ASK A NUTRITIONIST

I have been told that it is essential to do a gut cleanse before starting any diet. Can you share the procedure as I am planning to go on a diet to reduce tummy fat?

You can start off by getting a food intolerance test done and also check for IGE levels. Getting a quick blood work that tells us about our inflammatory markers specially HS:CRP can help too. Based on this information and how inflamed/sensitive your gut is currently, you can start to eliminate certain food groups specially foods that contain gluten like bread, wheat, couscous, oats and dairy products like milk, yoghurt and cheese. After four to six weeks of eliminating these foods, you can gradually start adding these back into your diet and see if it really suits your gut. Throughout the cleanse it is important to keep off refined sugar. Making sure you get enough water and some basic supplements like omega 3, efficient bovine collagen and magnesium will also help with the gut cleanse. No diet can make you lose weight just on your stomach but if you are bloated because of the food you are consuming, that’s something you will feel better with by eliminating the foods we have mentioned.

I have thyroid issues and am unable to lose weight. I am also suffering from hair fall. What can I change in my food habits to reverse this condition?

The one ingredient you must avoid in your diet is wheat. It is not the best for those who have auto immune thyroid.

The problem lies in the molecular structure of gliadin present in any product that contains wheat. The molecular structure of gliadin – which is the protein portion in wheat – resembles the molecular structure of the thyroid gland. So when wheat is getting digested, the gliadin reaches your gut barrier (stomach lining) and enters the blood stream. Your immune system starts to attack it believing it is a foreign body which is your immune system’s primary job. But in the process it also starts to attack your thyroid tissue since they both look similar. This is called an auto immune attack. Once your healthy thyroid tissue gets attacked, more problems occur with your thyroid gland. To make life easy, stop consuming wheat in the form of bread, rotis, parathas, pasta, pizza, so you have a chance at reversing your thyroid problems and hair fall associated with it.

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