Often, allergies and infections can hinder one’s nutritional needs in the worst way possible. In such cases, it is crucial to rule out the troublesome elements. Dr. Andrew Huberman sat down with Stanford University professor Dr. Sean Mackey to reflect on the anesthesiologist’s personal experience surrounding this.
Generally, it isn’t as easy to point out the kind of food or food families one is allergic to. In such cases, certain nutrition-based tools can help identify and address the root cause of issues. Dr. Mackey and Dr. Huberman further elaborated on these tools.
The anesthesiologist began the segment by narrating how he found out about his onion allergy. The consequences of eating at a Mexican restaurant and subsequently getting food poisoning helped Dr. Mackey dive deeper into his intolerance. Throughout this process, he also resorted to eliminating FODMAP foods.
“Couldn’t sleep…I’d go months without having a restful night’s sleep. I thought I was getting early Alzheimer’s because I felt like I was getting stupid.”
Dr. Huberman then discussed that the key to this was a helpful tool called the elimination diet. It involved restricting the number of foods one ate without compromising on the essential macronutrients. This helps rule out foods that may be causing issues and helps slowly reintroduce more foods to your diet.
“By limiting the total number of foods that they eat to like eight or ten basic things, then you can build things in and then explore what triggers the pain or what removes the pain.”
Another noteworthy observation by Dr. Mackey was how the gut responded to infections. According to his theory, an infection in the intestines could change the way it reacts to foods in the long term. Therefore, there is a high chance of his gut acting up against onions and causing an extreme reaction as a result of the food poisoning.
Therefore, gut health is essential to keep the body well-functioning. It is also a good indicator of issues in the body, especially surrounding certain food items. Previously, Dr. Huberman shared some tips for maintaining good gut health.
An odd practice for the gut by Dr. Andrew Huberman
The usual advice for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is to consume fermented foods. More pickles, yogurt, kombucha, and more should be included in one’s diet for the good bacteria to thrive.
View this post on Instagram
However, Dr. Huberman also recommended the odd practice of gulping down the first sip of water after swishing it around in the mouth. Oral bacterial culture presents immense benefits when combined with the gut microbiome. While it may sound gross at first, the neuroscientist swears by it.
