Gut 102: Get Your Gut and the Earth Back Into Balance—Healing From Within
Introduction: The Gut-Earth Connection
”Let food be thy medicine.” ~ Hippocrates
” Let what we eat heal Mother Earth.” ~ Mama Donna
In our last blog, Gut Health 101: Where Good Health Begins or Ends, I explained our guts in a way that you probably never thought about before. In this exploration, we will take it one step further and find out how to get our guts back into balance, with our bodies and with the Earth. I want you to fully understand the important connection between the components of our bodies and the elements of Nature. As we approach Earth Day, we need to celebrate our deep connection, our roots, to this magnificent planet. Nature teaches us about balance, so why do most of the population have some kind of gut disorder?
The Crisis: How We Got Here
Is it greed for profits or lack of shared knowledge that has brought on chronic indigestion, leaky gut, acid reflux, IBS, and other painful digestive conditions and diseases? The world’s people are getting force-fed an artificial diet, and it is making us sick. Food manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies created the demand for additive nutrient-void foods, and we are on a treadmill going nowhere if we continue to eat the Standard American Diet (SAD). Most food and drug companies produce products that erode mental and physical health while misusing Earth’s valuable resources.
So how did we get here? In a nutshell, the World Wars and the Industrial Revolution drastically changed our way of life. In a time of invention, processed foods helped to feed soldiers their field rations, and innovative technology became mainstream and has continued to evolve, as have escalating health problems. There was virtually no Type 2 diabetes in children fifty-five years ago. Obesity was rare, as were many of the chronic illnesses today—these diseases can be minimized or eliminated if business shifts to keeping people healthy versus being in the business of making people sick.
The Root Cause: Industrial Agriculture and Depletion
Since natural farming techniques turned into massive chemical agricultural systems, the vital nutrients from the soil have been increasingly depleting. At the expense of our health and that of the Earth, the majority of food companies have convinced the masses that cheap processed food is the best option. Because of this, the essential bacteria required for proper digestion in our gut have been depleted. Large pharmaceutical companies work hand-in-hand with the industrial food complex; both industries capitalize and profit on our poor health.
What do you put in your gut? Do you know where it comes from? How was it made, packaged, and transported? EVERYTHING YOU PUT IN YOUR BODY impacts the environment and your health. The growing and preparing of the food or products you put in and on your body directly affects your health, the soil, the economy, and future generations.
The Solution: Restoring Gut Flora With Fermented Foods
Get your gut back into balance with expert advice.
What you choose to eat has a significant impact on your microflora, which is essential to a healthy digestive and immune system. Dr. Mercola, Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Zack Bush, Donna Gates, and Sally Fallon agree that the ideal way to optimize your gut flora is to include fermented foods in your daily diet. One serving of fermented vegetables can contain 10 trillion colony-forming units of various healthy bacteria! Commercial probiotics supplements are not nearly as effective and are costlier.
It’s important to understand that you only get so many chances to stay healthy before you are at the mercy of Big Ag business, Big Pharma, and mounting medical bills. Like soil, which takes 200-400 years to make, your gut can’t renew itself in a short amount of time. Yes, you can heal your gut, but some people get so sick they need to have part of their digestive system cut out. We are not chameleons; our body will not grow back like a lizard’s tail. The good news is we can repair our gut flora by adding healthy probiotic foods—like we amend the soil using compost, you can amend your gut flora.
Key Principles: Diversity and Interconnection
Our gut is where we renew our resources. If you have ever taken antibiotics, used antibacterial soap, or avoided bacteria at all costs, it’s time to relearn and get back to basics. Society has brainwashed us into believing all bacteria are harmful—the key is to get more of the healthy bacteria into our guts. Optimum health relies on diversity, just as a healthy planet relies on biodiversity. Interconnecting everything from the soil to our souls, we can get and stay healthy.
Recipe: Mama Donna’s Simple Beet Kvass
Here’s a delicious, easy to make beverage loaded with healthy microbes you can make in minutes. A few sips a day is all you need to help keep your gut happy and healthy.
All you need is a ½ gallon mason jar, beets, salt, filtered water, a plastic lid, and a few days waiting time.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2-3 beets, depending on the size; enough to fill the jar ⅓ of the way
- 4 tsp. sea salt
- 2 quarts filtered water
- 1 whole cabbage leaf or other green leafy vegetables
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Cut beets into 1-inch pieces and place them in the half-gallon jar.
- Add salt, and fill the jar with water, leaving 1-inch headspace.
- Add cabbage leaf.
- Put a lid on the jar and put it in a dark corner of your kitchen.
- Culture at room temperature (60-70°F is preferred) until desired flavor and texture is achieved, about 5-7 days.
- Once your kvass is done, move the jar to the fridge. The kvass flavor continues to develop as it ages.
Optional: Add garlic, pickling spice, turmeric, ginger, dill, or whatever flavors you enjoy.
Conclusion: Celebrate Your Health Every Day
I care deeply about you and the Earth. This post aims to deepen your interest in the value of healthy microbes in your gut and on the planet, so we can all thrive together. We need to eat well every day, celebrate Earth Day every day, and take care of one another all the time.
Your Call to Action
This week, make one batch of fermented food (kvass, sauerkraut, kimchi, or kombucha) and commit to consuming a small portion daily. Notice how your digestion, energy, and mood shift with beneficial bacteria. Share in the comments: What’s your favorite fermented food? Let’s inspire each other to heal our guts and our planet through intentional eating!
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