*** Please consult your physician before proceeding with any lifestyle changes. If you have a history of trauma, know that you are always in choice. Nothing here is obligatory. Follow your own pacing and if you become overwhelmed, seek additional supports or contact a therapist.***
Dear Fellow Human,
As someone with a specifically gut related autoimmune disorder, thinking about gut health is a top priority for me. While the connection is pretty pertinent to my particular condition, research is uncovering more and more about how critical a healthy gut is to overall health in general. Gut health is incredibly important in the functions of the immune system, as well as connections to the brain. Over 75% of our immune system lives in our guts. Not only that, but the influence of our gut on our brain is so important, it’s even referred to as our “second brain”. (1)
After the initial challenge of understanding all the things gluten was in and how to identify them, one of the first things I focused on was healing my gut. I figured that if gluten had caused damaged to my intestines, (as I learned it could do in a case like mine) then healing that damage was next in line. I didn’t know really where to begin, or even know much about gut health at the time. Having to radically change my diet because of my diagnosis of Celiac disease, I was beginning to learn about how many hidden ingredients there were in premade products. I began thinking, food wasn’t always this way. There was a time in history where packing didn’t exist. Much of my journey from there began to follow this simple thought… what must my great great great great grandmother have been eating? And as I started to tease apart the logic that there was a period of time in history where you couldn’t buy chicken broth canned in the store, I began my adventure into making things from scratch.
And so it started with
Chicken Broth
Buying whole chickens, using the meat, and boiling the bones in water for broth. Who knew it was that simple? After I’d mastered broth from scratch, I started to expand my repertoire one thing at a time. Next it was soaking seeds and grains. Along came making sauces from scratch instead of pre-bottled. (2) And finally, my journey took me into the new world of fermenting. At first, I was buying foods that had been fermented and it was an adjustment. But eventually, I got braver and started fermenting things myself, beginning with my own kombucha. I’m proud to say the very kombucha scoby I have today is the descendent from my original. (3)
Little did I know that my journey to “make food like my ancestors” was actually a fantastic path to heal the gut, one that a lot of people were talking about. (4) While my goal is not exact replication of life or eating from 500 years ago, thinking of it as a metaphor helps me explore different lifestyle and eating habits. You might try thinking about gut health through the lens of…
What were your hunter-gather ancestors eating?
There weren’t highly processed foods or industrial seed oils
It’s fairly common knowledge now, that the standard American diet is less than ideal. When I think about 500 years ago, there were no plastics or the preservation methods associated with them. (4) To translate this to buying groceries, think of trying to fill your cart with more raw ingredients… like fruits and vegetables, instead of things that come in a box or a bag. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains also contain prebiotics, which are gut health helpers. (5)
Sugar was sparser, and eaten in small quantities
Eating less sugar has a whole host of health benefits, and specifically is beneficial to gut health. If you want to be like your ancestors, try substituting some berries instead. Or you could get more primal and pick your own, (make sure you go to a u-pick farm, and/or take plant identification seriously, as not all berries are safe for human consumption.) (6)
Foods were fermented out of preservation necessity
Food scarcity in less optimal growing times was a real concern. Fermentation became a way of keeping vegetables and fruits longer through leaner fresh food months. Foods that have been fermented show additional benefit for the gut as they often contain probiotics. (3)
soaking/Sprouting things like grains and seeds was a natural process
When grains or seeds were stored over the winter, without the invention of plastic it was often difficult for our ancestors to keep moisture at bay. A lot of grain within storage silos would begin to get wet and sprout naturally. If you are someone who consumes grains and seeds, soaking and/or sprouting them can change their nutrient profile as well as make them easier to digest. (2)
If animal products were consumed, most parts were utilized out of necessity
Waste not want not could be the motto for our ancestors here, as more things were consumed out of necessity. Consuming things like gelatinous cuts of meat or real chicken broth have collagen, which can be soothing for the lining of the gut. (2) While collagen can only be found in animal products, there are alternative options if you aren’t an omnivore. If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you can support yourself by eating collagen boosting nutrients instead of animal products themselves. (8)
There was Freedom from elements of our modern lifestyle
Our ancestors lived in a time without the advances we have in technology. They didn’t have the same go-go-go that we experience in modern day living. Even though the following things aren’t food, these lifestyle habits can also make a positive contribution to gut health (4, 6, 7)
- Limit Alchohol intake
- Get 7 hours or more of sleep a night (9)
- Reduce your Stress
- Incorporate movement throughout your day
- Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins (from the foods you eat, products you apply, etc)
Gut health can be an important addition to overall health. While the goal of thinking about ancestral health doesn’t have to be exact replication, it can be an excellent starting point for thinking about gut health.
Questions for Reflection:
What ways would you like to eat more like your ancestors?
What is a small change you’d like to make to help your gut?
In the spirit of the quality of life,
Kristen
References:
- https://ancestralhealthcentercalifornia.com/articles/2015/2/9/beginning-in-the-roots-intestinal-health
- Fallon, Sally. (2001). Nourishing Traditions.
- Lewin, Alex. (2012). Real Food Fermentation.
- https://chriskresser.com/ancestral-health-what-it-is-and-how-it-can-help-you/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/probiotics/faq-20058065
- https://chriskresser.com/gut-inflammation-12-causes-and-12-effects/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/gut-health#foods-for-gut-health
- https://blog.algaecal.com/vegetarians-guide-protein-collagen-healthy-bones/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4434546/#:~:text=Adults%20should%20sleep%207%20or,and%20increased%20risk%20of%20death.