probiotic prowess

the term probiotics translates into “beneficial bacteria” whereas antibiotics means “against bacteria”. They do have a relationship. Probiotics in several strains, live inside our intestines and especially our colon (last portion of the large intestine). They serve several positive purposes: 1) providing protection for the delicate mucosa from pathenogenic or bad bacteria, fungus, yeast and virus from entering our blood stream 2) helping the body absorb nutrients and water 3) helping the body make vitamin B12 4) supporting the immune function, preventing candida, urinary tract infections, environmental allergies, food sensitivites and colds and flus of the digestive tract 5) replenishing and reproducing themselves under normal circumstances as they are living organisms, etc.

One little known fact is that the digestive tract is responsible for about 80% of our immune system, so our digestion is weak then so is our body’s ability to fend off pathogenic invaders and microbes. When we take broad-spectrum antibiotics, the birth control pill, drink alcohol, eat sugar, age and have digestive distress such as bouts of bloating, constipation and diarrhea, we risk losing this beneficial bacteria.

Overtime, without this beneficial culture, our digestion, immunity and ultimately the whole body suffers. There are many traditional foods that are properly fermented that help contribute to beneficial bacteria in our intestines, aiding digestion and supporting our immune system. These foods are best when made at home, from small organic companies and in the case of alcohol, made locally or from European monks.

fermented wheat: rejuvelac

fermented milk: yogurt, kefir, unpasteurized cheese (without rennet)

fermented vegetables: pickles,  sauerkraut, kimchi (all made without vinegar)

fermented grains: Creemore Springs beer, Trappist beer (without additives- very difficult to find in the US and Canada)

fermented fungus (mushrooms): kombucha

fermented soy: miso (unpasteurized), tofu (without calcium carbonate or other additives), tempeh

fermented meat: sausages (without nitrates or sulphates)

fermented honey: Beowolf’s Mead (unpasteurized, without additives)

note: recipes for most of these foods can be found on-line so you can make them at home.

These foods are difficult to find especially when made properly because most foods are pasteurized or distilled these days. When food is heated and chemically altered, all beneficial bacteria is sacrificed for the sake of protecting us from harmful bacteria. This may seem like a good practice, and in some cases it is, but it also reduces the digestibility and nutrition of our foods.

Because it is difficult to get food with good culture/probiotics, we often have to resort to supplements. When choosing a supplement look for products that are either spore-based (meaning that there is a protective sheath over the bacteria and it isn’t in danger of being killed with heat) or refrigerated products with 10 billion live cells of lactobacillus Acidophillus and Bifidus. Generally I recommend Genestra/Seroyal, Udo’s or Natural Factors brands. Always keep them in the fridge, never in a warm or sunlit room. Take 3 capsules at night before bed for 1 month twice per year, and following antibiotic therapy, bouts of diarrhea, with constipation, yeast infection, urinary tract infection, STD, stomach flu and always while on the Birth Control Pill as hormonal contraception causes candida.  Once your symtoms have disappeared, can also be a guideline for cessation, however it’s better to take them a little while longer than that.

There are correct dosages set aside for infants and babies who have been exposed to antibiotic therapy either at birth, in-utero or in first months of life.

xox dr millie lytle nd

spring cleanse- elimination diet aka hypoallergenic diet

Here’s a detox you may not have seen before. It’s perfectly detoxifying as you omit most allergenic and toxic foods, much like the candida diet or the brown rice diet but has a little more flexibility in that you can eat most gluten-free grains, some fruits and a little more protein. it also has additional benefits in detoxing all symptoms of allergies before beginning a rotation diet if you suspect food intolerances. It will also reduce your overall allergenicity to animals, chemicals and nature. Based on your level of symptoms you should do this diet for 2-6 weeks. If you have few symptoms located to 1-2 areas of the body then 2 weeks, if you have many symptoms covering all detox organs; liver, endocrine, stomach/intestines, colon, kidney/urinary tract, skin, lungs/bronchial and/or lymph then you need to do it for 4-6 weeks. Then you can start reintroducing some of the allergenic foods to see if you react to them.

Food Guidelines

• This diet is very strict and difficult to do properly witout professional supervision, however if you’ve done it before, or are knowledgeable about food then you will fend just fine.
• Eliminae all gluten (non sprouted grain products) including wheat, spelt, oats, kamut, bread, bagels, pasta, cookies, muffins, cake, crackers, flour made from those grains. Most common food allergies are from the over consumption of grains with gluten—by avoiding these foods for a few weeks it gives your body a chance to relax and detoxify. You may not even know you have an allergy to these foods because the symptoms may be so subtle
• Dairy products are also among the most likely foods to cause allergies. Eliminate cow dairy including yogurt, milk, cream, cheese, butter, corn and corn products including meal, syrup, maltodextrin, popcorn, corn oil
• Eliminate eggs and egg products- whites and yolks
• Eliminate soy, soy milk, soy sauce, miso, tofu, tvp, soynuts, soybeans, edamame, fake meat
• Eliminate nightshade vegetables including tomatoes, white/red potatoes, peppers, eggplant, cayenne
• Eliminate citrus including orange, grapefruit and juice but excluding lemon and limes
• Eliminate all moulds: mushrooms (except shitake), melons, peanuts, macadamias, bacteria, products with yeast breast, alcohol
• Eliminate all distilled foods: similar to above, vinegar (except apple cider vinegar ok), pickles, olives, ketchup, mustard, alcohol, beer
• Eliminate all packaged, canned, frozen, refined, processed and store bought food items unless you can be sure it’s certified organic with no food additives/allergens •If you are allergic to latex then avoid the following foods as well as they are cross-reactive: kiwi, banana, chestnuts, pineapple, strawberries, carrots, avocado, cherries, apples, plums, melons, peaches, pears, almonds • Be sure to read all food labels thoroughly to find added ingredients you may need to avoid.
• If you notice a reaction to something while on the diet, then eliminate it.
• If there are specific foods that cause a reaction to you: tingling, itchiness, swelling, smarting, hives, acne, bloating, gas, sensation of fullness, heartburn do NOT eat them. You are definitely sensitive to those and you will need to eliminate them for at least 3-12 months

• See Website www.foodyoucaneat.com or www.foodallergycookbook.com

What to eat for 2 weeks
• Basically eat brown rice, quinoa and millet for 2 weeks breakfast lunch and supper with soaked and cooked (not canned) beans /peans/legumes, raw nuts and seeds, fresh green and orange vegetables.
• Eat vegetarian. Beans/legumes and rice/quinoa with some nuts (almonds, filberts, brazil) and seeds (flax, sunflower, pumpkin) being your main sources of protein, sprouts, spirulina for added protein. You can eat fresh caught fish or organic or wild game meat, but sparingly.
• Fruits: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, organic apples, pears, plums, unless you’re allergic to them • The only real condiments you can use are garlic, ginger, onion, fresh herbs, apple cider vinegar, lemon/lime, tahini, olive oil, flax oil. Do not cook or heat flax seed oil
• All fresh vegetables (incorporate onions, carrots, beets, leeks, celery, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, leafy greens- kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, spinach, swiss chard
• Try sprouting esp. mung beans, alfalfa, red clover as they can help with detoxification
• Eat organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible. Wash them thoroughly to remove pesticides and contaminants. Use dishsoap or hydrogen peroxide for washing fruits and vegetables. • Rinse well.Can be eaten raw, steamed, baked, lightly sauteed. No frying
• Eat fruit by itself or ½ hour before or 2 hours after a meal, unless using in fruit smoothie
• Don’t heat flax oil, instead mix into cooked quinoa porridge, drizzle over salad/steamed veggies/grains, ad to fruit smoothie..or just eat the seeds.  you can soak them in water for tea or to add to smoothies/porridge.

1. Try warm water with a ¼ squeezed lemon in the water; it aids digestion and liver detoxification.
2. Drink liquids ½ hour before or 1 hour after eating or it will dilute the enzymes in the stomach needed to properly digest the food.
3. Meal Suggestions:
Breakfast:
a) Buckwheat/millet/brown rice porridge with cinnamon and apples, pears and almonds and rice/almond milk
• Add fruit, nuts and spice to porridge while its cooking; makes fruit and nuts more digestible and also adds flavour to buckwheat and millet together
b) Fruit smoothie, blend together the following
• 1 cup of rice/almond milk, 1 cup of fruit (berries, pear, mango), 1 tablespoon flax seed oil
½ tblpsoon tahini or almond butter, a few almonds or pumpkin seeds
c) buckwheat flakes/rice flakes, rice crisps/millet flakes with rice or almond or soy milk (with soy is a complete protein)
d) wheat-free/gluten-free plain or blueberry waffles
Lunch and Dinner:
a) approved meats or meat substitutes, fish, grains, legumes, cooked or raw vegetables soups, salad with beans and nuts/seeds in them. Olive oil and lemon or apple cider vinegar dressing.
Snacks:
a)rice crackers with almond butter, tahini mixed with miso paste and veg (sprouts, cucumber, cooked beets)
b) avocado with rice crackers or by itself
c) rice cakes
d) fruit
e) raw vegetables (carrot and celery sticks)
f) handful of nuts (unsalted and unroasted…unless you roast your own)
g) chips: sweet potato, taro chips, vegetable chips as long as they have no forbidden additives

This may be perceived as a boring or bland diet but after 2 -4 weeks on it you will feel great and all signs of allergies, inflammation and other itching should be gone. if they’re not, you may need 2 more weeks on the diet.After the diet is done, you reintroduce the foods in the challenge phase.

good luck and happy eating!

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says april 10

Your tongue says a lot about you.  In Chinese Medicine it is a map to the body, with different organs being represented by different areas of the pink muscle.  Variations in colors, cracks, wetness, size all indicate different things about your state of health.  A tongue should be all over pink with no cracks, marks or swellings.  A normal tongue is moist but not wet and coated thinly with a white fur.  If your tongue is vastly different then consider having it checked.  Preventative medicine works!

xox dr millie lytle nd