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How to Choose the Best Probiotic Supplement

10 ways to heal your gut

10 Ways to Improve Gut Health

how to heal your gut 101

How to Heal Your Gut 101

The Top 4 Postpartum Health Issues and How to Avoid Them

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A Functional Medicine Approach to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Hypothyroidism

A Functional Medicine Doctor’s Clean Beauty Routine

12 Tips for Surviving the Stomach Flu from a Doctor Mom

Eat These 10 Foods to Support Detoxification

The Epidemic of Food Allergies & Sensitivities

Flu Season: 10 Natural Remedies You’ll Find in My Medicine Cabinet to Fight Influenza

Addicted to Sugar (+ a guide to help you navigate sweeteners)

How to Cook Your Way to Better Health (Even if You’re Busy!)

My Story: How Pregnancy Struggles Helped Me Reclaim My Health

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Calcium, Vitamin D + the Milk Myth

4 Evidence-Based Reasons I Advocate for Organic Foods

Back To School: Non Toxic Lunch Box

Why to Detox Before Pregnancy

Why I Love Functional Medicine

Health + Wellness

12 Tips for Surviving the Stomach Flu from a Doctor Mom

Eat These 10 Foods to Support Detoxification

Flu Season: 10 Natural Remedies You’ll Find in My Medicine Cabinet to Fight Influenza

My Story: How Pregnancy Struggles Helped Me Reclaim My Health

The Epidemic of Food Allergies & Sensitivities

woman drinking milk

Calcium, Vitamin D + the Milk Myth

How to Choose the Best Probiotic Supplement

A Functional Medicine Doctor’s Clean Beauty Routine

Why to Detox Before Pregnancy

Addicted to Sugar (+ a guide to help you navigate sweeteners)

How to Cook Your Way to Better Health (Even if You’re Busy!)

4 Evidence-Based Reasons I Advocate for Organic Foods

Why I Love Functional Medicine

A Functional Medicine Approach to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Hypothyroidism

Want to boost your fertility? Here are 5 hormonal trends to watch

The Top 4 Postpartum Health Issues and How to Avoid Them

how to heal your gut 101

How to Heal Your Gut 101

Recipes

Lebanese Tabbouleh | with Gluten-free + Grain-free Options

Whole Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Onions

Soft & Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

Paleo Carrot Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Golden Beets

Chocolate Chia Pudding⎢Gluten-free & Dairy-free

Fresh Herb Chimichurri Sauce

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Gluten-free Wraps

Toasted Coconut Chips

Cashew Cacao Shake

Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Aioli

Berry Glad You Can’t Taste The Cabbage Smoothie

Roasted Broccoli

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Indian Spiced Potatoes

Curry Chicken Salad

Braised Chicken & Cabbage

Chicken Piccata

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Carnitas

Red Curry Carrot Soup

Ginger-Tamari Vinaigrette

Dairy-free Banana Nut Milkshake

Nourishing Vegetable Soup

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Aioli

Apple Streusel Egg Muffins

Strawberry Vanilla Chia Pudding

Asian Meatballs

Easy Grain-free Pancakes

Pork Chops with Gastrique

Banana Bread Waffles

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Smoky Sweet Potato Hash

Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting

Green Apple Vegetable Smoothie

Lemon Chicken Salad

Grain-free Granola

Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric

Easy Homemade Dairy-Free + Paleo Ranch

Chocolate Orange Truffles

Tropical Turmeric Slushie

Green Pineapple Smoothie

Paleo Banana Bread Muffins

Lemon & Garlic Green Beans

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Fresh Sage

Cast Iron Frittata

Coconut Whipped Cream

Napa Cabbage and Caraway Salad

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We've been talking a lot about gut health, how com

Artichokes are a great source of prebiotics, folic

Artichokes are a great source of prebiotics, folic acid and other B-vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. They’re also considered a good detoxifying food.⁠
⁠
Ingredients:⁠
✔️ 4 organic artichokes, scrubbed and trimmed⁠
✔️ 1 lemon, sliced in half⁠
✔️ 4-5 cloves fresh garlic, minced⁠
✔️ 1/3 cup olive oil⁠
✔️ 2 TBSP truffle oil⁠
✔️ Sea salt⁠
⁠
Directions:⁠
Fill a large pot with 2-3 inches of water and a hefty pinch of salt. Insert a steamer basket, cover and bring to a boil.⁠
⁠
Meanwhile, scrub the artichokes clean. Trim the stem to about 1 inch and use a serrated knife to cut off ~1/2 inch from the pointy top. Use scissors to trim the tops off of any remaining pointy leaves. Rub each artichoke with lemon to prevent discoloration.⁠
⁠
Reduce the heat to simmer and set the artichokes in the steamer basket, stem up. Cover and steam for 25-30 minutes, until the leaves pull out easily with the tender meat. To save time, you can do this in advance and store steamed artichokes in the refrigerator. Either way, they’ll need to be cool enough to handle before you move on.⁠
⁠
When you’re ready to grill, slice the artichokes in half (start from the stem and slice downward with a sharp knife). Use a metal spoon to remove the inner fuzzy choke and immature white/purple leaves, leaving the heart intact. Pour the olive oil and minced garlic into a baking dish, and use your hands to coat the artichokes inside and out. Then season with sea salt.⁠
⁠
Prepare the grill using high heat. Place the cut half down on a hot grill and sear for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the cut half with a little truffle oil. Serve alone or with aioli.⁠
⁠
Lemon Aioli⁠
🍋 1/2 cup mayonnaise (prepare your own or use my favorite Primal Kitchens Mayo made from cage-free eggs and avocado oil)⁠
🍋 1 Tb fresh lemon juice⁠
🍋 1 tsp lemon zest⁠
🍋 1/8 tsp sea salt⁠
⁠
Combine all ingredients and season to taste. Enjoy!⁠

I really don’t have a one-size-fits-all protocol

I really don’t have a one-size-fits-all protocol for healing gut infections so it’s important to work with your doctor to find the root cause.⁠
⁠
However, a few of the supplements I commonly recommend for patients with digestive complaints include:⁠
✔️ a spore forming probiotic⁠ like #MegaSporeBiotic⁠
✔️ serum derived immunoglobulins⁠ like MegaIgG 2000 or SBI protect⁠
✔️ a combination of herbs (used short term for 8-12 weeks)⁠
✔️ and digestive enzymes⁠
⁠
Sometimes I also utilize pharmacologic interventions, and I’m always sure to test and treat thyroid issues when indicated since thyroid dysfunction can profoundly influence the gut.⁠
⁠
If you’re suffering from digestive issues, autoimmunity, thyroid issues, hormonal imbalance, food sensitivities...or any of the symptoms we discussed today, I’d encourage you to find a functional medicine physician (like me!) to help you work through the 5 Rs to treat and heal your gut.⁠
⁠
It really is incredible how a process like this can open the floodgates to helping you overcome a variety of seemingly “unrelated” health problems.
⁠
I've got all my favorite supplement recommendations for you via the link in my bio @drchristinemaren, or in the full HOW TO HEAL YOUR GUT 101 article on my website at drchristinemaren.com!

How do you heal your gut? The 5-Rs! Remove, Replac

How do you heal your gut? The 5-Rs! Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair, and Rebalance. I covered the first two Rs in yesterdays post (read that first) and today I want to cover step number 4: REPAIR.⁠
⁠
In this step, our goal is to help the lining of the GI tract repair itself by supplying key nutrients that can often be in short supply in a compromised gut.⁠
⁠
Key nutrients for gut repair include:⁠
1️⃣ Essential fatty acids---Anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to favorably influence gut microbiota through short-chain fatty acids, and also likely play a role in helping to maintain intestinal permeability.⁠ [PMC5751248]⁠
Essential fatty acids are found in:⁠
✔️ Fatty fish⁠ like wild salmon and sardines
✔️ Grass-fed beef⁠
✔️ Flax or chia seeds⁠
✔️ high-quality fish oil
⁠
2️⃣ Serum derived Immunoglobulins---the mechanism isn’t exactly clear, but this is a well tolerated, low risk intervention that has been shown to improve symptoms of IBS and may play a role in improving intestinal permeability and modulating immune activation. [PMC535017]⁠
⁠
3️⃣ Polyphenols---Phenolic compounds have been shown to favorably influence the gut microbiota mostly through the inhibition of pathogenic bacteria and the stimulation of beneficial bacteria. [PMC4772042] Polyphenols are abundant in:⁠
✔️ my favorite toxin-free tea @piquetea
✔️ Dark chocolate (yay!)⁠
✔️ Red wine⁠
✔️ Blueberries⁠
✔️ and other superfruits
⁠
4️⃣ Zinc---Suboptimal zinc levels (which are pretty common) have been shown to negatively impact gut microbiome diversity and immunity [ PMC4690049]. Zinc is found in:⁠
✔️ Oysters⁠
✔️ Beef⁠
✔️ Pumpkin seeds.
⁠
5️⃣ Glutamine---This amino acid plays a role in repairing the gut lining and reducing inflammation [PMID: 10600341]. Glutamine is found in:⁠
✔️ Bone broth⁠
✔️ Meat cooked on the bone⁠
✔️ Collagen⁠ or Gelatin⁠ (I like @vitalproteins)
✔️ L-glutamine supplements can also be beneficial
⁠
For the full article and list of nutrients for gut repair, visit drchristinemaren.com or visit the link in my bio @drchristinemaren!

I'm running you through some of the 5-Rs I use in

I'm running you through some of the 5-Rs I use in my practice to help patients heal their gut, but if you've missed the previous posts go back and check those out before reading!⁠
⁠
Step one in the 5-Rs is to REMOVE any underlying stressors that negatively affect gut health. For many people these include:⁠
1️⃣ Gut infections like bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), candida/fungal overgrowth, parasites and/or problematic bacteria.⁠
2️⃣ Food sensitivities that we identify using an elimination diet and/or lab work (side note: for most people this is gluten; see the full article for more info).⁠
⁠
After we've removed, then we work on REPLACING digestive secretions. These secretions are critical to normal digestive function and often compromised by diet, medications, diseases, aging, stress and other factors.⁠
⁠
This step typically depends on the person, but can include:⁠
✔️ Addressing low digestive enzyme function and pancreatic insufficiency⁠
✔️ Restoring low stomach acid/ and hypochlorhydria⁠
✔️ Enhancing gallbladder and liver function⁠
✔️ Replacing bile acids, especially for people who have had their gallbladder removed⁠
✔️ Addressing motility issues which can be affected by thyroid disorders, chronic stress and/or HPA axis dysfunction⁠
⁠
For the full article GUT HEALTH 101, visit the link in my bio @drchristinemaren! And share this post with someone who needs this info.

We've been talking about gut health the last sever

We've been talking about gut health the last several days so go back and check out those posts if you've missed them. So can you repair your gut? If so, then how?⁠
⁠
In my practice I use the 5-R process for patients who present with symptoms of intestinal permeability and autoimmunity.⁠
⁠
By following the 5-Rs we can identify the causes of leaky gut, heal specific gut infections (there’s often more than one), and take steps to prevent future digestive health ailments.⁠
⁠
What are the 5-Rs?⁠
1️⃣ Remove⁠
2️⃣ Replace⁠
3️⃣ Reinoculate⁠
4️⃣ Repair⁠
5️⃣ Rebalance⁠
⁠
You can find detailed explanations of each step on my blog at drchristinemaren.com or via the link in my bio @drchristinemaren. The article to look for is HOW TO HEAL YOUR GUT 101.⁠
⁠
I'll be briefly touching on some of the 5-Rs the next few days so stick around! And hit me with whatever questions you may have ⬇️

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