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“How Do I Know When It’s Working?” A Quick Troubleshooting Guide to Paleo

April 15, 2013 in FAQ, FAQ, How To Get Started

yoga1It’s a question that many people new to paleolithic nutrition ask either while they are going through that initial adjustment period (especially when jumping into paleo with both feet but also with gradual transitions) or as the months wear on and the difference is not as magical as anticipated.  How do I know when it’s working?  When will I start to lose tons of weight and have lots of energy?  When will my health conditions miraculously disappear?

Well, the answer is “it depends”.

How different did you eat before committing to paleolithic nutrition?  Generally, the more different you are eating now to before you discovered paleo, the harder and longer your adjustment period.  This is especially true if you ate a lot of carbohydrates before.  It can take up to a month for your body to switch over to a metabolism that runs better on fat and in the meantime, you may feel tired, lethargic, have headaches, and generally feel pretty terrible.  But, this isn’t true for everyone.  And of course, the opposite can also be true:  some people are made so sick by the foods they were eating before that they notice an instant improvement to their health.

What health issues are you challenged with?  In my personal experience, most gut health issues will improve dramatically the first couple of weeks on paleo and then continue to improve slowly over the next six months as your gut continues to heal (for more posts on gut health, see here and here).  Issues relating to inflammation typically take longer to show significant improvement depending on how well you are sleeping and managing your stress (typically another month or two).  Remember that for many health issues, you need to address all of the tenants of a paleolithic lifestyle (get good sleep, manage stress, get outside).

Are you in autoimmune denial?  I was.  While out-of-the-box paleo tackled most of my health issues, I still had unresolved autoimmune issues even after four months of strict paleolithic nutrition.  I had to do the autoimmune protocol (I’ve written about the autoimmune protocol extensively and this is also the topic of my book), in which you also exclude all the gray area foods.  If you have been eating a strict paleolithic diet for two months and are still dealing with health issues, you might have to do this too.  The good news is that after a few months of no eggs, no nuts, no seeds, no nightshades, no alcohol, no NSAIDs, low caffeine and no cheating, with a concurrent focus on eating extremely nutrient-dense foods (lots of vegetables, grass-fed meat, organ meat, fish and bone broth), most people can add at least some of those things back in.

Is your gut in REALLY bad shape?  It is possible that your gut was very leaky before you started paleo, so healing is just plain ol’ going to take a while.  Especially, if you suspect that you have Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth or extensive gut damage, you’ll need to focus on Repairing The Gut, which can take 6 months to 2 years (although you should see continuous gradual improvement).  For all of the posts I’ve written on gut health, click here.

stomach acidHow is your digestion?  You might need to add some digestive support supplements for a little while to help your body heal.  These include digestive enzymes, ox bile, and stomach acid supplements (which are contraindicated for those with ulcers, blood clotting disorders, or taking NSAIDs).  Digestive enzymes and ox bile, while they can be expensive, are generally very safe to take as directed on the bottle (just make sure you actually eat once you take digestive enzymes because taking them and then not eating can cause damage to your gut).  If you are interested in a stomach acid supplement, check out my post on stomach acid here and this post by Steve Wright.

Do you have unknown food sensitivities?  If you’ve had a leaky gut for some time, you may have food sensitivities that you are unaware of.  Many alternative health care practitioners will order an IgG and/or IgA antibody screen which tests for food sensitivities.  The good news is that if you leave those foods out of your diet for a while, you can usually add them back in after your gut has fully healed.  If you have symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (like diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, acid reflux), another possibility is a FODMAP sensitivity.  Other potential culprits include salicylate sensitivity and food allergies (such as latex allergies, citrus, fish and shellfish, tree nuts, eggs, and dairy).

Do you need liver detox support? If you had/have an overgrowth of bacteria or yeast in your gut that are now dying off in great numbers, your liver might be working in overdrive.  B-vitamins (rich in red meat and organ meat), sulfur (rich in cruciferous vegetables and vegetables from the allium family), selenium (rich in seafood and organ meat) molybdenum (rich in organ meat) are important to support the liver.  Milk thistle (extract or tea) may also be helpful.  Choosing foods rich in these substances (or supplements) to help support liver detox is also useful for anyone losing weight, especially if the weight is coming off quickly.  This is because the body uses the fat tissues to store some toxins and excess hormones like estrogen (which gets them safely out of the body’s circulation) and rapid weigh loss has the potential to release these putting an additional strain on the liver.

Are you sleeping enough?  Yes, this has nothing to do with diet.  But sleep has a profound effect on every system in your body and if you are not getting enough of it, you can’t heal properly.  Aim for 8-10 hours per night in a pitch black room (see this post if you’re having trouble getting good sleep).  You can read more about the importance of sleep on the immune system in this teaser excerpt from The Paleo Approach.

Are you stressed? If you are not taking adequate measures to manage your stress (like getting activity but avoiding excessively strenuous exercise, spending time outside, having fun, getting enough sleep and developing strategies to manage psychological stressors), then your stress hormones might be out of whack.  If you have been under high stress for a long time and have trouble sleeping, you may have adrenal fatigue.  Both www.RobbWolf.com and www.BalancedBites.com have lots of great suggestions for healing from adrenal fatigue.

Did you go too low carb? What types of carbs (fruit versus starchy vegetables versus both versus neither) and how many carbs we should eat (varying from ketogenic diets and 20g per day to plenty of “safe starches” and upwards of 300g per day) is probably the most hotly debated topic within the paleo community.  One of the reasons for there being no clear answer as to what is best is that the carb intake of historically-studied and modern hunter-gatherer populations varies wildly.  On one end of the extreme are the Eskimos, who consume a diet composed approximately of 50% fat, 35% protein and 15% carbohydrate.  On the other end of the extreme are the Kitavans, who consume a diet composed approximately of 20% fat, 10% protein and 70% carbohydrate.  And of course, everything in between.  This probably reflects the fact that macronutrient ratios are not as important as food quality and nutrient density.  So, if your introduction to the concept of paleo was through a resource that expounded on the benefits of low carb, it is important to understand that this view is not representative of the entire paleo community and no consensus exists.  It’s also important to understand, that while blood sugar regulation is extremely important, going too low carb can be tough on your thyroid and can decrease leptin sensitivity (see this post and this post).  Also, eating adequate carbohydrates and especially insoluble fiber is important for proper regulation of ghrelin levels (see this post).  So, what is a good carbohydrate intake?  That’s actually highly individual (you can read this series of posts about optimizing your carb intake here, here and here), but if you are not feeling very good on a standard paleo diet, adding a little fruit or starchy vegetables is a good idea to try.

Are you inappropriately IFing? There are many enthusiastic supporters of Intermittent Fasting, but it’s important to understand that this is only appropriate for very healthy people.  If your sleep is not great, if your stress in not managed, if you are substantially overweight or if you have any kind of chronic disease, skipping breakfast (or breakfast and lunch) can cause dysregulated cortisol and undermine your other efforts.  This is not something to experiment with early on in your paleo journey.

What are your goals and how far away from them are you?  If you have a lot of weight to lose, you will probably notice a big drop in weight fairly quickly.  This will be mostly water weight, but don’t worry, fat is also being burned and you should eventually settle down into some nice steady weight loss (slow and steady wins the race, so there is no reason to be frustrated with weight loss if you are “only” losing a half pound per week-that’s actually very healthy!).  When your body seems resistant to weight loss, try addressing sleep quality and stress levels, but also be aware of the impact of female hormones and hunger hormones (levels and sensitivity).  For more tips and tricks for losing weight, see this post.

gray foodsAre you truly complying with paleolithic nutrition?  There are few things worse than being “almost paleo” (depending on your health challenges and what “almost” actually means for you).  While many people can successfully navigate the murky waters of cheats and occasional gluten consumption, if you are asking the question “when will I feel fabulous” while not actually following a paleo diet as strictly as you can, then you might be a person who just can’t cheat or tolerate occasional gluten exposure.  And from a metabolism, hormone and taste-bud adaptation standpoint, allowing yourself the occasional slice of pizza or pie a la mode can really derail your efforts to get healthy and perpetuate cravings, food addictions, and feelings of deprivation.  I advise eating very strict paleo for at least a month before you play with eating small amounts of dairy or legumes or allowing yourself cheat meals (and I recommend a lifelong avoidance of gluten for most people).  If strict paleo isn’t enough to make you feel great, look at the gray area foods in your diet (eggs, nuts, seeds, nightshades, alcohol, caffeine).  Maybe one of them is the culprit (nightshades are my number one suspect).  But if you are truly sticking to it, my guess is you are already feeling much, much better!

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Paleo Cinnamon Buns

April 9, 2013 in Featured Recipes, Muffins and Coffee Cakes, Paleo Bread

Paleo Cinnamon Buns | The Paleo MomWhen I was a teenager, my Uncle Bill taught me how to make real cinnamon buns.  You know, the kind with yeast-based bread?  It was a revelation and became one of my favorite treats to make.  One batch would make a whole delicious pan, full of thousands of gluten-filled calories.  And last about an hour.  To this day the smell of cinnamon reminds me of family vacations (which often ended up being adventures) to visit my uncle.

My oldest daughter especially loves cinnamon, so I was inspired to try and modify my yeast-based paleo bread recipes to create a paleo adaptation of my once famous cinnamon buns.  It actually took some fairly major modifications to the bread recipes to make a dough elastic and solid enough to roll.  Compared to the regular cinnamon buns that I used to make, these are not quite as fluffy nor as elastic (and capturing that texture wasn’t worth using a gut irritating ingredient like xanthum gum or psyllium husk, since they are pretty awesome as is).  But, I was able to capture the flavor and a nice bready texture.  My kids are in love.

I’ve made these twice now, once more generously filled with sugar and cinnamon and once more stingy.   I think they work better when you’re more generous, but they do work if you want to cut the cinnamon filling in half and makes these a little less sweet.  The photos are actually from the stingier batch, but the recipe reflects the more generous filling.

These roll fairly easily.  They are a little tricky to cut though.  If you want perfect looking cinnamon buns, I would suggests  rolling out each one individually instead of making the usual big long role and slicing off individual rolls.  But, as you can see from the pan, they still look yummy, and they still pull apart enticingly well.

Paleo Cinnamon Rolls | The Paleo Mom

Ingredients (filling):

  1. Combine sugar and spices in a bowl or spice shaker.

Ingredients (bread):

  1. Bring ingredients to room temperature (this is most important with ground nuts, almond flour, eggs and butter).
  2. Proof the yeast (which means wake it up and get it growing).  To do this, combine yeast, honey and warm water (should be luke warm, not too hot).  In about 10 minutes, it should be foaming.
  3. While waiting for the yeast to proof, combine the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer (you could also use a Bread Machine to warm and mix your ingredients).
  4. Add the yeast and then mix on low speed for at least 5 minutes (up to about 10 if you get distracted).
  5. While you’re waiting, grease a 9″x13″ pan (you could also use a rimmed baking sheet or a muffin pan).
  6. If you have a silicone rolling mat, use that.  Otherwise, line your counter with parchment (probably two sheets overlapping).  In either case, grease the mat or the parchment with butter, lard or palm shortening.
  7. Pour out your sticky bread dough onto your prepared surface.  Grease your hands and flatten the dough into a big rectangle about 1/2″ thick by hand.
  8. Spread butter over the surface of your rectangle.  Sprinkle the entire surface with the sugar and spice mix.
  9. Now roll the dough into a log.
  10. Using a sharp knife, but 1-2″ thick slices of your dough log and transfer to your prepared pan.  It helps to clean any dough off your knife in between each cut.   Space at least 1″ apart in the pan.  You can cut as man cinnamon buns as you want.  This makes 12 quite large cinnamon buns or 18 smaller ones (I did a baker’s dozen).  Don’t worry if they aren’t perfect swirls.  As you can see from my picture, some are perfect some aren’t.  They all taste good.  If you have a reason why these need to look perfect, roll them out individually instead of the log method.
  11. Let rise in a warm corner of your kitchen for 45 minutes (I let mine rise in the oven with the light on and the door a crack open, and then take out to rise the last ten minutes on the stovetop while the oven is preheating).  It’s normal for them to not rise very much but they will then puff up much more while baking.
  12. Preheat oven to 375F with oven rack in the top third of your oven.
  13. Bake for 25-30 minutes (closer to 20 minutes if you made them smaller).
  14. Enjoy!

Paleo Cinnamon Buns | The Paleo Mom

 

 

 

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Yeast-Based Paleo Bread — Revisited

March 9, 2013 in Paleo Bread

A good paleo bread recipe is worth its weight in gold.   I pride myself on my paleo bread recipes, especially those that utilize yeast (check out my post Is Yeast Paleo?) since the flavor and texture is so, well, bread like!  For anyone with picky kids they are trying to transition or who is having issues with the transition to paleo themselves, having a real bread that is made with paleo-friendly ingredients can make all the difference in the world.

Yeast-based paleo bread is one of the few recipes that I have developed that I make frequently.  I mean really frequently.  It takes a week to ten days for us to go through a loaf.  It is a staple breakfast food for my oldest (who had the hardest time with the transition to paleo and still clings to a few paleo versions of her old staples) and an occasional breakfast food or treat for my youngest and husband.  So, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to tweak and play with the recipe over the nearly one year since I posted the original version.

Yeast-Based Paleo Bread Revisited | The Paleo Mom One of my priorities was to develop a version of my original yeast-based paleo bread that didn’t include flax seed.  This is because I have learned that flax is very high in phytoestrogens, chemical compounds that have the ability to mimic estrogen in the human body even as absorbed from dietary sources.  And while I don’t worry about the occasional bit of paleo baking that includes flax, I do worry about the daily consumption of flax for my growing girls.  Doing away with the flax introduced all kinds of issues with texture, which took quite a bit of experimentation to sort out. The secret turned out to be to use half very finely milled blanched almond flour (such as Honeyville Farms or JK Gourmet) and half courser milled almond meal (the best was the almond flour I bought locally from NaturAlmond but making my own by processing whole almonds in my food processor worked well too).

The other issue with the original bread recipe is that it made a fairly squat loaf.  While this didn’t really matter that much for our purposes, a taller loaf means the bread lasts longer and it’s a more familiar size/shape for all of you!

My Bread Machine does 2-pound loaves, but I am very confident this would work in a 1.5-pound loaf machine (I would suggest cutting the recipe in half for a 1-pound loaf machine). As with all gluten-free bread recipes, it doesn’t rise much.  That’s okay.  It also will never have a dome top.  That’s okay too. I make this bread in a Bread Machine, which is certainly the easiest way to make this bread (gluten-free bread can be tough to get a pretty surface with made the old fashioned way, but it’s certainly possible!).

As with all homemade bread recipes, the temperature, humidity and altitude of your kitchen can impact how the bread rises.  You may need to subtract or add 1 Tbsp (or even 2 Tbsp!) of water to this recipe to make it work in your kitchen.  You’ll know to subtract a little water if your loaf is a little concave on top (like a trench).  You’ll know you need to add water if the top is crumbly looking.  You can optionally use Mineral Water to add a little extra rise and lightness to your loaf, but the difference is small compared to regular water, which is what I am in the habit of using.

Yeast-Based Paleo Bread Revisited | The Paleo Mom

Ingredients:

  1. Mix  water, eggs,  salt, honey, and vinegar in the bottom of your Bread Machine pan.
  2. Add coconut oil, almond flour, almond meal, tapioca and arrowroot flour on top of wet ingredients.  Sprinkle yeast on top of the flour (or follow your bread maker’s directions).
  3. Use the whole wheat cycle on your Bread Machine if it has one (if not, just use a regular cycle).  Very Important:  My Bread Machine had a hard time mixing these ingredients because the dough is fairly stiff.  Check during the initial knead that the ingredients are mixing well and none are sticking to the edge of the pan (if they are, use a spatula to gently push them down into the rest of the dough and maybe even help mix the dough, depending on your machine). 
  4. Remove promptly after your Bread Machine is done.  Enjoy!

If you want to bake this bread without a Bread Machine, these instructions reflect the best results reported by those of you who left comments on my original yeast-based paleo bread recipe or sent me emails to report on your success:

  1. Proof your yeast by warming the water (should feel comfortably warm and not too hot) and adding the yeast to the water.   You can do this in the bottom of your mixing bowl.  It should start to foam in 5-10 minutes.
  2. Add  the wet ingredients to the proofed yeast and stir
  3. Add your dry ingredients and stir to fully incorporate (you may want to use a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or you could do this by hand).  It would be helpful if your ingredients were room temperature or slightly warmer.
  4. Pour the batter into a greased standard-sized loaf pan.  Spread out the top evenly.
  5. Let rise in a warm corner of your kitchen for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  A great way to rise bread is to put in on your oven with the oven off but the oven light on.  Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350F.
  6. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Yeast-Based Paleo Bread Revisited | The Paleo Mom

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The Benefits of Probiotics –Teaser Excerpt from The Paleo Approach

February 12, 2013 in Gut Health, Supplements, The Paleo Approach Excerpts

The Paleo Approach by Sarah BallantyneThere are many topics that I am researching and writing about for the book that I’ve been meaning to write about for the blog for ages (the book just gives me a firm deadline).  I have decided take some of these topics (especially the more blog-sized ones) and publish them as teaser excerpts for the book (also because I think this information should be here too).

The book also contains a detailed (yet easy-to-follow) description of the components of the immune system, so when you read the book, you’ll already know why modulating Th1 versus Th2 versus regulatory T-cells is important and you’ll know what dendritic cells, antigen presentation and cytokines are. For a quick primer: Th1 and Th2 cells are over-activated in autoimmunity and cause damage (typically one or the other is over-activated).  Regulatory T-cells are supposed to keep all the other immune cells in check and suppress both over-activation of the immune system and autoimmunity (they tend to be deficient in autoimmune disease).  Cytokines are chemical messengers of inflammation.  Dendritic cells are a type of sentinel cell that detects foreign invaders.  Antigens are small sequences of amino acids on foreign invaders that are recognized by the immune system.   When a dendritic cell detects foreign invaders, they “show” the antigens to B-cells and T-cells (cells of the adaptive immune system).  Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue is the collection of immune cells and other tissues just inside the intestinal barrier in the gut.  Enterocytes are the cells that line the small intestine and form the barrier between inside the gut and outside the gut.

So, forgive the references to Chapters 2, 3, 8 and 12.  While you’ll have to wait until the book is out in September to read those sections, in the meantime, please enjoy this part of my section of probiotics (actually, probiotics are talked about in 4 separate sections-this section is from the chapter on healing foods).

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Consumption of probiotics, either as a supplement or in the form of unpasteurized fermented foods, can dramatically help modulate the immune system.  A vast number of scientific and clinical studies have evaluated the various effects of the commensal bacteria in the gut (those healthy gut bacteria) and/or probiotic supplement of specific bacterial strains on various aspects of the immune system.  The cliff notes?  It’s all good.

The exact mechanisms behind the many observed benefits of probiotics remain largely unknown.  This may be because different bacterial strains have different effects on the body and interact differently with the immune system.  For example, some probiotic strains stimulate production of cytokines (those chemical messengers of inflammation) that promote Th1 cell development (which may augment the immune system to help fight infection and prevent cancer).  Other probiotic strains stimulate production of cytokines that promote regulatory T-cell development, thereby providing that all important immune system modulation needed in autoimmune disease (see Chapter 2).  Yet other probiotic strains, including several lactobacillus strains, are beneficial both in diseases of compromised immune systems and diseases of excessively activated immune systems.

It has been shown that probiotics interact with dendritic cells during antigen presentation during the initiation of adaptive immune responses, meaning that probiotics are useful in preventing immune-related diseases (see Chapter 2).  However, they also affect the effector phase of adaptive immunity, so they can be used as a treatment for established immune-related diseases (this applies to both immune-related diseases like asthma and allergies but also autoimmune diseases).  In fact, probiotic supplementation has been shown to be beneficial in a variety of autoimmune conditions, including:  autoimmune myasthenia gravis, inflammatory bowel diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune thyroid disease.

It used to be believed that probiotic supplementation and the consumption of unpasteurized fermented foods provided health benefits by re-inoculating the gut with beneficial strains of bacteria and yeast.  Having a healthier variety and types of gut microorganisms would then be responsible for the positive benefits of probiotic supplementation.  However, recent scientific research puts this explanation into doubt—at least in some cases.  A recent study of diarrhea-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome demonstrated that the administration of probiotic supplements did not to alter the composition of the gut microflora.  It’s important to emphasize that probiotic supplementation was still beneficial.  This implies that the benefits of probiotic consumption might be directly due to the interaction of those probiotic bacteria (and yeast) with the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (see Chapter 2) as it passes through the body, at least in some cases.

There are clearly still some situations where probiotic supplements do have profound effects on the gut microflora.  For example, studies have shown differences in the composition of the gut microflora after taking antibiotics in people who supplemented with probiotics compared to those who didn’t.  There may also be more impactful effects on those with bacterial overgrowths.  Probiotic microorganisms have the capability to affect the gut microflora through a variety of mechanisms, including: reducing the acidity in the intestinal lumen (the area in the middle of the “tube” that forms the gut), competition for nutrients, secretion of antimicrobial compounds by the probiotics themselves, stimulating the production of antimicrobial compounds by your cells, and preventing adhesion and interaction of other bacteria with gut epithelial cells.  In these ways, probiotics may help to “correct” gut dysbiosis.

Beyond restoring balance to the gut microflora and modulating the immune system, research has shown that administration of probiotics can have a direct effect on the tight junctions between enterocytes in the gut—resulting in decreased intestinal permeability.  So, taking a probiotic or eating food naturally rich in probiotic organisms can directly help heal a leaky gut.

As already mentioned in Chapter 3, what you eat has a profound effect on the types, relative quantities and location of different bacteria growing in your gut—this effect is largely independent of the benefits of consuming fermented foods or taking probiotic supplements.  However, consuming probiotics has the great potential to speed healing and modulate the immune system and should not be underrated in importance when dealing with autoimmune disease.

Some researchers are taking on the task of characterizing the precise effects of each probiotic strain on the human body (recall that there are approximately 35,000 of them among all humans).  Certainly some strains have already been isolated for their anti-inflammatory and immune modulatory properties, yet others for their abilities to improve the barrier function of the gut or the ability to reduce visceral hypersensitivity.  It is completely possible that in the future, probiotic supplements will be tailored to address specific health problems by providing specific strains known to counteract those issues.  However, until then, the best focus is on variety.

Because different probiotic strains have slightly (and sometimes vastly) different effects (which may also depend on your genetics, level of inflammation, and current gut health), the best way to ensure complete modulation/regulation of the immune system is to consume as many different probiotic strains as possible.  So, where do you get variety?  You actually get far more variety from fermented foods and soil than you do from most supplement available (that doesn’t mean that probiotic supplements aren’t useful—see chapter 8 for more information specific to probiotic supplements).  Every time you make a new batch of homemade sauerkraut, the probiotic organisms within it will be slightly different.

So, what are good food sources of probiotics?

  • Raw unpasteurized sauerkraut
  • Raw unpasteurized lactofermented vegetables (kimchee, beets, carrots, pickles)
  • Raw unpasteurized lactofermented fruits (green papaya, chutneys)
  • Raw unpasteurized lactofermented condiments (relishes, salsas)
  • Water kefir
  • Milk kefir grown in coconut milk
  • Kombucha
  • Beet Kvass

Some form of probiotic should be consumed every day.  It is typically understood that a small amount several times per day is more beneficial than a large amount at one sitting.  When you first start consuming probiotic foods, it’s a good idea to keep the amount very small (as little as 1 teaspoon) and see how you feel.  Some people with severe gut dysbiosis can have dramatic gastrointestinal symptoms from probiotics.  If one probiotic food doesn’t work for you, try another.  If none of them work for you, you may have more luck with a supplement or just might need more time to heal your gut before introducing probiotics.  It’s okay if you need to follow The Paleo Approach for a couple of weeks before adding probiotic foods (for more information, see the Troubleshooting section in Chapter 9).  The amount you eat at any given time can then be slowly increased over the course of several weeks.  And of course, you can skip ahead to Chapter 12 to start making probiotic foods in your own home.

An often underrated source of probiotics is soil.  Soil-based organisms (SBOs) have not been as extensively studied as the lactobacillus and bifidus genus of bacteria.  However, they are normal residents of a healthy gut, have been shown to be potent modulators of the immune system, and supplementation with SBOs has been shown to be beneficial in diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, insomnia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  Soil-based probiotic supplements are available (see Chapter 8 for more information).  You can also get exposure by playing in the dirt (a good excuse to take up gardening as a hobby!) and by growing your own vegetables organically (or buying locally-grown organic vegetables) and eating them without washing them.  Okay, you can rinse the big clumps of dirt off.

 

Barbara, G., et al., Mucosal permeability and immune activation as potential therapeutic targets of probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome, J Clin Gastroenterol. 2012 Oct;46 Suppl:S52-5

Bittner, A.C., et al., Prescript-assist probiotic-prebiotic treatment for irritable bowel syndrome: an open-label, partially controlled, 1-year extension of a previously published controlled clinical trial, Clin Ther. 2007 Jun;29(6):1153-60.

Chae, C.S., et al., Prophylactic effect of probiotics on the development of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis, PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52119.

Corridoni D, et al., Probiotic bacteria regulate intestinal epithelial permeability in experimental ileitis by a TNF-dependent mechanism, PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e42067

Fooks LJ and Gibson GR Probiotics as modulators of the gut flora. Br J Nutr 2002 88(Suppl 1):S39–S49.

Gerritsen, J. et al., Intestinal microbiota in human health and disease: the impact of probiotics, Genes Nutr. 2011 August; 6(3): 209–240.

Kiseleva, E.P., et al., The role of components of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in pathogenesis and serologic diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid disease, Benef Microbes. 2011 Jun;2(2):139-54.

Kobayashi T, et al.,  Probiotic upregulation of peripheral IL-17 responses does not exacerbate neurological symptoms in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse models, Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2012 Jun;34(3):423-33

Le Bert, N., et al., DC priming by M. vaccae inhibits Th2 responses in contrast to specific TLR2 priming and is associated with selective activation of the CREB pathway, PLoS One. 2011 Apr 1;6(4):e18346

Michail, S. & Kenche, H., Gut microbiota is not modified by Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial of VSL#3 in Diarrhea-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2011 Mar;3(1):1-7

Ng SC, et al., Mechanisms of action of probiotics: recent advances. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2009;15(2):300–310.

Ruemmele F.M., et al., Clinical evidence for immunomodulatory effects of probiotic bacteria, J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2009 Feb;48(2):126-41.

Shida, K. & Nanno, M., Probiotics and immunology: separating the wheat from the chaff, Trends Immunol. 2008 Nov;29(11):565-73.

Shida K, et al., Flexible cytokine production by macrophages and T cells in response to probiotic bacteria: a possible mechanism by which probiotics exert multifunctional immune regulatory activities, Gut Microbes. 2011 Mar-Apr;2(2):109-14

Schiffer, C., et al., A strain of Lactobacillus casei inhibits the effector phase of immune inflammation, J Immunol. 2011 Sep 1;187(5):2646-55

Tlaskalová-Hogenová, H., et al., Commensal bacteria (normal microflora), mucosal immunity and chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, Immunol Lett. 2004 May 15;93(2-3):97-108.

Tsilingiri K & Rescigno M., Postbiotics: what else?, Benef Microbes. 2012 Dec 27:69-75.

Soil-based organisms improve immune function: shift cytokine profile from TH2 to TH1, Posit Health News. 1998 Spring;(No 16):16-8

http://www.old-herborn-university.de/literature/books/OHUni_book_8_article_4.pdf

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