Did your grandparents have chronic gut issues? Mine sure didn't. A stark comparison to the growing epidemic of digestive issues, worsening with every generation.
So why didn't your grandparents have gut issues? It's really quite simple...
1) They got fiber from seasonal real food.
Food came from farms and small markets in the early 1900's, and because food preservatives were not widely used yet, food was fresh. Because of the lack of processed food, their diets contained more dietary fiber which provides food for the good bacteria in the gut to thrive and keep the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria at bay. It also helps to detoxify and drain the liver by absorbing toxin containing bile.
For babies, breast milk was valued as it contains special probiotics and prebiotics to help nurture a infant's gut microbiome.
2) They weren't chronically constipated from liver/gallbladder issues
Because your grandparents weren't overdosing on foods and dairy products that can congest their liver-gallbladder axis, they had less bloating and constipation. Bile acids (which are made in your liver and released by your gallbladder when you eat a meal) are highly regulatory of the health of your gut environment. This is why gut issues are actually liver/gallbladder issue.
The slower your transit time, the more opportunity for bacteria to overgrow and toxins to get reabsorbed and recirculate.
3) They didn't take lots of supplements
Taking lots of supplements weren't commonplace back in your grandparents day, and their gut-liver axis was healthier for it.
Did you know that supplements (especially things like herbs, vitamin A, copper and iron) can give your liver more work to do.
4) They didn't have a liver injury from Rx meds
Your grandparents didn't beg for antibiotics and heartburn meds from their doctor.
When they got sick, they waited it out and ate soups, broths, and got lots of rest. They did not have their doctor or nurse on speed dial, and they trusted the body's natural healing process a whole lot more than we do today.
5) They didn't eat the rainbow and obsess over wellness
The marketing machine that is wellness culture wasn't yet operating at full steam influencing your grandparents to do things with their diet that counterproductive to health. Things like overloading on plant toxins and fat soluble vitamins enough to cause a sluggish liver and damage the gut just weren't mainstream.
6) They cooked food at home, using traditional preparation methods from scratch
Buying processed food was not an option, and eating out was a rare luxury. Lucky for our grandparents, these habits actually increased their health.
7) They didn't eat GMOs, food additives, synthetic herbicides, and thickeners.
Food was not yet treated with pesticides, herbicides, food additives, antibiotics and hormones to help increase crop yields, preserve shelf life and pad the pockets of food producers in the early 1900's at the expense of the consumer's gut health.
8) They got dirty outside
Our grandparents didn't wash their hands constantly or use hand-sanitizer every-time they changed tasks
They also didn't have the choice to stay inside and play on their phones, computers and gaming systems. They played on the original play-station: bikes, swing-sets and good ol' mother nature!
What do you think? Please share in the comments!
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Joyce
I agree 100 percent. Plus our grandparents only ate real
Foods with nothing mixed in.
They were always outside in the fresh air.
So lucky to have been them.