three broad spectrum antibiotics can permanently destroy 9 beneficial species of bacteria. The result of all of these antibiotics is a “new normal” microbiome with more antibiotic- resistant microbes that leaves us vulnerable to infection, allergic conditions, osteoporosis, and obesity.” (page 37)
The following is Dr. B’s take on plant-based eating vs animal based eating and its affect on your microbes:
- A plant-based diet promotes a gut microbiota that increases the growth of anti-inflammatory species while suppressing the destructive ones. The result is correction of leaky gut. (page 44)
Dr. B’s favourite Fiber Fueled foods:
He organizes them into an acronym to make them easy to remember…
F GOALS
F: Fruit & Fermented
G: Greens & Grains
O: Omega-3 Super Foods
A: Aromatics (onions, garlic, herbs)
L: Legumes
S: Sulforaphane (broccoli sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables)
To view the scientific references used in this book, visit www.theplantfedgut.com/research
Yearning to learn more?
Watch and listen to this episode featuring Dr. B on The Rich Roll Podcast (one of my favourites!) Next time you are cooking dinner, folding laundry, or out in your garden, press play and listen to this fascinating information!