You often hear those of us who promote a high raw, or raw diet, talk about the “glow”, referring to beautiful glowing skin. And, I believe that to be true. There is nothing quite like the abundance of fresh, live, hydrating plant foods to help bring out your beautiful glowing self! But like most things in life, not every method has the same exact results for every single person. For some people, the opposite happens. No one likes to talk about it because, how can that be? And as a result some people suffer for a long time before seeking help because they keep hearing “it’s detox”. But in private practice with my clients, I know that is not always the case.

It has been said by many health researchers that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the gut barrier will be one of the most important things we can do for health in the 21st century. Our gut is home to approximately 100 trillion microorganisms — a number our human mind can hardly comprehend. Our gut flora serves so many vital functions including: promoting normal digestive function, providing protection from infection, regulating our metabolism and comprising more than 75% of our immune system!

Today’s wheat is not the wheat of our grandparents. Today’s wheat is short, dwarf wheat that has been scientifically bred within the last 50 years to withstand harsh conditions and an onslaught of pesticides. In fact, the person who engineered today’s wheat won a Nobel Prize because his wheat was supposed to solve the world’s huger. Instead, it has contributed greatly to diseases that begin with inflammation. Today’s wheat has much higher amounts of both starch and gluten, as well as double the amount of chromosome coding for new HIGHLY ADDICTIVE proteins.

In the past few years I have seen a definite increase in leaky gut in my clients. Also known as hyperpermeability, leaky gut is a syndrome where food travels through the intestinal wall into the abdominal cavity, causing hyperstimulation of the immune system. Leaky gut happens when there is inflammation in the body due to chronic stress, allergies to wheat or dairy, or other causes outlined below. The inflammation causes the spaces between the cells of the gut wall to become larger than usual.