Nutrition

Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.

Pediatrician, Child Obesity Specialist, and Author of ‘Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right!’

Remember when weight loss was simply about eating less and exercising more? These days, dieting is getting high tech. An increasing number of studies are being released about the benefits of new electronic weight loss gadgets. Should we embrace these gadgets? Will they actually help people to lose weight?

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal advocates the use of a small computer-linked food scale (called a Mandometer) to help with weight loss. The Mandometer was developed by researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. Dieters put their plates on this scale, which weighs the remaining food as the meal is eaten. A small screen shows dieters the rate at which they consume their food and the ideal rate at which they should be eating. When food is being eaten too quickly, the computer tells the dieter to slow down.

The goal of the Mandometer is to teach dieters to eat more slowly. As we have all heard time and again, it takes twenty minutes for the brain to tell the stomach that it is full. Many overweight people tend to eat too quickly and in turn consume more food than necessary before they are aware of their “fullness.” Studies have shown that when you eat more slowly, your body registers being full after fewer calories.

So does Mandometer work? Doctors in England studied its use with obese children age nine to 17-years-old over an 18 month period. One sample of subjects was trained to use the scale, while the other group was not. Both groups were counseled to exercise one hour a day and follow a healthy diet.

After one year, the subjects that used Mandometer witnessed their BMI drop by an average of 2.1 points. This decrease is three times greater than that of the study’s control group. Moreover, the individuals’ weight loss was maintained when measured 18 months later. At the end of the study, Mandometer patients were eating smaller servings at each meal and snack, while also consuming food more slowly than dieters in the control group.

I think the Mandometer sounds great. I constantly counsel my patients to eat more slowly. But I fully recognize that this is not always an easy task. People don’t realize how quickly they eat. A device that helps dieters eat more slowly is a positive step in the right direction!

The Mandometer is only one of the new high-tech weight loss devices hitting the market. Other groups of doctors are currently developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor the overweight as they go about their daily lives. The sensors document how often wearers exercise, how much they eat, and the location in which they eat their food.

Why is it so important to have this information clearly delineated? Studies show that when dieters “self-report” what they eat and how much they exercise, the data they offer is usually inaccurate. Dieters tend to underestimate portion sizes, exclude some of the “little bites” they have eat throughout the day, and exaggerate how many calories they burn when they exercise. By using this sensor, the information reported becomes more accurate and reliable.

Many of these high-tech weight loss devices are currently being developed. Some contain video cameras or Bluetooth-enabled cell phones so users can take pictures of their meals, thereby documenting portion sizes. Dieters take pictures of their food before and after eating. The information can then be sent to a lab where a calorie count can be determined. In some instances, dieters can get immediate feedback about their calorie intake!

These devices also contain accelerometers that can measure the length and intensity of a workout. If the device senses a prolonged period of inactivity, the wearer can receive a text message telling them to get moving!

But do these devices actually lead to successful weight loss? It seems logical that they would, but studies are still ongoing on their effectiveness. I, personally, would LOVE to try one of these sensors. I imagine that the cost of the device and the data interpretation would be high, but I think the results would be invaluable.

The bottom line is that most dieters underestimate the number of calories they eat each day and overestimate the calorie burn of their exercise sessions. A gadget to accurately gauge this information should help set the record straight. I believe that if these sensors become widely available, weight loss would become that much easier.

They were supposed to be wonder-drugs that prolonged your life. Now, there’s evidence that antioxidant supplements don’t help your health. In fact, they may actually be linked to an increased risk of dying while taking them.

For a new study in The Cochrane Library, researchers combined 78 clinical trials that involved close to 300,000 people. Over an average three-year study period, people taking supplements containing one or more of five common antioxidants were about 4 percent more likely to die. Beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E, seemed the most harmful, while vitamin C or selenium merely didn’t help.

Some of the participants were healthy, while others had heart disease, stomach conditions, or other health problems. The results suggest that, whether you’re healthy or coping with chronic illness, there’s no clear benefit to getting these nutrients in pill form, say the study authors. Antioxidants are still important—it’s just best to get them from food.

Too Much of a Good Thing?
Antioxidants work by fighting free radicals. “Free radicals are unstable molecules that, if left unchecked, can damage the cells and impair their function,” says Mary Hartley, R.D., M.P.H., a nutrition expert at AskMaryRD.com. Your body creates free radicals when you break down food, and they can also come from outside sources, such as pollution and smoking. The damage they cause has been linked to aging, as well as diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Antioxidants neutralize these free radicals. Which is a good thing—most of the time. For one thing, other recent research suggests zapping too many free radicals blocks the beneficial effects your workout. And though they’re harmful in excess, your body needs some free radicals to do things likefight infection.

Most people in the studies took doses of antioxidants that were higher than what you’d get by eating a healthy diet, and even larger than the government’s daily recommended amounts. This could help explain their negative effects, the study authors note.

Why were some more harmful than others? Studies suggest that at high doses:
•    Beta-carotene may actually make cancer-causing chemicals more dangerous
•    Vitamin A causes DNA damage
•    Vitamin E actually becomes a pro-oxidant, increasing cell damage

When to Take a Supplement
Scientists are still learning about all of the effects antioxidant supplements can have, alone or in combination. But based on these results, it’s a bad idea to take antioxidant supplements alone unless your doctor says you have a deficiency, Hartley says.

However, the threat from free radicals is greater if you’re under extreme physical or emotional stress: “Extreme is the key word,” Hartley says. If you’re getting divorced, training for an endurance event, or working long hours on a big project, consider taking a multivitamin supplement. “The supplement should contain 100-percent of the daily recommended intake for most, if not all, nutrients, and no nutrient should exceed the tolerable upper intake levels.” Here’s how to make sure you’re not going overboard:

Otherwise, stick to eating a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods—getting antioxidants this way hasn’t been shown to cause harm. Plus, these foods contain other nutrients and thousands of other chemical compounds your body needs to function, Hartley says. Here’s what to stock up on for your antioxidant fix.

•    Vitamin A and beta-carotene: Sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach
•    Vitamin C: Citrus fruits, red and green pepper, tomatoes
•    Vitamin E: Safflower oil, peanuts, and almonds
•    Selenium: Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, brown rice

by Mike Geary,

At this point, the anti-fat propaganda has died and almost everybody understands by now that eating fat doesn’t necessarily make you fat.  In fact, it’s absolutely imperative to get enough healthy fats in your diet to keep your hormones balanced, blood sugar under control, and prevent cravings.  Here are 7 examples of “fatty” foods that can actually HELP you to get lean…

1.  Super Dark Chocolate (at least 72% cacao content or higher) – It might not be a secret anymore, but yes, dark chocolate (NOT milk chocolate) can be a very healthy food, even though it is technically calorie dense.

However, I would contend that dark chocolate can actually HELP you to burn off more body fat if you’re the type of person that has a sweet tooth and likes to eat a lot of desserts.  In this case, just 1 or 2 small squares of dark chocolate can many times satisfy your sweet tooth for only 30 or 40 calories as opposed to 500 calories for a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of pie.

Also some brands of dark chocolate that are in the mid 70’s in % cacao content or higher, can have a fairly high ratio of fiber content (I’ve seen some brands have 5 grams of fiber out of 15 grams of total carbs per serving), and relatively low sugar content compared to the amount of healthy fats.  In fact, that’s one of the “tricks” I use to select a good quality chocolate… I look for more total fat than total carbs (or about the same number of grams of each).

The importance of that fact is that it means many dark chocolates will not greatly affect your blood sugar and will have a fairly blunted blood sugar response compared to other “sweets”.

In addition, dark chocolate is also very rich in healthful antioxidants, including a powerful compound called theobromine which has been shown to help lower blood pressure and have other health benefits.  The fat content in a good dark chocolate should come solely from the natural healthy fats occuring in cocoa butter and not from any other added fats.  Any chocolates with added fats or other additives will generally not be as healthy.

The reason I say to choose dark chocolates with at least 72% cacao content is that the higher the % of cacao, the lower the % of sugar.  However, this does mean that any chocolate over 80% cacao content will generally start to get a more bitter taste and have very little sweetness.  If you like this type of taste, then the higher % cocao, the better. Otherwise, a good 75% dark chocolate is in my opinion an almost perfect combination of lightly sweet with a rich chocolate taste.  Just remember to keep those daily quantities of chocolate small as it is calorie dense!

You can also reap the benefits of the antioxidants and fiber without all of the calories by using organic unsweetened cocoa powder in your smoothies or other recipes.

2.  Coconut milk, coconut flour, and coconut oil —  Coconut milk and oil are great sources of a super healthy type of saturated fat called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), including a component called lauric acid, which is a powerful nutrient for your immune system, and is lacking in most western diets.  In addition, MCTs are readily used for energy by the body and less likely to be stored as bodyfat compared to other types of fats.

Along with coconut milk and coconut oil as healthy fat choices, we’ve also got coconut flour as a healthier flour option for baking. Coconut flour is an extremely high fiber flour alternative (almost ALL of the carbs in this flour are fiber and not starch!).  Coconut flour is also VERY high in protein compared to most flours and is also gluten free!

Just beware that if you’re going to use coconut flour for baking, it absolutely NEEDS to be mixed with other flours as it sucks up moisture like crazy… I’ve made delicious baked goods by mixing coconut flour with almond flour and quinoa flour in equal parts, and adding slightly more liquid ingredients than the recipe calls for.

3.  Grass-fed (pasture-raised) butter — yes, delicious smooth and rich BUTTER (real butter, not deadly margarine!)… It’s delicious, contains loads of healthy nutritional factors, and does NOT have to be avoided in order to get lean.  In fact, I eat a couple pats of grass-fed butter daily and maintain single digit bodyfat most times of the year.

There’s a lot of confusion about this topic… in fact, I just saw a TV show today that was talking about unhealthy foods and one of the first things they showed was butter.  It just shows that the majority of the population has zero idea that butter (grass-fed only!) can actually be a healthy part of your diet.

In fact, there’s even ample evidence that REAL butter can even help you to lose body fat for a couple of main reasons:

a.  Grass-fed butter is known to have high levels of a healthy fat called CLA, which has been shown to have anti-cancer properties, and also has been shown to help burn abdominal fat and build lean muscle.

b.  Grass-fed butter also has an ideal balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids (unlike conventional grain-fed butter) which helps fight inflammation in your body, and can help balance hormones.

c.  The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also contain MCTs, which help to boost your immune system and are readily burned by the body for energy.  The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also help to satisfy your appetite and control blood sugar levels, both of which help you to stay lean!

If you have a hard time finding a grass-fed butter at your grocery store, Kerrygold Irish butter is one of my favorites, and even though the label doesn’t clearly state “grass-fed”, the cows are 100% grass-fed on lush green pastures in Ireland. It’s one of the richest butters in color that I’ve seen, which indicates high levels of carotenoids.

4.  Whole Eggs, including the yolk (not just egg whites) — Most people know that eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein.  However, most people don’t know that the egg yolks are the healthiest part of the egg… that’s where almost all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (such as lutein) are found in eggs.

In fact, the egg yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids.  Also, the protein of whole eggs is more bio-available than egg whites alone due to a more balanced amino acid profile that the yolks help to build.

Just make sure to choose free-range organic eggs instead of normal grocery store eggs.  Similar to the grass-fed beef scenerio, the nutrient content of the eggs and the balance between healthy omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (in excess) is controlled by the diet of the hens.

Chickens that are allowed to roam free outside and eat a more natural diet will give you healthier, more nutrient-rich eggs with a healthier fat balance compared with your typical grocery store eggs (that came from chickens fed nothing but soy and corn and crowded inside “egg factories” all day long).

5.  Grass-fed beef or bison (NOT the typical grocery store beef!) — I know most people think that red meat is unhealthy for you, but that’s because they do not understand how the health of the animal affects how healthy the meat is for consumption.  Keep this in mind — “an unhealthy animal provides unhealthy meat, but a healthy animal provides healthy meat”.

Typical beef or bison that you see at the grocery store is raised on grains, mainly corn (and to some extent, soybeans). Soy and corn are NOT the natural diet of cattle or bison, and therefore changes the chemical balance of fats and other nutrients in the beef or bison.  Grain-fed beef and bison is typically WAY too high in omega-6 fats and WAY too low in omega-3 fats.  In addition, the practice of feeding cattle corn and soy as the main portion of their diet upsets their digestive system and makes them sick… and it also increases the amount of dangerous e-coli in the meat.  This is not the case with grass-fed meat.

On the other hand, grass-fed beef from cattle and buffalo (or bison) that were raised on the type of natural foods that they were meant to eat in nature (grass and other forage), have much higher levels of healthy omega-3 fats and lower levels of inflammatory omega-6 fats (that most people already eat way too much of) compared to grain fed beef or bison.

Grass fed meats also typically contain up to 3 times the Vitamin E as in grain fed meats.

In addition, grass-fed meat from healthy cattle or bison also contain a special healthy fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in MUCH higher levels than grain-fed meat.  CLA has been proven in scientific studies in recent years to help in burning fat and building lean muscle (which can help you lose weight!).  These benefits are on top of the fact that grass-fed meats are some of the highest quality proteins that you can possibly eat… and this also aids in burning fat and building lean muscle.

Grass-fed meats are a little harder to find, but just ask your butcher or find a specialty grocery store and they usually have cuts available.  I’ve also found a great site to order grass-fed meats onlineand have gotten to know the owner of this company well, and they are dedicated to the quality of their foods.
6.  Avocados — Even though avocados are typically thought of as a “fatty food”, they are chock full of healthy fats!  Not only is this fruit (yes, surprisingly, avocados are actually a fruit) super-high in monounsaturated fat, but also chock full of vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, and antioxidants.

Also, in my opinion, guacamole (mashed avocados with garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, etc) is one of the most delicious food toppings ever created, and you can be happy to know that it’s also one of the healthiest toppings you can use on your foods.  Try sliced avocados or guacamole on sandwiches, burgers, eggs or omelets, on salads or with fish, or as a delicious side to just about any meal.

The quality dose of healthy fats, fiber, and micronutrients that you get from avocados helps your body to maintain proper levels of hormones that help with fat loss and muscle building.  Also, since avocados are an extremely satiating food, eating them helps to reduce your appetite in the hours after your meal.  Say goodbye to junk food cravings and bring on that fat burning!  I personally eat anywhere from a half to a full avocado DAILY and it only helps to keep me lean.
7.  Nuts:  Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Macadamias, etc —  Yes, this is yet another “fatty food” that can actually help you burn belly fat!  Although nuts are generally between 75-90% fat in terms of a ratio of fat calories to total calories, this is another type of food that is all healthy fats, along with high levels of micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Nuts are also a good source of fiber and protein, which of course, you know helps to control blood sugar and can aid in fat loss.

Nuts also help to maintain good levels of fat burning hormones in your body (adequate healthy fat intake is vitally important to hormone balance) as well as helping to control appetite and cravings so that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you’re consuming a high-fat food.  My favorite healthy nuts are pecans, pistachios, almonds, macadamias, and walnuts, and by eating them in variety, you help to broaden the types of vitamins and minerals and also the balance of polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fats you obtain.

Try to find raw nuts instead of roasted nuts if you can, as it helps to maintain the quality and nutritional content of the healthy fats that you will eat.

Also, try to broaden your horizons beyond the typical peanut butter that most people eat, and try almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or macadamia butter to add variety to your diet.

One of the little “tricks” that I’ve used with clients when trying to cut down body fat is to have them eat a handful of nuts such as almonds or pecans about 20 minutes before lunch and dinner.  This ends up being a perfect time to control your appetite before lunch or dinner and helps you to eat less overall calories on that meal.

I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the healthiest “fatty” fat-burning foods you can possibly eat.  I could list a ton more, but wanted to give you a few of my favorites for now.  Enjoy!

by Jamin Thompson

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – all diseases start in the gut.

If you have poor gut health (which usually begins with poor digestion) you will constantly feel run down and sick, your body will function at less efficient levels, and your risk of chronic disease increases significantly.

As discussed in previous posts, good digestion is critically important, not only your overall health but for your fat loss and muscle building efforts as well.

This goes without saying but it’s not what you eat that counts, but what you digest and absorb.

If you don’t absorb the nutrients from your food you’ll most likely end up with deficiencies and illness – plus it’s almost impossible to build muscle or burn fat if you aren’t absorbing the nutrients you eat.

Everything begins with digestion; from the second you put the food into your mouth, until the minute you poop it out at the end of the digestive process.

This is just my opinion but I believe gut health is arguably the most underrated yet single most important factor to your overall health and wellbeing.

I was sick for 3 years with what many doctors believed to be Crohn’s Disease. I had severe stomach inflammation as well as inflammation of the small intestine.

I had extreme nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps, and pooped like a fire hose every single day. I made countless trips to the emergency room for “extreme gastrointestinal distress” and all of the staff in that ER knew me on a first name basis. I really don’t know how to describe my symptoms but it was sort of like having food poisoning that never ever goes away…

The time I was sick was a very difficult period of my life. I suffered the effects of malabsorption, anorexia, and paranoia. I felt weak, helpless, and hopeless. I even had suicidal thoughts…

There are no other words to describe it other than “it sucked”.

The good news is that now I’m healthy and have an entirely new perspective on health and disease. Especially gut health and disease. I’ve seen and felt some of the worst kind of pain and suffering out there but that experience taught me a lot. I’ve learned from it and grown stronger.

Hopefully you will never have to get sick and learn the hard way (like I did) before you finally start doing the things you need to do to promote and enhance your own health and wellbeing. I used to think I was invincible, but nature showed me otherwise. That wake up call was a humbling experience. I don’t wish it upon anyone.

The tips I’m about to share with you played an integral part in my healing and recovery. I learned most of them when I was sick, and I still use them on a regular basis because they help keep me healthy – and my doctors hi fiving me at my annual checkup!

Note: some of the research that supports these tips isn’t 100% “scientifically proven”, so if you’re looking for a pharmacology report this is not it. Frankly, you will probably see mixed results when using these tips depending on your illness type, age, genetics, as well as other factors. These are just some basic digestion tips I used when I was extremely ill to help facilitate the healing process. They worked for me and I believe they can work for you as well (especially if you aren’t even sick).

Here are my ten simple tips that will help improve your digestion:

1. Chew your food well. Chewing is the first step of digestion and salivary amylase (an enzyme secreted in saliva), begins the process as you chew. Your food should be liquefied by chewing and thoroughly mixed with saliva before swallowing so that you give your food the best possible chance to be digested properly. A good rule of thumb is to “drink your food”.

2. Avoid drinking liquids with meals. Experts have argued that drinking liquids during meals can interfere with hydrochloric acid (HCl) levels and impede the digestion process. I prefer to avoid drinking liquids with meals, but if you must drink when you eat try to limit the quantity of liquids to 4 ounces or less of room temperature or warm liquids.

I recommend using warm water instead of cold water because cold water has been shown to slow digestion, reduce the concentration of stomach acid, and also cause cramps in sensitive individuals. So try to wait 45 minutes to an hour after eating before drinking large quantities of liquid or cold liquids.

The goal here is to allow your digestive juices and stomach acids to remain concentrated enough to digest your food completely and efficiently.

3. Avoid eating fruit with other foods. I know fruits are healthy but they should be eaten alone and not combined with any other food (unless you are hypoglycemic, in which case you should combine fruit with other food – balancing your blood sugar should be your primary focus).

Also, do not eat fruit immediately after a meal. I know fruit makes for a delicious healthy dessert but wait about an hour after your meal before you eat it. The reason is because the sugar in many fruits may start a fermentation process in the stomach and cause gas, bloating, and indigestion. If you have ever felt ‘fruit bloat’ or ‘fruit cramps’ you’ll know exactly what I mean.

4. Do not eat when stressed. Stress can wreak havoc on the digestive process…so try to always avoid eating when you are upset or angry…or even after a hard workout. Wait until you are calm, and at least 45 minutes to an hour after you workout before eating.

5. Use digestive enzymes. There are many different digestive enzymes that all perform specific tasks at various stages of the digestive process. From mouth enzymes (amylase), to the stomach enzymes (most notably, gastric amylase and pepsin), to the pancreatic enzymes (pancreatic amylase, protease, and lipase; which digest starches/carbohydrates, proteins, and fats respectively); these enzymes provide great aid to the digestive process and prepare the nutrients for absorption.

Unfortunately, many people suffer from ‘enzyme deficiency’ these days so I am a big proponent of digestive enzyme supplementation. My brand of choice is Digest Gold. It’s the best digestive enzyme supplement I’ve ever used and I’ve found it to help a great deal with the metabolism of carbohydrates, as well as fiber. Also, if you compare it to various other brands, you’ll notice it is slightly higher in active units of amylase, protease, lipase, as well as several other key ingredients.

Note: Digest Gold also includes cellulose, which the body does not make on its own. This enzyme is necessary for the proper digestion of fiber.

6. Use probiotics. Probiotics are the friendly bacteria that reside within the gastrointestinal tract. These little guys make the conditions inside the bowel extremely inhospitable for bad bacteria, inhibits their growth, and makes it easier for good bacteria to grow.

I like to think of them as the gut police – they monitor and control all potential harmful microorganisms within the body. As an added bonus, they have also been known to combat the effects of environmental pollutants and various other toxins.

There are three primary types of probiotics: Lactobacillus acidophilus (the most well known out of the group), which protects the colon; Lactobacillus bifidus, which protects the small intestine; and last but not least, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, which travels through the entire digestive system and supports the efforts of the other two.

I like to take probiotics in supplemental form (you can also find Lactobacillus bulgaricus in yogurt made from live cultures), and use them on a regular basis because I believe they provide numerous health benefits.

Note: when using Lactobacillus acidophilus, make sure the supplement contains at least 200 million organisms per cubic centimeter. Clinical evidence shows that this probiotic needs to be taken in large doses in order to be effective.

Note: It usually requires approximately one month of proper probiotic supplementation in order for natural gut floral to return to optimal levels.

Note: It may be helpful to supplement with probiotics following a cycle of antibiotics as antibiotics destroy bad AND good bacteria which can leave you vulnerable for proliferation by other microorganisms at the end of your cycle.

Note: Various over-the-counter medications (pain killers, antacids, etc) have been shown to have negative effects on the friendly Lactobacillus bacteria in the gut.

7. Maintain a healthy gut flora balance. I have been researching and studying gut health for over ten years now and I’ve come to the conclusion that an optimal floral balance level is roughly 85% friendly bacteria and 15% unfriendly bacteria. Some experts and doctors may agree or disagree, this is just my opinion based on (1) my own experience with IBD (2) my own research (3) basic scientific logic.

There are quite a few tests you can do to test various gastrointestinal functions and levels and I had several of them done when I was sick. These tests typically cost several hundred bucks or so and unless you are really sick, you probably don’t need to go that route. Plus, many of the labs you’ll find online that do testing are less than reputable, so if you decide to go the testing route always do it under a doctor’s supervision and be sure to triple check sources.

Here are a few sample lab reports: (Sample Report 1  | Sample Report 2) *these are just examples, I’m not endorsing these companies*

Here’s a free method of ‘testing’ your gut flora health at home: If you’re chronically sick, have allergies, rashes, frequent headaches, are chronically fatigued, experience chronic constipation/diarrhea or a mix of both, regularly take antacids or are on antibiotics, or have any other weird chronic aliment, there is a good chance you may have a gut flora imbalance and need to begin probiotic supplementation.

Note: It is extremely difficult to restore gut flora using diet alone. Studies have shown that it takes approximately one year on a new diet to produce any type of noticeable change in flora.

8. Keep bowel transit time on point. We have all experienced constipation at some point and it is typically considered to be a ‘minor medical event’. However, I have witnessed the effects of severe constipation first hand and trust me…it wasn’t pretty. I was lying in my hospital bed receiving anti-nausea medicine and a woman in the bed next to me was howling with blood curdling screams. I asked the nurse what the woman was suffering from and she said “she is severely constipated”. I’ll never forget that.

I honestly believe the long term effects of chronic constipation can be deadly – and I do remember one of my Gastroenterologists referring to it as the “modern plague”.

The negative effects of slow transit time and constipation are numerous: autointoxication, increased workload of excretory organs, slowed cellular metabolism, functional decline in cellular activity, increased acute and chronic illness predisposition, pain, fatigue, and even some cancers.

Having seen countless GI specialists in my day, I’ve found that many physicians believe normal bowel elimination/transit time to be anywhere from two to fourteen times per week (roughly 36-72 hours after each meal). I disagree. I believe optimal transit times should be around 20-24 hours – and if you are eating 5-6 meals per day you should shoot for around 18 hours.

If you only poop once a day, for example, the colon can contain the residue from those six full meals. On the other hand, if you poop less than once per day, the colon can hold up to 9 meals or more and you’ll begin suffering the effects of chronic constipation.

The longer food resides in the bowel, the higher probability intestinal flora will be altered, toxic substances will form, and intestinal toxemia will result. I like to keep my transition time on point by eating lots of natural organic fruits and veggies, and using a fiber supplement. My daily fiber goal is between 25-30 grams and I use this supplement to help support my efforts.

9. Use bitter herbs. Research has shown that ‘bitters’ can help increase the gastric secretions of the stomach and produce digestive enzymes – this is believed to help break down and digest food. I’ve found that bitters are also a fairly effective digestive aid when consumed before eating large meals.

Examples of bitters are: angelica, chamomile, cinnamon, dandelion, fennel, gentian, ginger, goldenseal, milk thistle, peppermint, and rue.

Note: Although certain herbs are thought to have stomachic effects, the therapeutic value based on modern pharmacology isn’t quite clear. I’ve seen great results personally from using these herbs, but since this isn’t actual medicine your results will vary.

10. Practice intermittent fasting. The digestion process requires a ton of energy and is quite stressful on the body. The more meals you eat each day the more stress you place upon your digestive system each day – so sometimes it is a good idea to just give your system a rest and fast.

I know many people are afraid to fast because popular bodybuilding and fitness culture has conditioned everyone to think that “if you miss meals, you’ll enter starvation mode and lose all your muscle”. There is strong scientific evidence out there that refutes this notion, and some studies have even shown that metabolic rate can remain constant for up to 90 hours during a fast before declining.

When I was sick, my doctors advised me to spread my meals out 4-5 hours because (1) an increased meal frequency would place additional stress on my digestive system and not allow it to heal; and (2) the human digestive system is not designed to efficiently digest and assimilate food at that rate of consumption. Don’t get me wrong…the human body is definitely CAPABLE of eating that often, it just isn’t healthy, necessary, or in your best interest.

Fasting will give your digestive system a much needed break, allow the liver to detox, and help the body heal itself.