Building A Gut Profile......Days 10 to 12 of Our Probiotic Fast

Day 10 to 12

We are now on day 13 of our fast and feeling pretty good. To be honest, most of the time I feel as if I could carry on indefinitely – I think this is what it feels like to make progress!

Now, to catch you up on what I have been doing….

Days 10 and 11, we just fasted on our fermented drinks, apple cider vinegar and beet root fermented juices. Oh, and I have increased my intake of herbal teas – now I am including a liver tonic along with the hormone balance herbs.

During my fasts is the only time I have experienced unprecedented healing/balancing/regulating of body systems. Therefore, it always makes sense to me to take in lots of herbal teas anytime I fast because you get results far more quickly. Even if only doing a day here and there, herbal tea is the way to go!

To be honest, I just find that all healing takes place at an unprecedented rate whenever I am fasting….healing a body ‘system’ such as immune, endocrine and especially the digestive tract, is much more straight forward when unimpeded by food, debris and by products of metabolism. 

Of course, our bodies heal from the top down, inside out, however, the largest fires will be put out first. So, healing takes time and continued effort on our parts. Deeper inflammation takes the longest. But, you will see improvements no matter how long the fast!

Then, for day 12 - we broke our fast again with lots of garlic with a plan to have some milky foods the next day. I keep craving milk (perhaps because we have so much of it right now!). Over these past couple of days I have been wondering about the best way to get it into my system – fermented milk products are awesome for gut bacteria especially homemade from raw milk.

So, I decided to include some dandelion coffee with our own raw goat’s milk in it, a couple times a week to also help build beneficial bacterial colonies. It tastes great (we gave up drugged coffee years ago) and dandelion has the added benefit of supporting our livers. 

BUT….did you know that dandelion root is also a prebiotic? This means it has components that feed and benefit gut bacteria in their struggle to survive. And roasted dandelion root or dandelion coffee tastes quite nice. It’s a bitter herb needed to keep things in a healthy balance. 

What I know about beneficial bacteria in our guts is that they need all sorts of different foods (raw, living, wild, cooked, sweet, bitter, sour, fibre) to nourish them. Because this is a probiotic fast, I can see and feel already how it is working.

Over these next few hours I plan on getting a little bit of milk into my system – raw and fermented in smoothies and with dandelion coffee as well as perhaps a little meat or fish. 

Meat sounds like a weird thing to include on a mini break from our liquid fast days, however, we also have gut microbes who are complete carnivores (just like my cat) and I want to feed them as well. 

Let’s keep everyone happy in there! 

Up to this point I am feeling very well. I always feel great when I am fasting and my energy levels are quite good – even for all of the detox, changeover and perhaps a bit of an immune boost that is taking place in our guts. There’s a lot of shifting and changing going on…..

April

Getting there!

A Slow Summer Day and Digestion

When the sun shines, everything gets better. That about sums up how all of Ireland feels at the moment (at least where the weather is concerned!). It is great to finally get some sun, heat and a real summer.

And we are thankful for it. Now…..on to other things! LOL

This week I am back fasting actually (just a little bit) for a day or two here and there. It is the perfect weather for taking a break from food, because it is warm, sunny and easy to manage without spending time thinking about and preparing meals.

Really, now that I am thinking about it – I remember days gone by when I used to live in southern Ontario – and the heat! It was ungodly hot during some of those summers and guess what?

Digesting food was a little more difficult. It was as if my tummy slowed down or something….I just wanted to sip on water and clear fluids – but eating on those long hot days…..just left me feeling uncomfortable in myself.

Of course, there is always a place for food – but as the weather changes outside of us, it shifts and alters on the inside as well. On a hot day such as this, we all feel a little sluggish, we may move more slowly (to avoid sweating!) and feel like taking it easy.

Perhaps this is a great message from deep within the inner workings of our digestive systems (yes we are paying attention). These summer days are better suited towards refreshing fluids and little else…..thus making us feel more comfortable in the heat….

After all, digesting a meal generates more heat in an already hot body….it also uses up loads of energy to try moving food through and doesn’t help with our summer waistlines.

So….it’s back to a little fasting for me. And you know what? I feel better (and cooler) already.

April

Remember to leave out lots of water for your pets too!