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Three easy steps to improve intestinal health to drastically improve overall wellness when following a years-long, strict gut healing diet is not an option.
For a number of reasons, the majority of people don’t seem to have very good intestinal health anymore.
Most of the food we eat is not only lacking in nutrients, it’s filled with additives, preservatives, and other chemicals.
From the air we breathe and the water we drink, to the thousands of chemicals we come into contact with each day…it all takes its toll on the colon and, ultimately, on our overall health.
The digestive process begins as soon as food enters the mouth. As we chew our food we increase the surface area of food particles making the food more susceptible to digestive enzymes.
Smaller food particles also travel more easily (and quickly) throughout the small and large intestines.
In the stomach, food is mixed with gastric juices containing digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid. This mixture is known as chyme.
From the stomach, the chyme moves into the small intestine. There, more enzymes and bile are mixed with the chyme, and the breakdown of dietary proteins, fats, and carbs is complete.
Some carbs are not digested by human enzymes and they pass undigested into the colon.
Most nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine.
However, Vitamin K, niacin, and B vitamins are formed by beneficial bacteria in and absorbed by the colon. Vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting and niacin and the B vitamins affect energy levels, metabolism, feelings of fatigue, and the function of nerves.
Evidence suggests that serotonin is created in the colon as well.
The colon is also designed to eliminate toxins. When the colon is not working well, it begins to absorb toxins into the bloodstream rather than expelling them. You can see why having a healthy colon is important.
So how do you know if you have an unhealthy colon? First of all, if you’ve ever taken antibiotics there’s a pretty good chance that you colon health isn’t optimal.
Why? Because one of the determining factors of colon health is the composition of the microbes in your gut. Is it mostly friendly or is the majority unfriendly?
Antibiotics are designed to kill bacteria, and they don’t care whether they’re friendly or unfriendly.
Birth control pills, not enough dietary fiber, poor eating habits, alcoholic beverages, chlorine, sodium fluoride, and stress all contribute to intestinal flora imbalance too.
Our digestive system is home to more than 500 different bacterial species, and if 85% of the bacteria in our colon are friendly then the colon can handle the 15% of unfriendly bacteria.
The problem is most of us have this reversed. The result?
Diarrhea, constipation, excessive gas, bloating, allergies, eczema, irritable bowel, inflammatory bowel, kidney stones, ear infections, colds, vaginal yeast infections, Crohn’s disease, lactose intolerance, thrush, athlete’s foot, cancer, and on and on.
The big problem with these conditions is that more meds are used in most cases even when they were the cause of the intestinal problems in the first place. A common example is considering whether strep can go away on its own.
“Of course not” is the answer if you ask most people. The accepted conventional strep throat treatment is an immediate trip to the doctor for yet another prescription, which further destroys intestinal health!
And the rollercoaster to ever-increasing gut imbalance continues…
How Friendly Microbes Facilitate Health
Friendly bacteria (called probiotics – there are literally thousands of strains) prevent the overgrowth of yeast and fungus.
They help keep our intestines healthy in numerous ways including:
- Competition with candida in the intestine
- Suppression of the growth of potentially harmful bacteria
- Production of substances that optimize and balance cholesterol
- Enhancement of the protective barrier of the digestive tract
- Production of vitamin K1
- Stimulation of immune function
- Lowering of blood pressure in some people
- Aiding in the digestion of lactose
- Prevention of cavities and gum disease
- Decreasing the passage of bacteria or antigens from the intestines to the bloodstream
- Fighting pre-carcinogenic or mutagenic compounds
- Breakdown of oxalates (contributes to kidney stones)
- Detoxification of ingested carcinogens
- Production of compounds that inhibit the growth of tumor cells, and more!
So where do you get these probiotics?
Believe it or not, store-bought yogurt probably sometimes isn’t your best source. Neither is the probiotic pill that you buy at the health food store.
Why? Because the yogurt has been pasteurized which kills all the naturally occurring good bacteria in the raw milk!
Then, manufacturers only add back in a few strains of probiotics. On top of that, commercial yogurt isn’t fermented properly either!
With regard to probiotic supplements, they are dried into a powder which requires rehydration in the body before they can be effective.
In addition, probiotic manufacturers are increasingly using lab strains instead of wild ones, as Mother Nature intended.
What to do?
Well, probiotics can be found in homemade yogurt and kefir as well as naturally fermented sauerkraut and other naturally fermented foods.
When you ingest these foods, you’re actually putting friendly bacteria back into your gut!
So what does this have to do with the “perfect trifecta for intestinal health”? Well, probiotics is one part of it.
Let me tell you what we do in our family that works extremely well and is easy to do!
Fresh Garlic
First, every night before bed we take fresh garlic and chop it up fine – about a teaspoon full will do.
Then we let it sit for 14 minutes and swallow it like a pill.
The garlic kills the unfriendly bacteria in my gut and feeds the friendly bacteria; this is known as a prebiotic.
Amazingly, I don’t have garlic breath and I don’t smell like garlic when I sweat.
If you are one of those people who do stink from eating raw garlic, try fermented garlic instead.
It’s incredibly easy to make and pickled garlic cloves retain all the therapeutic value with the heat and odor potential significantly reduced or eliminated.
Clay
Second, every day we take a teaspoon of clay and mix it in a cup of water, let it sit for a few minutes, stir it again, and drink it.
Among other things, the clay is primarily negatively charged. By comparison, unfriendly bacteria, toxins, parasites, heavy metals, and radiation, are all positively charged.
As the clay travels through the digestive system, the unfriendly bacteria (and other things) are attracted to the clay and eliminated by the body.
Traditional peoples practiced the use of clay as well. For example, the Australian Aboriginal tribes would dip their food in water mixed with clay as they ate, presumably to protect them from whatever pathogens might be lurking.
Note that it is not a good idea to regularly use activated charcoal as a detox for these toxins instead.
Most people do not realize that AC takes nutrients out of the body too! Activated charcoal is for food poisoning and similar acute digestive issues only…it is not a substitute for clay.
Kefir
Third, throughout the day we drink kefir. Kefir is a better choice than yogurt as yogurt only contains a few strains of beneficial bacteria whereas kefir has 50 or even more!
Also, unlike yogurt, some of these are aggressive strains that recolonize the gut.
One word of caution.
Homemade kefir is better and more therapeutic than commercial brands, which have fewer strains and are likely fermented for shorter periods of time.
So, we’ve got the garlic killing the unfriendly and feeding the friendly; the clay pulling the unfriendly out of the system; and the kefir putting the friendly back into the system which the garlic then feeds.
See how that works?!
So, what have I noticed since I’ve been implementing the “perfect trifecta” for intestinal health in my life? Well, I’m more regular in my bowel movements (overshare, but it’s the truth).
Remember that your body is like a donut – round with a hole through the center. The top of the hole is your mouth and the bottom of the hole is your anus. Whenever the top hole opens it shouldn’t be too long before the bottom hole opens and if it isn’t, things need some improvement.
The other thing I noticed is that my sugar cravings stopped. I didn’t think too much of it until a friend of mine commented that she was having the same result! But it makes sense.
What do the unfriendly bacteria feed off of? Refined sugar, refined flour… So, when I have more friendly bacteria than unfriendly bacteria, my body isn’t going to crave the things that feed the unfriendly bacteria!
Third, I have an overall feeling of health and well-being and no “brain fog”!
Not too shabby for a few “home remedies”, huh?!
So, have you had any experiences using the Perfect Trifecta of garlic, clay, and kefir to improve intestinal health? If so, I’d like to hear about your experiences.
More Information
Food Poisoning Remedies that Work and Prevent Dehydration
Why Fermented Foods are Not Enough to Heal the Gut (and the Probiotic Boost they Need)
Are You a Tummy Bug Magnet? Fat Phobia May Be the Cause
Slippery Elm for Tummy Aches
Hi Katherine, I couldn’t get used to the taste of milk kefir so I stopped making it but I do make kombucha – is this a good alternative to kefir?
Hi Jennie, 🙂
I’ve never used kombucha because it’s made with black tea. It’s my understanding though that kombucha does provide beneficial bacteria. My thought is the more sources of friendly bacteria you can introduce to your diet, the better your health will be. So while milk kefir is good and kombucha is good, I would try to include as many different sources as possible. 🙂 As I mentioned in a previous comment, on the good, better, best scale of probiotics, it goes:
Good — probiotic supplement
Better — milk kefir using any milk you have (raw or pasteurized)
Best — variety of fermented foods including kefir from raw milk, water kefir, fermented vegetables, kombucha, etc
Careful with taking raw garlic on an empty stomach. It can burn your stomach lining. I’ve taken a lot of raw garlic in my life, but only learned later on that I should take it along with a few bites of food. Now when I take it raw it hurts. I’ve heard more people say that. Just thought I’ll share my experience!
Thank you Rose. I’ve not had that experience, but it’s important to know your body. 🙂
Katherine
This is really helpful. A couple of questions. What is the best time to take the clay? Since it draws out toxins I’ve heard that it was best to take at night before bed. Regarding, kefir, how much kefir do you recommend? Lastly, I am surprised that you did not mention probiotic supplements. Do you also take probiotic supplements?
Thanks!
Hi Angela, 🙂
I take the clay during the middle of the day.
I drink (and eat) as much kefir and fermented foods throughout the day as I can. I use kefir in my breakfast smoothie, add it to grape juice for a “purple cow” at lunch, drink water kefir in the evening when I’m watching tv, and try to include a fermented food at lunch and dinner. These are my probiotic “supplement”. When you include natural probiotics in your diet, you don’t need a supplement in pill form. Most supplements only include a few strains of probiotics (although I’ve seen some with 15) and remember that there are hundreds of varieties of friendly bacteria, so by consuming a variety of fermented foods, I’m consuming a variety of friendly bacteria. Kefir alone has more than the probiotic capsule that you can purchase. 🙂
When she says to let the garlic sit, does she mean in the mouth on the tongue, for 14 minutes? And, if you take in honey as a reader suggested, do you need to let it sit in your mouth? I wasn’t able to leave a comment on the blog post for some reason.
Let the garlic sit on the spoon or on the cutting board for 14 minutes NOT your tongue! 🙂 Ouch!
Oh, thank you!!! I was thinking that was kind of strange, but I’m so new to all of this. What does letting it sit do? Do you think if I only do the garlic thing I will see results just with that? I’m so tooty at certain times of the month. I already try to take chlorophyll in juice once a day, but don’t always get it done. Thanks for your interesting blog and information. Many blessings to you!
If you follow the link, it will explain about letting it sit. But basically once the garlic is chopped it begins to release a compound called allicin. Letting it sit for 14 minutes allows enough allicin to be released to get the anti-bacterial benefits.
Very interesting, thanks for the info!
I’ve been raised in a dairy farm in east Europe, and made our own butter and sour cream, I always thought buttermilk, kefir and yougurt is the same thing it is – sour milk, so I’m confused, how can it be different strains of yeast in there. Maybe the difference can be made because of locations and products used. Usually, kefir was called the butermilk from the store, and buttermilk is homemade.
I do read comments and sometimes I check the pages other conscientious people( obviously, who is reading this website :)) are suggesting , so I found this fascinating series of articles from the founder of best restaurant (Noma) in the world of 2010. I like their philosophy of preserving old traditions in this modern life. This particular article is about lacto fermentation
http://www.nordicfoodlab.com/2012/03/lactic-fermentation
That’s awesome Gdaiva! 🙂 I’ll go read the article for sure! Buttermilk, kefir, and yogurt are all different and it’s because of the bacteria that causes the ferment, but also buttermilk is the liquid that’s left after making butter. 🙂 Also the kefir grains are a symbiotic blend of yeast and bacteria, so you’re getting both when you drink the kefir. 🙂
Something else that’s really, really cool about kefir Gdaiva is that it was discovered in the Caucaus mountain region and supposedly yogurt developed in the lower elevations while kefir developed in the higher elevations. Scientists have tried to recreate the kefir grain and haven’t been able to. When they went back to the area and asked how the people got the grains, they said they were a “gift from God.” 🙂 For a very long time they were a closely guarded secret past from family member to family member. The story of how the rest of the world got the grains is very interesting and involves feminine wiles, kidnapping, a csar, and the Russian government. 🙂 Definately an interesting story! 🙂
For the history of kefir you can go to Dom’s sites (just google Dom’s kefir), you can go to Yemoos.com, and you can go to Wikipedia. 🙂 It’s a great story! 🙂 The Russian government wanted it to use in the treatment of TB. 🙂
Very interesting. Once a day I drink a mixture of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, raw honey and water. Can I simply add my chopped garlic clove to this or will the vinegar compromise the garlic (or vice versa)?
The vinegar, honey, water brew is very good (try adding some cayenne tincture) but I’m not sure about adding the garlic. The garlic needs to sit for a while to release the allicin and if it’s placed in water the allicin remains active for about 28 days, but I’m not sure about the vinegar. Something for me to look into. 🙂
This is really interesting. I always thought that eating store yogurt or take probiotics from the chiropractor would do the trick, but I guess that is not the case.
Many people have that belief, and on the good, better, best scale, doing something is better than doing nothing. 🙂
Just wondering where you find the Redmond Clay? Also, when i drink Kefir I tend to get constipated whereas with yogurt I seem to handle better? why would this be? thoughts? suggestions? should I continue pushing the kefir? Thanks!
I’m not sure where you live, but we have a quarterly group buy that includes Redmond products. If that’s not an option, you can purchase Redmond clay on line at Redmondtrading.com.
I’m not sure why drinking kefir would cause constipation (that is highly unusual), I’d have to know more about he kefir you’re drinking. Is this kefir that you’ve made yourself or some you purchased (many times they add things to the stuff in the store). There is a difference between kefir and yogurt bacteria, the bacteria in kefir tends to colonize in the colon whereas the bacteria in yogurt doesn’t.
If you have struggles with milk kefir, you can use something else to get the friendly bacteria in your gut. On the good, better, best scale, it goes:
Good – probiotic supplement
Better – milk kefir using any milk you have (raw or pasteurized)
Best – variety of fermented foods including kefir from raw milk, water kefir, fermented vegetables, etc.
Sounds like these might be some great steps to take before starting GAPS.