Most people are out of control with diet and weight. They crave food all the time, are continuously hungry and uncomfortable in their bodies. Giving up the cause, processed food and added sugars, is a nightmare thought.

Many out of control have co-morbid conditions, meaning they have two or more diagnoses such as diabetes, fatty liver, migraine and excessive gas, all at the same time. These people look for cures in every place but nutrition. Nutrition goals are healing and sealing the gut wall and reseeding the good microbes. The gut is the foundation for healing the body. A return to the kitchen is a priority.

Taking aim in the right nutritional direction eventually undermines the processed food addiction. The latest healing direction is low carbohydrate, moderate protein and high fat (LCHF). The key LCHF protocols are Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS), Specific Carbohydrate (SCD), Paleo and Ketogenic programs.

Intermittent fasting is big; eating within a 5- to 8-hour window and fasting on water, coffee or tea for the remaining 19-16 hours. According to Fung, MD (2016), the optimal window of fasting is 16-24 hours to make the positive metabolic changes. Other research indicates that fasting 72 hours can reboot the immune system.

Vegan is a cleansing diet, a subset of GAPS. The pitfall of the vegan protocol is erring on the side of eating more carbohydrate than protein and fat: going full hog on the grains, beans and starchy roots rather than nuts, seeds and olive oil. An excess consumption of the complex sugars may cause the body to gain weight, lay down belly fat and cause excessive gas.

Sheila Shea, MA founded the Intestinal Health Institute in Tucson, which promotes gastrointestinal healing in three areas: nutrition, detoxification and colon hydrotherapy. Shea is board certified in colon hydrotherapy for 40 years and is a Certified GAPS Practitioner. Connect at 520-325-9686, [email protected] or IntestinalHealthInstitute.com. See ad, page 31.