Participants:
Series Code: MH
Program Code: MH230010S
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00:01 What makes for a flourishing garden?
00:03 It's underground. 00:04 Rich, fertile, living soil is what helps plants ward off 00:08 pests and diseases, and results in the greatest yield. 00:12 When we talk about living soil, part of what we're referring to 00:15 is the diverse microbial population 00:17 that lives in the soil. 00:19 Yeah, microbes such as fungi and bacteria. 00:22 Like the soil in the garden, 00:23 your gut contains bacteria and fungi. 00:26 We call it the gut microbiota, or microbiome. 00:29 And like soil, it's dynamic, vulnerable to how we treat it. 00:33 It changes outcomes and plays a phenomenal role 00:36 in causing you to flourish. 00:38 Which is exactly what you were made for. 00:58 It's time, not only for another great program, 01:02 but it's time to gut it. 01:04 Meaning, let's do this thing of taking care of our gut. 01:08 The first step is, don't feed it junk food. 01:12 Because remember, anything you put into your mouth 01:16 that goes into your stomach eventually will go and be 01:19 communicating directly with the microbiome. 01:22 That's why one of the foods or products that I'm most 01:27 against and strongly advise my patients against using 01:32 is the artificial sweeteners. 01:33 Because they devastate the microbiome. 01:38 That's interesting that Dr. Youngberg brought up 01:41 sugar substitutes. 01:42 Now we tend to look at sugar substitutes as having 01:45 no affect upon us because they don't contain calories or carbs. 01:49 The majority of it literally goes straight through our 01:52 digestive system unabsorbed. 01:54 But on its way through, non-nutritive sweeteners 01:58 cause harm and destruction to our gut microbiome. 02:01 People choose sugar substitutes because they 02:04 think they're better for them. 02:05 And yet, they've been found to negatively affect us, 02:08 raise blood sugar levels, trigger insulin resistance, 02:12 and can cause weight gain, especially around the abdomen, 02:15 all without any carbs or calories. 02:18 They are not the health food we thought they were. 02:20 What else affects the gut microbiomes? 02:23 The average American lifestyle is horrible. 02:26 That's why we call it the SAD diet. 02:28 The standard American diet. 02:29 It does not support good microbiome. No. 02:32 So it begins with not putting unhealthy substances 02:37 into our body. 02:39 Making sure that the water that we're drinking is 02:41 clean and pure, and that it's properly filtered 02:45 so there's no toxins in the water that we drink. 02:49 Making sure that in our diet that we're not consuming 02:55 liquids, most liquids that people consume during the day 02:59 are unhealthy, okay. 03:01 And if somebody has chronic diseases or has excess weight, 03:08 they shouldn't even be drinking fruit juices. 03:10 I'm not against fruit juices for everybody, 03:13 but if you know that you have excess weight, 03:17 or that you have problems with blood sugars, 03:19 or problems with insulin resistance, 03:23 you know, I say, don't drink your fruit. 03:24 I'm all about eating fruit, but say don't drink it. 03:27 Because if you drink your fruit, you're eliminating 03:30 one of the most important parts of fruit, 03:32 which is the fiber most of the time. 03:35 So there are a lot of things that we can do, 03:37 including make sure you're just not sleeping inadequately. 03:42 It's bad for the microbiome. 03:44 When we exercise and when we sweat, we remove toxins. 03:48 That's something that is beneficial 03:50 to the microbiome as well. 03:52 I also am very careful to analyze whether somebody is 03:56 sensitive to toxins through genetic testing 03:59 and through urine toxin testing. 04:01 Because what do toxins do? 04:03 They destroy the healthy bacteria in the gut. 04:07 That's why we don't want to inadvertently just take 04:11 antibiotics just to take them 04:13 or especially take them inappropriately 04:16 because they destroy the microbiome. 04:18 And so we need to constantly be thinking about ways 04:22 to restore and reseed and optimize the function 04:27 of the microbiome, of the healthy bacteria. 04:30 That might involve using some probiotics from time to time. 04:35 But the most important thing is, you've got to 04:37 feed it the right food. 04:39 The healthy bacteria, the microbiome, 04:42 basically live off of prebiotics. 04:48 These are fiber type foods or fibers found in foods 04:53 that various vegetables, etc, that actually are consumed 05:00 by the bacteria. 05:02 And the bacteria can use these fibers 05:05 to create other nutrients that we didn't even eat 05:08 that actually have a totally different chemical structure 05:12 because they have enzymes in them that we don't 05:15 that can actually convert all these healthy products 05:18 for our body to use and help fight disease, 05:21 and turn good genes on and bad genes off, 05:24 and do all the amazing things that our body was designed 05:28 to be able to do. 05:29 And be very intentional about rebuilding your microbiome 05:32 after you have a dose of antibiotics 05:35 because you know that has killed off a lot of your good bacteria. 05:39 Some research has revealed that after antibiotic treatment 05:42 most groups of bacteria recovered in a population group. 05:46 But some groups of bacteria didn't recover 05:49 even six months later. 05:51 And the level of restoration varied between the individuals. 05:55 I wish I could say that eating fermented foods and taking 05:58 probiotics would always cause a return to normal, 06:01 but they may not. 06:03 These strategies can be helpful, but depending on different 06:06 factors the microbiota may not always fully recover. 06:11 Scientists have found that modern man's gut microbes 06:13 don't look anything like our predecessors. 06:16 They found exceptionally well preserved ancient poo samples 06:20 from dry caves that date as early as the first century, 06:24 and they found that almost 40% of the microbial species 06:28 in the ancient stool had never been seen before. 06:31 In other words, whole families of bacteria gone. 06:36 And this is thought to be due to our modern world of 06:38 environmental chemical exposure, medications, eating overly 06:43 processed foods, and not eating enough plant varieties. 06:46 So we limit the diversity in our gut as a result. 06:50 And as a result of that, we have fewer types of organisms 06:53 to pass on to the next generation. 06:55 And on it goes. 06:57 Scientists are suggesting that this is one of the reasons 07:00 why we're seeing this rapid rise in chronic disease and obesity. 07:06 A healthy gut microbiome protects us against 07:10 the development of chronic diseases. 07:13 Now where there's imbalance, 07:16 chronic diseases will be the result. 07:19 It's about the diversity or the abundance of how many 07:25 kinds of bacteria live in your gut. 07:27 You want to have as many beneficial 07:30 guys in your gut as possible so that when a disaster comes, 07:34 like, for example, you need to take antibiotics. 07:37 They will destroy some of the bad guys, 07:41 but also some of the good guys. 07:42 So you want to have like a good buffer of all the good guys 07:47 that are in your gut so that the disaster is not exaggerated. 07:53 So it's about diversity of the gut microbiome 07:56 and it's also about specific bacteria. 07:59 An example would be one cute bacteria that's called 08:03 Faecalibacterium Prausnitzii, which is a complicated name. 08:08 But this bacterium tends to be low in people with diabetes. 08:12 It's a bacterium that feeds on fiber 08:15 and produces the short chain fatty acids 08:18 that improve your insulin sensitivity, 08:21 decreases inflammation, and also helps our heart work better, 08:28 helps our brain work better. 08:30 So you want to increase this bacterium in your gut. 08:34 Now, people with diabetes have a lower count of 08:37 Faecalibacterium Prausnitzii, which is also associated 08:41 with increased insulin resistance. 08:44 So that's the jammed door lock where insulin cannot 08:48 open the door for glucose to come in. 08:51 And that's why there is higher blood sugar. 08:55 And also its associated with inflammation. 08:59 Now we put people on a low fat vegan diet for 16 weeks 09:04 and we measure their gut microbiome. 09:07 And after 16 weeks the abundance of Faecalibacterium Prausnitzii 09:12 increased, which was also associated with weight loss, 09:18 it was associated with fat loss, and the loss of visceral fat. 09:22 That's the most metabolically dangerous fat. 09:25 So when the visceral fat was decreased, 09:28 that's a significant improvement in health. 09:31 How do we get diversity in our gut microbiome 09:34 and all the bugs that we have in there? 09:36 And how do we make sure that they're not out of balance, 09:38 that the damaging ones aren't predominant 09:42 and that the healthy ones are really doing their job? 09:46 And so when I think about the gut, those are things 09:48 that I think about first and foremost. 09:50 The microbiome only survives if it's being fed properly, 09:54 if it's getting the proper nutrition. 09:56 If you have an inflammatory storm going on in the gut, 10:02 a lot of the microbiome is going to start fading out. 10:06 What starts coming in more are the yeasts. 10:10 So again, 30 years ago if you believed in systemic candidiasis 10:16 you were a quack. 10:18 Now everybody knows there is candidiasis in the gut. 10:21 And we see it elsewhere. 10:22 Yeah, I mean, I think we used to think there were 10:25 just a few that were the good ones. 10:27 And I think as more and more research has come out 10:29 we're just starting to understand, well, we don't 10:31 know exactly all the good ones, but we know that diversity 10:34 is the biggest marker of health. 10:37 And as a person loses health, they lose diversity. 10:40 And so there's this really direct connection between 10:42 diversity and health, which is really kind of cool 10:45 to think about. 10:46 And then some of the studies that say, well, you know, 10:49 what you eat directly impacts what microbiome grows 10:54 and what thrives versus what doesn't. 10:56 And as you switch a person's nutrition, 10:58 how quickly the microbiome can shift. 11:01 Within just hours to days you can start to see 11:04 this adaptation of the gut bugs to grow, 11:08 you know, according to what you feed it. 11:10 And again, this, I think it's amazing that God 11:12 created us so flexible and so adaptable, so resilient, 11:16 right, to try to adapt to what environment we are 11:20 creating in our bodies. 11:22 But in some ways, you know, the fact that we get to 11:25 adjust and adapt so quickly can be difficult for us 11:29 when we're giving ourselves the wrong input. 11:32 The changes in gut microbiome happen actually fairly quickly. 11:37 For example, when people start consuming a high fat diet, 11:43 the bad guys in the gut start multiplying fairly quickly. 11:47 Within a few days they start taking over. 11:51 Now, many people think, if that happens, what helps me 11:54 is probiotics. 11:56 "I will just get some yogurt or Bifidobacterium 12:01 in a drink, or so." 12:03 Well, that may help only short term. 12:07 But you need to keep in mind, if you're consuming 12:11 the pro bacteria from fermented foods, let's say, 12:17 and you still keep eating the high fat diet, 12:21 that's like a fuel for all the bad guys in your gut. 12:25 So the probiotics will not be as helpful. 12:31 In contrast to eating prebiotics, which is the food 12:36 for the right kind of bacteria in your gut. 12:38 Now what is the prebiotic, what is it in? 12:42 It's in all plant foods, but in some foods more than in others. 12:47 So the highest concentrations of prebiotics in plant foods are 12:52 in whole grains. 12:54 So you may want to stock up on brown rice 12:57 and millet and buckwheat. 12:59 And it's also in onions and garlic. 13:02 And in other vegetables and fruits as well. 13:05 Unity and diversity is a hallmark of health, 13:09 especially in the gut. 13:11 How can we nurture healthy diversity inside of us? 13:14 Believe it or not, it's not just about food. 13:17 People with larger social networks tend to have a more 13:20 diverse microbiome. 13:22 Meaning they have more different kinds of beneficial microbes. 13:25 Unity and diversity with each other is good, 13:29 even for the gut. 13:30 In fact, the majority of individuals who have a 13:32 significant other have higher microbial diversity 13:36 than the average single individual. 13:38 And if you have children, it's even better. 13:41 Another reason why it's not good for man to be alone. 13:45 We know that people, for example, in rural Africa 13:49 have a larger diversity of their gut microbiome 13:53 compared with people living in western countries. 13:56 Now, why is that? 13:58 One factor is a predominately plant-based diet 14:02 in rural Africa. 14:04 And another factor is also living 14:07 in more contact with soil. 14:10 With the level of sanitation in the western countries 14:14 in contrast to just getting all your fruits and vegetables 14:18 from the garden and maybe just washing them in water, 14:21 not necessarily in soap, that helps increase the 14:25 diversity of the gut microbiome. 14:27 Get your hands dirty. 14:30 That's one of the most important factors for your 14:32 gut microbiome as well. 14:35 I love that Dr. Kahleova directed us 14:38 to getting our hands dirty. 14:39 There's a time to be clean and a time to get dirty. 14:43 Gardener's gut microbiomes are more diverse 14:45 than those of non-gardeners. 14:48 Eating a diversity of whole plant-based foods 14:50 from the garden also makes a huge difference 14:53 because these kinds of foods have the most beneficial 14:56 impact on the diversity of the good guys in the gut. 15:00 In fact, you may have heard eating at least 30 different 15:03 plant-based foods each week will result in more varied 15:07 diverse gut bacteria, 15:09 and ultimately a healthier gut microbiome. 15:12 There are so many different kinds of fruits and vegetables, 15:15 beans, greens, grains, nuts, and seeds. 15:19 Time to get out of our rut. 15:20 Make it fun, get adventurous for your gut's sake. 15:24 Every microbe in the gut likes certain things. 15:31 So that's why it's good to eat a variety because 15:33 they all feed on different things. 15:37 And as long as it's whole food and plant-based, 15:40 you are growing the ones that need to grow 15:43 and suppressing the ones that need to be suppressed. 15:47 Yeah, so prebiotics, well, where are prebiotics? 15:49 Prebiotics are in all the fiber in the plant foods that we eat. 15:53 Everything that God created for us is what feeds the 15:57 healthy gut microbiome and helps the healthy gut grow. 16:02 Like, God created that. That's so amazing. 16:06 And what are those prebiotics? 16:08 Again, fiber, fiber, fiber. 16:12 And plants, plants, plants. 16:13 Because you're not forcing the issue by, "No, here, 16:17 you bacteria are going to be created by these pills 16:19 that I'm going to give you." 16:20 You're going to give it the fuel that by itself 16:23 creates the natural microbiome that starts from your mouth 16:27 all the way down to the lower gut. 16:30 In fact, the majority of it is in the gut, 16:32 in the large intestine. 16:34 And 60% of our poop is microbiome that goes away 16:39 and then we recreate it. 16:40 So every meal recreates the microbiome, 16:43 recreates the environment that is a factory. 16:46 It's a pharmacy. 16:48 It's a pharmacy that creates so many chemicals in your body. 16:52 And if you're giving it the wrong food, 16:53 wrong environment, wrong chemicals, 16:55 you're destroying the good factory 16:57 and you're bringing an artificial factory 17:00 that creates tension, anxiety, stress, brain damage. 17:03 The microbiome is important. 17:05 You don't have to rely on gimmicks. 17:07 Eat fiber, eat plants. 17:10 One of my favorite people is Dr. Denis Burkitt 17:13 who passed away as an elderly man in 1993. 17:18 But he was an amazing surgeon. 17:22 A medical missionary to Africa. 17:24 And he was one of the first physicians to discover 17:28 how to address certain pediatric cancers. 17:34 Burkitt lymphoma was named after Dr. Denis Burkitt. 17:38 And I remember when I was just early in my faculty 17:45 assignment at Loma Linda University School of 17:47 Public Health in the early 90's. 17:50 Dr. Denis Burkitt came to Loma Linda and gave a talk. 17:54 It was such an amazing talk. 17:56 Just such an amazing Christian scientist, medical professional. 18:02 And he very wittingly talked about the impact 18:09 of fiber on health. 18:10 He said that everywhere he went, he said that when 18:14 he noticed that the patients that he had 18:18 had large bowel movements, okay, the hospitals in those areas 18:22 were very small because you didn't need many hospitals. 18:25 He said, but when he went to other places of Africa 18:29 where the patient's bowel movements were very small, 18:32 in other words, they had a very low fiber diet, 18:35 they lived more in the cities, then they needed 18:38 large hospitals because there were so many people that 18:41 needed medical care for all types of chronic diseases 18:44 requiring his surgical expertise. 18:47 And so he became one of the biggest advocates 18:51 of optimal, what we call plant strong diet, 18:54 promoting lots of whole plant-based foods. 19:00 And so he was the fiber doctor. 19:04 He was the fiber doctor, because now we understand that 19:06 fiber actually gets converted by bacteria in the colon 19:13 into short chain fatty acids. 19:15 So the body is amazing. 19:17 It can enzymatically, through something that's not even 19:21 really part of your body, it's part of the healthy bacteria 19:24 that reside in our body, in our digestive tract, 19:28 that can actually convert a fiber, non-nutritive substance, 19:32 into a nutrient. 19:34 They can convert fiber into a fatty acid 19:39 called butyrate that actually turns off the cancer genes 19:44 in the colon, dramatically limiting the risk of 19:48 getting cancer, and it actually acts as an anti-inflammatory 19:53 for the whole body. 19:54 So it wasn't too long ago that I was even being taught 19:59 that, you know, fiber is not that important. 20:00 There's really no nutritional value. 20:02 Therefore, white bread is no different 20:04 than whole wheat bread. 20:06 Of course, I totally rejected that concept 20:09 because of people, the real giants like Dr. Denis Burkitt 20:13 who was explaining that fiber is essential. 20:16 But now we know that it actually turns into a nutrient 20:21 that's so, so powerful. 20:23 But you know, the sad reality is that over 90% of Americans 20:28 are fiber deficient. 20:30 Yeah, the average American consumes only 1/4 to 1/3 of 20:35 the fiber that we need. 20:36 We're starving the good guys in our gut, which makes us 20:40 more prone to a struggling imbalanced immune system, 20:44 not producing the beneficial byproducts that Dr. Youngberg 20:47 just mentioned, and more likely to experience pain 20:50 and inflammation. 20:53 Well, we focus on our lifestyle pain management program, 20:57 you know, by helping them to develop good nutrition, 21:01 good exercise patterns. 21:03 Making sure they're getting plenty of vitamin D, 21:06 that they're having healthy relationships. 21:08 All those things are connected. 21:11 So you're saying that more than just nutrition 21:14 affects the microbiome? 21:15 Absolutely. 21:16 You know, the gut and the brain are very closely connected. 21:22 And when a person is not in a good place mentally 21:25 or emotionally, that really affects the gut. 21:28 I mean, a lot of people when they become nervous 21:31 or stressed out, where do they feel it? 21:33 They feel it in their gut. 21:35 Another non-food gut influencer is exercise, yes. 21:41 I want you guys to get excited about this topic. 21:43 Scientists at the University of Illinois recruited 21:46 32 men and women who did not exercise. 21:49 Half were obese, and the rest were normal weight. 21:52 They tested the composition of their gut microbiome 21:55 at the beginning of the study. 21:57 And then these 32 men and women began supervised workouts 22:00 which increased over time. 22:02 They started at 30 minutes of easy walking or cycling 22:06 and they built up to about an hour of vigorous jogging 22:09 or cycling three times a week 22:11 with no change to their normal diets. 22:14 After six weeks of exercising, their gut microbiome was tested. 22:19 And they were told to stop exercising. 22:21 So they went back to being sedentary. 22:23 After no exercise, their microbiome was tested again. 22:27 And what they found was that the microbiome 22:30 responded to whether or not they were exercising. 22:34 Amazing beneficial changes occurred in response 22:39 to exercising. 22:40 But when they stopped exercising, the gut community 22:44 reverted back to what it was like 22:46 before they started exercising. 22:48 I mean, that is just incredible. 22:51 I told you this was going to be an exciting topic. 22:54 Now what's the saying? 22:55 Take care of your gut and your gut will take care of you. 23:01 This trillion amount of bacteria we have, they are fighters. 23:07 When my patients start to change their diet, 23:10 and they don't receive this food they're used to, 23:13 they fight you. 23:14 You're going to feel weak, you're going to feel toxic, 23:17 you're going to feel nauseous. 23:18 You feel like you know, gassy. 23:22 And my patients are like, "This food is not good. 23:25 These plants and fruits and vegetables you're telling 23:26 me to eat, they're no good. 23:28 I'm feeling so sick." 23:29 And I say, "Wait a second. Give your body time. 23:32 These bacteria have to die. 23:34 We need to starve these bacteria. 23:36 These bacteria are fighting it. 23:39 Once we kill these bacteria, and the new bacteria start forming, 23:43 then you're going to start feeling the good results." 23:46 I call it a civil war, an internal civil war. 23:49 Yeah, and you know, when patients are on twenty 23:52 medications, and I say, "Okay, I'm going to give you, 23:57 give me four weeks. 23:59 Give me four weeks. It's all I need. 24:02 Let's get rid of these things and let's see what happens 24:05 with your blood pressure. 24:06 Let's see what happens with your sugar. 24:07 Let's see what happens with your reflux." 24:09 Okay, they are on Omeprazole. 24:10 I have patients that have high blood pressure 24:14 that are on medication that causes swelling, 24:16 so they have a diuretic for the swelling. 24:19 And they have medications that causes reflux, 24:22 so they are on medications for reflux. 24:23 So all this cascade of disease and side effects. 24:27 So some patients are willing. 24:30 And I say, "Just give me four weeks. 24:32 Let's try and see. 24:34 You can go back to your previous diet." 24:36 So I will tell your audience the same thing. 24:39 Just try two, three, four weeks. 24:41 It takes 21 days, they say to change your taste buds. 24:45 So all that craving, sugar craving, salt craving, 24:48 or grilling craving, whatever that is, it can get better. 24:52 You know, you will, as you have your berries in the morning, 24:57 you will have less and less crave a doughnut, 24:59 because you will find the berries are not just good for you, 25:04 but they keep you awake, and then you don't have this 25:07 sugar crash, you know, in four hours. 25:09 So yeah, it's just powerful. 25:12 But the spectrum of change, keep that in mind. 25:17 I think it gives hope to people. 25:21 Yes, it is definitely true that our gut microbiome 25:25 affects the absorption rates and absorption capacity 25:30 of all the wonderful micronutrients and the 25:32 polyphenols that we introduce in our body. 25:35 But the good news is, so that everybody doesn't kind of 25:38 get scared about this, the concept of rehabilitation 25:42 applies to our gut too. 25:43 The gut is very forgiving. 25:45 And if people have had dietary patterns that have not really 25:49 supported a healthy gut microbiota, 25:52 they can change that. 25:54 And over time, you can reintroduce a new population 25:58 of gut microbiome or gut bacteria that can, 26:02 you know, produce the necessary chemicals that 26:05 are important for our health 26:06 and really, really change the way our body absorbs nutrients. 26:11 I think that's great news. 26:13 Greens, beans. 26:17 - Brown rice. - Not subsidized. 26:19 - Brown rice. - Brown rice. 26:20 - What else? You're the chef. - Sweet potatoes. 26:22 Sweet potatoes, yes. 26:24 And mix those up twelve different ways. 26:26 It's incredible. That's medicine. 26:28 That's literally medicine. 26:30 There are a variety of ways to approach health and disease. 26:35 And there are different tool bags that practitioners 26:37 bring to the table, depending on their education. 26:41 What we've been looking at is the lifestyle tool bag. 26:44 Lifestyle, meaning, what we put into our body, 26:47 what we do with our body. 26:49 These are ways of programming how our body functions. 26:53 And as we've learned, even programming the gut microbiome. 26:58 I appreciate how Dr. Sherzai emphasized greens, beans, 27:02 sweet potatoes, food, as having the capacity 27:05 to be like medicine to our bodies. 27:08 Food is expensive these days. I totally agree. 27:12 Unless you're growing your own. 27:14 But eating cheap food is expensive too. 27:16 Expensive in the long run. 27:18 Expensive in the toll it's taking on your body. 27:23 Thank you for joining me today 27:24 on one of my absolutely favorite topics. 27:28 I hope you're taking something valuable away 27:31 that you will start incorporating into your life 27:34 and have a healthier gut. 27:36 It's what we were made for. |
Revised 2025-10-14