Heather Anne Wise - A Gut Feeling Conquer Your Sweet Tooth by Tuning Into Your Microbiome

A Gut Feeling

A Gut Feeling

Conquer Your Sweet Tooth by Tuning Into Your Microbiome

Heather Anne Wise

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

For my father,

my inspiration and guidance

Disclaimer: This book is not intended to replace medical diagnosis or treatment, only to aid in tuning in to your own body and to give you the tools to make meaningful changes in your own health.

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

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Copyright 2018 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

ISBN: 978-1-5381-1047-8 (cloth : alk. paper)

ISBN: 978-1-5381-1048-5 (electronic)

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Printed in the United States of America

Introduction

I n the beginning of my search to uncover the cause of my insistent sugar cravings, I began paying attention to all sorts of strange maladies that Id previously chosen to ignore. Some symptoms had become so familiarsuch as bloat after eating, on-and-off itchy ears and throat, skin issues, and indigestionthat I assumed I would experience them my entire life. Other symptoms were relatively new: chronic fatigue, scattered thoughts, inability to focus, and an insatiable appetite.

I started following possible health clues and researching how these issues as well as symptoms of low blood sugar despite my constant snacking might be connected. In making changes one piece at a time, I started to uncover the intricate causes of my own myriad of ever-increasing, interwoven digestive health problems. Many of the studies I found were buried in academic journals and required a large amount of time to digestpun intended. At times, I found it necessary to look up medical terms in order to decipher the applicability of these studies to my own life. Study after study was pointing in the same direction: All my symptoms could be connected back to a deficiency of beneficial microbes in the gut and an overgrowth of pathogenic flora.

Researching this further through a medical anthropological lens, I discovered that the average American adult has roughly 1,200 different species of bacteria residing in their gut, while the average Amerindian living in the Amazon of Venezuela has closer to 1,600 species. This gap might just be the key to addressing the epidemic of chronic conditions we face in the United Statescompared to the diminutive amount of chronic illness found in less developed countries. In fact, some of the most common foods in the Western diet have been scientifically proven to wreak havoc on our delicate microbial ecosystem and further reduce the number of beneficial microbes residing there, which can trigger a host of other problemssuch as a surge in pathogenic fungi.

In an attempt to reflect on my own sugar habits and stresswhich were beginning to feel beyond my controlI began to seek comfort in mindfulness through meditation and yoga. By turning to these practices, rather than to sweets, I found myself beginning to understand the mechanisms in my mind behind my compulsion to eat sweets. I also found myself less self-critical after overdosing on cookies or other tempting, sugar-stuffed snacks. I started to gain more clarity and focus as I recommitted myself, again and again, to cutting back on sugary foods, taking care of my microbiome, and connecting with my body through yoga and mindfulness to regain my whole health. As I gained an awareness of the many species of beneficial flora that live within me and how to foster their growth, and turned away from sugar and other foods fostering the growth of pathogenic flora, I was able to remap my gut ecology, shed weight, and feel a decade younger.

Over time, people took notice of a change in my appearance and energy. They wanted to know what Id done! The ring of belly fat Id carried around my waist since childhood seemed to evaporate without any extra exercise or effort, and my face regained its rosy complexion. My foggy thinking disappeared, my anxiety dwindled, and I stopped getting regular infections. I felt more lively and energetic than ever. I was sleeping better at night and living a more colorful existence during the day. I even found a deeper sense of inner peace and trust in my everyday choices.

Best of all, my sugar cravings were gone, and I felt confident in my food choices. For the first time in my life, I could trust my bodys signals. I had a renewed faith in my natural ability to gauge what I needed to eat and to maintain my new state of health. Now, years after clearing up my health conditions, starting my own health coaching practice, and helping others experience the same benefits to their health and energy as I did years ago, Ive condensed all I learned into the following chapters of this book. I hope that my story and the stories of others, backed up with the latest research, can help you reclaim a connection to your bodys inner cues so that you can come to trust your own judgment about your body and your health.

Now Is Your Time

Its time to stop beating yourself up after stuffing your face with sweets or for other bad habits, and to start devoting your full attention to the life you want to live rather than the one you dont. Imagine the feeling of freedom when youve accomplished this, and how it will transform your self-image and self-confidence throughout all areas of your life. In what areas of your life do you wish you had the courage and fortitude to do something differently? Taking this first step toward cutting back on sweets will create a ripple effect in all other areas of your life. Now is the time to take charge of your health and live boldly.

The research and stories I present in this book are proof that we do have the ability to listen to our bodies and take the necessary steps to change the course of our health and lives. However, we cant just change our diet: We need to change our mind-set, too. Its time to end self-criticisms of your body and bad habits and begin to practice gratitude for your unique body, heart, and mind. During my personal journey with sugar addiction, I discovered that focusing on the outcomes that I wanted to happen was a much more powerful approach than going back over my failures and setbacks. Self-kindness and self-compassion have been integral to healing my own microbiome and addiction to sugar.

My personal journey through sugar addiction and a disrupted microbiome taught me the most invaluable life lesson: By cultivating an awareness of the cues our body is giving us about food cravings and stress, we can develop trust in ourselvesand ultimately become the biggest advocate for our health. Thats why Im not just going to give you a diet plan and tell you that as long as you follow this regimen you will be free of your sugar highs and lows forever. Instead, I will share my research on how to heal the gut and get rid of uncontrollable sweet cravings by adding in a class of foods that have been ignored and scorned for far too long, while giving you tools to manage your stress-induced sweet tooth. I will also share my story of how I healed my gut and navigated through all the obstacles that arose in the process of overcoming my own sugar habits. Ill share the research behind the approach I take with my health coaching clients and provide exercises to support you in setting goals and addressing negative mind-snares that get in the way. Ultimately, though, I leave it up to you to decide for yourself what the best course of action is for your body.