June 28, 2025
| Valerie Hayes
| Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos
There are many advantages to creating your own multigrain hot cereal. You can carefully select the ingredients, and avoid what you do not like, or tolerate, while adding high quality extras like chia and hemp seeds.
If you buy from the bulk food section, you will get a nutritious blend of grains at a fraction of the cost. The central idea is to go for the grains with the least amount of processing.
Some of the pre-mixed multigrain blends include whole wheat farina, which is a more processed form of the wheat kernel. Cracked wheat has all of the wheat kernel, without removing the bran, and is slightly more crunchy.
Steel cut oats are more nutrient dense, and less processed than fast cooking oats. In fact steel cut oats look very different than regular oatmeal, or Quaker oats as we are probably most accustomed to.
Therefore if you start with a 50/50 mixture of steel cut oats and cracked wheat, you can add some millet, and red quinoa. All of these grains take about the same time to cook, whereas barley and brown rice take much longer to cook. I put a quarter cup of these mixed grains in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them to reduce cooking time to ten minutes.
Once added to the pot, I put in a cup of water, a bit of salt, and then add another quarter cup blend of chia seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, ground flax, and whole flax seeds. I keep this container in the fridge because they stay fresh longer.
I also add a handful of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and a few raisins. Although I haven’t tried it yet, I think I will try adding some brewer’s yeast. I did try adding some ground milk thistle, but find that even when ground, the kernels are too tough.
There are many options such as adding ground almonds, walnuts, corn meal or soy. You can base the blend on how much protein you want to add, without sacrificing fibre, and on what sensitivities or preferences you might have.
Many people have chosen to go gluten free, which is mostly due to the mass marketing against gluten a few years ago. There is also a realization that white bread, white flour, white pasta, and white rice, have been stripped of their nutrients.
Overall, wheat has been a dietary staple since the beginning of time. Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune condition leading to a complete intolerance of the protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Many people carry the HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes without ever developing Celiac. In recent years, these genes can be identified, and a definitive diagnosis can be made. Only about 1% of the population have true Celiac disease.
The problem for those with Celiac disease, is their body reacts to even tiny amounts of the proteins, often homeopathic levels, they picked up without knowing it. They have to be very vigilant, and cannot use bulk food bins, or eat at buffets where cross contamination of grains is high. Even the spatula or utensils used from one pan to another, can cause cross contamination of grains, the same as it can for transferring food allergens like peanuts or shell fish.
In Celiac disease, the autoimmune system reacts by attacking the lining of the gut. Due to the excessive cross contamination of grains, they end up having frequent bouts of gut problems, diarrhea, headaches, bloating, fatigue, and other health problems.
For those with sensitivities to certain grains, the breakfast cereal can be adjusted to remove the offending grain. In the case of sensitivities or allergies, it is best to avoid the bulk food bins, and buy the grains in packages, carefully reading the labels.
We tend to think of high fibre foods as being whole fruits and vegetables. Although fruits and vegetables do have fibre, especially if the peel is left on potatoes, zucchini, carrots etc. the amount of fibre is much less than what you find in whole grains.
For optimal gut health, we need a mix of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in our diet. We need a mix of both soluble and insoluble fibre.
Soluble fibre dissolves in water. It slows digestions and lowers cholesterol. Examples are oats, peas, beans, barley, apples, and citrus fruits.
Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water, and promotes regularity. It is also thought to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Examples are whole wheat, bran, nuts, beans, and certain vegetables like cauliflower, green beans, leafy greens, and broccoli.
Whatever our choices or sensitivities might be, it becomes pretty clear that we are best to choose a wide variety of whole foods and grains in our diet. The gut feeds off trillions of different kinds of bacteria, therefore the variety increases the amount of healthy gut bacteria.
Although most of us know how much antibiotics kill healthy gut bacteria, we should be wary of many medications to include over the counter medications like NSAID’s, antihistamines, and certain supplements. Recent research has pointed out that probiotic supplements are not good for restoring gut health. Fibre, whole foods, and fermented foods will restore or maintain gut health.
The old adage to let food by thy medicine seems to ring true. The back on the farm principles of eating whole foods, home baked bread, fresh eggs, free range beef and chicken, home made pickles – and plenty of fresh air, sets a better pace for our health in general. We do not need oats that cook in less than a minute. If so, we are far too busy for our own good.
May 26, 2025
| Valerie Hayes
| Health & Wellness, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos
In recent years we have heard and read a lot about the gut brain connection. Now there is a significant amount of research being done on the gut biome, and its effect on the immune system.
The AIP or autoimmune protocol diet is a six month diet that requires the elimination of certain foods, and food groups for a period of six months.
The foods to be eliminated are entire food groups: all dairy, all grains, all seeds and nuts, all beans and legumes, all processed foods, refined foods, all gluten, eggs, and all nightshade vegetables. Potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, red spices derived from peppers, eggplant, and goji berries.
After almost four months of the diet, I decided it might be a good idea to eliminate certain food groups for a period of time, but the lack of variety, starts to wear thin. This is especially so for breakfast, because none of the traditional breakfast foods were allowed on this diet.
However, it has been worthwhile, and I think there is much to be learned, and much more research to be done.
The researcher I listened to recently, claimed that probiotic supplements in pill form are more detrimental than anything. He based his findings on a large group who had taken antibiotics, and were trying to restore gut health. They found probiotic supplements to be the worst. High fibre foods, and fermented foods were the best.
He went on to explain that it was the lining of the gut that is closely linked to the immune system. Damage to the lining leads to inflammation, because the lining is supposed to create a barrier to prevent leaky gut syndrome.
Therefore, it is the grains, in particular the ancient grains with all the nutrients and fibres intact, along with fermented foods that will contribute the most to restoring the gut biome. Also a variety of whole foods, fruits, vegetables. lean meats etc. help contribute to the trillions of microorganisms that protect the lining of the gut.
My take on it is that it is not so much the food, especially healthy food like tomatoes that cause problems with the gut leading to inflammation, but rather it is the importance of a high fibre, high nutrient diet with a daily intake of some quality fermented food.
Most people can get fermented food by eating plain yoghurt. But for those who are sensitive to dairy, they may want to choose other fermented foods like sauerkraut. I tried several types of sauerkraut, and found the Oak Barrel brand to be the best as far as taste, mildness, and freshness. You can find it in the cooler section at the grocery store.
Also Stubbs full sour pickles that are available in major grocery stores, are fermented. Many brands of olives are also fermented, but not all.
If you do some research, you will find all kinds of fermented food. Apparently although Miso paste is very high in probiotics, those microorganisms are destroyed by heat. So Miso soup will not have the same value as unheated fermented foods. You can use the Miso paste to make a salad dressing, without losing the probiotic advantage.
If you research foods high in fibre, we tend to think of whole fruits and vegetables, which do have fibre, especially if eaten with the peels on. But the highest fibre foods are found in the grains, especially chia and flax seeds.
Lentils, chickpeas and split peas are also very high in fibre. Kidney beans, black beans and soybeans are also very good sources of fibre and nutrients.
Although the AIP diet helps identify healthy food choices, it eliminates too many high nutrient foods for too long, in my opinion.
However any dietary changes that help to switch to nutrient dense grains, legumes, and whole foods – is a step in the right direction. A healthy immune system protects us from infection, inflammation, and autoimmune disorders, so it is a worthwhile endeavour.
May 14, 2025
| Valerie Hayes
| Health & Wellness, Thoughts & Ideas, View All Articles & Photos
The health of the gut biome has become mainstream knowledge in recent years. Finding ways to achieve this mysterious level of fermented probiotics is another story, with some conflicting information.
We have to filter so much information to drill down to the core, or in this case the gut. Recently I have seen numerous YouTube videos telling people how unhealthy it is to eat watermelon, bananas, and grapes. Really?
Those are whole foods with high nutritive value. Why not tell people to avoid sugar, fast foods, additives, meats high in salt and nitrites, potato chips, and donuts? Surely we should cut back on, or eliminate the high calorie harmful foods, before we tackle the grapes.
In some cases you will read that pickles are part of the probiotic fermented food group. However salt brine is not the same as fermented. Olives are more likely to be fermented than pickles. Certain olives like Frangiulia are not fermented, but preserved in a salt solution brine, like most pickles are.
Olives that are usually fermented include the Greek style black olives. They are harvested when ripe, then stored in brine and left to ferment for several months. Spanish style green olives are treated in an alkaline solution and then fermented in brine. Pitted Kalamata olives are naturally fermented.
Castelvetrano olives are in the same family as the Franguilia, and are not fermented in order to maintain the bright green colour, and mild smooth flavour.
The purpose of fermenting olives is to remove the bitter compound oleuropein. Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts break down the sugars in the olives, which contributes to the flavour. The pH is lowered, which inhibits microorganisms leading to spoilage.
Most grocery store pickles are pickled as opposed to being fermented. However, some pickles are fermented, which is a slower process. There are certain fermented brands that can be purchased on Amazon, or you could check with your local deli. Examples are Bubbies, Olive My Pickle, Oregon Brineworks, and Cleveland Kitchen.
One of the highest colonization of heathy gut organisms is found in Miso soup. A close second is in dairy based kefir, which is similar to cultured yogurt, except it is a liquid.
Kimchi and sauerkraut are also fermented and good sources of probiotics. Both have cabbage as the main ingredient. Kimchi is a Korean side dish and contains other vegetables in addition to the cabbage. It typically contains chile flakes (gochugaru), and may also contain fish flakes.
Whereas traditional sauerkraut is known to have come from Germany. It is believed to have its origins in China around 2000 years ago, where it is known as suan cai. Fermenting has been a method of preserving cabbage in many countries, and is a commonly served with Bratwurst sausage in Germany.
What I have learned in sourcing out high colony fermented food, is to carefully read the labels to reduce your intake of sulphites and additives. There are many brands of sauerkraut that contain just cabbage, white wine and brine, without adding sulphites.
Kombucha is a carbonated fermented drink with green and black tea, so it does contain caffeine, as well as a small amount of cane sugar. It is quite strong tasting in my opinion, and if you are sensitive to caffeine, it will keep you awake. It might be a good substitute for some of the athletic drinks, without the harmful effects.
Probably the most well known fermented probiotic is natural yogurt.
As far as what destroys, or creates an unhealthy gut biome, it is a fairly long list to include: sugar, alcohol, antibiotics, processed food, artificial sweeteners, additives, red meat, gluten, lack of sleep, and unmanageable stress levels, especially around meal times.
Although antibiotics are well known to alter the gut biome, and cause an overgrowth of yeast and fungi, all medications, prescription, over the counter, and supplements will have an effect on gut health. The autoimmune protocol diet, which is designed to heal the gut, specifically eliminates NSAIDs. Medications like Ibuprofen, Naproxen, ASA, Motrin, and several others have a negative impact on gut health.
NSAID’s are COX inhibitors, which is a digestive enzyme. They disrupt the intestinal barrier, and alter the gut microbes. This increased permeability is often referred to as “leaky gut” and will increase inflammation. I used to be a skeptic when it came to leaky gut syndrome, but now have a better understanding of how it comes about.
Anything we ingest must go through the process of digestion, and detoxification if it contains toxins, or harmful compounds. Many supplements are actually harmful. Too much protein can damage the kidneys. Certain spices, if taken in excess can be toxic.
Also if the diet is lacking in nutrients, fibre, whole foods, sufficient protein, healthy carbs, and variety, it will have an adverse effect on gut biome.
How long does it take to get a good balance of microbes in your gut? I suppose it depends on how much it is depleted, and for how long. Apparently dietary changes can begin to alter the gut biome within days, or weeks.
The gut healing autoimmune protocol diet recommends a six month period during which time you avoid dairy, gluten, all grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, and nightshade vegetables. This includes peppers, including spices from peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant. You can eat sweet potatoes on this regime.
After three and a half months on the AIP diet, I decided to add steel cut oats, buckwheat, chia seeds, hemp, and flax, primarily because I wanted a normal hot breakfast as opposed to eating salmon and sauerkraut for breakfast.
In addition to adding some grains, I reintroduced eggs as well. Otherwise, without dairy, nuts or legumes, the only way to get protein was by eating meat.
The AIP diet does seem to help reduce inflammation.
We all have certain sensitivities, and things we choose to avoid.
Good digestion, and good sleep are real blessings. If they come naturally – we tend to take them for granted.
If not, we might be inclined to learn how to make Miso soup, and find some fermented pickles.
April 18, 2025
| Valerie Hayes
| Health & Wellness, My Story, Thoughts & Ideas, Valerie Hayes, View All Articles & Photos
The link between the health of the gut biome, and the immune system is central to our overall health. Whether the immune system is over reactive and erratic, as it is with autoimmune disorders, or weak, leaving us prone to colds and various infections, the gut biome is key.
There is no overnight cure, or probiotic in a pill form that you can take for instant results. The process of healing the gut takes months, not a few days of taking supplements, or eating dandelion greens.
Many things can alter or destroy the gut biome. One of the worst offenders is antibiotics, especially the chronic overuse of antibiotics.
Those who have chronic yeast infections, can be pretty sure something is off kilter with their gut biome. In fact, just like recurrent autoimmune flare ups, recurrent infections of any kind, are indicators of a gut biome disruption. People tend to focus on the specific body part that is affected, such as chronic bladder infections, by taking antibiotics, and drinking cranberry juice.
The gut biome is not only about the intestine, it is also about the liver, pancreas, gall bladder, and neurochemistry. In fact immune related health problems are systemic, not localized.
Years ago, my eye doctor told me that as time goes on, I will likely have more systemic autoimmune inflammatory disorders.
All medication affects the gut biome, just as all the food we ingest affects the health of our gut. There are trillions of bacteria in the gut, most of which contribute to a healthy gut. But there also has to be balance.
Where to begin? It is not a matter of adding one thing, and deleting another. Often we think we are eating a healthy diet, but it may not be as healthy as we think, especially if we are reacting to the proteins in dairy or gluten. For some people, these proteins are not a problem, but for others, there is an inflammatory response.
Having been plagued by an autoimmune eye condition for many years, I have tried a variety of things without much success. When I started researching the AIP diet, it seemed like it might be the answer.
The idea with the AIP diet is that you eliminate entire food groups for a period of six months. After six months, you decide what you are going to reintroduce into your diet, and what you will leave out. That way you can assess the response or physical reaction to each food you add.
I started the AIP diet at the end of January. It took a couple of weeks to eliminate what is on the list. Coffee seemed to be the worst as far as withdrawal, and changing habits. But after a week or two, it was no big deal.
To give a brief outline of what must be eliminated: Gluten and all grains, milk, eggs, and all dairy, all legumes, seeds, and nuts, all nightshade vegetables. Nightshade includes potatoes, eggplant, goji berries, tomatoes, bell peppers, and all spices made from peppers. You are also supposed to avoid processed food, sulphites, additives, and sugar. Alcohol is also to be avoided, which is not a problem because I gave up alcohol more than twenty years ago.
Like everything else, for some people, alcohol is not a problem in general. But for others, it is best to avoid it all together, especially if there is a genetic predisposition, or a background of early childhood trauma.
Though it sounds very restrictive, there are still many things you can eat. You can eat most fresh vegetables and fruit. Although regular potatoes are off limits, sweet potatoes and yams are okay. You can also eat most fish, chicken, lean pork, beef, etc.
Another key addition to the diet is to consume a certain amount of fermented foods. This includes olives (check for sulphites), sauerkraut (again, check the label to avoid additives), kombucha, kefir, and many others. If something is made in a vinegar brine, it may not be fermented, so it takes a bit of time to figure out what is actually fermented.
The most radical change is in what you can eat for breakfast. In the past I would eat an egg, sunflower flax toast, coffee, and a few cherry tomatoes. I thought it was a nutritious breakfast. However, once I started the AIP diet, there was not one thing I could keep as part of that breakfast routine.
Nor can you eat oatmeal, or any kind of cooked breakfast cereal, granola, etc. It brings clarity to how much we rely on various grains in our diet. I tend to avoid gluten free processed food, as it is often loaded with sugar, and other additives.
For breakfast, I started eating sardines or salmon to get the protein. Added to that, is fresh cucumber with chives or herbs, maybe an avocado, a couple tablespoons of sauerkraut, and a few olives.
I now drink a couple ounces of kombucha first thing in the morning, followed by oolong, or another type of loose leaf tea mix. Then I have a cup of Matcha, which is a Japanese powdered green tea.
Matcha is an interesting type of tea, supposedly with many antioxidants, and health benefits. But you have to be mindful that more is not better. I stick to one teaspoon a day. There are many items you can buy, like Matcha tea sets that cost $40-$50 dollars. But you don’t really need most of that.
I did buy a bamboo whisk, but realize now that any small whisk will do. You can drink it out of a bowl if you want, but I drink it out of a wide mug. You can also buy a flat bamboo spoon and strainer. Any small strainer will do, and you can use a teaspoon to flatten out the lumps.
You just place the strainer over the wide mug, add a teaspoon of Matcha, and press it through the strainer. After that you add an ounce or two of hot water and whisk it. Then you add the rest of the hot water.
Some people use a frother to make Matcha latte, but I have not tried the latte yet. It is a fairly mild tasting tea compared to some of the stronger tasting green teas, and if you add honey, you don’t need much, maybe a half a teaspoon.
The evening meal is not as much of a change as the breakfast is, because you can make chicken, fish, pork etc. and any vegetables you want to eat.
As far as results, one of the most notable changes was a reduction in shoulder and hip pain. I thought I had torn the rotator cuff in my left shoulder from lifting things. But it was all inflammations, because within two weeks on the diet, the shoulder pain was much better. Now, I hardly notice it.
It has now been three months, and the positive changes are well worth it. The only things I did not eliminate, are chia seeds, and flax added to smoothies with frozen berries.
After the six month period of time, I think I will reintroduce eggs and legumes. But I am pretty sure I will continue to avoid gluten and dairy.
Overall, I think the diet has many similarities to the Paleo diet, but with a few more restrictions during the six month gut healing phase.
As an additional note, you are also supposed to avoid OTC medications, to include all NSAIDs. In fact, any kind of medication can dramatically alter the gut biome. The only thing I take is a teaspoon of cod liver oil once a day, which is quite revolting because they added a lemon flavour to it, which in my opinion makes it worse. It is a far cry from those little bubble-like gel caps of cod liver oil. Apparently those are not good, because who knows how old they are? Plus cod liver oil is supposed to be refrigerated, and has a shelf life of just three months.
Although it is still to early to tell what the overall effects of this diet will be, I am glad to have discovered a comprehensive guideline to make these changes. I have already noticed some positive results, so it has been well worth it.
Once the gut health has significantly improved, obviously it is important to avoid falling back into old patterns. I love tomatoes, but I think I will continue to avoid them.
Our reactions to foods, and micronutrients is highly individual. Therefore, one person may react to tomatoes, when 80% of people do not.
The entire exercise of healing, and promoting a healthy gut, requires patience, and bodily awareness. I think the changes help increase energy, and better sleep.
Time will tell, as I am only half way through the six month elimination phase. For those with autoimmune disorders, or chronic inflammation – so far, I would recommend this diet. I only wish I had researched, and known about this diet sooner.
It seems like finally there is a solution, or a partial solution, to the complex autoimmune disruption. I feel very fortunate that the autoimmune problems I have experienced, are not totally debilitating.
But I know full well that out of the eighty or more autoimmune disorders adversely affecting the health of millions of people, some of those diseases are extremely debilitating. A few examples – giant cell myocarditis, MS, lupus, type 1 diabetes, and many others…
