Restore Your Gut Microbiome With The 5 R’s Protocol

How many of you are taught about the importance of your gut microbiome while going through school? Sure you learned about the digestive system and that you should eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, but did you learn about the gut microbiome and how it affects nearly every aspect of your overall health?  If you have health issues, you will want to read on to understand the significance of the gut microbiome on every aspect of health and why you will want to address and restore your gut microbiome in order to improve your health.   

 

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 60 to 70 million people in the U.S. are affected by digestive diseases. That’s a whole lot of people going about their daily lives at less than optimal health. The good news is that healing your gut microbiome is pretty simple. The Institute of Functional Medicine created the 5’R protocol to address and restore your gut microbiome. 

The Gut Microbiome And Why It’s Important 

You may not have learned this in your high school biology class, but the gut microbiome is made up of many microorganisms living in your gut. These tiny bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses are what keep your digestive system happy and functioning. In fact, the gut microbiome is so important that it helps regulate everything from your metabolism to your immune system and even your brain and hormones! 

 

When your gut microbiome is out of balance the rest of your body suffers. In fact, I even wrote an article on the gut-thyroid connection and how gut health impacts thyroid functioning. There is also communication between the gut and the brain called the gut-brian axis that links emotional and cognitive disorder with intestinal function. It doesn’t stop there, though, the gut-immune connection is critical in maintaining immune homeostasis. There are several other ways the gut microbiome impacts your overall health, but I think you get the picture. The gut is important. 

Gut Disorders And The Gut Microbiome

You’re probably wondering how gut disorders occur. What does it mean when your gut microbiome is ‘out of balance?’ There is actually a term for it called gut dysbiosis. This is when the bacterial colonies that live inside your gastrointestinal tract become unbalanced. It means there are more bad bacteria than good bacteria living in your gut. There are a few ways gut dysbiosis occurs: 

 

• A change in diet that increases protein, sugar, or food additives. 
• New medication such as antibiotics.
• Accidental chemical consumption such as pesticides on fruit.
• Drinking two or more alcoholic drinks a day.
• High levels of stress and anxiety.
• Poor dental hygiene which can cause bacteria to grow out of balance in the mouth. 

 

The reality is that people in the U.S. tend to go for convenience rather than quality when choosing food options. They also live high stress, fast-paced lives that are often not conducive to a healthy gut. It’s not surprising that the number of visits to doctor’s offices with diseases of the digestive system as the primary diagnosis were 22.4 million from the last data count in 2016. 

Who Benefits From Healing The Gut? 

So, who is the 5 R’s Protocol for and why would someone want to restore their gut microbiome? Well, it’s for a wide variety of people because the gut microbiome impacts so many other systems in the body, and gut dysbiosis can thus affect those systems as well. For example, the protocol helps to alleviate symptoms related to gut-health such as acne, anxiety, autoimmune conditions, brain fog, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, chronic headaches, migraines and more. Just think, the GI tract is where your immune cells are and where your body absorbs nutrients. Improving the gut is bound to improve health across the body. 

 

Here is a list of some of the conditions that may benefit from healing the gut and a gut restoration protocol: 

 

• Digestive symptoms like gas, bloating, constipation
• Digestive disorders like: Leaky gut, SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth), IBS or IBD 
• Candida
• Depression and anxiety
• Arthritis
• Skin conditions like eczema, hives, psoriasis 
• Headaches and migraines
• Memory and cognitive impairment
• Estrogen dominance
• Poor immunity 
• Autoimmune diseases
• Food and environmental allergies 
• Mold toxicity and other toxin exposures 
• Nutrient deficiencies

How To Restore Your Gut Microbiome 

Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s get into the 5 R’s and what they are. The 5 R’s is a simple acronym that stands for: remove, replace, reinoculate, repair, and rebalance.  Essentially, these steps promote healing and restore your gut microbiome. 

#1 Remove 

In this step the goal is to remove anything that could potentially be disrupting the environment of the gut. For example, you will want to treat any infections, parasites, or pathogens in addition to addressing the following items. 

 

Food: you want to remove any type of gut irritant like caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, and food additives. If you have a food allergy or difficulty digesting carbohydrates this is where the 5 R’s come into play. 

 

Medication: over the counter medicine like heartburn medication or NSAIDs are known to cause digestive issues. Also, consider which prescription medicines you are taking, the side effects associated with them, and if there are alternatives. Finally, don’t disregard supplements, because while most are beneficial some can actually harm the gut if not taken correctly. 

 

Stress: this is a big one, and it’s more than just a feeling. Stress is a biochemical reaction where the hormone cortisol is released into the bloodstream. Too much cortisol causes inflammation in the GI tract. 

#2 Replace 

Part of your gut-healing plan will include replacing certain elements that are key to digestion such as stomach acid, bile, and digestive enzymes. You may also be deficient in certain nutrients. Things you could do for this phase of the protocol include: 

 

Adding supplements to replace elements such as betaine HCL, bile salts, and enzymes that help digest fat, lactose, carbs, and protein. 

 

Eat foods with nutrients that help you produce these elements. For example, bitter foods will help stimulate stomach acid and digestive enzymes.  

 

Eat food or take supplements that address your nutrient deficiencies to ensure you are actually absorbing nutrients like B12, iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. 

#3 Reinoculate 

This step will only occur after steps one and two are successfully completed. Once symptoms begin to improve significantly it’s time to reintroduce foods that will help rebalance your gut microbiome. There are two types of foods that you will want to reintroduce: 

 

Prebiotic foods: this is food that bacteria love to eat. It includes carbohydrates from things like onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, apples and bananas just to name a few. You also want to reintroduce a variety of grains such as oats, barley, and flax seeds. 

 

Probiotic foods: this describes foods that are full of beneficial bacteria for the digestive system. You can take probiotic supplements or reintroduce fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha. 

#4 Repair 

This step is all about creating an environment that supports gut-healing in the long-term. The goal is to repair intestinal cells and mucosa, reduce inflammation and help the microbiome maintain balance. This step will include foods such as: 

 

Foods high in vitamins A, C, D, and E and the mineral zinc. 

 

Foods high in amino acids like bone broths. 

 

Supplements like L-glutamine, collagen, aloe vera, marshmallow or slippery elm. 

# 5 Rebalance 

You’ve put in all the work to get your diet back in the right place for your gut, now it’s time to focus on other lifestyle habits. During this step you will address: 

 

• Improving sleep 
• Stress management 
• Exercise (more or less) 
• Improving relationships 

Heal Your Gut Microbiome Today 

This may seem like a step-by-step approach but in most cases we will work on multiple steps at the same time. For example, if you are only getting six hours of sleep a night your gut-healing diet can only do so much. If you want to heal your gut microbiome today, reach out to me on my contact page. I believe pursuing a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be a chore and I’ll work with you to joyfull pursue your vision of optimal health!