Happy Keto Body Review Week 10: Keto and Gut Health
Ten weeks of keto eating done! In this post I’ll share:
Lessons learned from 10 weeks of keto living (particularly about gut health)
How I planned for a successful week
What I ate (you know, the fun part!)
How I felt (physically and emotionally) and my results
My best tips for Week 9 of Happy Keto Body
You can read other posts in this series here: Weekly Happy Keto Body Review Series
The Happy Keto Body program is a 12 week online video course and it is AMAZING! It has answers to all your keto questions, meal plans, shopping lists, recipes, and how to troubleshoot common keto problems. Check it out here: Happy Keto Body
Happy Keto Body Week 10
How I planned for a successful Week 10 on Happy Keto Body:
I talk about this every single week, but planning so so important to stick with a healthy living plan. Here are some of the things that went on my planner to prepare for Week 10:
Plan meals for the week.
Plan grocery shopping time.
Plan workouts for the week. (I’m doing LIIFT 4 which is a four day per week weight training program from Beachbody on Demand. You can learn more HERE.)
Plan time every day to log to my food. (I use THIS PRINTABLE JOURNAL.)
If you want to see how I plan my week in detail, check out this Week 0: Prep Week blog post.
What I learned from week 10 of happy keto body:
Gut health was the topic of the Happy Keto Body program in Week 10. This is a subject that really interests me.
Several years ago I was dealing with, let’s call it “stomach issues” and had some testing done. Nothing major was found, and interestingly my gastroenterology did not say one word about diet. I started researching on my own and found that, even though I tested negative for Celiac disease, gluten might still be a culprit. I eliminated gluten and magically most of the symptoms disappeared.
After this I had a few visits with a holistic doctor who suggested I have leaky gut causing some auto-immune responses, so this week’s lessons were particularly interesting for me.
What is leaky gut?
Your intestines, or digestive tract, is where food is broken down and nutrients are absorbed.
The digestive system also plays an important role in protecting your body from harmful substances. The walls of the intestines act like barriers, controlling what enters the bloodstream. So things like water and nutrients can pass through to nourish your body. The intestinal walls also block harmful substances from passing through to the blood stream.
The problem begins when the small gaps in the intestinal wall become loose, which may allow bacteria and toxins to pass from the gut into the bloodstream. This phenomenon is what is called "leaky gut."
If bacteria and other toxins enter the bloodstream, it can cause widespread inflammation and possibly trigger a reaction from the immune system. This is what my doctor suggested was happening to me.
Symptoms of leaky gut syndrome include bloating, food sensitivities, fatigue, digestive issues and skin problems.
Why is gut health important?
If you don’t have digestive woes (lucky!) you might be tempted gloss over this information. But a healthy gut is important for overall health. Some diseases associated with leaky gut are:
Celiac disease
diabetes
auto-immune diseases
Crohn’s disease
Irritable bowel syndrome
Food allergies or insensitivities
Do you have leaky gut?
Leaky gut might be an issue for you if you have any of these issues:
Diarrhea, constipation, or both
Sensitivity or allergic reactions to certain foods
Thyroid difficulties
Inflamed skin and the connected conditions, including acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc.
Emotional and mental changes, such as depression, mood changes, or issues focusing
(delicious keto) foods to eat and simple strategies to follow to help heal your gut:
Limit sugars and refined carbohydrates, which you are already doing by following a keto plan.
Enjoy fermented foods, like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha.
Consider a probiotic supplement. (If you’re in Happy Keto Body, see the Supplements to Support PDF for suggestions.
Limit alcohol.
Consume low lectin foods (like leafy greens, veggies, avocado, and olives) instead of high lectin foods like dairy, grains, legumes, nightshades, and pumpkin.
Add some resistant starch to your diet.
Limit the use of NSAIDs, like ibuprofen.
Manage your stress. (Easier said than done, right?)
Avoid or reduce dairy consumption.
Reduce or eliminate grains from your diet (which you are already doing on keto).
Drink bone broth or supplement with collagen.
If gut health is an area of interest, don’t be afraid to dive deeper.
The Happy Keto Body videos are fairly detailed and a little bit science-y. You may need to watch a few times to “digest” the information. (Pun intended.) Be sure to check out the Bonus Materials in Week 10, like the IBS Tools and Treatments and 30 Day Candida Protocol PDF’s, as well as Dealing with Allergies, Sensitivities and Restrictions PDF on the main page of the program.
If you’d like to learn more about leaky gut and how to heal, I found these books on Amazon:
Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It by Dr. Josh Axe
The Autoimmune Fix: How to Stop the Hidden Autoimmune Damage That Keeps You Sick, Fat, and Tired Before It Turns Into Disease by Tom O’Bryan and Mark Hyman, M.D.
Healthy Gut, Healthy You: The Personalized Plan to Transform Your Health from the Inside Out by Dr. Michael Ruscio
The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain by Dr. Steven Gundry
“Gut health is the key to overall health.”
What I ate on Week 10 of Happy Keto Body:
Breakfasts:
Eggs and veggies is my go-to breakfast, sometimes with bacon.
All breakfasts are followed by coffee with heavy cream.
Some days I skip breakfast and just have coffee, depending on how hungry I am when I wake up.
Lunches:
My go-to lunch is dinner leftovers.
Salad with lots of veggies, blue cheese, walnuts, EVOO and red wine vinegar, and a square of dark chocolate.
Dinners:
Breakfast for dinner: Scrambled eggs with avocado and bacon, and a big helping of sauteed zucchini.
A very carby Carb Up…. Tortilla chips with salsa and queso, one enchilada, refried beans at Ted’s Cafe Esondido. You’ve seen this restaurant listed with my carb ups several times. Can you tell it’s one of my favorites??
Snacks:
On days when I intermittent fast, I will generally have a snack at night. So I’m still eating 3 meals a day, they just look like lunch, dinner and a snack. My go-to snack is blue cheese dip with baby bell peppers. Sometimes, I’ll have a handful of macadamia nuts and a piece of cheddar cheese.
On days I eat breakfast, I try not to snack at night.
How I felt during Week 10, and my results:
I was tired this week! My sleep generally sucks and I haven’t made quality a sleep a priority like I vowed in Week 7. There always something more important, can you relate??
But I haven’t had cravings, the food satisfies me, and I’ve felt strong in my workouts (LIIFT 4 from Beachbody on Demand). I just need a nap afterwards, lol.
Week 10 Results:
I lost 1.4 pounds this week, for a total of 12.4 pounds after nine weeks. While I wish the pounds would just melt off my body at the speed of light, I am happy to have a sense of peace around food. I don’t have cravings, and keto has really become a lifestyle for me. I don’t really think about “eating keto.” I just eat. My macros tend to be pretty balanced without much effort, by eliminating junk and processed food and increasing my healthy fats. I look forward to my restaurant carb up each week, and it allows me to have some of the carby foods I love (hello tortilla chips!) without stalling my progress.
“I’ve got 99 problems and coconut oil solved about 86 of them.”
My best tips for Happy Keto Body Week 10:
Learn from your Week 10 experience! You will see this every week because it is vital to learn from our experiences. Based on this week, what do you need to change? How can you improve? What amazing things do you want to continue? I do this every single week.
If you have any type of digestive issues be sure to watch all the Week 10 videos. An unhealthy gut can cause so many issues, way beyond digestion. There is so much information this week, it can be a little overwhelming. Plan to re-watch the videos and definitely check out the bonus materials.
By Week 10 you are approaching the finish line of the Happy Keto Body program! If you are struggling, recommit to the program to make a strong finish. Focus on not only weight loss, but on all the positive changes in your body. I wrote about some of the non-scale victories I’ve experienced in Week 8’s blog post.
The Happy Keto Body program is a 12 week online video course and it is AMAZING! It has answers to all your keto questions, meal plans, shopping lists, recipes, and how to troubleshoot common keto problems. Check it out here: Happy Keto Body
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Welcome!
Are you a busy lady (like me) who really, really wants to live a healthy life? I get it because I’m obsessed with living my best life too. Here you’ll find simple ideas and strategies to plan a healthy and happy life.
I’m Jacqui, by the way, and I’m the crazy busy lady behind Plan A Healthy Life.
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