In establishing or caring for any garden, you need to follow a certain procedure. Some careful planning such as choosing the right plants and environment, good nourishment, and undertaking regular maintenance, will ensure that it thrives. Interestingly enough, the same can be said for your Gut, your Mind -your Health and Wellbeing in general!
Originally coined by my good friends Alana, Aaron and Anthia, the term “Gut Gardening” encompasses healing through traditional methods inclusive of a healthy approach to Nutrition. Following the garden analogy is a simple way to help understand that in “Weeding” “Seeding” and “Feeding” our gut, we can move towards improved health.
WEED
We first need to clear the excess rubbish and the bad bugs so we can prepare for replanting. Parasites can get into the intestine through the mouth, from uncooked or unwashed food, contaminated water, pets, or hands or skin contact with larva infected soil. When they are swallowed, they move into the intestine where they can reproduce and cause symptoms including coughing, cramping, migraines, bloating, flatulence, skin itching, depression, acne, loss of sex drive, and infertility. This process can be done via a couple of different processess – Herbal Remedies, Food and Bowel Purge (depending on what you require specifically eg: your current stress levels, workload, physical symptoms.)
Herbal Support-
Natural herbs to support the process ought to be prescribed through each stage of Gut Gardening through a licensed practioner such as a Naturopath. These are to assist our personal healing depending on the symptoms we individually present, and will provide essential nutrients to aid in repairing of gut lining and improving digestion. One of the best ways to determine this, is via an Indican Test (urine).
Bowel Purge:
While it may not be a topic for the dinner table, this process is an effective way to dramatically reduce the bacteria in the gut (Eliminate the waste ) at the beginning of the Weeding process. This is generally done by drinking a Salt Water solution (I prefer a glass of water with a tspn of Epsom Salts), Fresh Aloe Vera Juice or herbs such as Cascara.
**Always consult with your Naturopath before commencing as this step is not for everyone. It’s not recommended if you have a history of sensitive gut wall, current diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease or if pregnant or breastfeeding.**
Food:
These little critters love to thrive off sugars and processed foods commonly found in a typical diet, therefore one of the most important steps is to weed the Small and Large Intestines of Parasites, Fungus, Bacteria and Yeasts.
- Sugars
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Processed Foods
- Yeasts
- Cows Milk
- Dairy
- Grains
- Most Fruits (excluding Green Apples, Grapefruit, Coconut, Lemons, Limes, Avocado and Tomato)
SEED and FEED
Once we weed out all the bad bugs, we need to work on gradually repopulating/ rebalancing the intestinal gut flora. Re-populating is a crucial but missed step in the modern day medical system. Considering the many prescriptions of Anti-Biotics being filled (which kill off all bacteria – both bad and good), it’s a scary fact that pro-biotics prescription (and education of ) by the average doctor seems to be exempt. It’s really no surprise that we continue to get sick!
In order to restore this balance we do so by..
- Providing nutrients and maintaining good digestive function via herbs and good quality whole foods (proteins, carbohydrates and good quality fats) and fluids to heal the intestinal lining.
- Re-inoculating with good bugs in a pro-biotic form and through the introduction of lacto-fermented foods.
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