Got Cramps? You Are What You Absorb Not What You Eat Part 2
Colostrum for Digestive Health and Menstrual Cramps
Mother Nature’s first food for the developing micro biome in all mammals, our earliest and most potent influence on gut health and bacterial composition.
Mother Nature has perfectly honed colostrum to protect the newborn infant from infection, and to help train and shape the emerging immune system so it can handle its environment.
Ingesting colostrum establishes beneficial bacteria in the neonate’s digestive tract.
When a gut lining is unhealthy, weak and damaged, it is also permeable. This not only can cause poor digestion and absorption of foods but it also leaves the body at risk for allowing food particles, toxins and bacteria to slowly leak into the body through these holes creating major issues throughout the body.
This increased permeability can then result in microbial translocation–or the movement of toxins and gut microbes through the normally tight epithelial barrier of the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream.
“Research shows that colostrum can restore a leaky gut lining to normal permeability levels, and reduce movement of toxins and gut microbes into the bloodstream.”
If you look deeper into colostrum, you will find that it contains 97 immune factors, 87 growth factors, a variety of probiotics, prebiotics, all essential amino acids, all essential parent fatty acids, as well as protein, immunoglobulin, lactoferrin, to just name a few.
helps your hormonal system restore balance and reset back to normal levels
strengthens your immune system
able to provide the body with every basic essential nutrient known
immunoglobulins in colostrum are especially impressive at combatting gut pathogens, including H. pylori, E. coli and protozoan parasites and amoebas
Helps in binding of free iron, which is important when we get to the iron overload section
Lactoferrin binds free iron and is one of the main proteins in colostrum. High quality supplemental colostrum has over 1%.
Therapeutic 6-8 colostrum tablets or 5-6 tsp of colostrum powder taken on an empty stomach
Maintenance
1-3 colostrum tablets or 1-2 tsp of colostrum powder best taken on an empty stomach at least 15 minutes before breakfast and again at night.
Collagen and Gelatin for Digestive Health and Menstrual and Muscle Cramps
It’s all about the right amino acids and glycine, proline and glutamic acid all play important roles in healing and sealing the digestive lining.
Glutamine is considered one of the most important nutrients for healing of 'leaky gut syndrome' because it is the preferred fuel for enterocytes and colonocytes (intestinal cells).
Functions of proline include helping form collagen, regenerating cartilage, forming and repairing damaged connective tissue, repairing skin damage and wounds, repairing intestinal tissues, and repairing joints.
Studies have found that glycine supplementation supports digestive disorders through its influence on glutathione and by helping repair intestinal tissues.
Glutathione plays an important role in maintaining balance in the body to lower the risk of damage from excess oxidative stress and inflammation in order to support your digestive system. Research illustrates that the reductions in glutathione correlate with oxidative stress.
Many digestive disorders are associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, including inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease.
Glycine supplementation can assist in the restoration of glutathione levels to support system balance.
Gelatin vs Collagen: What’s the Difference?
Collagen and gelatin are extremely similar in their nutritional value and in the benefits they offer, but very different in how they’re used.
Gelatin is a natural form of hydrolyzed collagen, which means it's essentially a part of collagen that has been broken down into smaller units.
Collagen can either be hydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed. The process of hydrolyzing collagen is breaking down long chains of amino acids into smaller ones (hydrolyzing collagen makes it easier to digest and absorb).
You’ll see hydrolyzed collagen referred to as collagen peptides and partially-hydrolyzed collagen as gelatin.
Therapeutic
2 tablespoons of collagen dissolved in orange juice or favorite juice beverage every morning
Maintenance
Find ways to incorporate collagen into your life! I’m known to throw some collagen powder in everything (my coffee, sauces, smoothies, other drinks, soups, etc)!
Find some gelatin recipes you like, you can make gummies, jello, puddings etc. These are some of the easiest ways to incorporate gelatin into your daily routine.
Meat Stocks and Bone Broths for Digestive Health and Menstrual Cramps
If you are just starting to heal your digestive system you should start with meat stocks and as it restores itself you can begin to implement and use bone broth and meat stocks – they both serve important and different purposes.
Here is a great in depth article about the difference between the two, and why you should start with meat stocks.
Stock vs Broth: Are You Confused? - http://www.gapsinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Stock-vs.-Broth.pdf
“The significant difference is that the meat stock is not cooked as long as bone broth. Meat stock is especially rich in gelatin and free amino acids, like proline and glycine. These amino acids, along with the gelatinous protein from the meat and connective tissue, are particularly beneficial in healing and strengthening connective tissue such as that found in the lining of the gut, respiratory tract, and blood/brain barrier.
These nutrients are pulled out of the meat and connective tissue during the first several hours of cooking meaty fish, poultry, beef and lamb.
Bone broth, the longer cooked bones without the meat, is a superior source for minerals, as well as for the same amino acids found in meat stock. The amino acids (with the exception of histidine) are present in higher amounts in bone broth. For certain individuals with ‘leaky gut’ or leaky membranes in the gut and brain, the high concentration of glutamic acid may be problematic.”
Therapeutic
Sip on 1-2 cups of meat stock daily on a empty stomach (morning and night), once the gut lining is healed we can move onto bone broths but stick to meat stocks first.
Maintenance
Find ways to incorporate bone broths and meat stocks into your life either by sipping on a cup daily, I always cook my rice in bone broth to make it more easily digestible, you can also make soups weekly by using bone broth or meat stock as a base. A lot of people sip on bone broth, I do occasionally at night sometimes before bed.
Colosan Colon Cleanse for Digestive Health and Menstrual and Muscle Cramps
Colosan is simply a form of colon cleanse – I just was never really into coffee enemas so I found something that works for me.
One primary goal of wellness is proper colon hygiene. You have to clean up before you can repair and rebuild – this same concept can be applied to wellness and rejuvenation. If we first take the time to eliminate any built up toxins we build a strong foundation, a clean to provide our body with what it needs to restore itself and thrive.
There is no better way to clean the colon than with oxygen since digestion is known to be a process of oxidation. By introducing oxygen into the intestines and the colon, one can assist the process of complete digestion as well as oxidizing undigested material.
Colosan turns the undigested material into CO2, waste and water. It’s a cathartic, and initially will give you liquid stools. This however is a sign that the product is working.
Therapeutic
2-3 colosan capsules every other day on an empty stomach
Maintenance
1 colosan capsule every 1-2 weeks and more if I feel it’s necessary
Balanced Micro Biome and Strong GI Lining
Papaya, Pineapple
Colostrum, Raw Milk
Ginger
Aloe Vera Juice (I like to make aloe vera lemonade!)
Bitters
Vitamin K2-7
Nutrient dense proteins
Probiotics: Helpful bacteria in your digestive system that help your digest food, get rid of waste and fight off other harmful bacteria.
Gelatin Recipes
Probiotic - Flourish Liquid Living Probiotic
Yogurts
Sauerkraut and other pickled foods (onions, garlic, cucumbers, etc.)
Prebiotics: These induce healthy bacteria growth and activity in your gut, consider it like food for the bacteria. This makes your digestive system work better. Prebiotics can alter the composition of organisms in the gut micro biome.
Oatmeal (non gmo, glyphosate free)
Dandelion Greens
Berries (Seasonally)
Bananas
Onions
Garlic
Honey