88 August/September 2019
I have nutritional deficiencies
that show up symptomatically
as well as via testing with my
medical provider. I don’t have
SIBO and have been working on
healing my gut for quite some
time (taking glutamine, eating
a varied diet, etc). I eat a Paleo
diet 80 percent of the time,
maintain a gluten-free diet 100
percent of the time, and take
a pretty good dose of multiple
vitamins daily. How can I improve
nutrient absorption beyond
what I’m already doing?
The ability to absorb nutrients from your food depends on
many processes occurring in the gastrointestinal tract. You
can be eating all of the right foods (a “perfect Paleo diet”),
but if your body isn’t able to access the nutrients from them,
it’s practically a wash. There are a few things you can do to
improve this process. The breakdown of food begins with the
secretion of saliva in the mouth. It is important to chew food
slowly and deliberately to start the digestive process. Take
breaks between bites to extend the length of your meal so that
the food has enough time to be properly broken down.
While it’s great that you’re taking glutamine (an amino acid
that helps to rebuild and maintain the structural integrity
of the thin lining of the digestive tract, which is essential
for healthy digestion), probiotics are important, too. These
supplements work together to restore, balance, and support
gut health. Just as important as taking probiotics in the first
place is diversifying your bacterial community; I recommend
achieving this by switching the probiotic brands and strains
you take after every bottle. Probiotics work at restoring healthy
gut bacteria that live in the colon, but I see many people
continuing to consume the same probiotic supplement; this
will build up the bacteria strains from that particular supplement, but will not build
diversity. You can also boost the diversity of your healthy gut bacteria through the
consumption of a variety of fermented foods, like kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha.
Even when consuming a Paleo diet, it can be difficult to get enough fiber every day.
Fiber is key to healthy digestion because it slows down how long your food is in your
digestive tract, allowing the body to absorb more nutrients. Fiber also feeds beneficial
gut bacteria. Be intentional about consuming some of the following fiber-rich foods
regularly: leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beets, sweet potatoes,
berries, apples, pears, nuts, seeds, and fermented vegetables. If you tolerate legumes,
they can be an excellent source of fiber as well.
Another thing to consider is that if you are consistently taking certain medications,
your need for specific nutrients will remain higher because of the nutrient
depletion caused by those medications. Antibiotics, antacids, antidepressants, oral
contraceptives, anticonvulsants, anti-inflammatories, diuretics, diabetic drugs, and
cardiovascular drugs can all cause different nutrient deficiencies. In this case, you
will need to continue to supplement at high doses those nutrients that show up as
deficient on your lab tests.
Finally, check in on your environment during meals—the nature of your surroundings,
what else you are doing, and how present you are. Are you multitasking, with one
eye reading emails and the other eye focused on your plate? If you are in a stressful
environment, your sympathetic nervous system can go on high alert. Take a few deep,
conscious breaths before starting to eat to shift from the sympathetic nervous system to the
parasympathetic nervous system. In the parasympathetic state, more digestive enzymes and
hydrochloric acid are released to break down food. Taking a digestive enzyme supplement
with meals can also assist in the breakdown of food and increase nutrient absorption. The
key is to take it with every meal. If you do not have a gallbladder, then use a digestive
enzyme containing ox bile to aid in the breakdown of fats specifically.CASSIE BJORK IS THE BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF WHY AM I STILL FAT? THE
HIDDEN KEYS TO UNLOCKING THAT STUBBORN WEIGHT LOSS.answer:
{ ask the dietician }