“This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. All opinions, text and experiences are my own. VSL#3 is a medical food and must be used under medical supervision.”

Hi friends! I hope all is well and you are enjoying your week! Today I want to talk about something that most of us don’t want to bring up but it’s something that is WAY too important not to discuss. Your gut health.

Chances are you know someone that suffers from IBS, ulcerative colitis or ileal pouch, or maybe you are the one suffering from one of these gastro issues. I personally know firsthand the pain and discomfort that these issues can bring into someone’s life. I have suffered from IBS for quite sometime and there have been days that I have been hunched over in pain from excessive bloat and extreme cramping. I went through dark, painful days where I thought I would never be able to live or eat normally again.

Did you know:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a serious GI issue that affects the large intestine (colon) and commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation; there is no cure or known cause for IBS.
• Up to 20% of U.S. adults have IBS symptoms. More women than men are diagnosed with IBS but many never seek medical help for it.
• Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the inner lining of the large intestine, which includes the colon and the rectum. The inflammation causes erosion of the lining of the colon, leading to bleeding, production of pus, diarrhea, and severe abdominal discomfort.
• Ulcerative colitis affects more than 1 in every 1,000 Americans and mostly starts between the ages of 15 and 30.

As a nutritionist I knew there was more to it than stuffing a bunch of prescription pills down my throat and hoping for the best. I knew that I needed to start listening and trusting my gut! But how? Where to start? I did a TON of research on gut nutrition and gut bacteria. I started eliminating foods and drinks to find what foods were triggering my symptoms. And I also started adding probiotics into my diet – something that I had never taken or knew a whole lot about.

Probiotics can be found in fermented foods such as pickles or sauerkraut and in pill form. While many people are familiar with the general term “probiotics,” most do not understand the importance of knowing which specific strain of organism should be used for which specific disease or condition. It is suggested that adults should take at least one billion cells (also called colony-forming units or CFU’s) daily.

Ok, so where can you find a trusted and high quality probiotic? Right here!

VSL#3 is a high-potency probiotic medical food that is clinically proven in the dietary management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis (UC) and ileal pouch. It is a proprietary formulation of a mix of 8 strains of live lactic acid bacteria, making it one of the few probiotics with this many strains. VSL#3 is at least 10 times more potent than the average probiotic!

They are gluten-free, Kosher and Halal certified. VSL#3 differs from other probiotics in that it is a medical food, not a supplement, and therefore must be used under medical supervision. VSL#3 is available at your local pharmacy. Please ask your pharmacist for VSL#3 as it is kept behind the pharmacy counter in the refrigerator.

I know for a fact that adding probiotics to my daily routine, along with eliminating trigger foods and eating fresh, whole foods has dramatically changed my gut health! If you are suffering and you are unsure where to go or how to treat it, I highly encourage you to talk with your doctor about adding VSL#3 into your life!

For more information about the high-potency probiotic medical food, VSL#3, that is clinically proven in the dietary management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis (UC) and ileal pouch, visit www.vsl3.com. Use the current coupon code “Doctor” to use at checkout on VSL3.com to receive $5 off your next purchase!

Be sure to connect with VSL#3 on Facebook

Learn more about how VSL#3 works, discover the difference and watch this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa7wfbqrkHU

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Let’s chat!

Do you have any gastro issues?

Do you currently use a probiotic?

VSL#3® is a high potency probiotic medical food that’s clinically proven in the dietary management of IBS, ulcerative colitis, and ileal pouch. To learn more visit www.vsl3.com and LIKE the brand on Facebook.

This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. All opinions, text and experiences are my own. VSL#3 is a medical food and must be used under medical supervision.

• Start small. Take one meal a day and try something new. Change your daily Egg McMuffin to a bowl of creamy oatmeal with peanut butter, pure maple syrup and dried fruit 4 times a week. You should be able to feel a difference in your body as you may not be bloated or puffy from all of the sodium, among other things that are in that breakfast sandwich.
• Explore options for food purchases. Visit your local farmers market’s to get the best tasting and freshest produce around. You will be amazed by the way food is actually supposed to taste! You can also visit your local health food store or larger health food market. Just spend a few hours looking at all of the different products; you don’t even need to buy anything! Write down some products that you might like to try then go home and do some research.
• Get cooking! A lot of the times people just don’t know what to cook and it’s hard for them to think outside the “Hamburger Helper” box. Buy a recipe book that is full of tantalizing pictures of wholesome food and get busy! Make it a family event where your husband and/or kids can help. Go to the store, buy all of the ingredients then make a tasty meal. Think your kids are picky? Getting them involved in making meals is a sure fire way to have them eat!
• Make it look eye appealing! I don’t care how tasty a food is – if it doesn’t look good chances are you probably wont eat it. Purchase a few “fancy” plates and bowl and turn a simple salad into an elegant meal!
• Look for support and know you are not alone. I think this is why “diets” fail – people feel that they are all alone. Just in the 8 months that I have been a food blogger I am simply amazed by how many other strong, healthy individuals eat a wholesome diet. I honestly believe this has helped me be more conscious about my food decisions and life style change. It has opened my eyes to new foods and cooking methods, and I never feel alone!
• Splurge without guilt. Yes, have chocolate, have fries, have a big ol’ burger – but throw that side of guilt away! I used to have a huge amount of guilt for eating anything “bad” for me. This was way before I cleaned up my eating, though. I NEVER feel guilty any longer, but it has taken a long time for me to get to this point. Guilt adds pressure, stress and un-happiness to your life. The one concept I love about this life style change is that I don’t miss the way I used to eat so I don’t crave greasy food any longer and have no desire to eat out on a regular basis. I love my kitchen and cooking wholesome meals for me and my family. BUT when I do go out I enjoy every bite!

Eating clean does not mean you have to be a vegan or a vegetarian. It means that you are making a conscious effort to eat wholesome food that is from the earth with minimal processing and contaminants. They are often organic and should never contain preservatives. But in a lot of cases the methods of today’s food producers are neither clean nor sustainable.

Here is a list of items that should be limited to your daily food consumption. While I am not saying to “ban” them from your diet, I want you all to be aware of the hidden dangers and to make adjustments when you can.

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Canned Tomatoes                                                                               Fredrick Vom Saal, PHD, Endocrinologist

Tin cans contain BPA – Bisphenol – A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to certain health problems: reproduction problems, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The acidity found in tomatoes causes the BPA to leech out into the food and contaminating it. And not in canned tomatoes alone – all tomato based substances, like soups and sauces, should be avoided and purchased in glass containers.

Solution: Ditch the can and go for fresh. Easier said than done, I know. Making homemade soup on the weekend, searching for glass jars of tomatoes and tomato sauce, and understanding that fresh is really the best.

Corn-Fed Beef                                                                                     Joel Salatin, farmer, author

Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. Because of the high demand of meat these days, farmers are forcing cattle to eat corn and soybeans. Not only is this a cheaper food source, it also fattens up the cattle so they can slaughter them faster. Unfortunately this means more money for the cattle farmers, lower prices at the super market BUT LESS nutrition for us. Clemson University researched meat and found grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3’s, CLA, calcium, magnesium and potassium. It is also lower in inflammatory omega-6’s and saturated fat.

Solution: Buy grass fed beef. You can find it at specialty grocery stores, health food stores that carry fresh meat and farmers markets. If you don’t see grass-fed beef out on the shelves, ask the butcher. They sometimes will have it in the back or can easily get a shipment in. You can also buy direct from a local farmer – find one near you by visiting eatwild.com.

Microwave Popcorn  

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is in the lining of the popcorn bag, are just some of the compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study at UCLA. In recent animal testing, PFOA caused liver, testicular and pancreatic cancer. When heated in a microwave, these compounds vaporize and leach into the popcorn you eat. While manufactures have promised to phase out PFOA by the year 2015, the chemical stays in your body for years and accumulates there.

Solution: Pop your corn the old fashion way – In a large pot with oil. Add REAL butter or nutritional yeast for flavor.

Nonorganic Potatoes                                                                           

It only makes sense that root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides and fungicides that are in the soil. The potato is the most popular vegetable – think french fries! They are treated with large amounts of fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill the vines before harvesting. But it doesn’t stop there; after they are dug up they are yet again treated to prevent them from sprouting. “I’ve talked with potato farmers who say point blank they will not eat the potatoes they sell. They have a separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without the chemicals.” says Jeffery Moyer, who is the chair of the National Organic Standards Board.

Solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn’t good enough as the chemicals absorb straight through the skin.

Farmed Salmon
David Carpenter, MD, Director of the Institution for Health and the Environment

Nature did not intend for salmon to be locked up in pens, crammed in on each other and fed soy, poultry litter and hydrolyzes chicken feathers. Farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants which include cancer causing carcinogens, PCB’s, flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. The most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which is found on American menus. Science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity. There is also the concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. “You could eat on of these salmon dinners ever 5 months with increasing your risk of cancer,” says Carpenter. “It’s that bad.”

Solution: Look for wild-caught Alaskan salmon. If you see fresh Atlantic, it’s farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.

Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

  To boost milk production, producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone AKA rBGH or rBST. rBGH increases udder infections and even pus in the milk – YUCK! It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor. High levels of IGH-1 contribute to breast, prostate and colon cancers. “When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1nfrom milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract,” says Rick North. As it turns out, the casein in milk protects most of it. “There is no proof that this is increasing cancer in humans. However it’s banned in most industralized countries.”

Solution: Check the labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. Also be aware that in order to be free of all artificial hormones in dairy, all dairy must be organic – cheese, yogurt, butter, etc.

Conventional Apples

Apples are the most heavily sprayed fruit in the supermarket. Why? Apples are grafted to maintain their each unique and distinctive flavor. Because of this, apples do not develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. While the industry claims these residues are not harmful, it is common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most sprayed and treated produce. “Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers,” says Mark Kastel, former executive for agribusiness and organic food expert. And increasing number of studies are starting to link a high percentage with Parkinson’s disease and high levels of ingested pesticides.

Solution: Buy organic apples. If you cannot afford organic apples, be sure to wash a peel the apple before eating it.

Side note – here is a list of the 12 most heavily contaminated produce in the market: (in no particular order)

1. Strawberries
2. Bell peppers (green and red)
3. Spinach (tied with number 2)
4. Cherries (grown in the United States)
5. Peaches (grown in Chile)
6. Cantaloupe (grown in Mexico)
7. Celery
8. Apples
9. Apricots
10. Green beans
11. Grapes
12. Cucumbers