5 Foods To Eliminate For Amazing Gut Health

Time to take these foods off the table if you want to feel better.

Ever heard the phrase, “Good health starts in your gut?”

Believe every word because it’s true. You don’t need a medical degree to understand.

I’ve come to the conclusion that when my gut feels great, I feel great.

On the other hand, if my gut is all wrecked so is my:

• Energy

• Mood

• Confidence

• Clarity

So, after trying just about every gut cleansing practice I could find: colonics, leaky gut powders, and yes even suppositories, I’ve concluded that it’s not about adding, but more about subtracting.

You can buy all these gut-regenerating compounds, a specific strain of lactobacillus that cures all diseases, encapsulated in a $100 probiotic, and coconut yogurt that costs an arm and a leg…BUT…until we remove the stuff that hurts our tummies, we will never heal.

So instead of arguing about what's "good" or "bad" until we're blue in the face, let's focus on what matters—avoiding the compounds that are harming our gut health.

If you want to live a long, healthy life with an amazing tummy, these are the 5 foods you need to eliminate from your diet:

1. Vegetable Oils

2. Processed Sugar

3. Artificial Sweeteners

4. Food Coloring

5. Grains (I know you're triggered)

This isn’t everything, but it’s a great start.

Just by eliminating these, we can heal most of our gut issues.

Let’s dive into how we can eliminate these 5 food groups and avoid them for good!

"All disease begins in the gut." — Hippocrates

Vegetable Oils

This one is a tricky subject.

It’s surprisingly difficult to avoid these toxic oils because they are everywhere in our “food culture.”

• The “healthy” sauteed foods at restaurants, such as fish, leafy greens, etc.

• Gluten-free or organic cereal bars such as granola bars and many popular protein bars.

• Most salad dressings.

• “Healthy,” non-GMO vegetable chips, sweet potato chips, coconut chips, and others.

What exactly are vegetable oils, you ask? They’re oils made out of seeds from certain plants. I know what you’re thinking….

“Jack, these are vegetable oils. How could they be bad for you?”

Here’s why they’re so toxic:

The extraction process often involves toxic chemicals like gasoline and high heat, resulting in inflammatory, damaged oils that wreak havoc on your gut and body.

Most of these oils are predominantly polyunsaturated fats, which are unstable and prone to the type of oxidative damage that is highly detrimental to your cells, including the neurons in your brain.

Here is a list of all oils and the ones to avoid:

So I suggest looking through your food pantry and seeing if some of them include the oils on the bad side.

If they do?

Throw that shit in the dumpster.

What’s Oxidative damage?

Oxidants are normal to the body, but when they are in excess due to these inflammatory oils they cause inflammation and extensive damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids, which can result in cardiovascular disease, immune system deficits, and, not surprisingly, gut dysfunction.

It's sad to say how many foods are laden with these rancid, damaged oils.

But the best defense? Check labels!

Pro Seed Oil Avoidance Tips:

• Seed Oil Scout (An app showing restaurants that don’t use seed oils)

• Check ingredients every single time. Even on healthy foods!!!

• When at a restaurant, ask the waiter what they cook their food in and see if they can switch to olive oil, ghee, or butter.

On to the next gut buster!!!

Processed sugar

Now, not all sugar is bad.

Fruit is definitely good for you. But excess processed sugar? Now that’s the real poison. No wonder the people in Sweden call it the white devil.

Sugar plays with your body like the devil

Here’s why.

Microbiome disruption

Excessive sugar consumption disrupts the balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut. It feeds harmful bacteria and yeast, potentially leading to dysbiosis - an imbalance in your gut microbiome.

Excess inflammation

High sugar intake increases inflammation, which damages the intestinal lining and contributes to increased intestinal permeability, sometimes called "leaky gut."

Reduced diversity

A diet high in sugar and low in fiber can decrease the diversity of your gut microbiome. A diverse microbiome is crucial for overall health and robust immune function.

Impaired barrier function

Sugar weakens the gut's protective mucus layer, allowing harmful bacteria to enter into the bloodstream as well as LPS (Lipopolysaccharide)

Increased risk of digestive issues

Excessive sugar consumption has been linked to an increased risk of digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

So don’t eat processed sugar! Especially if your gut already feels messed up.

Stick to fruit, honey and maple syrup.

Avoid processed stuff like HFCS and white sugar.

Thank god there are people like

Jeannette Hyde

is out there sharing real knowledge. Shout out her!

She addresses this issue extensively.

Artificial Sweeteners

“Ok so we avoid sugar, now we can load up on the zero-calorie sweeteners, right Jack?”

NO! NO! NO!

Our bodies do not understand these lab-created compounds. Our bodies go, “WTF is this?” and spark an immune reaction to the toxic compounds.

The result? A whole bunch of BS that makes our life and energy suck.

A notable study published in Nature found that consuming saccharin (artificial sugar) led to glucose intolerance in mice and humans by changing their gut microbiota.

Another study in the journal, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, found that sucralose increased the expression of P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P450, which are associated with increased intestinal permeability or "leaky gut."

To add to that fire, Research published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism showed that aspartame consumption in rats led to increased fasting glucose levels and impaired insulin tolerance.

So here’s what we should do.

Avoid the artificial BS and follow this guideline:

AVOID:

• sucralose

• aspartame

• saccharin

• acesulfame potassium

USE INSTEAD:

• stevia

• monk fruit extract

• allulose

• swerve

The simplest changes can make all the difference.

Food Coloring

Red 40? Blue Lake 6?

No, this isn’t your favorite coloring palette. This is in the fucking food!

And fucking up our stomachs. Big time. It's messing with our kids, too, making them all jacked up on these artificial colorings.

Think about sports drinks like Gatorade. Think about the cereals that look like a puzzle and all these yellow doughnuts and what have you.

All those colors? Toxic.

If you look at the ingredient label and see a color and then a number avoid it at all costs.

Now we are living baby! Gut already healing.

Wheat and other gluten-containing grains

I’m scared to write this…..

I’m sure I’ll get some flack, especially from the people who believe grains save lives.

I don’t think all grains are horrible. White rice can be good, so can a little sprouted quinoa once in a while. BUT…

Wheat and other grains are destroying your gut.

Even if you don’t have an intolerance or allergy and even if they don’t seem to cause perceivable issues for you, they are still affecting you and your gut.

Dr. David Perlmutter, a renowned neurologist, wrote the book “Grain Brain” to reveal how excess carbohydrates, especially gluten-containing foods, can cause a host of neurological problems, as well as gut issues.

Highly recommend the book. It covers all the science.

“What about you Jack, aren’t you a scientist? You’re into all this weird health stuff??”

I’m just a guy who wants to share what I know with the world and help you all live long, healthy, and purposeful lives.

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The bottom line?

To wrap things up I just want to say,

Your gut is connected to everything.

Thanks to our guts, we can eat the foods we love and can make the amazing chemicals we need to live a fulfilling and energizing life.

Avoid the things that will hurt this amazing machine that is your body. Love it, take care of it, and take care of yourself.

Forget the endless debates between the guy in the white lab coat and the ripped vegan dude.

Focus on avoiding these food groups, and your gut will thank you.

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Some extra gut wisdom:

• Think of your microbiome like a garden. Treat it with care.

• Ditch the chlorinated drinking water.

• Go organic when you can - no herbicides or pesticides. Glyphosate is an antibiotic, and that's bad news for your gut.

• Get off prescription drugs if you can, especially stomach acid blockers, statins, and anti-inflammatory drugs.

• Eat fermented foods. Your gut bugs will love you for it.

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Want more gut health tips?

Let me know, and we can dive deeper into this wild world of microbiomes and fermented foods. Book a call with me today.

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P.S. Let me know what other articles you'd like to see—your feedback will fire up the next round of content!

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With Love,

Jack (Kool Health)

Transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.

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Disclaimer

The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or supplement, especially if you have medical conditions or take other medications. Individual results may vary.

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The microbiome is not static but is instead quite plastic, and imbalances in gut microbial composition or dysbiosis may ultimately affect inflammatory and metabolic pathways. IFM (Institute for Functional Medicine)