Did you know that some common foods damage and inflame your gut, prolonging your struggles with IBS?
Refined products. These are “are food artifacts”. That is they’re not really food at all, only calories. Let’s take sugar. It comes from sugar cane which in nature contains nutrients like chromium and B vitamins. These nutrients helped the body cope with the natural sugars in there. Take sugar cane to the factory, get rid of the fibre and nutrients and you’re left with table sugar. White or brown it’s still depleted in nutrients. Your body has to draw nutrients away from other important functions to metabolise the sugar. Functions like keeping your mind calm (B vitamins and magnesium), or bowel healthy (folate, zinc, selenium, vitamin C) may suffer. Refined prsoducts feed pro-inflammatory bacteria in your gut. Refined foods include most wheat, pasta and sweet products as well as ready meals and things in packets with long lists of ingredients.
Gluten. Gluten is a collection of proteins found in grains like wheat, spelt, rye and barley. Humans can’t properly digest gluten so traditional ways of preparing grains like wheat evolved. Sourdough fermentation removes over 99% of the gluten from grains. This is why many people notice sourdough bread is easier on their system than yeast or soda bread. I ask all patients with digestive issues to lighten the gluten load by doing some very simple swaps in how they shop. Beware though, many “gluten-free” products are highly refined and can make matters worse!
Low-calorie or sugar-free products. These will often contain aspartame, saccharin, or sucralose. These chemicals alter your gut bacteria in favour of the “bad guys” that inflame you and prevent normal digestion.
It’s amazing how even a few simple changes can impact how you feel…
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Colitis and Crohn’s and other autoimmune conditions often run in families, right? You might be condemned to suffer these if you have a family history, right? WRONG!!
We, humans, have around 23,000 genes. Genes are essentially units of information and are made of DNA. We have 2 copies of each gene, one inherited from each parent. Genes instruct your body to make proteins. Proteins tell your body to do everything that ever happens in your body.
Out of all your genes, on average around 1000 are abnormal. Some of these abnormalities give you an advantage. You might be less predisposed to joint injury. Or be able to tolerate higher amounts of carbohydrates in your diet without becoming overweight or diabetic. Or a genetic abnormality might put you at a disadvantage. You might need more vitamin D than the next guy to avoid bowel disease, digestive disorders or psoriasis.
While there are genes that you can’t modify – like those for eye colour – the genes that govern health and disease can be modified. Gene behaviour is altered by its environment. You internal environment is governed by the food you eat, when you eat it, whether you exercise, the thoughts you think and subconscious factors that CAN be reprogrammed. That means you can support your genes to move you towards better health. Whether a gene “switches on” or stays inactive is governed by how you choose to eat, breathe, think and behave. For me, knowing I had an abnormal vitamin D receptor gene meant power to reverse (without meds) the osteoporosis diagnosis I got at age 47. You have more power than you know.
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This is LOVELY! Unlike most gluten-free cakes this stays moist and delicious for days. Just don’t tell anyone that its high protein, gluten-free, almost grain-free and almost totally free of sugar. I got the original idea from a recipe on www.atastylovestory.com but it contained gluten and was packed with immune-disrupting sugar. So I adapted this recipe https://www.annacollins.ie/ultra-moist-chocolate-cake/ and the toppings in the other recipe. A triumph. And surprisingly easy!
I made the cake this Saturday, served it on Easter Sunday and it was still perfect (from the fridge) on Monday. Can we wait till Tuesday to polish off the rest. That’s the question….
Serves 8-10
For the sponges:
1 heaped plus 1 level tbs cocoa powder
1 heaped plus 1 level tbs rice flour
1 rounded tsp baking soda
1 x 400g tin of black beans, rinsed and drained
3 large eggs (or 4 medium)
140g xylitol or erythritol
1 espresso shot black coffee or strong dandelion coffee
½ tsp vanilla extract (if you’re gluten-free, avoid vanilla “essence”).
50ml almond or cow’s milk (or cherry juice)
10ml kirsch
5ml apple cider vinegar (if you are using cherry juice you don’t need this. Acid activates baking soda)
Pinch of Himalayan or Atlantic sea salt
Silicon or greaseproof paper
Butter or light olive oil for greasing the tin
2 x 25cm loose bottomed cake tins.
For the filling:
2 heaped tbs no-added sugar morello cherry jam. I love St Dalfour (sweetened with fruit juice) or Prunotto sour cherry jam (just 10% sugar instead of the usual 50% in most jams)
1 420g tin cherries in juice or light syrup
300-400ml whipping cream (use double cream if you prefer)
4 drops stevia (or 1 heaped tsp xylitol/erythritol)
½ tsp vanilla extract
30g dark chocolate, at least 80% cocoa solids
To make the sponges:
Preheat oven to 175C (160C fan).
Cut 2 circles of silicon/greaseproof paper the same size as the base of your cake tins. Grease and line the tins with the paper. Is the paper is greaseproof rather than silicon, grease the paper too.
Sieve the rice flour, cocoa and baking soda together into a bowl.
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is smooth. Don’t be alarmed if the mixture is runny. It’s supposed to be.
Divide the batter evenly between the 2 cake tines and bake18-20 minutes until a needle/knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Set aside to cool completely before removing from the tins.
To assemble the cake:
Drain the cherries, retaining the juice/syrup. Mix 100ml of it with the kirsch (the rest is good in cocktails).
Put each cooled sponge upside down on a separate plate, including the one you want to serve on. This makes it easier for the liquid to soak in fully. Spoon half the syrup/kirsch over the sponges. Leave to sink in. Add more if it’s all absorbed but don’t overload it.
Whip cream until thick, then add the stevia/erythritol/xylitol and vanilla extract. Whisk until voluminous but not too stiff to spread.
Set aside 12 of the drained cherries.
Spread the bottom layer of cake (on the serving plate) with the jam. Arrange the cherries on top (except the reserved 12).
Spread half the whipped cream in between and over the cherries. Everything will look rustic.
Carefully slide the top sponge layer into position on top and press down gently.
Use a palette knife to spread the remaining cream on top in big, puffy waves.
Grate the chocolate into curls generously over the top.
Arrange remaining cherries around the edge. Chill for an hour before serving.
Why this is better for you: Amazingly, theres very little grain in this cake and its high in protein from the eggs and black beans. This makes it suitable for moderate carb diets. Most cakes are sky-high in carbs (flour, sugar) and so are a real stressor on your metabolism.
Yes this cake has got lots of cream but for over 25 years nutrition science knows that eating cholesterol has nothing to do with heart disease. It’s the oxidation (damage) done to cholesterol by high carb diets, nutrient deficiencies and metabolic stress that drives heart disease.
This isn’t a cake for every day because fresh, natural vegetables fruit are healthier choices than baked sweet treats. But sometimes you want CAKE!
Did you know that at the top of your stomach there’s a valve called the lower oesophageal sphincter? The LOS is there to prevent refluxing of stomach contents back upwards. This valve should be super-strong. If it becomes weak it relaxes and opens at the wrong time. It should only open when you are swallowing. It gets weak for a number of reasons. A lifetime of poor diet, inability to digest and absorb nutrients, or a stress-induced loss of normal healing and repair. If you are not making enough digestive juices in your stomach or if you are overweight this increases pressure on the LOS. If it’s weak as well you know the result – pressure behind your breastbone or burning.
I’ve seen many patients do what needs to be done to get themselves free of heartburn. Want to know more?
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If you do any of these it’s a sign your stomach is not able to digest. Your doctor may guess you have too much acid. Is this really the case? Surprisingly, it’s very rare for too much acid to be produced in the stomach. Acid is needed to break down protein you eat into smaller fragments in your stomach. That way, enzymes further down (in your small intestine) can complete digestion. A study published in the prestigious Journal of Gastroenterology shows that inadequate stomach acidity is inversely correlated with acid reflux. What that means in plain English is that the lower the acid in your stomach the worse your symptoms of heartburn. A common issue for people with acid reflux is that the little valve that stops stomach contents from coming back up is weakened. Healing from acid reflux is about you helping strengthen this valve, supporting the healing of your inflamed membranes, and getting your digestion working better.
Just invented this last week from what we had in the fridge. It’s LOVELY with its blend of salty, smokey and fresh flavours. Lovely with a fresh mixed salad. Make sure to buy actual feta which is made from ewe (sheep) or goat milk. Do try to avoid the nasty pitted olives in black water available in supermarkets – they have almost no flavour and are only black because of black food dye. If you want to save, get your black olives in middle Eastern shops where they’re great value.
I don’t add the mint until just before serving as it goes limp quickly.
1 packet (around 200g) feta, cut in bite sized cubes as small as you like
1 large aubergine
Heaped teaspoon (or more) ground coriander
3 dsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 dsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
Handful un-pitted olives (ideally wrinkly dry black ones or kalamata)
Generous handful washed mint leaves
Turn on grill to high.
Slice an aubergine in 1cm (or a bit thinner) slices (disks or lengthways, whatever you prefer).
Put aubergine slices on grill, brush with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and sprinkle with a little ground coriander. Grill till golden while you assemble the other ingredients. Then turn and repeat the process. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Cut into bite size pieces or strips (I use a scissors to do this quickly).
Into a large serving bowl put aubergine, olives, feta, EVOO, lemon juice/vinegar and a few generous grinds of black pepper and gently mix everything.
Just before serving chop the mint. Sprinkle it over the top or mix it in.
Serve with:
Low carb: A big mixed salad dressed with my favourite dressing https://www.annacollins.ie/mediterranean-salad-dressing/
Medium carb: Salad + something starchy like wholemeal gluten-free bread or (for gluten eaters) a nice wholemeal rye sourdough.
Why this is good for you (provided you’re not dairy-sensitive!): Goats and sheep’s cheese are high in protein and FAR more easy for humans to digest than cow. Modern (Jersey) cow’s milk contains A1 beta casein which is hard to digest. Goat and sheep milk contains 80% less of this problematic casein. Olives are a fermented food and contain beneficial bacteria to help your gut. Mint, like most herbs/spices, helps make your gut a hostile place for disease-causing bacteria and is also rich in polyphenols. Polyphenols are natural plant compounds shown to be anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and hugely supportive of your health – gut, brain, skin and more. What’s not to like?
IBS? IBD? Autoimmune issue? Any of those means your small intestine (not just your colon) is damaged and needs some TLC to heal.
If you eat commercially produced foods the chances are you’re eating polysorbate-80. This industrial emulsifier is a common food additive. It’s even used in laboratory animals to produce inflammatory bowel disease. And yet the food industry claims it’s safe for human consumption. But surprise, surprise it’s highly linked with inflammatory bowel disease in humans.
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Vitamin D is a critical vitamin. It’s made in your skin by the action of sunlight on cholesterol.
You are at risk of suboptimal levels if you
Take cholesterol-lowering medications, steroids, laxatives, or certain other meds
Are overweight
Wear sunblock
Don’t regularly get 15 minutes of bright sunlight on your bare skin
Have an impaired vitamin D receptor gene (yes you can do genetic tests for this)
Symptoms can include bone or joint pain, muscle cramps, mood changes, tiredness, being prone to colds/infections, low bone density, psoriasis, digestive troubles, and many cancers.
Your GP can do this simple test for you but make sure you get the result. The “reference range” (what is considered to be normal) is based on what was advised 25 years ago. When I was training in nutritional therapy in the early 90’s we were taught that a minuscule amount of vitamin D was enough. Newer research shows this is far from the truth.
To discuss your vitamin D result with me book your free quarter our discovery call now.
Book your FREE quarter-hour discovery call by phoning + 353 87 981666 NOW or emailing anna@annacollins.ie
Did you know that chronic stress breaks down the lining of your gut? We’re all designed to withstand short-term stress. A near-miss on the motorway, a challenging meeting, running late. Stress hormones rapidly rise but should normalize quickly after the incident. When your stress hormones are consistently too high that’s when problems start. Your body diverts its energy away from healing, repair, digestion, and immunity. It doesn’t matter if it’s your in-laws winding you up, a never-ending-seeming to-do list, or a real physical emergency. Your body doesn’t distinguish. Non-emergency functions take a back seat.
I know this from personal experience. In 2004 my lovely father had a catastrophic stroke. I was distressed for a very long time. Watching both him and my mother suffer horribly wrenched my heart every day. After 3 months I got a viral infection and spent 8 years ill. I was weakened by my lifestyle and way of thinking before the virus came along. If I were strong, I would have bounced back.
Knowing these 3 things could change your life:
Your food choices affect your stress levels
Certain products rob nutrients needed for resilience
Despite what’s going on in your life you can become more resilient to stress
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Carrageenan is a thickener used in many ready-made and free-from foods to improve the texture and stop things like yoghurts and plant milks from separating.
A long-standing puzzle is why this “harmless” emulsifier is used to induce gut inflammation in experimental medical research, yet it is also approved as a food additive. Associate professor of Clinical Medicine Joanne Tobacman from the University of Illinois has reviewed the data on this ingredient. Although in experimental research the degraded carrageenan used to produce inflammation was different from the undegraded carrageenan used in foods, there was in fact a marginal to non-existent distinction between types of carrageenan. Her conclusion was that this common additive causes colon inflammation. It causes inflammatory substances to invade your protective gut lining, causing ulcerations and evidence of colitis.
There is evidence to show that our increasing intakes of dietary emulsifiers like carrageenan are partly responsible for the explosion of inflammatory bowel disease. IBD has been steadily increasing in the late 20th century and has doubled worldwide since 2000.
Dr. Tabacman and her team went on to trial a no-carrageenan diet for people in remission from inflammatory bowel disease. They put all patients on a carrageenan-free diet. One group a capsule containing less than an average daily exposure amount of carrageenan. The other group got a placebo capsule with no carrageenan. The results were striking. Half the carrageenan capsule patients relapsed. None of the 100% carrageenan-free group did. Information kindly provided by Dr. Ben Brown writing in IHCAN.
What else might you be eating that’s keeping you ill?
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