The Healthy Nest Philosophy
At Healthy Nest, our natural weight loss philosophy centers around finding “your best diet.” We aim for our clients to lose one to two pounds per week, but sometimes it doesn’t go according to plan. When weight stubbornly stays in place, what do we do? Well, we look to other factors such as hormone imbalances and issues with gut bacteria (the gut microbiome).
Stubborn Weight Loss Because of Imbalanced Gut Bacteria
Our gut is the mid-section of our bodies that includes our small and large intestines. Gut bugs (also called gut bacteria, microbiome or gut flora) refers to a variety of bacteria that populate primarily our large intestines. If your gut microbiome is imbalanced (unfriendly outweighing friendly), it may be cause for stubborn weight or weight gain. Current scientific research studies support that beneficial gut bacteria may play a powerful role in weight regulation (see sources below). So, what you eat actually impacts the health and balance of your gut bugs.
To help support the growth of healthy microbes in your gut, eat a wide variety dark-colored, lower sugar fruits (think berries), lots and lots of vegetables (6-9 servings a day is a good goal), some ancient or whole grains and naturally fermented foods like low-sugar yogurt and live-probiotic or live-enzyme sauerkraut, kimchi or pickles.
Pill Probiotics Help You Get the Best BUG Bang for your Effort
Probiotics are filled with live bacteria that can help restore the gut to a healthy state.
Scientists think (read, they are still studying this topic) that certain probiotics may inhibit the absorption of dietary fat, meaning that more fat will be excreted when you naturally eliminate. In other words, you absorb fewer calories from the foods in your diet. The Lactobacillus family works this way. The strain Lactobacillus gasseri shows the most promising effects on weight loss, including reduced body weight, belly fat, fat around organs, BMI, waist size and hip circumference. Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus amylovorus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus also reduces body fat & has proven to accelerate weight loss and weight maintenance.
Need Help?
If you’re having stubborn weight loss issues and you feel like your gut imbalance might be an issue, it is a good bet to tweak your diet and start a probiotic supplement with these particular strains. We don’t recommend you start a probiotic regimen without a holistic nutrition’s supervision. It is as much art as science here, and a bit of help ensures you’ll feel good throughout the journey.
Sources:
Postgrad Med J. 2016 May;92(1087):286-300. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2015-133285. Epub 2016 Feb 24. Gut microbiota, obesity and diabetes. Patterson E1, Ryan PM2, Cryan JF3, Dinan TG4, Ross RP5, Fitzgerald GF6, Stanton C1.
Science. 2013 Sep 6; 341(6150): 10.1126/science.1241214. Cultured gut microbiota from twins discordant for obesity modulate adiposity and metabolic phenotypes in mice Vanessa K. Ridaura,1 Jeremiah J. Faith,1 Federico E. Rey,1 Jiye Cheng,1 Alexis E. Duncan,2,3 Andrew L. Kau,1Nicholas W. Griffin,1 Vincent Lombard,4 Bernard Henrissat,4,5 James R. Bain,6,7,8 Michael J. Muehlbauer,6 Olga Ilkayeva,6 Clay F. Semenkovich,9 Katsuhiko Funai,9 David K. Hayashi,10 Barbara J. Lyle,11 Margaret C. Martini,11 Luke K. Ursell,12 Jose C. Clemente,12 William Van Treuren,12 William A. Walters,13 Rob Knight,12,14,15 Christopher B. Newgard,6,7,8 Andrew C. Heath,2 and Jeffrey I. Gordon1
Nature. 2009 Jan 22;457(7228):480-4. doi: 10.1038/nature07540. Epub 2008 Nov 30. A core gut microbiome in obese and lean twins. Turnbaugh PJ1, Hamady M, Yatsunenko T, Cantarel BL, Duncan A, Ley RE, Sogin ML, Jones WJ, Roe BA, Affourtit JP, Egholm M, Henrissat B, Heath AC, Knight R, Gordon JI.
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2015 Aug;67(5):571-80. doi: 10.1080/09637486.2016.1181156. Epub 2016 May 5. Effect of probiotics on body weight and body-mass index: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Zhang Q1, Wu Y2, Fei X1.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Mar 15;108 Suppl 1:4578-85. doi:.1073/pnas.1000081107. Epub 2010 Jul 28. Succession of microbial consortia in the developing infant gut microbiome. Koenig JE1, Spor A, Scalfone N, Fricker AD, Stombaugh J, Knight R, Angenent LT, Ley RE.
Nature. 2006 Dec 21;444(7122):1022-3. Microbial ecology: human gut microbes associated with obesity. Ley RE1, Turnbaugh PJ, Klein S, Gordon JI.
Journal of Functional Foods. Volume 5, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 116-123. Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus amylovorus as probiotics alter body adiposity and gut microflora in healthy persons. Jaclyn M.Omara. Yen-MingChana Mitchell L.Jonesb, SatyaPrakashb Peter J.H.Jonesa.
Hi! I’m Robin, the founder of Healthy Nest Nutrition. I am a board-certified holistic nutritionist in Denver, Colorado. My passion is helping people find the right diet for their bodies and then showing them how to make healthy nutrition doable and delicious!
