6 Signs that SIBO might be the root cause of your IBS

Photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Studies show that over 50% of patients diagnosed with IBS actually have an underlying imbalance called SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. The majority of our gut bacteria should be in the colon. When the bacteria migrate backwards into the small bowel or when there is low stomach acid or poor pancreatic enzyme production, bacteria in the small bowel can overgrow and cause symptoms, such as diarrhea, gas, or bloating.

Six signs you might have SIBO

1. You notice that fiber worsens your constipation
2. You notice an improvement in IBS symptoms when taking antibiotics
3. You feel more gas and bloating when you take probiotics that contain prebiotics
4. You are celiac or gluten intolerant and do not have 100% resolution of symptoms on a gluten-free diet
5. You develop chronic symptoms of gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea after taking pain medications, like opiates.
6. Your blood work shows chronically low iron or ferratin with no known cause

Top 6 Symptoms of SIBO

1. Abdominal bloating and distention
2. Constipation 
3. Diarrhea
4. Abdominal pain or discomfort
5.  Acid reflux or heartburn
6. Excessive gas or belching

How do I know this isn’t just leaky gut?

While SIBO usually manifests with local GI symptoms, a leaky gut will manifest with systemic complaints that affect the immune system. Keep in mind that is is not uncommon to have both SIBO and leaky gut simultaneously. And very often if you have SIBO for a long period of time, you will develop a leaky gut.

Here are some systemic signs of a leaky gut:

• Multiple food sensitivities
• Skin rashes, acne or rosacea
• Respiratory symptoms, like asthma
• Allergic symptoms or increase in seasonal allergies
• Fatigue
• Brain fog or poor concentration, especially after meals
• Any autoimmune disease
• Joint pain or arthritis
• Headaches or migraines

Remember SIBO can cause leaky gut syndrome but not everyone with SIBO has leaky gut. About half of the patients diagnosed with SIBO will also have leaky gut. Most of the time if SIBO is treated, leaky gut will heal itself!

10 conditions that may predispose you to have SIBO

1. Hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid)
2. Pancreatic insufficiency
3. Decreased motility in small intestine
4. Bowel obstruction
5. Diverticula 
6. Surgical bowel resection or bariatric surgery 
7. Food poisoning (Post infectious IBS)
8. Nerve damage that affects the GI tract
9. Drugs, like opiates 
10. Any disease that slows motility (diabetes, hypothyroid)

Other disorders that may be associated with SIBO

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Scleroderma
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Rosacea
• Restless leg syndrome
• Pancreatic insufficiency
• Liver disease
• Diabetes
• Crohn’s disease
• Celiac disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Kidney failure
• Liver disease
• Diverticulosis

How to Diagnose SIBO

Ask your doctor to order the Lactulose Breath Test (preferred over glucose as it will test the entire small bowel vs. just duodenum). You may also need to check a comprehensive stool analysis and urinary organic acids, which may point in the direction of other dysbiosis but are not directly assessing small bowel bacterial overgrowth

How do we treat SIBO?

1. Diet options

• Paleo diet or autoimmune paleo diet
• Low FODMAP diet
• Specific Carbohydrate Diet
• GAPS Diet
• Avoid all alcohol
• Use caution with probiotics/prebiotics
• Use caution with fermented foods as they can increase histamine
• Homemade Elemental Diet by Dr. Siebecker

2. Antibiotics

• Xifaxan

3. Dr. Jill’s favorite antimicrobial herbs

• Allimed
• Oil of oregano
• Thorne Berberine 500
• Biocidin 

Treating SIBO successfully is not always easy and may involve major dietary changes and medication or herbal treatment for an extended period of time. However, getting the balance of your gut microbes healthy will likely prove to be the most important step in regaining your health and vitality! I know it was in my case… if you haven't read My Story, read more here.

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Paleo Guide to Natural Sweeteners: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Inflammation is an essential part of the body's healing system. Without it, injuries would fester and simple infections could be deadly. Too much of a good thing, however, is downright deadly.

Chronic low-grade inflammation is intimately involved most chronic disease, including Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disease.  One of the underlying factors causing this increase in inflammation is our love affair with sugar.  We have been led to believe that if we switch to alternatives, we can go on with our sweet addiction and pay no health penalties down the road.  One of the very first things I teach patients to do is KICK THE SWEET HABIT!  If you go off sugar and all sweeteners for just 30 days, I promise you.... your body will adjust it's taste-meter so that a piece of fruit with have more flavor and sweetness than you've ever dreamed possible.  And if you do indulge in a glass of soda or something full of sugar, you just might spit it back out due to the sickening sweetness that your body had become accustomed to prior to your sugar detox.

But I do get questions all the time from patients... "If I do need to use a sweetener occasionally and sparingly... what are my best options?"  

Glad you asked!  So here's a Guide to Natural Sweeteners just for you...

The Good:  Natural - Use sparingly

• Stevia (organic green leaf or pure extract)
• Organic Local Raw Honey

The Fair: Natural - Use sparingly

• Dates
• Date sugar
• Coconut nectar
• Coconut sugar/crystals
• Fruit juice (only fresh squeezed, real, organic)
• Maple syrup 
• Palm sugar

The Bad:  Natural but recommend avoidance

• Agave
• Barley Malt
• Beet sugar
• Brown sugar/light brown sugar/muscovado
• Brown Rice Syrup
• Cane sugar or juice
• Caramel
• Carob syrup
• Corn syrup or solids
• Dextran
• Dextrose
• Ethyl Maltol
• Fructose
• Glucose/glucose solids
• Golden sugar
• Grape sugar
• High fructose corn syrup
• Lactose
• Levulose
• Maltitol
• Malt syrup
• Maltodextrin
• Maltose
• Mannitol
• Raw sugar
• Refiner's syrup
• Sorbitol
• Sorghum syrup
• Sucrose
• Xylitol (or other sugar alcohols, end in "-tol or -ose"

The Ugly:  Artificial - never consume

• Acesulfame K (Sweet One)
• Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet, Equal)
• Saccarin (Sweet'N Low)
• Stevia - white/bleached (Truvia, Sun Crystals)
• Sucralose (Spenda)
• Tagatose (PreSweet)

More on Truvia... the one you THOUGHT was ok

Is Truvia made from a leaf?  Well the answer is kinda, sorta.  Truvia has three ingredients:  erythritol, rebiana, and natural flavors.  Rebiana is made from the stevia leaf by soaking it in water.  Although Cargill whitewashes the process as similar to making tea, the truth is revealed in Coca Cola's patent where it outlines a 40+ step process that includes the use of acetone, methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, and isopropanol.  I don’t know about you, but when I make a cup of tea, I’ve never used any of those ingredients.

The second fallacy of Truvia’s “guilt-free” naturalness is it’s main ingredient, erythritol.  Now while erythritol is a naturally-occurring sweetener found in many fruits, in nature it is present in such small amounts that Cargill manufacturers Truvia’s erythritol by chemically converting genetically modified corn into a food grade starch which it ferments to create glucose and then processes further to create erythritol.   All Natural?  Truvia sounds more like a GMO lab experiment than a sweetener straight from nature.  

But Dr. Jill, I need more carbs!

If you've gone Paleo and removed grains, legumes and refined foods from your diet, you don't have to let go of carbs altogether.   Here are some high carb delicious healthy veggie alternatives for you to munch on that are packed with nutrients...

1. Yam
2. Sweet potato
3. Parsnips
4. Cassava
5. Taro root
6. Plantain
7. Winter Squash
8. Onion
9. Beets
10. Carrots
11. Butternut squash
12. Rutabaga
13. Jicama
14. Kohlrabi or Purple kohlrabi (pictured)
15. Spaghetti squash
16. Turnips
17. Pumpkin
18. Zucchini

More references:

http://balancedbites.com/practicalpaleo

http://www.brucebradley.com/food/truvia-honestly-sweet-or-dishonestly-marketed/#sthash.q19Lnufg.dpuf

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-kirkpatrick-ms-rd-ld/dangers-of-sugar_b_3658061.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15328324

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23762544

Are Your Gut Microbes Making You Fat!?

Are Your Gut Microbes Making You Fat!?

There are trillions if bacteria living in your gut, that we know.  But did you know that the population of your microbes may determine if you are likely to be fat or thin?! As we study this amazing microbe machine inside of us, we are discovering the many and far reaching implications of having a healthy population of bugs in your gut.

Researchers recently found pairs of human twins in which one was obese and the other lean. They transferred gut bacteria from these twins into mice and watched what happened. The mice with bacteria from fat twins grew fat; those that got bacteria from lean twins stayed lean. The study published in Science on September 6, 2013, describes the details.

It is becoming more clear that our microbial colonies play critical roles in health, with doctors now curing people by transferring microbe-rich tissues from healthy people into sick ones. Where the term "fecal transplant" used to sound like science fiction, there is now strong enough evidence of potential benefits that there are major medical centers performing this procedure to treat resistant clostridium difficile colitis infections.  Could they be transplanting gut bugs in the future to cure obesity? Sounds crazy but perhaps not too far fetched...

I don't know about you... but I'd rather change my diet than exchange fecal matter! Keep reading on for how diet can change your microbes, too...

There is a caveat: Microbes associated with leanness can’t take up residence in mice with “obese” gut microbes unless the animals eat a healthy diet.

As part of the study, the twins’ gut microbes were transferred into mice that had been raised in a previously microbe-free environment. The researchers had a chance to observe what happens when a mouse carrying a collection of gut microbes from an obese twin is housed with another mouse carrying gut microbes from the lean twin.

“Eating a healthy diet encourages microbes associated with leanness to quickly become incorporated into the gut,” said senior author Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, director of the Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology at Washington University. “But a diet high in saturated fat and low in fruits and vegetables thwarts the invasion of microbes associated with leanness. This is important as we look to develop next-generation probiotics as a treatment for obesity.”

In 2009, Gordon found that the microbes in obese individuals also lack diversity and contain more pathogenic species. Individuals with healthy microbes contain a larger variety and include species such as provatella and bifidobacter. Earlier research showed that obese individuals had a shift from more Bacteroidetes to greater proportion of Firmicutes. Those that remained lean continued to have high levels of bacteroidetes. There is also evidence showing that these gut bug populations also change as we age.  Perhaps the most important idea from that past decade of research is that the diet we consume has the ability to change our internal mileau!  More industrialized nations tend to have gut populations that favor Firmicutes while less industrialized societies that still rely heavily on unprocessed food sources have guts that remain high in Bacteroidetes.

These observations were confirmed by a recent Danish clinical study that linked the risk for metabolic disorders – obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes – to a shortage of friendly intestinal.  The microbiome of bacteria-poor people were dominated by species that cause chronic inflammation in the body.

The "good" guys vs. the "bad" guys ... 

The Firmicutes ("bad" guys) and the Bacteroidetes ("good" guys)  are divisions of gut bacteria. The microbiota of the human gut is dominated by these two species, most of which are benign although a few are pathogenic.

The Firmicutes is the largest bacterial class, containing more than 250 types, including Lactobacillus, Mycoplasma, Bacillus and Clostridium.  They are a very diverse class and Clostridium species are obligate anaerobes whereas members of Bacillus form spores and many of them are obligate aerobes. Streptococcus pyogenes, the well-known cause of 'Strep throat', is also a member of the Firmicutes.

The Bacteroidetes include about 20 types. In the human gut, Bacteroidetes is probably the most abundant single genus. Species of Bacteroidetes are obligate anaerobes that are benign inhabitants of the gut. However, they are opportunistic pathogens that can cause disease if they gain access to the peritoneal cavity outside the gut, for example in bowel perforation or surgery. In addition research raises the question of how consumption of increasingly hygienic and processed food deprives our microbiota from useful environmental genes and possibly affects our health.

Could Probiotics Help?

Probiotics are bacteria that help maintain a healthful balance of microbes in the intestines, and generally benefit their host.  The average person’s digestive tract hosts about 400 kinds of probiotic bacteria, which help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and promote healthy digestion.  Now we know they may also affect our disposition towards being thin or obese!

Lactobacillus are often given to patients following a course of antibiotics, and are also found in yogurt and most other cultured/fermented foods.  Probiotics may be used in infants to populate the gut after c-section and may benefit babies with colic.  For more on probiotics and how they can benefit your health, read this!  I believe we are just on the edge of understanding how these healthy bugs and supplementation of different strains may affect health and disease and weight.  Stay tuned for the coming research and blog articles...

So What Should I Eat?

The Paleo Diet may be beneficial in reducing your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. I frequently use the basic principles of the paleo diet to help patients re-learn how to eat healthy, maintain ideal weight, and feel fabulous! Perhaps the most important thing about it is that it encourages you to get back to whole delicious real food.  It will allow you to feel better, lose weight easily and maintain muscle at any age. I challenge you to give it a try for yourself for 30 days and see if it doesn't change your life!

Healthy Snack Attack! Paleo Safe Options on the go...

You've been asking for healthy snack ideas that are loaded with protein and low glycemic so this week I put together a bunch of my favorites, including travel and to-go ideas...Check it out!

Dr. Jill’s Favorite Healthy Snack Options...

• Apple slices with 2 tablespoons of almond butter or sunflower butter 
• ½ cup hummus with fresh veggies (cucumber, celery, carrot, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, etc…) 
• Make your own trail mix with combination of raw nuts, seeds (pumpkin, chia, sesame, sunflower), shredded coconut, raw cocoa nibs – serving ½ cup 
• Baggie of your favorite raw nuts: almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamia nuts with ½ cup freeze dried berries 
• ½ baked green apple with cinnamon and ¼ cup coconut milk Organic Nitrate-free Turkey (Boar’s Head or Applegate) and guacamole role ups (2 slices turkey with 2 tablespoons fresh guacamole) 
• Tin or packet of wild salmon, sardines, or paté 
• Sliced avocado eaten with sea salt & spoon 
• 2 nori veggie wraps with shredded carrot, leafy greens, hummus & ½ avocado 
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened sunflower nut butter sprinkled with cinnamon and/or raw cocoa nibs 
• 1 or 2 squares TCHO 99% dark chocolate with corner dipped in organic coconut butter 
• Protein “latte” = 1 serving espresso with 8 oz. of coconut/almond milk and scoop of chocolate or vanilla Thorne Vegalite powder 
• Homemade kale chips with 2 tablespoons of hummus or 2 sticks of gluten-free jerky (no yeast extract, please) 
• ½ cup sliced almonds and fresh berries in bowl with ½ cup of pure organic coconut milk (full fat version in can) - optional add organic cinnamon or raw cocoa powder. 
• Chocolate protein smoothie – 1 scoop chocolate or vanilla Thorne Vegalite blended with ice and coconut/almond milk (optional ½ frozen banana) and 1-2 teaspoons of raw cocoa powder 
• Chia cereal = 2 tablespoons chia + 1 tablespoon hemp seed mixed soaked in 4 oz of coconut milk or water.  May add few drops of stevia to desired sweetness or fresh blueberries!
• To-go packets of organic nut butter or coconut butter – Easy squeeze instant snack for purse or travel. (My picks= Artisana coconut butter or sunflower nut butter packets)

ENJOY!

Paleo Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup (It's grain-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free!)

Here's a delicious way to beat the cold when you are in the mood for a great comfort food.  This version is completely grain-free, healthy, paleo-safe, husband-approved and absolutely delicious!

Dr. Jill's  Paleo Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken breasts baked and cut into chunks (may use whole chicken for more minerals and moisture)
6-8 cups of spring water
2 TBSP organic olive oil 
1-2 gloves of chopped garlic or 1 tsp of freeze dried garlic
1/2 cup of chopped organic white onion
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tsp fresh chives chopped
2 sprig fresh Basil leaves chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger root
1/4 lime juice squeezed
2-3 tsp REAL salt with minerals (I used the garlic variety)
3-4 colored organic carrots sliced
1/2 cup chopped organic yellow & red bell peppers
For the "noodles"  I use Taylor Organic broccoli slaw  - Add 2 cups

Simmer on low heat for 60-90 minutes or until veggies soft and flavors blended...
Enjoy!

A Quick Start Guide To Paleo Diet...

You may have heard the recent buzz about Paleo Diet... so what's all the fuss about?

There are far reaching health benefits to eating more like our grandparents would have eaten...   That means real food, not the packaged processed stuff that has become norm in the Standard American Diet, or SAD for short.

The Paleo Diet may be beneficial in reducing your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.   I frequently use the principles of the paleo diet to help patients re-learn how to eat healthy, maintain ideal weight, and feel fabulous!

You shouldn't be surprised to find a lack of packaged foods on the Paleo Diet menu. There were no convenience stores or super-sized grocery chains in the Stone Age.   And if you're one of the 31% of Americans who eats more packaged foods than fresh foods in your daily diet, it could be an adjustment.  What is amazing, however, are the profound benefits to your health that come from these changes.  If you suffer obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, central weight gain, or autoimmune disease, like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis, you greatly benefit from eliminated all processed grains & sugar from your diet.  Plus you will not be eating two of the most common food allergens: gluten and dairy.  If you suffer from a leaky gut or gastrointestinal dysbiosis, the Paleo Diet will naturally restore the healthy microbial balance since there are no refined sugars or grains to feed the abnormal bacteria or yeast.

The Paleo Diet is basically this:  No sugar, No flours, No processed foods, No grains, no legumes (lectins), no dairy.  What you CAN eat is lean, clean (organic) unprocessed meats (chicken, fish, turkey, beef, bison, elk, lamb, etc), all fruits and veggies in moderation.  And coconut, nuts & seeds are to be eaten freely in unprocessed state.  If you need to make something special, almond or coconut "flour" can be used.

CORE PALEO DIET:

• Meat - GRASS-FED, not grain-fed. Grain causes the same problem in animals as they do in humans.  (bison, elk, buffalo are WONDERFUL red meats to incorporate)
• Fowl - Chicken, duck, hen, turkey…things with wings that (try to) fly.
• Fish - Wild caught fish (mercury and other toxins, like PCBs may be an issue in farmed fish)
• Eggs - Look for Omega-3 enriched eggs raised without hormones or antibiotics from free-range chickens
• Vegetables - As long as they’re not deep-fried, eat as many as you want.
• Oils - Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil – think natural.  No soybeans oil or processed oils.
• Fruits - Have natural sugar, and can be higher in calories, so limit if you’re trying to lose weight.
• Nuts - High in calories, so they’re good for a snack, but don’t eat bags and bags of them.
• Tubers - Sweet potatoes and yams.  Higher in calories and carbs, so these are good for right after a workout to replenish your glycogen levels

What's not allowed when following the Paloe diet?

• Grains (including popular cereal grains such as barley, corn, oats, rice, rye and wheat)
• Beans or legumes
• Dairy products
• Refined salt
• Refined sugars or artificial sweetners
• Refined fats
• Canned or processed meats
• Soda and fruit juices
• All chemicals, additives, artificial flavorings, MSG, yeast.

Perhaps the most important thing about Paleo is it encourages you to get back to whole delicious real food!  It will allow you to feel better, lose weight easily and maintain muscle at any age.  I challenge you to give it a try for yourself for 30 days and see if it doesn't change your life!


More Resources for Paleo Diet:

http://paleophysiciansnetwork.com
http://www.marksdailyapple.com
http://www.westonaprice.org/

Top 10 Secrets to Fabulous Looking Skin!

 Top 10 Secrets to Fabulous Looking Skin

Photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

1. Keep your gut bugs happy! Take a high-quality probiotic supplement can promote a healthy balance of gut flora and support your immune system.
2. Optimize your vitamin D levels – Vitamin D is crucial for establishing a healthy immune system and to help promote healthy-looking skin.
3. Eliminate sugar in your diet – Like grains, sugar causes an insulin spike which can lead to  skin break-outs and imperfections.
4. Avoid eating grains, especially wheat – Bread, cereal, pasta, rice, potatoes, and corn can cause surges in insulin production. Instead, eat vegetable sources of carbs, which your body digests easier.  Consider a gluten-free diet if you suffer from gluten intolerance, which may help you avoid toxins being pushed through your skin due to the intolerance.
5. Drink plenty of fresh pure water – Hydrating your body facilitates cell growth and regeneration, elimination of wastes, and helps remove dead skin cells.
6. Might you have hidden food allergies?  wheat, milk, egg, and soy are common foods that people are unknowingly sensitive to.  If you don't know, try eliminating all of these foods and sugar for 14 days to see if your skin clears.  If you aren't up to an elimination diet, ask for the IgG/IgE blood test.
7. Eliminate all sodas, juice, and energy drinks – These drinks mostly sugar, artificial flavoring, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and artificial colors. As far as juices, eat the whole fruit in moderation instead.
8. Reduce your stress & Get your sleep – Research suggests that changes in skin often correlate with increased stress. And your body's time for rejuvenating (including your skin!) is at night while you sleep.
9. Exercise regularly – Getting plenty of high-intensity exercise helps your body flush out toxins, including those in the pores of your skin. The more you sweat, the better your body can get rid of toxins and impurities
10. Naturally cleanse and moisturize your skin – Avoid toxic skin care products with risky chemical ingredients. They can cause more skin problems than they solve.   For non-toxic products, visit the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database.

Yummy Gluten-free, Grain-free Breakfast Bars!

GLUTEN-FREE, GRAIN-FREE BREAKFAST BARS

• 1 ¼ cup blanched almond flour
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup grapeseed oil
• 1/8 cup pure molasses 
• 1/8 cup of pure organic maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup almond slivers
• ¼ cup of crushed pecans
• ¼ cup of crushed walnuts
• ¼ cup of chia seeds
• ¼ cup raisins or dried cranberries

1. In a small bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
2. In a large bowl, combine grapeseed oil, molasses, maple syrup, & vanilla
3. Stir dry ingredients into wet
4. Mix in coconut, seeds, nuts, chia & dried fruit
5. Grease an 8x8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish with grapeseed oil
6. Press the dough into the baking dish, wetting your hands with water to help pat the dough down evenly
7. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes
8. Serve!  If bars seem to crumble easily, you can add slightly more oil & molasses.  I just cool and keep bars in the fridge and they stay together just fine.

Makes 12-16 bars

Modified recipe from Elena's Pantry ....http://www.elanaspantry.com/

Top Ten Lessons on Diet & Longevity From Non-Industrialized Cultures...

Photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Characteristics of Traditional Diets

1. The diets of healthy, nonindustrialized peoples contain no refined or denatured foods or ingredients, such as refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup; white flour; canned foods; pasteurized, homogenized, skim or lowfat milk; refined or hydrogenated vegetable oils; protein powders; artificial vitamins; or toxic additives and colorings.
2. All traditional cultures consume some sort of animal food, such as fish and shellfish; land and water fowl; land and sea mammals; eggs; milk and milk products; reptiles; and insects. The whole animal is consumed­--muscle meat, organs, bones and fat, with the organ meats and fats preferred.
3. The diets of healthy, nonindustrialized peoples contain at least four times the minerals and water-soluble vitamins, and TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins found in animal fats (vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin K₂--Price's "Activator X") as the average American diet.
4. All traditional cultures cooked some of their food but all consumed a portion of their animal foods raw.
5. Primitive and traditional diets have a high content of food enzymes and beneficial bacteria from lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages, dairy products, meats and condiments.
6. Seeds, grains and nuts are soaked, sprouted, fermented or naturally leavened to neutralize naturally occurring anti-nutrients such as enzyme inhibitors, tannins and phytic acid.
7. Total fat content of traditional diets varies from 30 percent to 80 percent of calories but only about 4 percent of calories come from polyunsaturated oils naturally occurring in grains, legumes, nuts, fish, animal fats and vegetables. The balance of fat calories is in the form of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.
8. Traditional diets contain nearly equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids.
9. All traditional diets contain some salt.
10. All traditional cultures make use of animal bones, usually in the form of gelatin-rich bone broths.

Dietary Guidelines

1. Eat whole, unprocessed foods.
2. Eat beef, lamb, game, organ meats, poultry and eggs from pasture-fed animals.
3. Eat wild fish (not farm-raised) and shellfish from unpolluted waters.
4. Eat full-fat milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as raw milk, whole yogurt, kefir, cultured butter, whole raw cheeses and fresh and sour cream. (Imported cheeses that say "milk" or "fresh milk" on the label are raw.)
5. Use animal fats, especially butter, liberally.
6. Use traditional vegetable oils only--extra virgin olive oil, expeller-expressed sesame oil, small amounts of expeller-expressed flax oil, and the tropical oils--coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.
7. Take cod liver oil regularly to provide at least 10,000 IU vitamin A and 1,000 IU vitamin D per day.
8. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables--preferably organic--in salads and soups, or lightly steamed with butter.
9. Use whole grains, legumes and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors and other anti-nutrients.
10. Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
11. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb and fish and use liberally in soups, stews, gravies and sauces.
12. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
13. Use unrefined salt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
14. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of expeller-expressed flax oil.
15. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, maple sugar, date sugar, dehydrated cane sugar juice (sold as Rapadura) and stevia powder.
16. Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
17. Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
18. Use only natural, food-based supplements.
19. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
20. Think positive thoughts and practice forgiveness.

Dietary Dangers

1. Do not eat commercially processed foods such as cookies, cakes, crackers, TV dinners, soft drinks, packaged sauce mixes, etc. Read labels!
2. Avoid all refined sweeteners such as sugar, dextrose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup and fruit juices.
3. Avoid white flour, white flour products and white rice.
4. Avoid all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils.
5. Avoid all refined liquid vegetable oils made from soy, corn, safflower, canola or cottonseed.
6. Do not use polyunsaturated oils for cooking, sautéing or baking.
7. Avoid foods fried in polyunsaturated oils or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
8. Do not practice veganism. Animal products provide vital nutrients not found in plant foods.
9. Avoid products containing protein powders as they usually contain carcinogens formed during processing; and consumption of protein without the cofactors occurring in nature can lead to deficiencies, especially of vitamin A.
10. Avoid processed, pasteurized milk; do not consume ultrapasteurized milk products, lowfat milk, skim milk, powdered milk or imitation milk products.
11. Avoid factory-farmed eggs, meats and fish.
12. Avoid highly processed luncheon meats and sausage.
13. Avoid rancid and improperly prepared seeds, nuts and grains found in granolas, quick rise breads and extruded breakfast cereals, as they block mineral absorption and cause intestinal distress.
14. Avoid canned, sprayed, waxed and irradiated fruits and vegetables. Avoid genetically modified foods (found in most soy, canola and corn products).
15. Avoid artificial food additives, especially MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and aspartame, which are neurotoxins. Most soups, sauce and broth mixes and most commercial condiments contain MSG, even if not indicated on the label.
16. Individuals sensitive to caffeine and related substances should avoid coffee, tea and chocolate.
17. Avoid aluminum-containing foods such as commercial salt, baking powder and antacids. Do not use aluminum cookware or deodorants containing aluminum.
18. Do not drink fluoridated water.
19. Avoid distilled liquors.
20. Limit use of a microwave oven.

http://www.westonaprice.org/