Five signs of poor gut health – and how to start improving yours

Story by Lizzie Thomson @ MSN

Spring may be showing the first signs of springing, but the betting is that your gut is feeling far from its best – whether you realize it or not.

Stodgy winter food, a tendency towards carbs, lack of fresh fruit and a tendency to live less active lifestyles for what will have been months now could taking its toll.

But if you want to banish the winter blues, then prioritizing a healthy gut is a great place to start. ‘Most people forget that the gut does much more than simply digest your food. Gut health impacts your energy, skin and immune system, your ability to concentrate, sleep, and much more,’ says nutritionist Shona Wilkinson, from nutrition and supplement brand DR.VEGAN.

Gout, Arthritis, Inflammation: The relation to the diet

This may be one of the most complex areas to understand, and we are gaining new knowledge all the time. For far too long we have remained focused on certain food triggers rather than the source and the reasoning behind our reaction. Food selection is very important. The larger, and often overlooked, picture would be the lack of pH balance to each meal, general unhealthy food choices for far too long, high-heat cooking methods, and an overabundance of processed and now genetically modified selections in the typical diet.

Questions to consider:

Is red meat the enemy OR is it the grain fed caged source vs. grass fed and free to roam source?
Is the inflammatory inducing acid of the protein the problem OR are we not providing enough alkaline food sources in the same meal to buffer the acids and still benefit from the good it has to offer?
What is the true source behind the body’s inflammatory reaction?

You will continue to find conflicting information on what is considered to be a ‘healthy diet,’ rendering you helpless in making concrete decisions on your approach for change.

Here is what we do know:

What is CRP and what does it have to do with your health?

What is CRP?

CRP stands for C-reactive protein. This protein is produced by the liver in response to elements released from certain white blood cells known as macrophages; as well as elements released from fat cells (adipocytes.) CRP levels rise in the presence of inflammation and take on a role to bind with chemical compounds that are released on the surface of a dying or dead cell. This process is part of an immune system response to enhance the ability of antibodies and bacteria/pathogen eating cells (phagocytic cells) to eliminate damaged cells from the body. Certain chronic inflammatory conditions cause the release of IL-6 (interleukin-6) that trigger the release of CRP. IL-6 is a type of immune protein in the family of cytokines that can act as both an anti-inflammatory and a pro-inflammatory.

As discussed in previous blog posts, inflammation is a normal body process necessary for our body’s response to fight infection and injury. It is a natural part of our immune system’s ability to send white blood cells and other chemical compounds to a trouble area of the body in an effort to help it heal. However, in the presence of chronic conditions such as Arthritis, Colitis, Bursitis, Tendonitis, Gout, Heart Disease, Asthma, Diabetes, and more – the constant “fire” of inflammation can be disastrous, even deadly.
Continue reading “What is CRP and what does it have to do with your health?”

Tag: health