Reclaim Your Skinny Gut Over the Holidays

November 21, 2014
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Award-winning nutritionist and New York Times bestselling author.

The 16 Super GI Cleansers

Thanksgiving is less than a week away…November 27th will be upon us in no time.

Besides the pleasure of spending time with beloved family and friends, and expressing gratitude for our many blessings, there’s something else to look forward to…bountiful food!

Americans consume nearly 740 million pounds of turkey every Thanksgiving. And, that’s on top of the plethora of other traditional (and generally carb-laden) side dishes and desserts. With so much food to digest, you can become bloated for hours, or worse, backed up for days.

You see, ideally, food should remain in your system for only twelve to eighteen hours before your colon eliminates it as waste. Consuming lots of meat, dairy and poultry can bury your colon with putrefying protein unless you have ample hydrochloric acid (HCl).

In addition, when you eat large amounts of refined carbohydrates or sugar, the gluey, starchy residue binds with mucus to create a hardened layer that builds up on your colon walls.

This built-up waste can prevent you from assimilating nutrients out of the food you eat, preventing your body from fully absorbing and assimilating nutrients.

That is why many people notice that when their colons are moving freely with two to three bowel movements a day, they can eat a third to one-half the amount of food they used to beforehand, yet feel more satisfied, energized, and nourished.

Dessert Alert!

By the way, if you’re doing a healthy makeover this year with your desserts, there is one sugar I would absolutely ditch and other sugars I would use instead. Coconut sugar—all the rage these days—is almost 50% fructose which can elevate triglycerides, LDL, and damage the liver when excessively consumed.

I prefer pure monk fruit powder, small amounts of xylitol (from birch trees, not corn), and SweetLeaf Stevia, Trader Joe’s pure stevia extract powder or UNI KEY’s Flora-Key in no-heat recipes. Even a drop of maple syrup or raw local honey is A-OK for an occasional sweetening treat.

Thank Goodness for Fiber

We all know that fiber helps to keep food moving swiftly through the GI tract. Fiber binds to belly-bloating yeasts, toxins, unexpelled wastes, and excess fluids. It helps to flush them out of the body like no other “non-nutrient.”

Just as helpful for maintaining a tiny waist, soluble fiber contained in the skins of fruits, root vegetables and seeds, functions as a prebiotic that nurtures the beneficial bacteria. Soluble fiber also provides a feeling of fullness that can help control your appetite.

As probiotics ferment fiber, they form short-chain fatty acids, among their many benefits. These natural substances can inhibit growth of Candida (the fungus among us that can pooch out the belly) and reduce bad bugs like E. coli while helping to heal the digestive tract.

Best of all, short-chain fatty acids tamp down inflammation which can contribute to asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 Diabetes.

When it comes to fiber, be on the lookout for a rich soluble and insoluble fiber supplement that cleanses the GI tract and provides enough fiber that will keep your beneficial bacteria fortified and your belly flat.

Herbal Detoxifiers

Consider gentle herbal detoxifiers that can reduce the bloat and help the liver, GI tract, pancreas and kidneys eliminate waste. These can be made from herbs and spices which can be used in the leaf or seed form or made into teas (like peppermint leaf tea and fennel tea).

Enzymes

I like to think of enzymes as living sparkplugs, vital catalysts that fire up our life force, because without the thousands of enzymes working within our system, none of the biochemical processes on which our lives depend could occur.

Found in every one of our cells, enzymes are what make it possible for vitamins, minerals, and hormones to affect our bodies. And they play a key role in digestion. Because of their therapeutic value, enzymes have been used to treat a whole host of diseases, from arthritis and autoimmune disorders to sports injuries and viral infections.

Decreased enzyme activity has been correlated with digestive difficulties, lethargy—and weight gain. Besides keeping us slim and trim, enzymes also help keep us young.

You’ll feel younger and more energetic as your increase your enzyme intake, and because enzymes rev up your system to work so efficiently, they support detox—particularly liver detox—and they contribute to weight loss! To replenish your enzyme levels, consume more raw foods. When foods are cooked, the enzymes lose their activity around 118 degrees fahrenheit.

Probiotics

For years, beneficial bacteria (or friendly flora) have been well known to fight yeast, combat disease-causing bacteria, help clean out parasites, and break down toxins in the body. Conversely, a lack of the beneficial bacteria have been connected to many health problems, including ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic fatigue, eczema and psoriasis, asthma, and more. And now there is a connection to weight.

Several new books make a strong connection between obesity and the levels of certain types of bacteria in the gut. In the original study published in Nature (December 2006), the researchers basically found that without the right amounts of friendly bacteria, animals got “twice as fat” and utilized more calories from the same amount of food than those with the more normal bacteria ratio.

Probiotics represent the next wave of health and healing and are intimately involved with every organ, tissue, and health concern of the body. The groundbreaking research published in Nature, conducted at Washington University’s Center for Genome Sciences, initiated a whole science called “infectobesity” that looks at obesity from the microbial and viral standpoint.

Simply put: viruses and bacteria may impact the absorption of food and influence gut hormones that regulate appetite and metabolic rate.

 

16 Super GI Cleansers


Here are the 16 key fiber, herbal, enzyme and probiotic ingredients that I would look for in a cleansing GI formula: 

  • Psyllium seed husk fiber, the “carbohydrate gum” found in the cell wall of psyllium, known for its ability to absorb water and speed bowel transit time.
  • Flaxseed fiber, an abundant source of lignan precursors, which exhibit properties such as anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activity.
  • Apple pectin, the gel-forming properties of which are responsible for lowering cholesterol by binding the cholesterol and bile acids in the gut and promoting their excretion.
  • Oat bran, a soluble fiber that also helps reduce the absorption of cholesterol into the blood stream.
  • Rice bran, rich in phytonutrients with significant disease-preventing benefits including control of blood glucose and improvement of plasma lipid profiles.
  • Alfalfa leaves, high in saponins, which help to reduce serum cholesterol levels and possibly reverse atherosclerotic plaque.
  • Buckthorn bark, a blood purifier and diuretic, it contains 1,8-dihydroxy-anthracene derivatives, which are substances that have an effect on the nerves in the intestinal tract. It is often used as a laxative to relieve constipation and to ease evacuation of the bowels.
  • Cranberry powder, a substance rich in organic acids that appear to function as natural digestive enzymes to assist in the elimination of toxic wastes from every organ, tissue, and system, especially the lymphatics. Cranberry powder also helps with pH balance—so critical in protecting us from becoming a breeding ground for microorganisms, yeast, and other toxins.
  • Butternut root bark, known for ages as one of the safest and mildest laxatives while helping in the secretion of bile. Also helps to prevent and ward off worms.
  • Fennel seed, a natural digestive aid that helps to eliminate flatulence.
  • Peppermint leaf, used for centuries to aid digestion, absorb intestinal gas, inhibit constipation and diarrhea, and stimulate the secretion of bile. Peppermint also has the ability to fight off and eliminate microorganisms such as parasites, influenza, and many other viruses.
  • Irish moss, a bulk laxative that soothes and coats the complete GI tract and helps eliminate heavy metals.
  • Licorice root, a protector and healer of irritated mucous membranes that also supports adrenal gland function.
  • Anise seed, an antispasmodic that helps eradicate bloating and gas.
  • A special plant enzyme blend that targets digestion of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
  • A probiotic blend that enhances immunity and helps with the absorption of the B vitamins and vitamin K.

ALL of these targeted ingredients are synergistically combined in the Super-GI Cleanse formula. I have personally used and recommended this to my clients for over 15 years and find it to be the most efficacious on the market!


Here are just a few testimonials from satisfied customers:

“This has to be one of the most effective supplements I have ever tried. I’ve been using Super-GI Cleanse for about a year now… It has been an easy way for me to get additional fiber in my diet and I have been more regular now than at any other point in my life.” – George M.

“I have been using Super-GI Cleanse for about 2 years now and can safely say it is a great product. It’s a wonderful way to clean out your system effectively and remove any bloat you may be suffering from. I have used it in conjunction with the Fat Flush Plan to control my weight and keep it at the proper level. It’s a great product. Use accordingly and you will get the desired results!” – Marilyn L.

“As a colon hydrotherapist I have found this product to improve bowel function by providing consistent, softened, well formed stools with a rapid transit time. The longer fecal matter stays in the colon the possibility of environmental and dietary toxins being reabsorbed into the blood stream increases. Ridding the body of such toxins is essential to good health and simply feeling good. I use Super-GI Cleanse daily myself and find taking it as directed provides excellent results. I highly recommend it to my clients.” – Kathie M.

“I have had Multiple Sclerosis for over 21 years, and have suffered from a neurogenic bowel as a result. I have used the Super-GI Cleanse for just over 3 years now, and after struggling with regular bowel movements for so many years I have finally found relief. I recommend this product to many with GI issues. Not only is chronic constipation uncomfortable, but the effects of retained stool are toxic.” – Jennifer S.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving. May joy and happy feelings fill your heart with enough thankfulness to last until this time next year!

Related Articles and Podcasts

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books including The Fat Flush Plan series and her latest book, Radical Metabolism. She’s been rewriting the rules of nutrition for more than 40 years and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of diet, detox and women’s health issues. 

For a FREE daily dose of tips and strategies for maintaining healthy weight, conquering insomnia, and much more…check out my Radical Health Tips.

I’d like to meet and greet you on my Facebook groups, so won’t you check us out at the Radical Metabolism RevolutionFat Flush Nation, or my Inner Circle!

8 Comments

  1. Kathleen

    Ann Louise, Again you have given such timely info enlightening our understanding on how our body works! Thank you for this reminder of the essential role probiotics play in maintaining our health. Great blog—and happy healthy Thanksgiving to you, too!

    Reply
  2. Bianca

    Hi There

    Just seeing if your products are available in Australia ?

    Thankyou

    B

    Reply
    • Ann Louise

      Hi Bianca:

      There used to be distributor “Down Under” but I dare say we have lost touch over the years. The Super GI-Cleanse is truly a gem of a product and may be worthwhile ordering from UNI KEY and stocking up, if you can’t find something comparable in your area. Wish you were closer!!

      Reply
  3. Ann Louise

    Thank you for your lovely comment, Kathleen.

    Reply
  4. R. M.

    Hi!
    I loved your article. I learn so much! I have a question about the cranberry extract. You said that it is important for pH balance? Are you referring to overall body pH? Are you referring to stomach pH?
    I inquire b/c I’ve been told by all of my natural health physician that my body’s pH should be slightly alkaline so that the ORP levels (Oxidation Reduction Potential) in your system is at its max. I usually concentrate on eating a lot of foods that are a little higher on the pH scale. I even drink water that has a slightly higher pH. Do you think the cranberry extract would impact that too much? Do you agree with my ORP assessment or have you heard of that as well? I’m curious what your opinion is as I respect it greatly. Your writings usually parallel that of my natural health doctor.
    Thank you for your time!
    Love your newsletter!

    Reply
    • Sierra

      Hi R.M. Cranberry is an alkalizing food. While inherently it is acidic in it’s natural state, the way it interacts with our body chemistry promotes alkalinity in our tissues. It is important to note that different organ systems and areas of our bodies have different set points on the pH scale. Not everything is meant to be alkaline, but our inherent body wisdom usually takes care of it so long as we provide it with the proper ingredients. The Fat Flush Plan by Ann Louise does an amazing job of accounting for our pH balance.
      Cranberries are incredibly rich in antioxidants and have an ORAC reading of 9584. They are a super food, indeed!

      Reply
  5. dorothy

    I’m using it but still bloat an gas,i’ve gluten problem it is so hard I need too say help…………

    Reply
  6. TEAM ALG

    Dorothy: You may need the Y-C Cleanse to further aid with bloating and gas as long as you are totally avoiding gluten. Feel better soon!

    Reply

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