Tag Archives: gut microbiome

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Do You Eat The Same Things, Over and Over?

Do you tend to eat the same type of meals over and over again? Maybe you’ve got a close relationship going on with your breakfast cereal?!!

Well I’d like to inspire you to live on the edge a little … and add some colour and variety to your plate (or bowl!)

Why?

When we eat a more diversified diet, particularly one that is rich in plant-based foods, it helps to feed the trillions of microscopic bugs in the digestive tract.

Now these microscopic bugs (which comprise of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses – yes you read that correctly, even viruses), they don’t just hang out in your belly, doing nothing.

They are responsible for producing important neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, for short. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter which helps to calm the nervous system, needed to facilitate sleep.

They also produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter which is the pre-cursor to the sleep-regulating hormone, melatonin.

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Prebiotics: The Forgotten Super Stars of Gut Health!

And Why They'e SO Important For Shift Workers.

Probiotic (or prebiotic) rich foods including pulses, nuts, fruit and milk products, good for immunity and the gut

There’s so much hype in the media at the moment about the importance of gut health and the benefits of probiotics, and rightly so given shift workers gastrointestinal systems are under a great deal of distress thanks to a lifestyle which encompasses continual circadian rhythm misalignment.

When you add a poor diet into the mix, as in one which is made up predominantly of fast food and takeaways which let’s face it, is an all too common scenario for anyone working 24/7, it can disrupt the delicate balance of our intestinal microbiota even further.  This can lead to conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diarrhea, constipation, dysbiosis – to name a few!

Which is where prebiotics come into play.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), probiotics are “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.”  In other words, they help to keep the digestive tract in tip top shape and functioning well.  Two of the most well known and prescribed probiotic strains of bacteria include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, which  have shown to be beneficial in treating conditions such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

Taking a probiotic supplement however, along with including foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha tea and kefir into your diet (which is all the rage these days!) – does not guarantee these beneficial bacteria will thrive.

They need help – in the form of prebiotics.

Prebiotics are a form of dietary fibre found in plant foods which are unable to be digested, and function as food for the beneficial bacteria.

That’s right.

Food for the bacteria.  They literally help to create an environment which stimulates the growth of good bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, which we now know are incredibly important in the maintenance and restoration of a healthy gut microbiome.

So if your diet does not include adequate amounts of undigestible or fermentable fibre, all of those healthy bacteria in your gut which are needed to stimulate nutrient metabolism (such as vitamin K and a short chain fatty acid (SCFA) called butyrate); improve gut barrier function and host immunity; help in the metabolism of drugs; along with preventing the colonization of pathogenic microorganisms – are unable to survive.

In other words, prebiotics, or undigestible dietary fibre is absolutely crucial for gut health.

Even more so if you’re a shift worker prone to gastrointestinal disturbances and a depleted immune system, which pretty much includes every single shift worker I know!

Foods are regarded as being a prebiotic if they are able to:

  • Resist gastric acidity and absorption in the upper gastrointestinal tract
  • Become fermented by the intestinal microflora
  • Stimulate the growth and/or activity of good intestinal bacteria

Foods high in prebiotic fibre include bananas, berries, dandelion greens, oats, legumes, beans peas, leeks, asparagus, onions and garlic.

So remember not to focus all your energy on probiotics – particularly if you’re taking them in supplement form.  If your diet contains little fibre needed to feed these probiotics, then not only will you be unable to reap the benefits, but you will essentially be throwing away your hard earned cash which you’ve worked so incredibly hard for – including regularly getting up at “stupid o’clock” or from working through the night.

Some (prebiotic) food for thought!

Audra x

 

References:

Chronoceuticals 2016, The health benefits of prebiotics, <https://chronoceuticals.com/health-benefits-prebiotics/>.

Jandhyala, S, Talukdar, R, Subramanyam, C, Vuyyuru, H, Sasikala, M, Reddy, D 2015, ‘Role of the normal gut microbiota’, World Journal of Gastroenterology, vol. 21, no. 29, pp. 8787-8803, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4528021/

Slavin, J 2015, ‘Fiber and prebiotics:  Mechanisms and health benefits’, Nutrients, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 1417-1435, <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705355/>

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Nourishing Night Shift Jellies:

The Perfect Gut Healing Snack for Night Shift!

gelatinjellies

After spending a year in clinical practice chatting with shift workers from an array of different occupations, one of the things I noticed when undergoing individual dietary assessments, was how many of my clients would succumb to eating ‘comfort foods’ whilst on night shift.

Now if you’re a night shifter, then I’m sure this is something you can relate to.

And I completely understand why.

Night shift is tough.  Really tough.

So when everyone puts money in to order a pizza, brings in a bag of lollies or cake to share, this ‘party food’ or ‘comfort food’ brings a bit of fun into the workplace, and helps to jazz up an often long and tiresome shift.

But nocturnal eating, or more specifically, eating out of sync to the body’s natural circadian clock can actually make us more susceptible to gut disturbances.

Things become even worse when we consume foods that are low in fiber, and high in simple carbohydrates (such as white flour, white bread and white rice), because the body converts these foods into sugar very quickly, leading to blood glucose dysregulation.

Sleep loss or circadian disruption is also a form of physiological stress that can disrupt the gut microbiota leading to intestinal permeability, otherwise known as ‘leaky gut’.  This imbalance of gut microbiome can lead to low grade inflammation which, over time, can increase our susceptibility of developing chronic conditions such as autoimmune disease.

So gut health is absolutely key for anyone who works 24/7, which is why I’ve included this great gut healing alternative to take into night shift.

Introducing my heart-centred ‘Nourishing Night Shift Jellies’ … because every shift worker needs a hug – particularly when on night shift!

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons of organic gelatin powder (I use the brand – Changing Habits)
  • 1 cup of coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
  • 1 tablespoon of organic honey

Method:

Mix gelatin with half of the coconut milk and leave to become gelatinous.  Warm the other ingredients together in a pot on the stove, but on low heat.  Don’t let it get to a boil.

Then mix the warmed milk in with the gelatin mix and give it a good stir with a metal spoon.  Pour in to molds of your choice, and pop into the fridge to set.   Keep stored in an air-tight glass jar in fridge.

Enjoy!

Audra x

 

Recipe inspired and adapted from @anourishingnook.

Reference:

Reynolds, A, Paterson, J, Ferguson, S, Stanley, D, Wright, K & Dawson, D 2016, ‘The shift work and health research agenda:  Considering changes in gut microbiota as a pathway linking shift work, sleep loss and circadian misalignment and metabolic disease’, Sleep Medicine Reviews, vol. 2016, p. 1-7.