#parents

HOW STRONG IS THE EGG ?

Correct biochemical balance in our children help increase their resilience, balancing the impact from environmental factors

Have you ever seen a chick emerge from within its egg? The yellow and fluffy, soft and very cute little ball popping into the world.

Recently I read a quote by Jim Kwik, an expert in memory improvement, brain optimisation, and accelerated learning (Jim Kwik has a lot of interesting knowledge to share, so check him out if you do not know him yet). The quote reads:

“If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from the inside.”

What a fantastic analogy for our children, and especially for kids with Autism or other neurodiversity. Wouldn’t you agree?

Every child needs the strength, energy, and a certain level of resilience in their body to respond to outside stimuli in the right, healthy way. Inside capacity should correlate with outside effort; yin and yang; push and pull! Otherwise, the stronger external force will cause an imbalance and, consequently, a blockage.

Sometimes parents provide lots of positive external factors to support their child in the best possible way, but, for some reason, the child is not fully responsive to those stimuli. For example, you want your child to have better focus, be less hyperactive, process information better and attain better results at school. Right? With this goal in mind, as a caring, and loving parent, you may take your child to different activities, therapies, and educational programmes. But the child is only partially responding to all of your efforts. They improve a little bit, but then, no further breakthrough! Why?

Because the effort from outside exceeds the effort, or rather your child’s capacity to react, from inside.

Nowadays our kids often have low energy levels. They do not have enough essential minerals and other nutrients like essential fatty acids, amino acids, antioxidants, and vitamins. Their mitochondria do not work at full capacity to produce enough energy for optimal functioning, healing and learning. Our kids are full of different toxins that their bodies spend too much energy on trying to get rid of, to detox. Our children simply do not have enough internal strength to be able to react properly to the great activities they are being exposed to. Our children are, consequently, very sensitive and instead shut themselves down to feel protected from any stimuli (positive and negative).

Since our kids are so delicate and vulnerable, too much of a good thing could be TOO MUCH for them. Have you noticed this as well? We need to be careful to not break their “egg” with our outside force.

So, how can we generate better inside force, boost the energy level, and increase the resilience level of our kids? The answer is to RESTORE THEIR BIOCHEMICAL BALANCE by addressing malnourishment, dysbiosis, detoxification, and oxidative stress. Let’s help our kids gain the internal strength to better respond to an enriched external environment. Our kids need balance in their internal environment so that they can easily step out of their “protective state”, break out from their “eggshell” into reality, into your parental loving and supportive hands, into this world. Let us remember that “great things always begin from the inside.”

How strong is the egg — The impact of external and internal factors can be balanced out

My simple, yet very effective method could help to identify exactly if your child requires additional internal strength to step out of their ‘eggshell.’ Contact me to discuss how we can restore the biochemical balance in your child.

Book a free discovery call through my website: https://dririnaschurov.com/

Picture by Irina Schurov, photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash

DO NOT LET ANXIETY RULE YOUR LIFE!

The COVID-19 pandemic period is still ongoing and continues to influence our lives in many different ways. One very important impact, that goes beyond physical health and financial challenges, is the enormous resulting emotional overload. In fact, this pandemic has been associated with a dramatic increase in mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. But this is no surprise! How do you feel when, wherever you look, you see people around you in masks, when you cannot see their faces and cannot tell what they’re feeling? How do you feel when people are desperately trying to avoid each other? How do you feel when you cannot invite friends to your home or meet with your relatives? Personally, I feel confused, stressed and simply uncomfortable. All of this behaviour is completely counterintuitive for humans, it goes against our very nature! This is exactly why sensitive children with neurodiversity are experiencing a considerable surge of anxiety, which, to varying degrees, is already commonly present in many of them. The reason for this is that their nervous system is more alert and quicker to react to different stimuli, causing a sensory overload which, in turn, fuels their anxiety! It is important to note that all of these feelings, if left unresolved, will not simply disappear. As with all negative emotions, they are, instead, likely to transform into longer-term issues that can last multiple years.

Thus, arises the question, what can we do to help our sensitive children overcome their pandemic-induced anxiety and move forward with confidence and optimism?

BE CALM AND GROUNDED

We have to remember that children look to their parents for guidance on how to handle the world, meaning that when parents are stressed, their children also feel stressed. Therefore, we need to start with ourselves. We need to be calm and emotionally grounded. Take a deep breath. Meditate. Calm your anxious mind. You will soon notice that when you are calm, your kids will also be. Children tend to do what they see.

2. TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN

Don’t be afraid to calmly talk to your children about COVID-19 at a level they understand, without overloading them with information. This is an opportunity to share actual facts and help them work through their feelings. Let them ask questions and help them express themselves through drawing, music and physical activities like dance or sport.

3. CONTROL YOUR ENVIRONNENT, ELIMINATE UNNECESSARY STIMULI

Eliminate extra toxins and irritants, such as bright light, EM pollution, junk food, processed food, drinks with sugar and additives, and negative news. Do lots of calming and relaxing activities like Epsom salt baths, massages with essential oils, read books, listen to music, practice mindfulness together.

4. ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO LEARN HOW TO PAUSEAND BREATHE

Show your children how to pause, recognise what is bothering them and gently but deeply breathe through the nose and out through the mouth. This slows everything down and allows the child to calm themselves down.

5. BUILD A RELAXING SPACE

Together with your children, create a space for for them to “escape” should they need to. Let them choose their favourite cushions, blankets, bean bags etc., anything they want, to really make the place their own little sanctuary! This would be a perfect place for them to keep their “worry box” and “happy box”, where they can put notes about what is concerning them or bringing them joy. Identifying and writing out the emotions felt in such a way, and then physically placing them somewhere else, helps to relieve any anxiety.

6. USE ESSENTIAL OILS

Aromatherapy has proven to be very helpful when dealing with anxiety. The most effective choice is Lavender oil, as it contains an active compound that targets the same parts of the brain as anti-anxiety drugs, only without side effects. The best oils for anxiety, apart from Lavender, are Bergamot orange, Chamomile, Clary sage, Lemon, Neroli, Rose, Ylang-ylang. You can either use them topically or by inhaling them directly or passively through an infuser. Additionally, children may enjoy massages or baths with oils.

7. KNOW WHICH SUPPLEMENTS YOU CAN USE

You can also try different supplements that help with anxiety and stress. Here are a few that I can recommend.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid, more commonly known as “GABA” is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in our brain. Very often children with neurological conditions have an imbalance of neurotransmitters and a low GABA level may contribute to their anxiety. You can use the “GABA Calm” formula by Source Naturalis or “GABA” by KAL. You should be able to see whether or not the supplements have had an impact on your child relatively quickly (in 2-3 days).
L-theanine is an amino acid that boosts GABA levels in the body. It is not an essential amino acid, and our body doesn’t produce it, however, it can be found in green or black tea. As children do not tend to drink very much tea, they may benefit from such supplementation.
Magnesium is an essential mineral in our body and plays a key role in the body’s stress response, as it helps our muscle cells relax after contracting. When magnesium levels are low, our muscles may contract too much contributing to anxiety and stress. Research shows that the best mineral form against anxiety is Magnesium L-threonate, as it is able to pass through the blood brain barrier and be absorbed by cells.
Cod Liver Oil contains long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Omega-3 plays a role in strengthening cell membranes and improving the passage of Serotonin, the happiness hormone, into cells.
Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that produce neurotransmitters including GABA, Serotonin and Dopamine. Research shows that probiotics are able to improve people’s mood and response to stress.
Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb that has been shown to lower anxiety, especially anxiety related to open or crowded places, as it is lowers cortisol levels in people with chronic stress.
CBD oil is a non-psychoactive compound that blocks certain enzymes that trigger inflammation in the body and brain, reducing anxiety, an otherwise negative consequence of such inflammation.

With all of these tools, you can work on your own stress levels and then help your children to deal with their anxiety. Lead by example!

The festive holiday period is a great time to practise positive activities as a family, especially this year! Connect with your family in new ways: read books together, play games, go on long walks to breath the fresh winter air and enjoy the opportunity to chat! Best of all, prepare meals together! Take advantage of this time to become closer and to discover different family activities, which will help diminish the anxiety in you and your children.

“UNDIET” YOURSELF THIS YEAR AND GO WILD!

At the beginning of each new year, many people set themselves a variety of objectives, such as aiming to follow a specific diet as a part of their healthy eating plan. This is a wonderful initiative! Have you tried it before? Which particular diet did you try adopting? Vegan, Keto, Raw Food diet, Intermediate Fasting? Let me know how it went! The trouble is that many people give up on these resolutions very quickly, determining the specific diet attempted to be ineffective and seeing no point in continuing with it or trying it again. However, the truth is that the diet in question may not work for you simply because it is not the right eating pattern for your body at this current moment in time.

Each diet addresses specific health issues or eating needs. It is, therefore impossible to decide which specific diet you may need and how long you should follow it, without first understanding your own symptoms. Once your body’s needs have been addressed, the eating plan should be adjusted accord to your personal response. However, if you were to explore all the different diets, you would notice one factor common to them all – each diet suggests replacing eating rubbish with eating real food! This fundamental principle of eating healthy is encoded deep in our human genetics.

Therefore, today, I would like to share with you a very simple 7-step solution that will help you improve your health without needing to adopt any particular diet. So, here is your Healthy UNDIET Guide to fundamental and essential changes for the better!

“Eat real” as much as you can!

Simply do not buy any processed food, including sauces, biscuits and tinned products. You can start gently, reducing little by little, and eventually aim to eat 100% whole food that you know was made in your kitchen! This will help eliminate any unwanted components, that happen to be toxic, from your body and raise awareness about food and its nutritional value.

“Eat wild” and organic as much as possible!

Nowadays we mostly eat modified food that looks good and tastes better, but that, unfortunately, has lost many of its healing properties and contains fewer nutrients. For example, wild blueberries are much smaller and less sweet than big, commercially produced berries. However, despite their lesser size, they actually contain more useful micronutrients!

Drink more water!

This sounds very easy, yet, how many of us drink at least 2 litres of water a day, especially during the winter? Water is essential for the digestion, detoxification, energy level maintenance, healthy skin, blood pressure control and so much more.

Eat slowly and chew better!

Digestion starts in your mouth. Make sure you swallow properly liquified food. Even when you eat soup, do not rush and take your time ensuring that the enzymes from your saliva have had the chance to do their job in the oral cavity. This way you will also experience more flavours, textures and smells from the meal you eat, allowing you to enjoy it more!

Eat diverse food!

Any single food doesn’t contain all the essential nutrients that we require for health and well-being. Therefore, by eating a diverse, balanced, multicoloured range of ingredients, you can consume the necessary amount of micro-elements for normal body function.

Take a deep breath before you eat!

When you do diaphragmatic breathing 5-10 times before your meal, you reduce your level of stress, improve your digestion and increase your metabolism. Simple, but so powerful.

Stop counting calories!

A calorie is not a measure of health. The quality of the food consumed sets up your metabolism and is much more important than calories. It has been shown that counting calories can actually increase your appetite and cause weight gain.

Therefore, follow these 7 practical steps and let me know how they go! They may take some time to take effect, and that is OK. Work on them one step at the time and be patient! The aim is to live a rich and fulfilling life without any restrictions and to enjoy your food every day.

Please, do not hesitate to contact me for more information, advice or consultation.

Photo by Peter Wendt

Irina

Flu Season – Lesson to learn!

It seems that the flu this season has been especially intense and many people I know have found themselves affected. If your influenza lasts 2-3 days, it is absolutely fine – simply a good boost to your immune system. However, if it lasts 2-3 weeks and possibly has some side effects, such as bacterial infection, this is not ideal at all. According to ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control), flu activity this season has reached the epidemic threshold in 8 European countries (Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, UK) and is still increasing in northern, southern and western Europe. (1)

Interestingly, even people with a good immune system have suffered more than usual from the flu this year. This information confirms that all of us, now more than ever, need to focus on supporting our immune systems. Some people choose the flu vaccination while others go for natural prevention and natural remedies. The choice is yours! However, even experts suggest that flu shots may only be 10% effective (2). If the flu vaccine is helpful, why are flu symptoms getting worse and why does the number of affected people keep growing all the time?

I, personally, am a huge believer that only by building and supporting the immune system with food, herbs, essential oils and quality supplements, can we achieve great and sustainable results. Especially when it comes to our dear children! Some kids have already lost their lives to the flu (3). How unimaginably devastating is this for parents and relatives?

So, what is the best way to protect our children and ourselves from this growing issue? How can we improve our immune systems effectively?

It is important to understand that THE IMMUNE SYSTEM WORKS WELL WHEN OUR BODY IS BALANCED AND FUNCTIONS WELL, when our immune system doesn’t constantly need to be strained and battle against many different stressors. It means we need to control the level of stress in our lives, including the one caused by artificial light, EM pollution, processed food and our ecological and mental environment. Of course, FOOD PLAYS AN ENORMOUS ROLE IN SETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT AND IS ACTUALLY THE BEST NATURAL ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY RESOURCE. For example, garlic and onion, which have, for centuries, been known for their medicinal properties; oregano oil, which kills pathogenic bacteria and fungi without hurting beneficial bacteria; Manuka honey, which is famous for its antibacterial properties; green leafy vegetables, which are strong anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory products.

However, in addition to this, we need to make sure that our body receives and utilises all the nutrients from the food we eat. It is important to recognise that EVEN WHEN WE EAT VERY WELL; MANY OTHER FACTORS PLAY A ROLE IN THE DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION OF MICRONUTRIENTS FROM FOOD TO OUR BODY AND CAN DRAMATICALLY AFFECT THE NUMBER OF VITAL MOLECULES THAT ARE DELIVERED TO OUR CELLS. Factors like the health of our digestive system, the number of good bacteria in our gut, levels of stomach acid and digestive enzymes, food allergies and sensitivities, conditions of the liver as well as many others, need to be taken into consideration! So, how do you know if the food you consume actually provides you with all the micronutrients necessary for your immune system’s support? HOW CAN YOU FIND OUT IF YOU AND YOUR CHILD HAVE A SUFFICIENT MICRONUTRIENT BALANCE?

My advice: listen to your body, take note any symptoms and make a list! Here are some possible symptoms for you to consider and to then contact me about for discussion:

Irregular stool (constipation or diarrheal)
Bloating after eating
Dry, itchy, flaky skin
Adult acne
Red cheeks, ears
White spots on nails
Coated tongue
Lack of confidence
Foggy brain, lack of focusing
Night sweats
Sensitivity to alcohol, tobacco smoke, household chemicals

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, I am happy to offer you a FREE Discovery Session to discuss, advise and to provide you with an effective boost to your, and your children’s, immune systems. Please stay warm and contact me: irina@liveright.eu

How Nutrigenomics Can Help Your Child With Autism – A Solution For Parents!

Today I came across this devastating message from a mother of a child with autism: “I am very confused. My non-verbal son did something very strange, he insisted that I touch him! I am terrified that somebody is sexually abusing my son! I’m terrified and extremely lost in what to do. Please help. WHAT DO I DO?!?!!!”

HOW TO UNLOCK YOUR CHILD’S POTENTIAL – The Solution For Parents Of A Child With ASD

Have you ever thought about how children with autism are actually the best teachers for all of us? They are very sensitive to many of the harmful substances and elements around us and manifest their negative reactions to them very clearly. For instance, they try to isolate themselves from the noisy and polluted environment, full of chemicals and toxins. They often develop picky eating as their digestive system is sensitive to many different foods leading them to look for comforting and rewarding substances like sugary products. They immediately run away from unnecessary communication and activities that they do not enjoy doing and preserve their energy for necessary and enjoyable things.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE ANSWER TO WHY YOUR CHILD ISN’T SLEEPING? 3 Tips For Mothers of Children With Autism to Help Their Little Ones Get a Better Night’s Sleep

How quiet and peaceful is your sleep? Do you manage to get quality rest during the night time? If you are a mother of a child with autism, then it is very likely that your answer to these questions will be negative! 80% of children with ASD have sleep problems and this, of course, affects the whole family and especially the mothers. These sleepless, restless nights when your child can not sleep for a long time or when even during sleep he is constantly moving and kicking, can easily drive you crazy. Have you been through this type of frustration? You are tired, you hide your head under the pillow, you try to use headphones, but nothing helps! And proper rest when your child has finally stopped wandering around or persistently tossing and turning and has fallen asleep is but a dream. THIS EXHAUSTION DUE TO LACK OF SLEEP IS NOT HEALTHY FOR ANYONE. Night rest is a very special period of time when our body is not just resting, but also detoxifying, restoring and healing itself. If you start to abuse this pattern of rest, so vital to our health, very quickly you will generate misbalance in your body, which may then result in any number of chronic health conditions. But how can you help your child to overcome these sleep disturbances? If you are searching for such a solution then this article is for you!

The 3 Key Points For Mothers of Autistic Children to Succeed In the Dietary Programme

By now, you will have probably come across the nutritional and dietary approach to autism., It has been in the media many times recently and you may have seen articles such as, “The miracle that cured my son’s autism in our kitchen” or “Autism recovery with the GAPS diet: one mother’s story”. As a mother of a child with autism, what do you think when you see articles like these? Interesting? Impossible? Nonsense? Another garbage? What flashes through your overwhelmed brain? When you are drained and tired from dealing with your special child 24/7 when you are overwhelmed from visiting different specialists and trying different techniques that may work but by no means dramatically improve the situation when you are afraid to think about the future of your child because you are not sure how he/she will cope in this uneasy world by himself when you experience all of these feelings and then somebody tells you that some diet could actually be the miracle treatment for your child… Of course, you may well be very sceptical or even angry towards such opinions and you, probably would not even click on any of the articles listed above to read through. You feel fed up with these ridicules media adverts!

FLU SEASON OR FESTIVE SEASON – WHICH ONE DO YOU PREFER?

Guess what, the exciting holiday season is approaching! But, at the same time, the season of being ill and unwell is also knocking on our doors! However, nobody wants to be sick during the festive period! We all dream of the great company of healthy loved ones, of having lots of fun and experiencing lots of joy! So, I want to share my personal experience to help you to stay festive and healthy during Christmas time and likewise any other time.

To my surprise, last week I got the flu. It was very unexpected as I had almost forgotten what it means to be ill! Really! Last year, all I had was a mild cold for a couples of days, but this year I experienced the proper flu! While I was in bed (always the best place to think) I remembered how I used to be ill regularly, 3-4 times a year for 3 or more weeks each time. I used to have asthma which would always be initiated by any bacterial or viral infection and normally took a long time to clear out from my body. I suddenly remembered the horrible feeling of being completely incapable of doing anything and of wasting many ineffective hours in bed. Do you not think life is too short to be ill and that we cannot afford to spend this precious time fighting the flu as opposed to doing something great and useful? Nowadays, too many people, especially children, are unwell over long periods of time and, as a result, develop lots of chronic conditions.

Interestingly, when people never get ill, that too is not very good for the body. You may be surprised, but, this is the truth. Let me explain. The prime aim of our immune system is to protect us from pathogenic bacteria, viruses and other invaders. Our immune system is always working by checking, identifying, removing and destroying “trespassers” in our body. Once “unwelcome guests” are identified, a whole series of chemical mediators are released and a whole cascade of reactions are activated. The inflammation reaction occurs in certain local areas of our body, causing symptoms like a sore throat or a runny nose. From the immune system’s point of view, this is a call for action that mobilises the body’s internal recourses to fight the infection. However, from our point of view, this is a complete inconvenience and we try to remove these symptoms with medications and thus interfere in the normal process of the body healing. To do its job properly, our immune system needs to know its “enemies” and, therefore, needs to be exposed to these bacteria and viruses periodically. But of course, if your immune system is healthy, then your illness will be very short and painless like mine was this time. Over 3 to 5 days, with as much of extra rest and sleep as possible, your body will be able to clear the symptoms without any further chronic consequences, such as e a cough or ear infection. This way the cold or flu allow the body to cleanse itself and boost its immune system. Therefore, never getting sick is a sign of a weak immune system rather than the other way around. Ideally, one or two colds per year is a good amount of exercise for our immune system to be in a good shape.

But of course, we need to be aware of a hypersensitive immune system when we experience different allergies and an overly reactive immune system which increases the chances of developing an auto-immune disease. Any unbalance of the immune system is not good for our health! Our body is very cleverly designed and our task is to listen to its signals and respond to them correctly. So, how does your body show that your immune system is out of balance?

Let’s see just a few symptoms that you really need to be aware of:

Regular colds and flu
Lasting chronic conditions after having colds and flu like cough or ear infection
Chronic tiredness and lack of energy
Allergies to food or environmental factors like ‘hay fever’
Skin problems like eczema, acne ect.
Inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease ect.
Digestive disorder like IBS, celiac disease ect.

These are the main issues but naturally this list can be continued. And, of course, you noticed digestive conditions on the list. This is because our digestive tract and immune system are closely connected and up to 80% of the immune system is located in our gut. 70% of our immunity is established during early childhood and closely depends on our microbiome development and diversity.

Therefore, the best thing to survive the flu season is NOT to do a flu jab and NOT to stack your cupboard with concentrated vitamin C or nasal sprays and other medications, but rather to invest your effort in the prevention of getting ill and supporting of your immune system through the year! And you can start anytime! Please, remember that flu vaccinations are not helpful to you or your children and can cause many different problems and side effects. First of all, they add to your toxic load as they contain Mercury and this can be extremely problematic for some children causing some neurotoxic effects and leading to neurological disorders. Furthermore, lots of different scientific reports describe a connection between flu vaccinations and conditions like narcolepsy in children, foetal deaths and of course, more flu. You can read more about it here: https://vactruth.com/2013/02/01/8-damn-good-reasons/

I am so glad that I have spent some time improving my immune system naturally! It caused huge changes in my life and everyone in my family’s life. I am not afraid of traveling and getting sick any more and I look forward to the holiday period with the confidence of knowing that I will have lots of fun rather than spend it ill like I used to.

So, how exactly can this be done? How did I do it and what worked for me? I keep repeating that we are all very different and any recommendations should be followed with great care and you should always check your individual reaction to the changes that you are introducing. We need to learn to understand our own body’s language! In my situation, several life style changes were very effective. After moving to Switzerland, I started to spend much more time outside. We have a dog, Bella, and she needs to walked every day, 3 times a day in any weather. So, we just do it! To be in nature and in fresh air regularly helps to release stress and activate many vital body functions, including thinking, digestion, cardiovascular health and so on. Then, I started taking Juice Plus (whole food based supplement) that suddenly boosted my metabolism and I also lost about 10 kg of weight. By normalising my portion size, switching to organic products, reducing amount of gluten and grains in general, by diversifying my diet through eating more vegetables, introducing home-made fermented foods and many other different superfoods, I have manged to completely take control of my immune system and energy level I have forgotten when last time I bought any medications was. I prefer natural remedies and I am a big fun of essential oils!

Therefore, my advice to you is to not waste your precious time, invest in your health by making life style changes and restoring your connection to real food! Start this holiday season, do it step by step and celebrate every small achievement! I find Christmas is the best time of the year to cook together with your children, experiment with new foods, practice mindful eating and, of course, ask Santa Clause for a new exciting kitchen gadgets with which you enjoy many hours in your lovely kitchen! I have already made my Santa list! What about you?

As usual, I look forward to receiving your ever valuable questions, comments and feedback: irina@liveright.eu

ARE PROBIOTICS REALLY GOOD FOR OUR HEALTH?

In spite of the many articles about gut health and how hugely it impacts our body and brain function, lots of people are still confused about probiotics. I keep receiving questions about probiotics, prebiotics, fermented food and so on.

Let’s try to address this confusion right now to better understand what probiotics actually mean for us and what the best way to obtain them is.

Are probiotics new, trendy supplements that can help with any health condition? Are they a new panacea for all diseases? Are they the result of new technology and scientific breakthrough? Let’s explore.

Probiotic means “for life”. Probiotics are live bacteria that can be found in our digestive tract and which support our health. Remember that our body has 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells. WE ARE ACTUALLY MORE MICROBE THAN HUMAN!

Research clearly shows the link between our gut health, the state of our microbiome, the combination, number and type of bacteria inside of us, and the function of our body and brain. 80% of our entire immune system is based in our digestive tract! Our gut is home to the “second brain” since a big part of our neurological system called enteric nervous system is located there. Therefore, it is obvious that A HEALTHY GUT MEANS A HEALTHY BODY!

However, the way we live and eat today doesn’t provide good support for our gut flora. Antibiotics, medications, chemicals in body care products and cleaning products, a diet high in carbohydrates, processed foods, lots of sugar, stress; all of these factors are constantly damaging our gut flora. We are facing so many different toxic factors causing a huge imbalance in the microbiome where pathogenic bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses can overgrow and trigger many health conditions. In the healthy gut we can see about 85% of good microorganisms and 15% of bad microorganisms. If this ratio is compromised, we start to experience its negative effect.

Nowadays, the majority of people have digestive problems and, as result, develop chronic inflammation in the body which cause many chronic conditions like chronic fatigue, thyroid imbalance, joint pains, migraines, depression and so on. That is why when people start to address their gut health issues, they can actually improve a variety of their clinical symptoms and help normalise the function of various systems in the body. And probiotics are doing exactly this, they can help to restore the balance between “good” and “bad” bacteria.

New research keeps proving the numerous benefits of probiotics. We now have strong evidence that probiotics help to:

Improve the function of the immune system
Boost the digestive system
Enhance brain function and positively affect different neurological conditions
Help reduce the level of chronic inflammation and therefore heal conditions like IBS (inflammatory bowel disease)
Improve many skin conditions including eczema
Overcome allergies and food intolerances

Hence, PROBIOTICS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR OUR HEALTH!

But where can we find these “little life savers”? Probiotics come to us either as supplements or in the fermented foods. Probiotic supplements need to be carefully chosen if you want to take an effective product. It is wise to see what type of bacterial strains a probiotic contains and if they are alive, active cultures. Also, it is useful to know if a product is stable, well characterised, clinically effective and highly potent. Different strains of probiotics support different systems in the human body. Therefore, diversity is crucial. It is recommended to choose supplements that have more than 10 different strains and rotate the intake of products in order to obtain a better variety. This means you need to take different types of probiotics over a few months rather than only one type over a long period of time. Based on the extensive research published in this area, in his book “Brain Maker” Dr David Perlmutter suggests to focus on supplements that contain at least the following stains:

Lactobacillus plantarum, which is crucial for a gut health and integrity
Lactobacillus acidophilus, which plays an important role in the microbial balance and controls cholesterol levels
Lactobacillus brevis, which improves immune function and increases levels of the brain-growth hormone BDNF
Bifidobacterium lactis, which boosts immunity and prevents digestive illnesses
Bifidobacterium longum, which has antioxidant properties and helps prevent colorectal cancer by effectively lowering the intestinal pH

I think that supplements are very useful and of course can be very effective when you travel or take some antibiotics or want to help your baby establish a better digestion process. However, as any other supplements, probiotics in capsules are a temporary solution. The best way to obtain the balanced set of “little life savers” is from real food!

It is important to understand that PROBIOTICS ARE NOT A NEW INNITIATIVE AT ALL! Throughout our human history, probiotics have been traditionally used in many different cultures as a way to save and preserve food. Fermentation is simply a metabolic process of converting carbohydrates, like sugars, into lactic acid through bacteria. During this process the bacteria multiply and lactic acid protects the fermented food. By fermenting milk, meat, fish, vegetables and grains, our ancestors were consuming probiotics for centuries. And of course, probiotic foods have a much broader variety of bacterial strains in natural concentrations and combinations which suit our gut much better than supplements. Furthermore, fermentation also makes the nutrients in the food more bio-available. For example, fermented cabbage contains 20 times more vitamin C than fresh cabbage.

Which fermented foods do you know? From my childhood, I know milk kefir, kvass, kambuch and sauerkraut. These are typical foods in Central and Eastern Europe. At the same time, in India people drink lassi – a local yogurt-based drink. In Africa people produce amasi – another fermented milk product. What about kimchi or miso? These are very popular fermented foods in Asia. Therefore, we are not reinventing the wheel at all. We are just reintroducing these great foods back into our diet! Nowadays we call them SUPERFOODS. However, if you buy these foods as ready-made, you will not be able benefit from the probiotics very much! Commercially available foods are processed, pasteurised and practically don’t contain any bacteria. The best way to benefit from fermented food is to prepare it by yourself!!! HOME MADE PROBIOTIC FOODS ARE THE BEST DOCTORS! Let’s get back to the kitchen and prepare some probiotic-rich foods. You can buy, or get from somebody, different cultures/starters to produce milk kefir, cottage cheese, water kefir, yogurt, kombucha, kvass. But even without any special cultures and starters, using just good quality salt and other spices, we can easily make sauerkraut, kimchi and fermented vegetables. It is so simple to make, yet you get so much from it! Please, do your research and remind yourself how to ferment foods at home! Talk to your parents and grandparents about it and you will be surprised by how much knowledge they have in this area. And of course, you can always ask me!

What about prebiotics? What are they? Prebiotics are actually foods that feed “good” bacteria in our gut and by consuming them together with probiotics we achieve much better results. Usually prebiotics are products that contain non-digestive fiber. When we eat such foods, fiber passes through our digestive tract intact and it is only in colon that it can be fermented by the gut microflora. Therefore, prebiotics play a very important role in the health of our microbiome and hence, of our whole body. Unfortunately, the modern western diet is very low in prebiotics and we need to make sure we consume enough foods like raw garlic, raw or cooked onions, raw leeks, raw asparagus, raw dandelion greens, raw chicory root and under-ripe bananas. Now that you know how important prebiotic foods are, I hope you will find a way to bring them to your diet!

To conclude, I want to say that A LITTLE BIT OF FERMENTED FOODS EVERY DAY CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIFE OF YOUR LOVED ONES! Is it not fantastic to have such “magic” in your hands!?

As usual, I look forward to receiving your ever valuable questions, comments and feedback: irina@liveright.eu