The Immune System & The Gut Biome

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.