Jacqueline Whitehart - The 28-Day Gut Health Plan - Lose weight and feel better from the inside

Safe dairy foods

Butter

Hard cheese such as Cheddar, feta and Parmesan

Note that eggs are not a dairy food, contain no lactose and can be eaten safely.

Using lactose-free milk to simplify the removal of milk lactose from your diet

Lactose-free milk is now commonly available in every supermarket and is a really simple way to cut out lactose from your diet and see if it makes a difference to your gut health. You can also buy lactose-free yogurts, soft cheese and cream.

RED MEAT

Red meat can be problematic for your gut health for two reasons:

1.Red meat is simply one of the hardest things for your gut to break down and digest. It is often the case that occasional small quantities of red meat are OK for all but the most sensitive digestions. But increase the quantities, eat it late at night or together with a large, fatty meal and the likelihood of a problem increases hugely.

2.The other problem with red meat can be bacterial. This could mean that you have a problem with one meat in particular, be that beef, pork or lamb. This sometimes happens if you’ve had a bad bout of meat-related food poisoning in the past. The gut becomes colonized by the bad bacteria and you stay sensitive for years afterwards. Probiotics really help here as they can reduce or eliminate the problematic bacteria.

On the plus side, it is unlikely that you will have to eliminate red meat entirely from your diet. Just remember moderation is always the key to avoiding problems with red meat. If you do have a problem, cut out all red meat for at least forty-eight hours until all symptoms have passed.

Red meat to avoid

All forms of beef, lamb, pork and game

Minced beef

Burgers

Sausages

Ham

Duck

Game

Bacon

Salami

Chorizo

White meat (you can eat as much as you like)

Chicken

Turkey

All parts of the bird can be eaten, including the dark meat, such as turkey thigh.

NIGHTSHADE

Fruits from the nightshade family – tomatoes, bell peppers, chillies and aubergines (eggplants) – contain glycoalkaloids and/or capsaicin, which are surprisingly common triggers for a sensitive gut. It is estimated that as many as one in three of us could be sensitive to nightshades, although for many people it is a minor rather than major intolerance.

The highest concentration of glycoalkaloids is found in tomatoes. Tomatoes, either fresh, tinned or in pastes or passatas, are harder to avoid than you might imagine. Many dishes, from stews to curries, have tomatoes as their base. The problem with glycoalkaloids is that they can destroy cell membranes and can ‘burst open’ cells. This property is part of their natural defence against small mammals and birds that like to eat the sweet fruits of these plants. To the smaller stomachs of these animals, the glycoalkaloids have a toxic effect. As a much bigger animal, humans should be immune to their effects, but unfortunately, weakened gut linings have made people more susceptible to their effects. It has been suggested that by damaging the gut lining they may be one of the causes of leaky gut.

The other molecule in these red (and green) fruits is the tricky capsaicin. Capsaicin has a very different but equally nasty effect on the gut. Capsaicin is an irritant, and in the same way that you get pain and watery eyes if you just touch your eyes after chopping a chilli, capsaicin can irritate and inflame the gut lining, causing stomach cramps and pain. All chillies, fresh, dried or in powder form, contain the dreaded capsaicin. In fact, all red spices – e.g. paprika, chilli powder, cayenne pepper – contain concentrated capsaicin and should be avoided.

Fresh chilli peppers contain both glycoalkaloids and capsaicin, so are ‘the perfect storm’ when it comes to nightshade sensitivity.

Foods to avoid

Fresh tomatoes

Tinned tomatoes

Tomato purée

Tomato ketchup

Peppers (bell) – red, green, yellow and orange

Aubergine (eggplant)

Chilli peppers

Pimento peppers

Chilli paste

Chilli sauce

Jalapeños

Paprika

Mild or hot chilli powder

Curry powder

Madras powder

Cayenne pepper

Basically the food rule is:

‘ Steer clear of red foods .’

GAS-PRODUCING (GASSY) VEGETABLES

Most of the carbohydrate foods we eat release bubbles of gas as they are digested. In some people, it is not the gas in itself that causes the problem; it is how our bodies deal with the bubbles. If you are sensitive to gas-producing foods then it is likely that you suffer from painful stomach cramps as the gas gets trapped and your body tries to push it through the digestive tract. Unfortunately this gets worse at night as we are lying down ‘at rest’ and the natural movement of the body and gravity are not there to help push the gas away.

Gas-producing vegetables are perhaps the most common problem for people with a sensitive gut. Some troublesome veggies such as beans and cauliflower are relatively easy to avoid. But perhaps the most difficult foods are onions and garlic. They are incredibly tricky to steer clear of because they make their way into all sorts of unexpected foodstuffs, being a key flavouring for many meals. And secondly, they are the absolute worst at causing the production of gas. Even a tiny amount can trigger a reaction and cause a sleepless night.

Total abstinence from these foods is advised. I know this is difficult, but it might just be the root of so many gut issues that it is absolutely worth the effort. Use the recipes in this book to help. There is a huge variety of meals and flavours to stop your food being bland. Then learn the few key food swaps – lactose-free milk, celery, asafoetida and garlic oil (see here) – that can really make things easier. And think positive … You may never have to chop an onion again!

Foods to avoid

Onions and garlic

Red onion

White onion

Spring (green) onion (white part)

Onion powder

Onion flavouring

Garlic

Garlic paste

Garlic flavouring

Garlic salt

Leeks

Note that the green part of a spring onion is allowed, as are chives and celery. Garlic oil is also allowed (and makes a fantastic substitute). The damaging part of the garlic is not soluble in oil, so a garlic-infused oil contains lots of garlic flavour without any of the risks.

Other vegetables

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Kale

Cabbage

Beans and lentils

All kinds of beans including:

Kidney beans

Baked beans

Haricot (navy) beans

Butter beans (lima beans)

Borlotti beans

Black-eyed beans

Soy beans

All kinds of lentils including:

Red lentils

Brown lentils

Puy lentils

Chickpeas should also be avoided.

WHEAT

If you have a fat tummy, love handles or ‘man boobs’, you are not alone. Look around you. The characteristic paunch is extremely common. It gets worse as you get older, and is virtually impossible to shift through diet and exercise. What if this unshiftable belly is caused by twenty years of wheat overload? There’s new thinking that suggests that wheat could be the primary cause of your inflated belly and bloating.

Why avoid wheat?

Not all carbs are the same. Starchy or complex carbs such as rice, oats and potatoes release their energy more slowly than sugar, which is a simple carbohydrate. But isn’t wheat a complex carbohydrate? Yes. But it has unique properties that actually make it release its energy at the same rate as sugar.

Think about how much wheat you eat daily. It’s probably part of every meal. And if you have a snack it’s likely to be present there too. Could the problem be wheat overload? We know that wheat cannot be fully digested and may cause small tears to appear in the intestines.