Grow Healthy
With Dr. Sally's
"Vital Signs" Blog
Hippocrates was right when he made that statement almost 2,500 years ago – that’s well before we’d refined sugar, created processed “food” products, and added antibiotics and a slew of other toxins to our food! Every bite we eat passes through the twenty-plus feet of our digestive tract, which is lined by our delicate “inner skin”.
Since IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, affects nearly 45 million people in the United States chances are that you, or someone you know, struggles with gas, bloating, cramping, and diarrhea or constipation. The cause of IBS is multifactorial, meaning that a number of triggers may contribute to this dysfunction.
Did you know your body is home to 100 trillion microbes whose population is largely shaped by what you eat and drink? If you’d like to improve your digestion, energy and mood, then meet your “gut microbiome” (the microbes and their genes that are living in your digestive tract). Like a city zoo, your large intestine houses roughly 1,000 different species, including bacteria, yeast, protozoa, viruses and worms. Your job is to cultivate a congenial clan that will support your health instead of erode it!
VIDEO: One of the latest products to hit the produce aisle is cauliflower “rice”. This is just a head of cauliflower that’s been chopped into pea-size pieces. You can buy it precut, break it down with a knife or do it in small batches in a food processor. It’s the perfect stand-in for starchier carbs like grains, and it can be mashed, like potatoes or blended into a savory dip.
