Antibiotics and other drugs, sugar, grains, excessive hygiene and hereditary factors decrease our protection against intestinal fungi. What can you do to help keep your intestinal fungi healthy and keep candida overgrowth under control…

1. Have fermented foods with or just before your meals.

Naturally fermented foods are a powerful source of enzymes your body needs to help break down what you eat. Fermentated foods give you a natural boost of good bacteria in your body. So it is a good idea to consume kefir or yogurt, kombucha, fermented veggies (lacto-fermented pickles or salsa, sauerkraut) and any other food that is naturally lacto-fermented or made using live bacterial cultures like Rest Easy™

and Inner Garden™.

2. Drink less with meals and keep the ice to a minimum.

When you drink a lot during a meal, it dilutes the levels of hydrochloric acid in your stomach. Without this, digestion cannot proceed smoothly. Try to have your drinks at least 30 minutes before, or 30-60 minutes after you eat. Also beverages that are room temperature are easier on the digestive system and the liver than cold drinks, so skip the ice and your gut will thank you.

3. Add homemade bone broths to your diet and try to include them in meals as often as you can.

Use them in soups and stews, in gravies, in pasta sauces, in casseroles, or even drink the broth with or in between your meals. Bone broths are an easy low cost way to give your gut the gelatin and other nourishing nutrients it needs to stay balanced.

4. Eat less refined sugar and grains.

White sugars and refined carbohydrates really feed the growth of yeast like Candida and other bad bacteria in the digestive tract. If you are able to cut these out of your diet you are on your way to winning the gut health battle.

5. Start your morning with a glass of lukewarm water with fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

This gives your digestive system a gentle jump-start to prepare it for food. When you start the day off with good digestion, you will notice that your system will function better overall.

6. Digestive enzymes.

We do need to eat more live foods to get more live enzymes. However, this should not be mistaken that taking plant based “man made” enzymes from papaya or pineapple is a good substitute. This is definitely NOT a good substitute. One should always consume good live probiotics they in turn will secrete the appropriate enzyme for the appropriate food which is in front of them. There are over 400 different processes requiring over 400 different kinds of enzymes. This is why we recommend Inner Garden™

Or Rest Easy™ as they have full spectrum microorganisms which in turn will secrete the appropriate enzymes.

7. Listen to your body.

If something you eat seems to throw off your digestion (as evidenced by symptoms like heartburn, gas, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, etc. even if the symptoms are mild), take a break from that food. Give your body a longer rest before you eat another meal, rather than adding to an already upset system.

Try to avoid overeating, as this really taxes the digestive system and usually results in improper digestion.

When you have a digestive upset, instead of running to the antacid, go the natural route with Ginger tea, peppermint tea, and Inner Garden™ and you will be feeling better in no time at all. Just remember to give your stomach time to relax and do its work before you eat anything else.

Here is an interesting article on some recent research that is being done on how intestinal fungi is being linked to other disease throughout the body.

Experts 30 years later – Intestinal fungi like Candida can contribute to disease

Monday, June 25, 2012 by: Eric Hunter

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036285_Candida_disease_intestinal_health.html#ixzz1ypRL5iiO

NaturalNews) Certain biologists and “alternative” practitioners have long been supporting the notion that intestinal fungi can contribute to disease. When we take antibiotics or eat a western diet, yeasts like Candida Albicans gets a chance to flourish in the intestinal tract. Healthy gut flora is vital in maintaining our immune system, and severe alterations lead to poor health and disease.

However, the general medical community has been downplaying the role of intestinal fungi. This is largely due to the fact that little research has been done; it’s difficult to diagnose and it can’t be treated properly with pharmaceuticals.

New research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center looked at the connection between fungi and Ulcerative Colitis.

Dr. David M. Underhill and his team at the Inflammatory Bowel and Immunobiology Research Institute have been studying the interaction between Commensal Fungi and the C-Type Lectin Receptor, Dectin-1. In healthy animals Dectin-1 is produced and works as the body’s immune response against fungi.

The risk of developing Ulcerative Colitis increases significantly in mice with a defective form of Dectin-1. Dr. Underhill and his team treated these animals with an antifungal drug called Fluconazole (a fluoride compound) and observed that their symptoms moderated.

In humans, a mutated form of Dectin-1 is closely related to Ulcerative Colitis that doesn’t respond to medical therapy. When this important receptor isn’t working properly, our protection against intestinal fungi is decreased and we are more prone to develop Candidiasis.

It’s already known that gut flora in patients with UC differs significantly from healthy individuals. The fungal colonization of the colon may influence the activation of UC, and antifungal treatment causes clinical improvement in most individuals. Patients with Crohn’s disease and their healthy relatives are colonized with C. albicans more commonly than control families

30 years after “The Missing Diagnosis” by Orian Truss and “The Yeast Connection” by William Crook were released, there’s growing research in the medical community on the importance of gut flora and intestinal fungi.

In a healthy individual yeasts like Candida are kept under “control” by beneficial flora and receptors like Dectin-1. Antibiotics and other drugs, sugar, grains, excessive hygiene and hereditary factors decrease our protection against intestinal fungi. Treating fungi with antifungal drugs is only a short-term solution since it doesn’t address the underlying problems. Prevention and treatment should focus on establishing healthy gut flora, which in turn will protect against gut dysbiosis.

Sources for this article include

http://www.latimes.com

P. Marteau, P. Lepage, I. Mangin, et al. Gut flora and inflammatory bowel disease

Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Volume 20, Issue Supplement s4, pages 18-23, October 2004

C P Tamboli, C Neut, P Desreumaux, et al. Dysbiosis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Gut. 2004 January; 53(1): 1-4.

Guarner, Francisco. The intestinal flora in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Current Opinion in Gastroenterology. July 2005 – Volume 21 – Issue 4 – pp 414-418

Standaert-Vitse A, Sendid B, Joossens M, et al. Candida albicans Colonization and ASCA in Familial Crohn’s Disease

Am J Gastroenterol. 2009 Jul;104(7):1745-53. Epub 2009 May 26.

Zwoli?ska-Wcis?o M, Budak A, Trojanowska D, et al. [The influence of Candida albicans on the course of ulcerative colitis]

Przegl Lek. 2006;63(7):533-8.

N Engl J Med. 2009 Oct 29;361(18):1760-7. Human dectin-1 deficiency and mucocutaneous fungal infections.Ferwerda B, Ferwerda G, Plantinga TS, et al.

Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2010 Dec;36 Suppl 2:S58-62. Epub 2010 Dec 3. Severe Candida spp. infections: new insights into natural immunity.

van der Meer JW, van de Veerdonk FL, Joosten LA, et al.

About the author:

Eric is the editor of GutFlora.com. He’s an independent writer with a strong interest in personal health and the power of nature to help us heal. His entire adult life he’s been studying the underlying causes of disease and how to accomplish optimal health.

Eric works as a personal trainer and currently coaches a few dedicated clients on their way to a better physique. He specializes on barbell, kettle bell and sprint training. Subjects like mass building and weight loss are some of his favorites.

Eric believes that lifestyle choices have to be made on an evolutionary basis!

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036285_Candida_disease_intestinal_health.html#ixzz1ypRIQJA5

http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2010/03/simple-ways-to-improve-your-digestion-and-gut-health.html

Winston’s Comment:

When America was an agriculturally based society, everyone had vegetable gardens and they would preserve the harvest in glass jars for the winter. In this situation, everyone would get their digestive flora from the garden vegetables, and you never heard of the digestive problems that are common today. Rest Easy™ and Inner Garden™ are made with traditional wisdom and common soil-based cultures. My new Candida Freedom™ program utilizes Rest Easy™ and Inner Garden™ along with other proven components, to help get rid of the issues and restore proper digestive balance.