The gut microbiome is composed of trillions of microorganisms, with the highest concentration and diversity found in the large intestine (colon). It is the foundation for overall health. A healthy gut microbiome supports immune function (80% of it is in there), digestion, and nutrient absorption. It is easy to influence, and has quick results: Changes to the gut microbiome can occur within days or weeks, leading to noticeable improvements in energy, digestion, and mood. It is cost-effective: Incorporating gut-friendly foods and habits can be budget-friendly. The primary food source for it is dietary fiber. All plants have fiber, and only plants have fiber. The American Gut Project launched in 2012 as part of the Earth Microbiome Project analyzed over 15,000 microbiome samples from more than 11,000 participants across 42 countries. The most notable finding is the "30+ plant rule", which says individuals who consumed 30+ different types of plant-based foods per week had more diverse gut microbes. Since changing to a *mostly* whole-food plant-based diet (Flexitarian) in January 2022, as an 88 year old male,I quickly (as noted above) have come to feel the best in my life, as far as my memory recalls. On my 3-month checkup with the doc a few days ago, he said my blood work was that of a 40 year old. The gut-care plant-based part of my diet (Flexitarian) is mostly from three excellent web based pre-prepared meal vendors...15-30 plant ingredients in each meal, and many different ones to select from...goleafside.com, daily-harvest.com, and plantstrong.com. *Minimal* preparation, great tasting, virtually no cleanup. I get two meals out of each package...cost $4-$6. As noted above, it is fiber that is the main source in building up the gut microbiome. The many foods, which can tear it down are: Antibiotics...indiscriminately kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria. Even a single course can have long-lasting effects, with some individuals experiencing persistent changes for months or even years. Sugary foods and drinks Ultra-processed foods Artificial sweeteners Fried foods Red meat and high-fat animal products Refined grains Alcohol Salty foods Dairy products (especially for those with lactose intolerance A gut microbiome in a state of dysbiosis (out of balance) is where you don't want to be. A way to tell if you're in balance without getting a stool sample test is to check-out the Bristol Stool Chart. It is the standard medical reference used for digestive/bowel problems. You want to be Type 3-4. Here's the chart... https://i0.wp.com/post.medicalnewst...x1394-english-body-952x1024.jpg?w=1155&h=2929
I think you will find the subject has been discussed here. @Yvonne Smith is a big advocate, as are others.
If you want to take a deeper dive into the Gut Microbiome, get to know Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, website theplantfedgut.com. Check out the 6-minute video below...I just found it today. What he talks about is what I learned 3 years ago, mostly from him, and started me on GM friendly eating, which changed my life! (I read his book "Fiber Fueled".) If you really want to get into it, here's one on Poo...2 hours.
From CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) U.S. spends the most but ranks last in health compared with other high-income nations, new report says Americans, despite spending the most on healthcare, are the sickest and die the youngest compared with nine other high-income nations, according to a new report. The report, released Thursday by independent research group The Commonwealth Fund, found the United States has the worst-performing health care system overall despite spending the most of any nation in the study. Using data from World Health Organization and more since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the study looked at five key health care measures, including health equity, access to care, care process, administrative efficiency and health outcomes. Here's how the countries ranked based on overall score: 1. Australia 2. Netherlands 3. United Kingdom 4. New Zealand 5. France 6. Sweden 7. Canada 8. Switzerland 9. Germany 10. United States "Differences in overall performance between most countries are relatively small, but the only clear outlier is the U.S., where health system performance is dramatically lower," the report states. In addition to ranking last overall, the U.S. also ranked lowest for specific health measures including access to care to health outcomes. Australia and the Netherlands, the two countries with the highest overall rankings, also have the lowest health care spending while the U.S. spends the most among the group. "When it comes to life expectancy and avoidable deaths, the U.S. comes in last," the report's news release noted. But, all countries have strengths and weaknesses despite their overall rankings. "No country is at the top or bottom on all areas of performance. Even the top-ranked country — Australia — does less well, for example, on measures of access to care and care process. And even the U.S., with the lowest-ranked health system, ranks second in the care process domain," the report states.
These rankings use a variety of weird metrics. Like what the heck is "health equity"? How much of our low ranking do you think is attributable to personal behaviour? How do systems of comparable population sizes compare? Stuff like that. When the details get picked apart, these things are usually corrupted brochures trying to sell Socialized Medicine.
The U.S. is probably best on emergency medicine but lower on general health due to the fact that Americans take so many drugs because of our drug-related commercials.
This is one man's hope/take on a possible solution. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...HMRJpGRviJiFVnZOMP6PXY/edit?pli=1&gid=0#gid=0
I didn’t read the spreadsheet link, but I definitely think that the populist movement for MAGA/MAHA is very strong here in America now, and I believe that With a good leader like President Trump working along with RFK, I hope that they will help bring about a healthier country again. Both men are totally committed to America. Trump is also focused on health issues, and he understands that Kennedy and the MAHA people are the best ones to help make changes that are necessary, so that we can have better and healthier foods. The two groups, MAGA and MAHA finally coming together in a huge populist movement, is one of the best things that has happened in this country in a long time. I know that one of the things they are talking about is to allow farmers/ranchers to sell fresh meat, milk, and produce directly to the people with less restrictions, and I am hoping to be able to have fresh raw milk again before too long. I really liked having my own milk cow or milk goat, but that is not a possibility anymore, especially since we live in town. There will be more natural food again, and even the supposedly healthy foods we have now are just mostly processed junk foods, especially the fake meat products. If a person is going to be vegetarian or vegan, it is much better to make your own protein foods from fresh or dried foods, like lentils.
Haven't clicked the link, yet??? That should greatly reinforce what you want to do, if I'm reading you right, imho.
All right, @Dave Van Doren , I clicked on the link, but I do not see how it is going to affect anything that i think at all, so maybe you can explain why you think that it would ? I have already explained that I am interested in a healthy diet, I have the plant-based books in my library by people like Will Bulsiewicz, Dr. Greger’s books (3-4) of them, books by Dr .McDougall, and also several other well-known nutritionists who write about having a healthy diet. I am NOT interested in ordering ready-made vegan food, I like to make my own food, whether plant based or animal based foods. My focus is on eating as healthy as I can while taking care of my gut biome and helping longevity. I didn’t see anything in your google doc about making yogurt and Kefir, which is also important, and I recommend books by Dr. William Davis for information about making L.Reuteri yogurt, which is excellent for the gut biome. We have several threads here in the health section that address the topics of eating plant-based, vegan, vegetarian, and also about probiotics like Kefir and fermenting foods, which you might enjoy participating in and sharing your experiments in making some of these probiotic foods.
We have people "buy" an interest in an animal, usually dairy, either cow or goat. Here I think it is still illegal to sell raw milk, but if you "own" a part of the animal, you are just supplying milk for your self or your family from your own animal, which is completely legal here.
You are, no doubt, way ahead of me in your knowledge, and amount of research in this space. Note I suggested what is in the document might "reinforce" what you are doing, and was thinking there might even be something new in there for you. Maybe this is only good for complete newbies, or at least those, who do have some varying level of knowledge. On your not wanting ready-made vegan/vegetarian food...note also in my piece, that I buy them for the fiber part of my meals, As said, I supplement most all of them with dairy (organic yogurt, my choice), bison burgers, and fish...in line with the Flexitarian Diet. On a subscription basis, the fiber part of my meals from the firms shown is $4-6 a meal for me, because I split the packages in half, and refrigerate for another day. And, if I haven't mentioned it anywhere else, these meals mostly have 15-30 different (mostly organic) fibers in each meal. You probably remember from the 10-15,000 participants, who donated stool samples for analysis in the notable American Gut Project, the principle recommendation was to eat only at least 30 different fibers a week. With premade meals, there is no need to buy/stock closet/drawer fulls of the many ingredients needed, mix and cook it with the time also needed to clean it up. I don't know how to cook beyond the bare basics, and don't want to spend time learning/doing it. Am in no way criticizing anyone, who wants to cook their own food...they just plain like it that way...the old whatever floats your boat thing. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do.
I can see that if you do not know how to cook, and refuse to learn even basic cooking, then buying healthy premade meals is definitely better than living the SAD diet and eating junk foods or (even worse) living on delivered fast foods made with unhealthy seed oils. I commend you for doing that. Another thing that you have not mentioned, and might want to read up on , is lectins, which are the protective mechanisms of plants , to keep from being eaten in the parts that would harm the plant. Fruits are fine, because the plant needs the seeds dispersed, but they do not want leaves and root and stems eaten by some bug, animal, or even us humans, so they make lectins to protect themselves, and those create problems in our body, especially when not prepared properly. Dr. Steven Gundry is just one of the doctors who warns about lectins, and he has several books out, the main one being Plant Paradox, which is well worth reading and adding to your library. Right now, I am starting to read Dr. Hyman’s book, “The Pegan Diet”, which is similar to the Flexitarian Diet in many ways. It is on sale right now for only $3.99 at Amazon Kindle store, if you read books online. Even if you do not want to cook, making kefir and yogurt is pretty simple. For kefir, you only need milk and a little kefir starter packet that you dissolve in the milk and let it sit on the counter overnight, and the next day , it is ready to drink, and can be flavored by mixing with fruit if you want. We have a HUGE thread here about kefir and its many benefits. Yogurt is almost as simple, but you do need a yogurt maker, or something that warms the milk to a temperature so the yogurt can culture. The L. Reuteri yogurt is more complicated and needs a special yogurt maker, but regular yogurt is just mixing milk with a good yogurt culture that has live probiotic bacteria, and leave it in the machine overnight, so definitely worth the investment of the yogurt maker .