Manage your gut health for mood and mental health support.

Curious about your gut health but don’t know where to start?

Even though I’ve been doing intestinal cleanses and liver cleanses for years,  have been on a high raw food, vegan diet, have loved being on a plant-based keto diet, and have remained sugar-free and grain-free for years,  I couldn’t figure out how to get rid of the bloating that seemed to come every time I ate anything. It’s very frustrating to feel you are doing everything “right” as far as diet, such as not consuming sugar, alcohol, gluten, corn, etc. (which are common allergens), and still seeing your belly protruding after eating a healthy salad with cauliflower rice.

I remember saying more than once, “Everything makes me bloated, even green juice!”

I thought I would have to live with it, but a couple of years ago I heard about a company called Viome. They take a mail-in stool sample and run it through their high tech equipment to find out which foods are causing inflammation in your gut and brain (your kryptonite foods), which foods are your superfoods (I found some of them surprising), which foods you can enjoy often and which should be eaten in moderation.

The reason we love and recommend Viome to all of our clients is that it takes the guesswork out of knowing the right foods for your body. They even provide tailored supplements and probiotics you need to support a better mood and mental clarity after you get tested.

 So after following their guidelines for 3 months, I retested and was surprised to see how much my profile improved. On my most recent test, I was told that I am 13 years younger biologically than my chronological age. That made me feel good and proves that all the foods I have added and eliminated are paying off. I’ll show you my list below in case you are curious, but don’t think this has anything to do with you. I have friends who have taken the test, and our avoid lists are completely opposite.

Every gut is unique according to what we have been exposed to over our lifetime. For instance, if you grew up on a farm and never ate fast food or packaged food, you may be a lot better off than I was. I grew up drinking cow's milk from birth instead of breast milk, was given antibiotics like they were candy, ate piles and piles of donuts, bread, sugar, and Velveeta cheese. So of course I would suffer a bit more when it came to my gut health.

However, I have been able to make huge progress by eliminating the above foods and more, I also gave up some foods I thought were good for me (like red bell pepper). Don’t worry, you may need to eliminate a few foods for 3 months to a year, but after letting your gut heal you may be able to eventually add those foods back in. Wouldn't it be nice to know which foods are doing what in your body? Also, it is so fun to add new foods that I never considered in the past such as okra, radicchio, and heart of palm. I look forward to eventually being able to have kale and cauliflower again without bloating, but in the meantime, I am happy to say that I don’t really miss them anymore, and it is rare these days to have gas or for my stomach to be distended after a meal. 

Another part of the Viome experience is that you get a list of nutrients that you are low in or that can help heal your gut such as zinc, berberine, quercetin, and a variety of good bacteria that are missing from your gut. Instead of buying 43 bottles of supplements, they set me up with a kit that includes a month's worth of individual packets of  8 capsules a day which include all 43 nutrients. I also got probiotic powder in a little packet that I put in my morning water to start my day with a good gut biome.  It’s so easy. No measuring out pills daily, and I can put the packets in my bag for travel days. 

Viome's complete Health Intelligence Test is on sale starting November 23 - December 2nd for an amazing price. Use this link and the discount code KIT25 for 25% off

The Connection Between Mood Imbalance & Digestive Issues

If you or someone you love has suffered from depression or anxiety, it can be pretty clear that there are many other physical symptoms associated with mood disorders such as chronic pain and even digestive issues.

When it comes to the gut, people with depression or anxiety often suffer from appetite disturbances, metabolic changes, gastrointestinal disorders, and other unwelcome changes in their gut microbiome.

In patients who suffer from major depression, the rate of IBS is 27%, which is roughly double the normal rate.

Stress itself can increase inflammation that affects our gut ecosystem and ultimately, our mood.

Elaina’s Viome Results

Here is my list of superfoods, enjoy, minimize, and kryptonite foods. The list is long of what I can enjoy and this will give you an idea of what your list could look like (but different for you). And no, I don’t eat everything on the list,, but I do avoid everything in the kryptonite section.

Superfoods: alfalfa sprouts, apple, apple cider vinegar, artichoke, avocado, banana, beets, blueberry, bone broth, capers, celery, chicory root, dandelion greens, dill, elderberry, fennel bulb, ginger, grapefruit, grapes, Jerusalem artichoke, jicama, Keewee, lamb, lentils, mung bean sprouts, olive oil, oregano, papaya, pistachios, pumpkin, rosemary, sage, spinach, spear Lena, sunflower seeds, sweet potato, tomato, white mushrooms. 

Enjoy regularly: adzuki beans, allspice, almond milk, almonds, apricot, arugula, avocado oil, bamboo shoots, basil, bay leaves, beef, beet greens, black beans, black-eyed pea‘s, black pepper, blackberry, fish bone broth, boysenberry, Brazil nuts, brown rice, buckwheat, buffalo, bulgar, burdock root, butter, cantaloupe, caraway, cardamom, carob, carrot, cashews, catfish, caviar, cayenne, cellar rack, celery seed, chard, chayote squash, cheese, cherry, chervil, chestnuts, chia, , Chicken, chickpeas, chili powder, cilantro, cinnamon, clams, cloves, cacao, coconut meat, coconut milk, coconut oil, cod, collard greens, coriander, corn, Cornish game hen, cranberry, cucumber, cumin, Currents, eggplant, emu, endive, escarole, fava beans, fennel seed, fenugreek seed, flaxseed,  goat cheese, goat milk, gooseberry, grape leaves, grape seed oil, green beans, guava, halibut, hazelnut, heavy cream, hemp hearts, herbal tea, herring, hickory nuts, honey, honeydew melon, hot pepper, huckleberry, kidney beans, kimchi, kumquat, leak, lemon, lime, Lobster, loganberries, lotus seeds, MCT oil, macadamia nuts, mace, Marion berry, millet, miso, mulberries, muscles, mustard seed, natto, navy beans, nectarine, nutmeg, oats, okra, olives, orange, ostrich, oysters, parsley, parsnip, passionfruit, peach, peanuts, pear, peas, pecans, perch, persimmon, pheasant, pickle, pine nuts pineapple, pinto beans, plum, pomegranate, poppyseed, pumpkin seeds, quail, quinoa, radicchio, radish, radish sprouts, raspberry, rhubarb, ricotta or cottage cheese, rutabaga, safflower oil, saffron, wild caught salmon, salmonberry, sardines, savory, scallops, seaweed, sesame seeds, sheep cheese, sheep milk, snap peas, sour cherries, soy milk, soy beans, sprouted rye bread, squid, star fruit, strawberries, tarragon, tempeh, thyme, tofu, trout, tuna,, turmeric, turnip, vanilla, venison, vinegar, walnuts, watercress, watermelon, wheat grass, wild rice, winter squash, yellow squash, zucchini

Minimize:

Black tea, bok choy, breadfruit, cane sugar, cassava, cauliflower, coconut water, couscous, dates, dragon fruit, egg whites, fig, garlic, Goji berry, green tea, horseradish, jackfruit, kale, call Robbie, kombucha, lychee, mango, mango Steen, maple syrup, molasses, onion, plantain, prunes,, rice milk, rice noodles, salt, Stevia, water chestnuts, white rice, white tea

Kryptonite foods (avoid): Asparagus, bell pepper, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, coffee, egg yolk, flax oil, cow Kiefer, mustard greens, paprika, potatoes, sauerkraut, spearmint, turkey, cow yogurt

From Viome:

“Viome’s app shows the following Pathway Analysis Scores:

• Butyrate Production Pathways

• LPS Biosynthesis Pathways

• Methane Gas Production Pathways

• Sulfide Gas Production Pathways

• Flagellar Assembly Pathways

• Ammonia Production Pathways

• Putrescine Production Pathways

• Oxalate Metabolism Pathways

• Uric Acid Production Pathways

• Salt Stress Pathways

• Biofilm, Chemotaxis, and Virulence Pathways

• Bile Acid Metabolism Pathways
• TMA Production Pathways

No other company can see with molecular-level precision what’s going on in the gut microbiome from this functional viewpoint. Without this perspective, it would be very hard to predict what your microbes are actively doing to each other and to you – the host. We also have a clearer picture of how you're affecting the health of your gut and your gut microbiome – whether you’re being a “good host” and what you can do to improve.”

How Viome Can Help

Optimize Your Gut Health, Boost Diversity, and Lower Inflammation With Nutrition Customized For You

As we know, the American diet is high in refined sugars and processed foods that can support the growth of harmful organisms in your gut and increase your risk for digestive issues. In many cases, just reducing your intake of these foods can help, but this dietary shift alone may not be enough.

Your gut microbiome may in fact have trouble with foods most people define as “healthy.” Even foods like spinach, kale, or fermented foods that are often associated with a healthy gut may not be a good choice depending on the state of your gut.

But eating the right foods can help you reduce inflammation and regain balance in your gut, body, and mind.

Reducing the inflammation being produced in the gut can improve its hold over our central nervous system, all by stabilizing your gut ecosystem.

Here are some things you can start doing today while you wait for your test kit and results: 

1. Get your gut tested to find out what are your kryptonite foods and what are your superfoods
2. Eat Local and In Season
3. Try some new recipes from our recipes page or one of our online courses
4. Add more variety into your soups and salads by adding things from the produce section that you never eat such as a turnip, celery root, or microgreens. 
5. Ask a friend to join you while you shop and prepare foods to learn from each other. 
6. If your blender, food processor, or knife needs an upgrade, check out some of the newest models for inspiration. 
7. Try a raw food cleanse,  a 3-day blended cleanse, or a liver flush.
8. Do an all-fruit day or all raw food, vegan day.
9. Try a one-day fast to reset your mood,  brain, and taste buds. 

Viome's complete Health Intelligence Test is on sale starting November 23 - December 2nd for an amazing price. Use this link and the discount code KIT25 for 25% off