Q & A with Nutritionist and Naturopath Denise Hales

We sat down this week with our resident Naturopath and Nutritionist, Denise Hales and posed some frequently asked questions that you have been asking.

Questions 1. Why is gut health so important?

Gut health is extremely important to your overall well-being and is connected to everything that happens in the body. The gut helps to digest food, absorb nutrients, produce vitamins, regulate hormones and excrete toxins.

You can begin to understand the importance of gut health when you consider there are over 500 species and approx. 1.5kgs of bugs (bacteria) in the gut. There are good bugs and bad bugs, but for optimal health we need these bugs to be balanced 

If there are too many of the bad ones (like parasites, yeasts or bad bacteria) or not enough of the good ones (like Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria). This can create an imbalance leading to food allergies or intolerances, eczema, asthma, autoimmunity, anxiety, depression, cancer, heart disease, fibromyalgia, diabetes, obesity and other chronic illnesses.

2. Can you expand on that a little further and tell us possible symptoms of bad gut health?   

Symptoms can be wide and far ranging such as bloating, abdominal pain and cramping. Also constipation, diarrhoea, brain fog, burping, reflux, excessive flatulence (offensive), food intolerances, anaemia, acne, anxiety, depression, restless legs and “frequently sick”.

Obviously if you have any sudden changes in bowel motions you should always consult a qualified medical practitioner or naturopath to get this checked out properly. As you can see from the list, poor gut health has many effects.

3. You see clients in your practice with gut issues constantly, what is the biggest mistake people make with their gut health?

An unhealthful diet can create huge imbalances and has the ability to destroy our good bugs. Diets that have a high amount of processed foods, preservatives, flavourings and food colourings, soft drinks and sugar, sugar, sugar! Other dietary mistakes that people frequently make are consuming polyunsaturated fats from soybean, canola, and other seed oils as these are inflammatory. Avoid them if you want to be healthier.

 Gluten (gliadin) is toxic to children on the autism spectrum, as it can cause an opioid reaction in the brain. Excessive consumption of red meat is another issue. When we look at protein you need approximately 1g per kilogram (of your weight) per day (if you exercise or are pregnant you can have more). Of course then there is the fact that many diets just do not contain enough vegetables and too much fruit!

4. What is one simple thing that everyone can do to start the process of change to better gut health?

A good balanced diet without doubt is the beginning of better gut health. It’s true, Food is Medicine! We need to eat more fibre (prebiotic)…greens, greens and more greens, healthy protein, grass fed meat, wild caught fish, organic chicken and healthy fats. So often we hear the word fats and think it’s bad, but we need to understand that there are good fats and bad fats. Good fats in our diet are essential for instance fats from avocados, almonds, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil and pumpkin seeds. They can be added in moderation and will be beneficial to your gut.

5. What makes your Gut Happy?

A bone broth a day has it all. It contains good fats, is rich in vitamins and minerals, is high in collagen, has essential amino acids (protein) such as lysine, glycine and proline, which repairs and restores our gut lining. It also improves skin, hair, nails and joints.

 I also add a tablespoon of Gut Happy Partially Hydrolyzed guar gum as this is the fibre that I need to make sure I maintain my good gut bacteria.

If you’re interested in more of what Denise has to say you can contact her on 1300 030 325. Denise has her own practice in Newstead QLD, is available for Skype consults and does monthly ‘free’ talks as well as scheduled consults in Port Macquarie NSW.

A bone broth a day has it all. Denise Hales