Hi [[leadFirstName]],

I have a good friend and mentor who is a genius when it comes to understanding nutrition, particularly why and how your GI system is critical to your overall health. His name is Dr. Robert Silverman and he always says "It takes guts to be healthy". I absolutely agree, gut health is probably close to nervous system health when it comes to a long and vibrant life.

In my last email, I talked about WHY gut health is so important. In this email, I'm going to talk about HOW to have better gut health.

Remember, the 4 main causes of poor gut health are:

1. Poor Diet - The most common components of food that can damage your intestinal lining are the proteins found in unsprouted grains (traditional grains), excess sugar, GMO’s and conventional dairy.

2. Chronic Stress - Stress shuts down your digestion because digestion takes a tremendous amount of energy which can’t be spared when you are in “fight or flight”. This causes food to rot or spoil in your gut causing intestinal damage.

3. Toxic Overload - We are exposed to over 80,000 chemicals and toxins every single year, but the worst offenders for causing leaky gut include antibiotics, pesticides, tap water, aspirin, and NSAIDs. I recommend buying a high-quality water filter to eliminate chlorine and fluoride and look to natural plant-based herbs to reduce inflammation in your body.

4. Dysbiosis - Probiotic Bacterial Imbalance. So many things can cause damage to the normal “flora” which helps us in so many ways. Things like antibiotic overuse, chlorinated water, a diet high in sugar and animal protein, sulfates as well as abuse or overuse of non-steroidal meds are the main ones.

The good news is there’s a solution to having better gut health. There is a four-step process called "The 4 R's" that includes:

1. REMOVE - Foods and factors that damage the gut. These include sugar, gluten, artificial sweeteners, antibiotics, steroid medications, dairy, soy, GMO foods, alcohol, and additives/preservatives.

2. REPLACE - with healing foods like bone broth, fermented veggies, coconut products, sprouted seeds, grass-fed meats, wild fatty fish like salmon or cod, steamed veggies, and of course, high fiber foods like lots of veggies.

3. REPAIR - with specific supplements like probiotics, pre-biotics such as fiber (soluble and insoluble), digestive enzymes, L-glutamine, oil of oregano, quercetin, and collagen powder. 2 of my favorite products to help repair the gut are Colonix intestinal cleaner and GI Integrity by Nutri-Dyn.

4. REBALANCE - with probiotics. Look for brand quality meaning choose reputable companies, high CFU (colony-forming units), and survivability (probiotics should never be heated and should be shipped cold). Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium infantis, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus. Lactobacillus bulgaris are just a few strains that should be included in a good probiotic. The probiotic that I take is called Ultra-Biotic Daily by Nutri-Dyn.

If you suffer from inflammatory issues, auto-immune issues, depression, energy issues, sleep issues, and of course, GI issues, look to your gut, as it is most likely the core of your problem.

Remember, it takes "GUTS" to be healthy. Do you have what it takes?

Yours in Great Health,
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