The deeper into the gut health rabbit hole I go, the more frustrated I get about what it takes to be healthy.

Like most people, I want to believe in the 80/20 principle, i.e. if 80% of my diet comes from nutritious whole foods, then I don’t need to worry about the other 20%.

While this may be true for many people, those with gut-related autoimmune diseases seem to be subject to a different (and much stricter) set of rules:

• Compliance may need to be much higher (e.g., 95%, 99%, maybe even 100% instead of 80% nutritious whole foods)

• The variety of nutritious whole foods you can consume may be much smaller

• Where you live matters

Elaborating on each of these:

From what I've observed knowing and hearing from people with autoimmune and gut issues, they mostly know what they should eat and what they should avoid. The hard part is having to be on point near 100% of the time. Just a single cheat meal could cause all kinds of nasty symptoms to erupt.

I'm a pretty disciplined guy and I enjoy eating nutritious foods that make me feel good. But even I like to indulge in treats like pizza and ice cream every once in a while. From my perspective, it's really discouraging to not be able to do that when you're eating well 90% of the time, exercising, etc. But that is the unfortunate curse that comes with some of these autoimmune conditions.

I've recently learned many healthy foods may cause problems for people with gut or autoimmune issues. These include grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, dairy, and some vegetables.

I always thought the one thing everyone could agree on is that all vegetables are healthy. Sadly, I was wrong. Some veggies such as night shades (tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes) and even superfoods like kale are high in oxalates which can cause inflammation in the gut. Other foods such as grains and legumes which are nutritious foods that many people actually like, are also problematic due to being harder to digest.

A recent trend I've noticed among people with autoimmune conditions is the keto or carnivore-style diet as a means to bypass allegedly harmful plant defense chemicals. Even less-restrictive forms of an animal-based diet that include some plant foods such as fruit are pretty hard to sustain (at least for me because I love starchy foods).

Paul Saladino, for example, encourages only the highest quality grass fed meat, raw dairy, and organic fruits in his animal-based diet. While grass-fed, pesticide-free, etc. may be the default in places like Europe, in the United States you need to be quite knowledgeable and motivated enough to go out of your way to buy higher quality foods (via local farmer's markets for example). All while avoiding the more convenient food options that taste amazing. It's not easy.

It's genuinely caused me to rethink whether I want to spend the rest of my life living in the States. I'm someone who values health and makes a strong effort to practice a healthy lifestyle and yet, I feel like I'm constantly fighting an uphill battle here (with psoriasis, in particular).

At this point, as an American:

• I know I can't go to a restaurant without consuming seed oils

• I know there are all kinds of harmful substances in our tap water that are likely not being filtered out even with my fridge and shower filters

• I know there are thousands of European banned substances in our groceries and food supply

How much damage is all this actually causing? I honestly have no idea. But I'm not sure I want to stick around and find out. Maybe a change in environment and the food and water quality that comes with it is the best solution.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to gut health because everyone's situation is unique.

If you're consuming the standard American diet and living the standard American lifestyle, I'd suggest at least moving towards an 80-90% whole food, nutrient-dense diet, exercising regularly, managing your stress, and practicing good sleep and circadian hygiene. However, if that's not working for you, you might also want to consider the following:

1. Become ruthless when it comes to food quality (source locally, examine nutrition labels in packaged foods, etc.)

2. Experiment with an elimination diet (including eliminating healthy foods that may be problematic such as whole grains, legumes, raw vegetables, nuts, and seeds) with the goal of eventually adding back as many of these as possible

3. Get microbiome testing done and work with a gut health coach (I recommend Holistic Nick) to interpret your results and develop a targeted approach to healing your gut based on your results and symptoms (this may include detox, short-term supplementation, etc.)

4. If you live in the United States and have the means and desire to travel abroad, you should just to experience the difference in food quality first-hand (this is an eye-opening experience for many people)

Many people who feel like crap don't know they feel like crap because they are so used to it. Or, they think their symptoms are just things everyone deals with sooner or later. But make no mistake, digestive problems, allergies, skin issues, brain fog, and lack of energy are not normal. They may be common in an unhealthy population like the United States, but that doesn't mean you should ignore them.

You can seek traditional medical treatment, but that will likely involves drugs with potential side effects. It's unlikely a doctor will recommend a diet or lifestyle change as primary treatment because they are not incentivized to do so.

I'm not saying you should never take drugs or medications (there is a time and place for that). I'm just saying if your situation is not life-threatening, why not try to heal yourself naturally instead?

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, subscribe at the bottom of the page, if you haven't already, to get the next one sent to you. I'll also keep you updated on other things I'm working on. You can also check out my info products linked below. Until next time, try not to suck at life.

The deeper into the gut health rabbit hole I go, the more frustrated I get about what it takes to be healthy.

Like most people, I want to believe in the 80/20 principle, i.e. if 80% of my diet comes from nutritious whole foods, then I don’t need to worry about the other 20%.

While this may be true for many people, those with gut-related autoimmune diseases seem to be subject to a different (and much stricter) set of rules:

• Compliance may need to be much higher (e.g., 95%, 99%, maybe even 100% instead of 80% nutritious whole foods)

• The variety of nutritious whole foods you can consume may be much smaller

• Where you live matters

Elaborating on each of these:

From what I've observed knowing and hearing from people with autoimmune and gut issues, they mostly know what they should eat and what they should avoid. The hard part is having to be on point near 100% of the time. Just a single cheat meal could cause all kinds of nasty symptoms to erupt.

I'm a pretty disciplined guy and I enjoy eating nutritious foods that make me feel good. But even I like to indulge in treats like pizza and ice cream every once in a while. From my perspective, it's really discouraging to not be able to do that when you're eating well 90% of the time, exercising, etc. But that is the unfortunate curse that comes with some of these autoimmune conditions.

I've recently learned many healthy foods may cause problems for people with gut or autoimmune issues. These include grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, dairy, and some vegetables.

I always thought the one thing everyone could agree on is that all vegetables are healthy. Sadly, I was wrong. Some veggies such as night shades (tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes) and even superfoods like kale are high in oxalates which can cause inflammation in the gut. Other foods such as grains and legumes which are nutritious foods that many people actually like, are also problematic due to being harder to digest.

A recent trend I've noticed among people with autoimmune conditions is the keto or carnivore-style diet as a means to bypass allegedly harmful plant defense chemicals. Even less-restrictive forms of an animal-based diet that include some plant foods such as fruit are pretty hard to sustain (at least for me because I love starchy foods).

Paul Saladino, for example, encourages only the highest quality grass fed meat, raw dairy, and organic fruits in his animal-based diet. While grass-fed, pesticide-free, etc. may be the default in places like Europe, in the United States you need to be quite knowledgeable and motivated enough to go out of your way to buy higher quality foods (via local farmer's markets for example). All while avoiding the more convenient food options that taste amazing. It's not easy.

It's genuinely caused me to rethink whether I want to spend the rest of my life living in the States. I'm someone who values health and makes a strong effort to practice a healthy lifestyle and yet, I feel like I'm constantly fighting an uphill battle here (with psoriasis, in particular).

At this point, as an American:

• I know I can't go to a restaurant without consuming seed oils

• I know there are all kinds of harmful substances in our tap water that are likely not being filtered out even with my fridge and shower filters

• I know there are thousands of European banned substances in our groceries and food supply

How much damage is all this actually causing? I honestly have no idea. But I'm not sure I want to stick around and find out. Maybe a change in environment and the food and water quality that comes with it is the best solution.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to gut health because everyone's situation is unique.

If you're consuming the standard American diet and living the standard American lifestyle, I'd suggest at least moving towards an 80-90% whole food, nutrient-dense diet, exercising regularly, managing your stress, and practicing good sleep and circadian hygiene. However, if that's not working for you, you might also want to consider the following:

1. Become ruthless when it comes to food quality (source locally, examine nutrition labels in packaged foods, etc.)

2. Experiment with an elimination diet (including eliminating healthy foods that may be problematic such as whole grains, legumes, raw vegetables, nuts, and seeds) with the goal of eventually adding back as many of these as possible

3. Get microbiome testing done and work with a gut health coach (I recommend Holistic Nick) to interpret your results and develop a targeted approach to healing your gut based on your results and symptoms (this may include detox, short-term supplementation, etc.)

4. If you live in the United States and have the means and desire to travel abroad, you should just to experience the difference in food quality first-hand (this is an eye-opening experience for many people)

Many people who feel like crap don't know they feel like crap because they are so used to it. Or, they think their symptoms are just things everyone deals with sooner or later. But make no mistake, digestive problems, allergies, skin issues, brain fog, and lack of energy are not normal. They may be common in an unhealthy population like the United States, but that doesn't mean you should ignore them.

You can seek traditional medical treatment, but that will likely involves drugs with potential side effects. It's unlikely a doctor will recommend a diet or lifestyle change as primary treatment because they are not incentivized to do so.

I'm not saying you should never take drugs or medications (there is a time and place for that). I'm just saying if your situation is not life-threatening, why not try to heal yourself naturally instead?

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, subscribe at the bottom of the page, if you haven't already, to get the next one sent to you. I'll also keep you updated on other things I'm working on. You can also check out my info products linked below. Until next time, try not to suck at life.