As we at MamaSezz well know, changing to a plant-based diet can change your life in ways you never expected. In this series, we talk with some of the world’s most soulful, dedicated (and often funny) individuals. We get to hear their stories of suffering, transformation, and service — and we learn how food is an essential part of their journey. These 4 people suffered from digestive health issues for most of their lives. Here's what happened:
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Is your gut health actually important?
Did you know your gut health directly relates to your mental health, brain health, and heart health? And 97% of Americans are fiber deficient!? Fiber is what good gut bacteria feeds on, and if it doesn’t have enough, it dies off.
Why does it matter?
Well, our gut microbiomes run primarily on fiber. Fiber promotes that good bacteria growth. When we consume fiber, our gut produces short chain fatty acids which aid in the growth of the cells that line our colons, suppress inflammation, and fight disease.
Without fiber, we can't feed our good gut bacteria, resulting in dysbiosis, which is an overgrowth of bad bacteria. This overgrowth can lead to inflammatory disease (like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, for starters).
Good bacteria like butyrate, on the other hand, has anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting properties. And fiber promotes the growth of butyrate-producing bacteria, so no surprise: vegetarians are found to have a much higher concentration of butyrate-producing genes.
Most diseases are a result of inflammation, especially those gut-related diseases, so fiber is essential. Therefore, many Americans suffer from digestive discomfort.
The good news about digestive health
Going plant-based has been shown to help heal gut health by restoring your microbiome. This week, were highlighting 4 people who sought out to fix their digestive health with a plant-based diet...and saw amazing results
1. Carolyn's Struggle with Ulcerative Colitis (+ Lupus, Lyme, and Hypothyroidism)
Carolyn suffered from Ulcerative Colitis for over 40 years, along with three other serious auto-immune diseases, and her digestive health was in ruins. UC can make life very uncomfortable and Carolyn was on a series of medications to keep the symptoms at bay. The side effects of these medications, coupled with the pain of her condition, made day-to-day life very difficult during flares. Her doctor tired to convince her that diet didn’t play a role, but Carolyn's intuition led her elsewhere and tried cutting out gluten and diary. Instantly, she noticed a difference.
Today, Carolyn is off all her medications, her blood work is better than ever, and her auto-immune diseases are in remission.
Carolyn restored her digestive health.
Check out Carolyn’s full story.
2. Stacey Fixes Her Chronic Digestive Issues
Stacey suffered from chronic digestive issues and was prescribed a temporary diet of chicken and potatoes, which seemed to only make matters worse. Upon return to the doctor with the news, she was accused of straying from the diet (she hadn't), which only discouraged her more. One night she went to spend time with a family that had recently become vegan. That’s when everything changed.
Read more about Stacey’s success story.
3. Coach Pauri's Struggle with IBS and Other Digestive Health Problems
Pauri is a College Tennis Coach in peak health. But it wasn’t always that way. Pauri spent a great deal of his life suffering from painful IBS and other related digestive issues. As a coach, health and fitness were constantly at the top of his mind, so Pauri knew he had to make a change. His friend had recently gone plant-based, and Pauri decided to give it a go for two weeks to see if it might help him, too. Not only did his IBS symptoms go away, but he never felt better on the court.
Read more about Pauri’s rise to peak health as an athlete.
4. Alexandra Puts her UC in Remission
Like Carolyn, Alexandra suffered from painful Ulcerative Colitis for much of her life. She was also told that diet did not play a role in her symptoms. The only dietary advice she was given was to avoid fiber, which could irritate her colon. Her symptoms continued, despite her medication. Finally, after watching a bit on a NFL player who went plant-based, Alexandra decided she was willing to try anything and gave it a go. To her shock, her UC symptoms went away after just a short period of time.
Read more about Alexandra’s journey to recovery.
Ready to reclaim your gut health?
Sign up for the MamaSezz 2 week Detox and Reboot Program to get the food and the support you need to live your best plant-based life! Reduce inflammation, lose weight, restore and energize your body, and unhook from unhealthy food habits...in just two weeks!