As I conferenced with my neurologist the other day, he didn't hesitate to mention my steady weight gain since the onset of my diagnosis.  Twenty pounds in 10 years.  

I had been complaining of fatigue and irregular heart palpitations possibly due to food or stress.  It can be so frustrating when you are already incorporating a diet and a bit of exercise that won't knock you to the ground.  

But somehow I didn't associate these recent "add-ons" to weight gain.  After all, it has been steady, not a noticeable dump.  

I got to thinking, "I wish there was an app out there that would literally make my plate.  An app where I don't have to think and prepare meals.  Meals that are simple to incorporate into my daily routine.  I'm not a restaurateur by any means as the budget won't allow this.  I wanted staples I could keep around the house that would be easy to create in a pinch.  

I found it searching my apps.  Eat This Much was a perfectly balanced app that allows you the liberty of creating simple, nutritious meals that target weight loss.  I was in heaven!  Best of all I could utilize days in the past to incorporate a meal plan for FREE.  And, I could add my own personal recipes to the app to analyze nutritional indexes. You can pre plan one day for FREE, too.  

​Put your diet on autopilot with Eat This Much. Tell them your diet goals, the foods you like, your budget, and what your schedule looks like, and they'll automatically generate a complete meal plan to meet your targets. It's like having a personal diet assistant.

They offer both free accounts and premium accounts. As a free user, you can create a day's meal plan and completely customize it however you want. Each meal can have different preferences, and your nutrition targets can be whatever you like.

As a premium user, you'll automatically generate a week of meal plans and send them to you with a grocery list via email. As you follow the plans, you can track what you did or didn't eat, and if you deviate from the plans, they make it easy to readjust your targets for the next week to stay on track. Try out the free account to see if our meal plans appeal to you, and upgrade when you're ready.

- Follow any eating style or create your own (works for keto, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, and more)
- Hit your macros and calorie targets every day
- Empower yourself with automatic control over your diet
- Take the anxiety out of picking what to eat
- Personalize any of our recipes and they'll replace the original
- Reduce food waste
- Don't like our suggestions? Easily swap them out or configure the generator to only use foods you like
- Manage your virtual pantry (with a premium account)

Normal calorie trackers force you to add foods into your diary one by one. And by the end of the day, there's no guarantee that you'll be anywhere near the nutrition targets you're trying to reach. With their automatic planner, there's nothing to track because everything is already entered for you, and all you have to do is follow the plan.

Subscription options:
- You can download the app for free and create/customize as many unique meal plans as you want, and save one to your account.
- To unlock the features of Eat This Much Premium, you can subscribe for either the monthly or yearly description.

As I run through my daily regiment wondering where I may have slipped up a tad on this recent diagnosis of Endrometerial Hyperplasia, I couldn't help but notice my water intake.  Sadly, I've been a bit laxed on my stringent routine due to COVID-19.  It's enough dealing with this whole online working system let alone remembering what I'm supposed to do to keep my health optimal every minute of the day.  

Don't get me wrong, I never deviate too far from my diet.  I am a firm believer this is what has kept me in a decent corner today.  It's not 100% by any means.  But, if I can run at 85% I can get through a normal day.

This syndrome of fibromyalgia can have a huge impact on how you lead your life on a day-to-day basis. A range of treatments are usually prescribed for long term management of fibromyalgia pain including physical therapy, psychological therapy, and drugs. And, of course, we all need support to continue.  But daily food and beverage intake is right up there on the top of the pyramid for folks like us. 

That clear liquid we take for granted every day can actually help to relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Did you know that fatigue and headaches can be caused by dehydration? Our adult bodies are made up of approximately 70% water which evaporates through breathing, sweating and other natural bodily functions. Drinking water helps to flush all the toxins through your liver and kidneys and out of the body. Aim for at least 8 glasses each day – being hydrated will help to fight off fatigue. If you don’t like plain water try a squeeze of lemon juice or lime to add some flavor.

Water is the most underutilized tool when it comes to your health. From hydrating skin and helping with headaches to giving you an endless supply of energy, simply drinking enough H2O each day can pay off in a big way.

"Proper hydration is key not only to making sure we stay alert and energized, but also to keeping everything functioning in our bodies," says Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN, Nutrition Director at Good Housekeeping Institute. "Most of us need to drink between 8-10 cups (as a general rule of thumb) of water per day — and much more when we factor in heat, sweat, medications, and humidity shifts."

Yes, remembering to carry much less sip on a water bottle throughout the day can feel like a challenge, but drinking enough water is essential for your wellbeing. How much is enough? Well, much like calories, the amount of water each person needs depends on a few different factors. Read on to calculate how much water you should be drinking each day based on your own unique needs.

I, for one, have been searching for a more specific calculation for my own personal water needs.  I'm going to share it with you.  Upon immediate calculation, I configured this into my Fitbit to ensure I can begin step one of my latest quest to better health. 

​If you want to determine the exact amount you should drink according to your body weight, you can follow these steps:

1. Take your weight (in pounds) and divide that by 2.2.
2. Multiply that number depending on your age: If you're younger than 30, multiply by 40. If you're between 30-55, multiply by 35. If you're older than 55, multiply by 30.
3. Divide that sum by 28.3.
4. Your total is how many ounces of water you should drink each day. Divide that number by 8 to see your result in cups.
5. Go grab that to go cup and start filling! 
   
   
   
   

I made and astonishing correlation recently during the last hurricane that donned our path.  I had always known that sugar creates irrefutable pain in the joints of those who suffer from fibromyalgia.  It's a never ending cycle, you experience pain, you suffer fatigue, you grab a sweet or candy for a quick uplift to get on with your day.

But recently I've been plagued with back pain.  On and off it comes and rears its ugly head when least expected.  One recent epiphany was when I was at the beach.  I stood up to walk gingerly to the ocean and was immediately sliced with intense pain as I stood fully erect.  It pinched so severely in my lower vertebrates that I stood crooked allowing other muscles in my body to take on my skeletal impact.  This pain consumed me for eight days making it difficult to preform my usual duties.  To bed I went and stayed there until my spine had a chance to regroup and redirect.  

It was the day I returned after being evacuated during the hurricane.  I went to the beach for a reprieve.  But during our stay at the hotel previously my mother brought her favorite treat, sugar.  There were several boxes of Reese's adorning her stand.  As you can imagine, the days of preparation reduce one's ability to think correctly when your planning on bringing enough supplies to last for a few days in cramped quarters.  I was tired, I ached, I reached for Reese's.

Several Reese's as a matter of fact.  In fact over the two days we succumbed to the storm, I was indulging  a rounded cup a few times daily.  I knew better.  My body's cravings weren't helping though, and so I did what any hurricane evacuee would do, I ate sugar and slept a lot.  

What I didn't realize is how much this was affecting my back and how much I'd pay in the future week ahead. 

We all know that eating a well-balanced diet is important for health and longevity. But did you know that studies have actually linked some forms of back pain with consuming certain types of food? Sugar is one of the major culprits.

Unfortunately, it’s too easy to overdo the sugar intake because it’s added to many everyday processed foods, including bread, yogurt, juices, and sauces. The average American consumes around 19.5 teaspoons (82g) of added sugar every day, which comes out to 66 pounds every year – the recommended daily allowance is about 6 teaspoons (25g) per day for women and 9 teaspoons (38g) for men!

Since it’s so easy to overconsume with our modern lifestyle, it’s important to understand the basics of how sugar affects your body and choices you can make for regulating your blood sugar levels.

Most people are aware that consuming too much sugar contributes to weight gain and a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, and depression, but in recent years researchers have also found it can contribute to back and joint pain. When we consume too much of it, our body releases insulin and stress hormones. Those, in turn, trigger the inflammation process. Inflammation leads to chronic pain. The places where we have the least amount of blood circulation are at greatest risk of inflammation – that is why our joints and back can be so dramatically impacted by sugar consumption.

Here are 6 simple tips you can follow to help regulate blood sugar and keep painful inflammation at bay:

1. Choose foods with a low glycemic index
Every food item is rated by the percentage that the blood sugar level rises when that food item is consumed. Avoiding things that have a high glycemic index reduces sugar intake and helps stabilizes blood sugar levels.

2. Choose good carbs, avoid bad carbs
Good carbs contain lots of fiber and are absorbed slowly into our systems: whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans.

Bad cards spike blood sugar levels: processed foods, white bread, white rice, sugary beverages, and sweets.

3. Drink water
Keeping hydrated helps your kidneys flush out excess blood sugar.

4. Stay active
Maintaining a healthy weight helps to ensure that your body can process insulin effectively. Not to mention that a good walk can reduce stress and help avoid caving in to cravings.

5. Manage your stress
Stress can actually stimulate the release of hormones that cause blood sugar levels to rise. Hang out on your Teeter at least a few minutes a day for some mindful relaxation.
​
6. Get enough sleep!
Sleep deprivation can also impact your hormones which play an important role in controlling blood sugar, which is just one more reason to hit the hay early.

​We live in a remarkable time. Anyone with an internet connection or smartphone can access a staggering amount of information in just moments.

Although much of the time spent on the internet is devoted to watching cat videos on YouTube (my personal favorite), many people are using this wealth of knowledge to take their health education into their own hands. They’re investigating a host of nutrition and lifestyle options, including the paleo diet and one of the most searched diets in 2016, the keto (ketogenic) diet.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve explored variations of these two dietary approaches. I’ve found them to be remarkably effective for a variety of needs—ranging from fat loss to reducing inflammation to improving athletic performance.

Paleo Diet vs. Keto Diet

Based on questions I’ve gotten, there’s clearly a lot of confusion on what constitutes a paleo vs keto diet.
This article should help put both approaches in proper context and help you decide which might be a good option for you.

The Paleo Diet

HISTORY:
Unlike most dietary approaches the Paleo diet was not “thought up” by any given person (although there certainly have been researchers who have championed the approach).

The Paleo diet concept was born through the observations of dozens, if not hundreds, of anthropologists and medical explorers. They realized that hunter-gatherer groups were largely free of modern degenerative diseases.

Yes, these people were remarkably healthy even despite an almost complete lack of modern medical interventions.

While these groups suffered from high rates of infectious disease, injury, and childbirth complications (all areas where modern medicine excels), even those who lived into advanced age were largely free of obesity, type 2 diabetes, autoimmunity, heart disease and neurodegeneration. (This may be a bit more history than what you were looking for but I think it’s valuable to understand this dietary approach was an outgrowth of observing remarkably healthy human populations living as hunter-gatherers.)

Modern researchers and medical professionals who learned about the paleo approach asked a simple question:

“What if features of our modern world are at odds with our ancient genetics?”

If this is the case, perhaps eating in a way that better reflects our ancestors might save us from a host of modern degenerative diseases.

SO, WHAT DO YOU EAT ON PALEO?

Ok, history aside, what is a paleo diet in practice? I look at this in two ways:

1. What foods are generally excluded?
2. What foods are included?

By exclusion the paleo diet suggests one should generally minimize or avoid: grains, legumes and dairy.

Why?

Because these foods are “evolutionarily novel.” This means they’re relatively new to our species and therefore may present problems for some people.

This makes sense if you think about the most common allergens, they generally fit into the grains and dairy category. For example, I do not do well with most grains, especially ones containing gluten, like wheat.

All of this is highly individual, but many people find they feel, look, and perform better when eliminating at least some of these foods.

A limitation of this perspective is there HAS been genetic adaptation to the consumption of some of these foods in various populations. Additionally, there are examples of populations who are remarkably healthy who consume any or all of these foods.

Perhaps the one consistency is general health begins to decline when highly processed foods (sugar, refined grains, seed oils) displace traditional diets.

By inclusion this means the diet is comprised of lean meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables, roots, shoots, tubers, nuts, and seeds.

The scientific literature on the paleo diet is impressive, but honestly the cultural evolution of the “paleo diet” has been a bit painful for me. As helpful as this template has been for helping to address modern disease, the personal inquiry into the paleo diet has largely devolved to asking the following question “Is this food/activity paleo?”

This has created an almost religious process for many people instead of one of critical self-discovery.

A paleo diet can mean quite a few things for protein, fat, and carb percentages.

It’s been documented that cultures like the Inuit eat a high fat, low carb diet (perhaps 90% of calories coming from animal products) while the Kitavans consume a diet north of 70% carbohydrate. Both populations are quite healthy, at least until they displace their traditional diet with modern refined foods.

It’s my strong belief that a paleo diet should focus on food quality and generally be “macronutrient agnostic.”
In other words: focus on nutrient dense foods (while avoiding or minimizing immunogenic foods which lead to allergies and intolerances) and “tinker” to find the protein, fat, and carbohydrate levels that work best for you.

Also, it should be clear that these needs likely change over time based on activity level, stress, and a host of factors. Ideally, you don’t tackle diet as being set in stone, but rather a flexible way to continue to optimize your health with nutrition.

The ketogenic diet

HISTORY:

If you’re interested in an exhausting history of the ketogenic diet, check out this 3-part series by Travis Christopherson.

The long-story-short version is that researchers in the early 1900’s noticed that patients with severe epilepsy had remarkably fewer seizures when they were fasting.

What? Why? How? 

When fasting we deplete liver glycogen (a stored carbohydrate) and the body tends to shift into a state of ketosis. In this state ketone bodies (produced from fat) are used in place of glucose for most energy needs, but in particular by the brain.

Your brain can shift nearly ⅔ of its normal glucose dependent metabolism to one fueled by ketones which provide a much more stable energy source.

So, although fasting proved to be a remarkably effective tool against epilepsy (in a time when there were no pharmaceutical options) one can only fast for so long.

Generally what people ate kicked them out of the ketogenic state, causing the seizures to start again. So how do you solve this ‘starving with no seizures’ vs ‘fed with seizures’ situation? A diet that mimicked many of the features of fasting.

By dramatically reducing carbohydrates, increasing fat, and keeping protein at moderate levels one could enter a state of “nutritional ketosis” which could be adhered to long term.

Although the ketogenic diet was born of a need to help epilepsy, many people observed that low carb diets were exceptionally effective for fat loss. Names like Banting, Atkins, and others have popped up over the years, offering both effective weight loss strategies and controversy.

A low carb, high fat diet has generally contradicted the recommendations of many health authorities and governmental agencies.

On top of all this, recently the ketogenic diet has been studied as a therapy for conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes to cancer and even performance enhancements in endurance athletes.

SO, WHAT DO YOU EAT ON KETO?

The most fundamental part of the ketogenic diet focuses on carbohydrate restriction—we’re talking 20-30g of effective carbohydrates per day (composed ideally of low glycemic load, nutrient dense vegetables). One then makes sure to get adequate protein, and then add fat based on needs and goals.

If your goal is to lose bodyfat, your M.O. is “fat for flavor” but not overdo fat as one can in fact overeat fat on this plan.

On the opposite end of the keto diet spectrum, if you’re a keto-adapted athlete who is training many hours per week, you may eat as much as 70-80% of your calories from fat.

Take Aways

Alright, that was a lot in a little text. So, what does it all mean? Keep these things in mind as you continue to explore or embark on a new way of eating:

1. Regardless of the dietary approach (paleo, keto, vegan etc.) your #1 focus is eating whole, unprocessed foods with an eye towards nutrient density.
2. You could easily eat a paleo diet with ketogenic ratios—and many people do! It helps guide you to eat with optimal nutrient density.
3. As powerful as both a paleo and keto diet may be, they are tools and as such are best used to address specific needs. No need to try and turn them into one-size-fits-all solutions.
4. Although I’m tightly associated with the paleo diet concept, I’ve found the overarching message to be as problematic as it is helpful. I’ve opted for the following process:
   • Assess an individual for carbohydrate tolerance and set daily carb intake to support this situation.
   • Recommend an elimination of the commonly immunogenic foods (typically grains, legumes, and dairy). Folks remove these foods for 30 days, reintroduce and assess for things like mental clarity, physical performance, sleep quality, and ability to go extended periods between meals without suffering cognitive impairment or performance problems.

I hope this helps you better understand what the paleo and ketogenic diets are (and are not) and how they can work together (or not).

While this is a fairly lengthy article, it’s really just scratching the surface of what a ketogenic diet is.
Keto can be such an effective tool for losing loads of body fat, having more energy and more mental clarity, or even just as a good ‘reset’ every few months.

I believe so strongly in the benefits of the keto diet that I wanted to help others get into ketosis—the right way.
While there’s a ton of information out there on keto (and so much of it conflicting…), I wanted you to be able to do it easily, without stress, and wasting time in the confusing rabbit holes online. So I created the Keto Masterclass.

Keto Masterclass is a 45-day program that walks you step-by-step through everything you need to get started and get results with keto.
​
Not sure if you should go keto? Take this quiz and find out if the keto diet is the right fit for you. -Shared by Robb Wolf

​Although most of us rarely eat offal — aka organ meats — this nutritious ingredient is actually jam-packed with important vitamins, minerals and micronutrients that can have a huge impact on your health.

Interestingly enough, organ meats are far higher in nutrients than the muscle meats we’re used to eating.

For instance, beef liver contains 50 times as much vitamin B12 as steak and more folate and B vitamins than any other food on the planet. In fact, it’s more densely packed with vitamins and minerals than kale, spinach and broccoli.

So how can you start incorporating this superfood into your diet? Keep reading for everything you need to know.

What Is Offal?

Types of Organ Meats
According to Merriam-Webster, the official offal definition is “the viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal removed in preparing it for market or for consumption.”

Also known as organ meats or variety meats, offal is not commonly consumed in most of the western world. In many cases, we think of offal for dogs or animals rather than a nutritious addition to our diets.

However, organ meats are loaded with important vitamins and minerals, often in much higher concentrations than many other foods.

Furthermore, offal has been highly valued in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for more than 3,000 years. In fact, a basic tenet of TCM is that consuming organ meats from animals will support the same organ in your own body.

There are dozens of “accepted” types of offal, depending on where you live. Here are a few of the most common types of offal:

Liver
Often hailed as a nutritious superfood, chicken liver has only 116 calories but contains more than double the daily recommended value for vitamin A and vitamin B12 in each serving.

In addition, the folate and riboflavin in chicken liver equal out to over 100 percent of what the average person needs each day.

Chicken liver also contains high amounts of vitamin B6, niacin, pantothenic acid, iron, phosphorus, selenium and copper.

Heart
While it may not contain as many nutrients as liver, the heart (and especially cow heart) provides you with the most CoQ10 of any of the offal meats.

It still has a ton of important vitamins too — over 100 percent daily value of the vitamin B12 you need and over half the riboflavin, along with significant amounts of niacin, iron, phosphorus, copper and selenium.

Kidneys
Eating kidneys is a concept you may need a bit of time to wrap your head around, but a cow kidney has over five times the amount of B12 you need each day, as well as almost two times your value for riboflavin.

Cow kidney also contains 228 percent of the daily value recommended for selenium. This trace mineral is associated with a number of powerful health benefits, including the prevention of certain cancer types, decreased oxidative stress and enhanced immune function.

Tongue
As variety meats in the offal family go, tongue is a popular but slightly less nutritious option than other organ meats.

This tough-surfaced organ is rich in vitamin B12, along with other micronutrients like niacin, riboflavin and zinc.

Another factor making this offal less of a home run is that it has over 250 calories in just one serving. That’s not an astronomical figure by any means, but it is higher than many other organ meats.

Sweetbreads
Wondering what are sweetbreads? This deceptive name refers to the organ meat found in two separate areas of the body: the thymus and pancreas.

While they aren’t sweet, nor made from bread, these meats are not high on the nutrient winner list.

They do, however, contain a large amount of dietary cholesterol and fat. We’re slowly learning that eating foods high in fat is actually not that bad for you at all, but it’s still worth noting.

This is also the first offal meat in which vitamin C wins the top spot on the nutrient profile, making it ideal for those looking to boost immunity and decrease cancer risk.

Brain
Surprisingly, brain may not be the smartest choice when selecting offal.

While it has somewhat significant amounts of several nutrients, it also contains over 800 percent of the daily recommended value for cholesterol intake.

Tripe
What is tripe? Tripe is another common organ meat, which is made from the lining of the stomach of various animals.

Although it does contain almost 14 grams of protein, the other nutrients that it offers aren’t found in very high amounts per serving.

Gizzard
Ranking above tripe for a few nutrients and carrying an astounding 44 grams of protein per serving, gizzard is a  worthwhile offal meat to add to your list.

What are gizzards exactly? Gizzards are a type of organ found in the digestive system of some animals like chickens, which are used to grind up food.

It does contain quite a bit of cholesterol in each serving but also includes 85 percent of the selenium you need each day.

Oxtail
What is oxtail? This big-name variety meat is, quite literally, the tail of a cow or an ox.

There are recipes galore available for it all over the internet, but its nutritional value hovers somewhere around worthless. Avoid this one if you’re aiming for high-nutrient offal.

Liverwurst
Liverwurst, also sometimes called liver sausage, contains a similar profile nutritionally to liver, including a massive amount of vitamins A and B12. Its selenium content is also incredible, and it’s also not lacking in the riboflavin arena.

Benefits of Offal
​
1. High in Vitamin A
Vitamin A, one of the most powerful antioxidants known to man, is found in massive quantities in most organ meats.

Two types of vitamin A exist in food: active vitamin A — or “retinol” — and beta-carotene. Retinol is the vitamin A found in meats, meaning the body doesn’t have to first convert it to anything in order to use it.

Because it functions as an antioxidant to fight free radical damage, vitamin A provides your body with protection against several diseases associated with oxidative stress and inflammation.

Vitamin A is also an important component in maintaining optimal eye health. When consumed on a regular basis, it’s associated with a lower risk of macular degeneration, which is an age-related disorder that can cause blindness.

Vitamin A also offers plenty of immune support. Eating vitamin A foods can help your body deal with everything from the common cold to autoimmune disease and more.

Not only that, but vitamin A also helps maintain skin health to keep your skin elastic, supple and smooth.

2. Good Source of B Vitamins
All B vitamins found in organ meats (vitamin B12, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin) are associated with a cardioprotective effect. This means that, in one way or another, all of them help protect you against heart disease.

One way these B vitamins do it is by lowering levels of homocysteine, an amino acid found in the blood that is associated with the development of heart problems.

They’re also known to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels, decrease high cholesterol, lower blood triglycerides and aid in the formation of healthy blood vessels.

Consuming offal high in B vitamins can also help keep your brain healthy. These nutrients help reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, boost learning and memory, improve your mood, and protect against disorders like depression or anxiety.

​3. Supplies CoQ10
Another important nutrient found in many organ meats is coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10.

While not considered a vitamin because it’s produced by the body in small quantities, CoQ10 functions as an antioxidant and has been used for some time as a natural method to prevent and treat certain diseases.
Present in its highest concentration in the heart of all the organ meats, CoQ10 has some benefits similar to that of the B-complex vitamins.

Supplementing your diet with synthetic or dietary CoQ10 may help support heart health, optimize brain function, slow down the natural aging process and boost energy levels.

4. Protects Against Anemia
Many of the nutrients found in organ meats work together to fight anemia.
This condition occurs when your body is unable to create and deliver enough oxygen-rich, hemoglobin-filled blood cells.

Hemoglobin is what makes your blood red, and it’s full of iron. Many of the treatments for anemia involve increasing iron intake by consuming more iron-rich foods like organ meats.

B-complex vitamins also help fight anemia. Vitamin B12 is required for the formation of more blood cells, and a deficit in this important vitamin can lead to megaloblastic anemia.

Other B vitamins like riboflavin are also necessary for the production of healthy blood cells, which is why filling up on nutrient-rich organ meats can be incredibly beneficial.

5. Supports Healthy Pregnancy
Several of the vitamins found in offal are crucial for promoting a healthy pregnancy.
Vitamin B6, for example, decreases pain responses to menstrual cramps and may also help eliminate some nausea usually experienced in the “morning sickness” phase of pregnancy.
Folate is also crucial to fetal growth and development, which is why it’s found in almost all prenatal supplements and diet plans.

Low folate levels during pregnancy are specifically associated with neural tube defects like spina bifida, anencephalus and heart complications.

However, keep in mind that most types of offal are also very high in vitamin A, which can also cause birth defects when consumed in excess. Therefore, it’s best to moderate your intake, especially if you are taking other supplements that also contain vitamin A.

6. Promotes Muscle-Building
Organ meats are a great source of protein, an essential nutrient that plays a central role in tissue growth and repair.

Getting enough protein in your diet is especially important when it comes to building and preserving muscle mass.

For instance, one study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging showed that higher protein intake, from animal sources in particular, was linked to increased preservation of muscle.

Organ Meats vs. Traditional Meats

Until recently, organ meats had fallen out of fashion and were often seen as unacceptable or lower-quality meats than traditional muscle meats. Western culture, though, is slowly shifting, and more types of offal have made their way onto the menus of local restaurants.

Ultimately, the difference between traditional meats and organ meats is that organ meats serve a different purpose during the life cycle of an animal. These particularly special types of offal, such as liver, kidneys, bone marrow and heart, are especially high in nutrients that are essential to bodily functions.

When you actually examine the numbers, many organ meats boast much more colorful nutritional profiles than the same weight in their muscle meat counterparts. Of course, this is not always true and must be considered by the individual ingredient.

An obvious reason offal is less popular than traditional meals often has to do with the unappealing ways much of it is packaged and delivered.

Few people desire to eat the entire face of animal or overlook the fact that they’re eating marrow out of an actual bone of a creature that once lived.

However, if you can get past that, enjoying organ meats from time to time can be a great way to add some variety to your diet and squeeze in some extra nutrients.

How to Find and Use (Plus Offal Recipes)Unlike traditional meats, offal is not readily available without a little digging.

Try your local farmers market, or look for butchers that practice ethical methods of raising and butchering meat. You’ll probably have to ask for the specific type of organ or variety meat you’re searching for, but these can often come at fairly low prices for the amount of meat you receive.

Depending on what meat you get, there are dozens of different preparation methods for home-cooked meals.

You can also look for restaurants, whether nearby or abroad, that prepare meals with offal and experiment with their different international cuisines.

Try, for instance, the Russian shredded tongue, the anticuchos of Peru (a popular street food made from beef heart) or the parilladas of Argentina (a dish including cow small intestines, blood sausages and sweetbreads).

Need some inspiration? Here are a few examples of offal recipes that you can try out to get started:

• Giblet Gravy
• Grilled Beef Heart
• Chicken Liver Pate
• Sauteed Beef Kidneys

Precautions/Side EffectsMost organ and variety meats contain purines, which are an organic molecule linked with increased gout flare-ups. There’s no current evidence that suggests, however, that eating offal causes gout to develop in the first place, but you should moderate your intake if you do have gout.

Another minor consideration in eating offal is the amount of dietary cholesterol you’re consuming. While eating cholesterol in your foods is actually not nearly as scary and dangerous as many believe, it’s not something you should do to excess.

Try to keep an eye on the nutrition of what you eat, and don’t go overboard with dietary cholesterol too often.
Women who are pregnant should also monitor their intake carefully to avoid going overboard of vitamin A. This is especially important if you’re taking any other medications or supplements that may contain vitamin A as well, as high levels can cause birth defects.

​By now you probably know how important your gut health is to your overall health. If not, you need to! 80 percent of your immune system is in your microbiome, your body’s bacteria, which help your body with just about every process, including helping you to digest your food, think clearly and even maintain a healthy weight.

Your microbiome is housed in your gut and the other openings of your body such as your mouth, your genitals, and your nose. When your gut microbiome is balanced, you stay healthy, you are in a good mood and you have a lot of energy. When your gut microbiome is out of balance, you are setting yourself up for a host of health issues, including weight gain, diabetes, brain fog, and cancer.

Unfortunately, an unbalanced gut microbiome, or dysbiosis, is common today. Thanks to years of following diets high in processed foods and sugar, consuming conventionally raised meat and dairy products full of hormones, plus rounds of antibiotics, too many antacids and chronic stress, most of us have impaired gut health. I have also said for many years that our country’s C-section rate and formula-feeding infants contribute to a dysbiotic state in children right from the start because babies need exposure to good bacteria in the birth canal and in breast milk to seed their guts. In fact, the allergies, autoimmunity, anxiety and depression that we see at increasing rates in children today are due, in part, to impaired gut health.

Your Genes Don’t Matter, But Your Gut Microbiome’s Genes Do!

As a society, we have been quick to place the blame for everything from our weight to our moods on our genes. We say things like, “she can drink wine and eat chocolate every day and not gain weight because she is French.” The truth is human beings all have similar DNA. So why is it that some people are healthy when they consume chocolate every day while others maintain a strict Paleo diet and struggle with digestive symptoms or worse? It’s because, unlike our genes, our microbiome’s genes are vastly different.

The good news is that you can change your gut microbiome. You see, the average lifespan of a bacterium in your microbiome is 20 minutes! So you have the opportunity every time you eat to begin to change the population of your gut microbiome. This is good news because it means that rather than having to subscribe to theories, such as the Paleo diet, which assumes our genes evolve so slowly that we all need to eat like cavemen, we can begin to change our gut microbiome (and thus it’s genes) one meal at a time, and even achieve a healthy gut very quickly.

Improve Your Gut Microbiome Today for the “4Rs”There are a number of factors that contribute to the health of your gut microbiome, including your environment, the amount of exercise and sleep you get, and of course, stress. But the number one factor that determines what microbes live in your gut (and which ones die off) is your diet.

In Functional Medicine, there is a very successful protocol called the 4Rs, which stands for Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, and Repair. There are many resources for learning more about the 4 R’s. I like Raphael Kellman, M.D.’s book, The Microbiome Diet: The Scientifically Proven Way to Restore Your Gut Health and Achieve Permanent Weight Loss. You can also listen to my interview with Dr. Kellman on my radio show, Flourish.

The beautiful thing about the 4Rs protocol is that it doesn’t have to be followed in order. Once you remove the processed foods and toxins from your diet, you can start doing all of the remaining 3 steps together. Unless you suffer from a serious digestive disorder or other condition, you can follow the 4Rs on your own. Or, find a practitioner who can tailor the protocol to your specific needs.
Here are my suggestions for following the 4Rs and improving your gut microbiome starting today:

1. Eat the Right Foods. Your gut microbiome responds to what you feed it. When you regularly eat a variety of healthy, non-processed foods, your microbiome becomes programmed to work for you. The more varied your diet, the more flexible your microbiome becomes, allowing for that occasional dessert.
2. Take a high-quality probiotic. Nearly everyone can benefit from supplementing with a good quality probiotic. Probiotics help maintain your gut’s ecosystem as well as the ecosystem of your respiratory tract and urogenital tract. Also, try to limit your use of antibiotics. While they are necessary sometimes and can be life-saving, most antibiotics are over-prescribed. Be sure to consult with your doctor about whether you or your children need an antibiotic, and always take your probiotics during treatment to re-seed your gut with healthy bacteria.
3. Support your Digestion. Unless you know you have high stomach acid, stop taking antacids! Many people have low stomach acid but think they have too much and take antacids. Supplement with a digestive enzyme. This can help you digest your food better and get rid of your symptoms, such as gas, bloating and heartburn. Glutamine, an amino acid (a building block of protein), can also help to rebuild and maintain your digestive tract and support proper digestion. You may also want to try HCL if you know you have low stomach acid. Or, you could simply try drinking lemon and water or 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar in a little water before each meal to see if your symptoms improve.
4. Get into a relaxed state. One of the most important factors to healing your gut is your own consciousness. Your gut is your second brain. If your microbiome is out of balance, you may feel anxious, depressed, or tired. You may also suffer from memory problems or brain fog. In addition to eating the right foods, try to get into a meditative state prior to eating. Do this by removing all stressors, including stressful people and conversations. If you are eating with others, try not to speak excessively, or talk about negative subjects. Every time you sit down to eat, take a deep breath, pause and give thanks to all of the plants, animals, and people who helped create your food, including God, then consecrate the energy you will get from your food to a good cause, or to someone you love. This activity can help transform even unhealthy fast food.

15 Ways to Optimize Your Gut Bacteria for Optimal Weight Loss

When it comes to losing weight, most diets focus on calorie reduction and exercise. While eating less and exercising more will usually result in weight-loss, Dr. Kellman says that if you get your microbiome healthy, you will lose weight. It’s all about correcting the overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria, which is making you crave the wrong foods and triggering inflammation. This makes sense because when you change your gut bacteria, you change how your body produces and metabolizes energy.

This also explains why so many people lose weight only to gain it right back because the bad bacteria are still present in your gut. The bad bacteria remember when you were fat, and they want to continue to live, so they trigger cravings for the foods that feed them.  

In addition to the steps I outline above, here are 15 more ways to set up your gut for weight loss:

1. Sweat every day. Your gut bacteria operate best when you exercise regularly. That’s because regular exercise promotes biodiversity of your gut flora. Research shows that exercise actually increases the good bacteria in your gut!
2. Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep has been associated with obesity. Now, research shows that one of the reasons sleep deprivation causes weight gain is because it significantly changes your gut flora. In fact, after just two nights of sleep deprivation the gut flora of patients resembled those of people who are obese. Now, here’s the catch, your gut flora can affect your sleep patterns, so in order to get a good night’s sleep, you must improve your gut flora.
3. Get dirty. While being clean is fine, overly sterile environments don’t promote biodiversity of your gut bacteria.  Go ahead and get dirty. And, skip the hand sanitizer.
4. Find time to de-stress. Research shows that prolonged periods of stress can impair your gut bacteria and make you susceptible to infection.
5. Breastfeed Your Baby. While breastfeeding can help moms lose their baby weight, this one is for your child. Babies are born with nearly sterile and bacteria-free guts. Breastfeeding your child for the first year (or as long as you can) helps to colonize your baby’s gut flora. And, your breast milk actually nourishes the bacteria to allow it to become established.
6. Eliminate artificial sweeteners. While the link between artificial sweeteners and weight gain is not clear, one thing research shows is that artificial sweeteners alter the gut bacteria in a way that causes glucose intolerance.
7. Eat the Nordic way. Arne Astrup,‎ Jennie Brand-Miller,‎ and Christian Bitz, leaders in obesity research and authors of The Nordic Way cookbook, suggest eating skyr, whole-grain rye breads, and wild foods, including herbs, greens, nuts, and berries. They also suggest that replacing wheat with oats, rye, and barley, and eating seafood, such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, clams, mussels, and even seaweed, helps improve gut flora.
8. Make preparing your meals a ritual. Every culture has rituals around food, but with our busy lifestyles, we have all but forgotten them. Turning your meal prep into a ritual – and it doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming – helps to bring awareness and intention to our meal and meal time. This relaxes you and sets you up for better digestion.
9. Get your microbiome analyzed. If you want to know what is going on in your gut flora, you can take a test that will give you a snapshot. But, remember your microbiome is changing all the time with every meal.
10. Take the gut-brain test. Your gut has its own nervous system – the enteric nervous system (ENS). Integrative neurologist Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary, author of The Prime, says that the answer to losing weight spontaneously is to make your gut smarter by bringing your enteric nervous system back online and in control of your food choices. To find out how well your gut-brain is working, take the Gut IQ Test.
11. Remove the sugar and processed foods from your diet. Refined carbohydrates, sugar (including alcohol), and processed foods get absorbed quickly into your small intestine without any help from your microbes. That means your gut microbes stay hungry, so they begin snacking on the cells that line your intestines, causing what we call Leaky Gut. Your intestinal lining is meant to be a strong barrier between your gut and the rest of your body. When your intestinal wall becomes leaky, particles of food enter your bloodstream, causing your immune system to attack them, and ultimately your own tissues. This leads to inflammation and a whole cascade of conditions, including autoimmunity. Sugar also feeds organisms like Candida Albican, which also attacks your intestinal wall and can lead to a systemic Candida infection.
12. Get your carbohydrates from vegetables and low-sugar fruits. Eating a lot of leafy green vegetables will help plant your gut with healthy and diverse bacteria. Dr. Kellman also recommends eating radishes, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, jicama, asparagus, carrots, and, of course, garlic and turmeric. Be sure to get a balance of healthy fats and protein with each meal as well.
13. Include fermented foods in your diet. Fermented foods seed your gut with healthy bacteria. Eat sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, kefir, yogurt (not processed), and kombucha. These foods are rich in prebiotics.
14. Try a food elimination diet to determine if you have any food allergies. Do you often have cramping, gas, or stomach pain after eating? You may have a food sensitivity or allergy. The most common food allergies or sensitivities are to cow’s milk, soy, peanuts (nuts), corn, eggs, and wheat (gluten). Some people find they feel even better if they eliminate all grains, including oats, quinoa, and spelt. But start with wheat at the very least. Do this for a few weeks and see if your symptoms improve. Also stay away from artificial sweeteners, alcohol, and coffee!
15. Drink tea. Evidence shows that polyphenols increase healthy microbes (probiotics) and reduce harmful pathogens in your gut, which helps to keep your microbiome in optimal balance. Tea is one of the richest sources of polyphenols – healthy prebiotics that feed the healthy bugs in your gut. Tea polyphenols also have anti-viral properties that reduce harmful pathogens. The polyphenols in tea help you digest your food faster, while suppressing hunger cravings and allowing you to poop more. Research shows that the polyphenols in black tea decrease your gut’s ability to absorb fats and sugars. And studies show that green tea catechins prevent the absorption of triglycerides and cholesterol, which increases your body’s ability to excrete fat.

Like everything else, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to your microbiome. You may be a strict vegetarian, eat the Paleo way or fall somewhere in between. The key is to keep supporting your microbiome with the foods that are healthy for you. - Shared by Christiane Northrup

That haphazardness of forgetfulness plagues each of us who suffer from fibromyalgia.  We could be on the greatest regime, feeling and producing energy of at least 85% when something unexpected rears its ugly head into our routine.  From there, it's downhill.  Most of the fruits we put in place are now somehow refiled in a cabinet we forget where we put the key.

My son asked me the other day, "Geez, Mom you're not looking too good.  It looks like you haven't slept in two days."  I pranced to the bathroom mirror and took note of the huge double circles under my eyes that also harbored road maps looking for the nearest refuge.  "Are you forgetting something in your routine?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so.  I've been pretty on task," I retorted.

But, I thought for a moment.  What am I missing?  What have I been doing differently that is bringing me back to where I started?  And an epiphany hit me.  My bottom wrack in the freezer is devoid of my soups.  It has been at least two weeks since I've had a morning soup. I must get more soup bones and quality meat today!

At the same point in time I was perusing the Internet as usual.  I came upon a VERY interesting video from Dr. Axe I'd like to share with you.  I do perform many of the following pointers he suggests here.  I believe many of these are the soul reason I am able to work still today.  

Eating well is important for everyone, but more so for those of us battling fibromyalgia. I’d like to discuss some foods to avoid and others to incorporate, and why our diet matters. 

One of the most important things we can do is read labels and eat mostly whole foods. Since summer, I have gotten way off track with how I should be eating. I’ve eaten way too much fast food and not enough real food. I’ve done too much snacking on unhealthy choices. All that did was increase my inflammation and exacerbate my pain. I knew I needed to make a change.

I recently changed my diet to include grass-fed meats and others that haven’t been injected with hormones and antibiotics. I’m also increasing my intake of vegetables, berries, eggs, real cheese, and yogurt made with almond or coconut milk. So far, I’ve chosen not to give up Coke, but I do mostly drink water. I will have dessert when it’s someone’s birthday or another special occasion. For me, it is not about avoiding sweets as much as including healthier foods. Dark chocolate is one of my favorites. 

Often it’s hard to make changes in the way we eat, especially when our fatigue prevents us from cooking something healthy. Being successful in this regard is about making 1 percent changes or taking baby steps. Small changes made over time will have a huge impact. I think it helps to decide what you want to change first and just do that.

As a nutrition consultant, I’m aware of the choices I should be making, but I guess we all get off track and derailed from time to time. Beating ourselves up for our perceived failures serves no one. We just need to start again.

Some great foods to fight inflammation are:

• tomatoes (my favorites are grape tomatoes)
• olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil
• green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards
• nuts like almonds and walnuts
• fatty fish like salmon (the best option), mackerel, tuna, and sardines
• fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and apples

Foods that can cause inflammation are:

• refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and pastries
• French fries and other fried foods
• soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
• red meat (burgers and steaks) and processed meat (hot dogs and sausage)
• margarine, shortening, and lard (I would avoid these at all cost. Use real grass-fed butter instead.)

​It’s important to move toward healthier foods and away from foods that will adversely impact our health. My husband and I recently threw or gave away food that we no longer wish to include in our diet. If it’s not in the house it won’t get eaten.  - By Robin Dix

One of the initial first set backs i experienced after going Paleo was food cravings.  I spent a lot of time researching before I came here to share this diet with you.  Here is a wonderful article from Paleo Leap that explains it well.  Remember, going Paleo takes a bit to get used to.  Slow down and let your body tell you how to ease in. It is a nutrient rich diet that will fill your soul and energy levels.  

​Food cravings make it into the top few reasons why people eat junk food, overeat, and quit diets. They’re not fun! But a lot of people are way more concerned than they really need to be – looking at the research on food cravings is actually pretty comforting because it shows a common pattern of cravings reduction after a few weeks of following a diet.

It’s not about the macros

In an interesting twist, the research doesn’t indicate that the macronutrient (protein, fat, and carbs) distribution of your diet matters a lot for cravings. Everyone is unique, but statistically speaking, changing the macronutrient ratio of your food probably won’t change your cravings either for specific foods or for general categories of foods (candy, starches, greasy food). High-protein diets don’t perform much better than any other type of diet for preventing food cravings, and contrary to popular belief, restricting carbs doesn’t cause carb cravings either. In fact, restricting carbs might help reduce carb cravings, although this study was in women with cancer, which is a very specific group with special health needs and results might not apply to the general population.

In other words, you don’t automatically start craving whatever you’re not eating, and there’s no magical macro scheme that will completely demolish all cravings. Of course, it’s important to avoid deficiency – if your diet is deficient in protein, that might cause some weird craving issues. But assuming this isn’t a problem, research has generally found that macronutrient tinkering probably won’t help much with cravings
If it isn’t the macros, what is it? Studies show that the real key isn’t which diet you’re on but how consistently you follow it and how long you’ve been doing it.

Initial cravings ease up after some time on a diet

Contrary to the popular belief that restriction causes cravings and we always crave what we can’t have, we actually learn to stop craving what we don’t get – if only we can avoid it for a few weeks.

It doesn’t actually take that long, either! In this study, researchers gave subjects a low-calorie and low-carb (about 14% energy from carbs, so pretty low but not keto-level low) diet for just 4 weeks. By the end of the 4 weeks, cravings for sugar and starch were both down by 12%, while cravings for fatty junk food (ice cream, etc.) were down by 11%. Of note: this study was funded by Atkins Nutritionals, which provided some food for the participants, but in the slightly longer term, this review of multiple studies found strong evidence that any kind of calorie restriction reduces cravings by at most 12-16 weeks on the diet.

For the keto folks, this study tested keto specifically – although be aware that they used a commercial keto diet product and that the authors of the study are involved with the company that sells the product. The researchers found that over 4 months, cravings declined rapidly and significantly, with the big downturn in cravings kicking off just as subjects got into ketosis (aka right away).

Based on these studies and reviews, it looks like most people can expect an initial reduction in cravings within the first month or so of following a healthy diet consistently. And one more optimization tip…

Restricting frequency of craved foods seems to work better than restricting quantity

So, food cravings decrease after some time on a diet, and the macronutrient (protein, carbs, and fat) composition of that diet doesn’t affect this to a huge degree. But one more thing that might actually affect food cravings is how (if at all) you work craved foods into your diet.

This study compared frequency of eating craved foods to amount of foods eaten. When people try to lose weight and avoid junk food even though they’re craving it, they can…

• Eat smaller servings of foods that they crave (fun-size candy bars instead of real candy bars; small fries instead of a large; those weird 100 calorie packs of miniature Oreos instead of actual Oreos)
• Eat the same servings, but less frequently (have a real candy bar, but once a week instead of every day)
• Go cold turkey and stop eating junk food completely.

The paper suggested that changing the frequency of eating craved foods is more effective than changing the amount. In other words, if you want to reduce cravings, it’s better to just save your junk food allowance for a real candy bar once a week, instead of teasing yourself with a mini candy bar every day. Or just go full commitment mode and completely eliminate junk food, if that works for you.

This was an average result – there will probably be some outliers who do a lot better with higher frequency and smaller servings. If that’s you, it always makes more sense to do what works for your own body than to do what works for average people in a study. But this study bears emphasizing if only because general diet advice is so heavily skewed towards eating miniature servings of junk food “because otherwise you’ll feel restricted and binge.” That’s not necessarily the case just because everyone repeats it.

I am still loving the new transition into Paleo.  I am still losing weight, but it has slowed down a bit after returning to work.  It seems I'm a bit more hungrier now and working through that transition.  I can say though that the nutrient dense food is much healthier on my side.  I have more energy and my overall health is still improving.  I don't feel so "congested" any longer.  And, I'm not just talking about my nose.  I felt congested all over my body last year and things were not improving.  I was swelling and bloating, and it seemed my sinus were always stopped up or crusted. 

Since I started work, I found i was having difficulty sleeping again.  So I've added 1/2 cup oat granola to my bedroom routine and that has seemed to help.  I know that is a no-no on the Paleo list, but we have to survive.  And sleep is a natural survival method.   I know at one point over the summer, I ousted that for a month and slept amazingly fine.  So, it may take some time for my body to adjust.  I've also kept calcium in the form of kefier and certain cheeses that don't bother me.  I feel any tweaks we make to any diet is OK with our community as long as we see improvement. It takes our bodies longer to become comfortable for new routines.  Right now, I'm taking things slow.  And as long as weight loss continues and mental clarity increases I'm all on board.  

I'd like to share an article with you for all those who are trying this new method of eating.  It relates to common pitfalls you may experience, too.  It's from Be Well:

​When adopting a paleo diet, patients can begin to see and feel positive results within weeks, often including increased energy, weight loss, and improved digestion. While following this grain-free, Paleo diet, the body can normalize hunger hormones, repair the gut and begin to shed extra weight, however there are a few common setbacks that can cause people to fall off track.  Here are 5 common “Paleo Pitfalls”, and how you can avoid them…

1. “CARB FLU”
“Carbohydrate flu” is a term that is commonly used to describe feelings of body aches, upset stomach, low energy and headaches that are felt during the early stages of adopting a paleo diet. These symptoms are most often attributed to a greatly lower carbohydrate intake than the body is used to. These symptoms are most common if transitioning from a Standard American Diet, high in refined and processed foods, to a whole food based Paleo diet. It is possible to transition to a Paleo diet and maintain a healthy carbohydrate intake with fruits and vegetables such as sweet potatoes, winter squashes and other root vegetables to avoid these symptoms. If you are trying to initiate ketosis or focusing on a very low carbohydrate state for weight loss and fat burning, the symptoms may be inevitable in the early stages. Although uncomfortable, these symptoms typically resolve within a week or two as the body adapts to the lower carbohydrate state.

2. CONSTIPATION
Constipation is a top complaint of people who adopt a paleo diet.  The initial increase in protein on the paleo diet can cause a loss of water and electrolytes which contributes to constipation.  Maintaining adequate water intake each day can help combat this problem.  Another helpful key is to make sure you are seasoning your food using unrefined salt, such as Himalayan sea salt.  Salt intake is greatly reduced when you stop eating refined foods so adding a pinch of salt to your meal can help restore the balance that is often offset by the paleo diet. If you are having a particularly difficult time, the Ayurvedic supplement triphala can help get things moving. (I found this lasted only a few weeks)

3. SKIMPING ON FAT
If transitioning from a standard American diet where fat, particularly saturated fat, has been demonized, it can be shocking to start consuming fats regularly.  People who transition to paleo but keep a “low fat” mentality are missing out on the health and weight-loss benefits that good quality fats provide. Incorporating healthy fats like grass-fed butter, olive oil, coconut oil and avocado will help you feel full and satiated at meals, preventing cravings between meals.  Saturated fat is also necessary for healthy hormone production and brain health.

4. EATING TOO MANY NUTS
Nuts and nut butters are an easy on-the-go food when eating a paleo diet, making them easy to overdo. However, over-consuming nuts commonly causes stomach upset and bloating.  While they are a handy snack in a pinch and are a great addition to smoothies, nuts are high in phytates (phytic acid), which binds to minerals passing through the GI tract and prevents those minerals from being properly absorbed. Additionally, because nuts are higher in Omega-6 fatty acids (which tend to be pro-inflammatory) compared to Omega-3 fatty acids (which help reduce inflammation in the body), overindulging on them can actually create unwanted inflammation.  Ideally, keep your nut and nut butter consumption to one to two servings per day.

5. MISSING OUT ON PREBIOTICS
Legumes are credited for giving the gut plenty of soluble prebiotic fiber which is the fiber that serves as the food source for healthy bacteria in the gut.  When you remove legumes from the diet, making a conscious effort to increase soluble fiber with prebiotic vegetables is a must to keep your gut microbiome in top shape. Making sure to include foods like onion, garlic, leafy greens such as dandelion and chicory, leeks, asparagus, radish and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower can help serve your gut bacteria and promote a healthy microbiome.