Transform Your Gut, Transform Your Life: A Practical Guide
We are exposed to hundreds and even thousands of chemicals, nutrients, anti-nutrients, and toxins through our gut. Many of these substances are completely new to the human race and our gut and detoxification systems have had to learn on the fly, so to speak, how to break down these harmful substances.
At Holland Health, we believe in taking care of your health is unique to you. Based on many factors, what is healthy for one person is toxic to another. While there is no way to eliminate all of the harmful substances from our lives, we can do small things to decrease them. There are dozens if not hundreds of other recommendations I could make, and I hope you find this introduction into Gut Health useful. Remember this is a broad overview of where to begin your journey.
Avoid sugar and high fructose corn syrup, agave nectar, and artificial sweeteners
All of these are highly inflammatory and can cause leaky gut. Artificial sweeteners are especially harmful to the microbiome of the gut and most are considered neurotoxins and/or carcinogenic.
Drink Only from Glass, ceramic, or metal
Plastics contain numerous chemicals that can interrupt and interfere with hormone production, use, and detoxification pathways.
Avoid gluten
Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains like barley, rye, sorghum, millet, among others. This protein and others like it are difficult to digest and in most people can cause at least a mild inflammation of the small intestine lining that causes leaky gut.
While some people feel they can eat gluten – most would feel better, have more energy, less abdominal pain and bloating, improved skin, less brain fog, and many other improvements if they avoided wheat for an extended period. Diet plans like Paleo and Whole 30 are great plans to help eliminate gluten and other harmful grains.
Avoid Lectins
Gluten is probably the most common lectin, but other foods including very common foods contain lectins, carbohydrate binding proteins, that are considered anti-nutrients.
Kidney beans, peanuts, whole grains, soybeans, potatoes, and tomatoes, are all high in lectins. Some cooking techniques of these food substances may reduce the lectins. Lectins are inflammatory for the gut and can cause systemic inflammation, as well.
Feed Your gut Microbiome
The information on the bacteria in the gut is astounding. We have only scratched the surface. Suffice it to say, there are foods that feed the microbiome and chemicals and substances we ingest that destroy it.
The dirty Dozen and Clean 15
These lists include foods that can be more safely eaten without organic growing practices and those that are best eaten only if grown organically. Learn more about 2025’s Dirty Dozen and Clean 15.
Glyphosate (roundup)
This chemical interrupts the metabolic processes in the body in many ways and is considered harmful by almost everyone other than the government and Monsanto, the maker of glyphosate. Some make outlandish claims about the dangers, others claim it is harmless. It is sprayed on all GMO plants and is also used in growing almost all non-organic wheat, oats, and other grains.
Filter Your Water and Drink Purified Water From a Known Source
As already mentioned, do not drink from plastic. This means you either have to purify water with a system in your home or drink from bottled water in glass jars. There are numerous products out there that filter water. There are so many harmful chemicals in water. It is best to filter your water.
This includes filtering the water in which you bathe and shower. Chlorine and fluoride in municipal water sources create harmful gasses that are absorbed into your lungs and absorbed through your skin. There are shower heads that filter these substances and whole home filters, as well.
As a patient of Holland Health, we dig even deeper into your health history, order specialty lab testing, genetic testing, individualized nutrition plans and education, health coaching and much more to empower you towards wellness!
You can book a free 20-minute consultation where we can discuss your unique health concerns and how our practice could help you make breakthroughs in your journey towards true, lasting wellness! Learn more about our full suite of clinic services here.
Best in Health! ~ Dr. Holland