Supplements

Persist Nutrition

The path to better digestion and body composition starts with food quality, food hygiene, food quantity, and food timing. We are born with all the tools we need to digest food well. With that said, depending on our lifestyle, stress, and history we may find ourselves in need of digestive support.

 

It is important to say up front that our nutrition approach isn’t built around the use of supplements. We are actually trying to move you back towards optimal natural function with our biohacking system of food hygiene, quality, and awareness practices. In some instances, dietary supplements can be supportive in getting you over a digestive health slump. If you are experiencing regular bloating, reflux, gas, constipation or diarrhea, you may want to experiment with one or more of the following.

 

For general digestive health you can turn your focus to the following categories of supplements and their natural sources as well:

  • Fiber
  • Probiotics
  • Digestive Support

If you are experiencing notable issues with gas, digestive distress after eating, bloating, excessive burping, or constipation/diarrhea, then you can experiment with the following:

  • Digestive Enzymes
  • HCl + Pepsin – specifically around digesting protein

Fiber

Fiber plays a very important role in gut health. You can think of fiber as the fuel our gut needs to keep its cells healthy. By helping move the contents of the gut along more smoothly and by feeding the healthy bacteria of our gut, fiber is an important component of the human diet. Fiber is included along with calorie and macronutrient counts on labels and in food tracking apps – if you aren’t sure if you are getting enough, include this in your tracking and notice whether you need to up your daily amount. A general recommendation is 14 grams per 1,000 calories in your daily intake. Be sure to drink enough water, and increase slowly if you need to add more, noting any effects along the way.

 

There are 7 Different types of fiber.

 

Cellulose – broccoli, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower
Inulin – bananas, garlic, onions, and asparagus
Pectins – apples, strawberries, citrus fruits, carrots, and potatoes
Beta Glucans – oats, barley, shiitake mushrooms
Psyllium – you’ll only find this type of fiber as a supplement
Lignin – legumes, green beans, cauliflower, zucchini
Resistant Starch – legumes and unripe bananas

 

Natural Fiber – Top Fiber Foods:
Flaxseed
Jerusalem Artichokes
Onions
Raspberries
Lentils
Chia Seeds
Oatmeal

 

Fiber Supplements

FiberMend

Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms that can help promote a healthy digestive tract and a healthy immune system. These are also commonly known as friendly, good, or healthy bacteria and can help support a balanced microbiome.

  • Quality of probiotics varies greatly on the market and you often get what you pay for. I encourage you to do some of your own research on quality brands (we use and recommend Thorne).
  • Rotating – consider rotating your probiotics every month. Diversity in your microbiome is healthy, and by rotating your probiotic brands and types you can support a broader range of species in your microbiome.

Natural Probiotics – Fermented foods are a great source of natural probiotics in our diet. As they relate to the challenge, be mindful of finding foods that don’t have too many additional ingredients. These 3 options below have only one or two ingredients each. After the challenge is over you may consider the addition of some natural probiotics foods like Kimchi, other pickled vegetables, and more that have higher numbers of ingredients. Just be mindful that if you start to have any negative gut reactions to these it may be wise to return back to simplicity.

 

One Ingredient

Goat Milk Kefir
Full Fat Greek Yogurt

Two Ingredients

Raw Green Organic Saurkraut

Digestive Support

These supplements support the health of the mucosal membrane of the digestive tract. The lining of our digestive tract and the immune cells of the digestive system can be supported by this category of supplements. The products typically contain some combination of the following ingredients (give or take a couple) L-glutamine, N-acetyl-glucosamine, MSM, DGL, slippery elm, marshmallow, chamomile, okra extract, cat’s claw (TOA-free), quercetin, and mucin.

Digestive Enzymes

These are often sold as a combination of the following 3 types of enzymes in a pill form.

  • Proteases – breaks down proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids
  • Lipases – break down fat into fatty acids and glycerol
  • Amylases – break down carbohydrates into simple sugars

Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) – HCl is sold in a number of forms and usually comes in a pill form that is combined with Pepsin (a particular type of protease). Our stomach produce HCl for the purpose of breaking down proteins through a process called denaturing. Denaturing proteins makes them easier to chemically digest with enzymes further downstream in the small intestine.

Examples – Dipan-9, Betaine HCl/Pepsin (for protein)

How to Introduce

Introduce supplements one by one. Spend a minimum of 2-3 days taking one supplement before adding in another. This will allow you to identify if the supplement is having a bad reaction in your system in which case you should likely stop. The last thing we want to do is to provoke any worsening of your digestion. 

 

For the purposes of a defined window of time you may be following these nutrition protocols as a 30 day challenge, you can experiment with one or more of these. At the end of the challenge it would be a good idea to stop any supplements you have chosen to start. This will let you determine how your food quality and food hygiene practices on their own are impacting your digestion and how you feel.

SHOP THORNE AND SAVE

I personally use and recommend Thorne Research supplements for myself and my clients when supplementation is called for. We’ve partnered up with Thorne to provide a 15% discount on supplements purchased through the Revival Strength dispensary. Be sure to speak with your health care provider about any supplements you are considering taking, and note them in a daily journal.