Calorie Restriction Let’s You Loose that Gut the Healthy Way

Improving gut health is a major focus of calorie restriction, the CR Way.  It begins with a tease meal,  a small meal used by many CR Way travelers to start their day. The tease meal uses  a small amount of carbohydrates to stimulate insulin production so that insulin will be readily available when it is time for your pancreas to control glucose levels for rest of your meal and throughout your day. Starting your day with a tease meal should lower your glucose levels by about 30%!

Lately we have tried a tease meal that may also tip the balance towards good microbes in your gut and urinary tract. This tease meal begins with only 3 grams of unsweetened cranberry juice in 8 to 10 oz water: Cranwater! Three grams of cranberry juice supplies 1 calorie of carbohydrate, about the same amount of calories as in 7 grams of lemon juice, another very effective addition to warmed water to start your day enjoyably.

As many know, cranberry juice may have human-beneficial effects on bad microbes – making it difficult for them to cling to the walls of the urinary tract and gut by creating a more acidic environment.

Research on cranberry’s  effect on suppressing microbes has been has been reported widely. For example:

[Myth or truth. Cranberry juice for prophylaxis and treatment of recurrent urinary tract infection]. [Article in German]

Mathers MJ, von Rundstedt F, Brandt AS, König M, Lazica DA, Roth S.

Der Urologe. Ausg. A. 2009 Oct;48(10):1203-5,1207-9.

PMID:19636526

 

And this review:

The action of berry phenolics against human intestinal pathogens.

 Puupponen-Pimiä R, Nohynek L, Alakomi HL, Oksman-Caldentey KM.

VTT Biotechnology, Finland.

Biofactors. 2005;23(4):243-51. Review.

PMID:16498212,

 

We follow the Cranwater by 45 minutes to an hour of meditation and moderate exercise.

After the exercise (which for me this morning meant heavy weight lifting, targeting joints most prone to osteoporosis),  I have been drinking 2 ounces of unsweetened cranberry juice. The results are extraordinary. The cranberry juice seems to be perfect for getting insulin ready and waiting for the rest of my meal. This morning, including breakfast, my blood glucose ranged from fasting of 68 to a high of 78.

Meanwhile intestinal pathogens microbes that are hungry after my overnight low glucose fast, get a dose of  cranberry juice that very likely does not agree with them.

We are looking for more tests that will assess the microbial balance in the gut accurately. Of course, we will report on that when we have found something that really works.

Want to get started with the CR Way?  Check out our calorie restriction membership plans today.