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In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

quantamagazine.org

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Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#91

I've noticed that my 'first' brain acts faster and better if my 'second' brain is feeling good. Probiotic foods, plenty of water and movement have been key factors there.

what kind of probiotic foods have you successfully included in your daily life?

I ferment my own sauerkraut and kimchi for instance (most store bought brands do not have active cultures due to risk of the containers exploding).

Greek yogurt with active cultures and sour milk with lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium lactis. Unripened bananas.

Some whole grains; rye and sourdough breads, whole grain oats.

I also stay away from fast food or anything deep fried, avoid most processed foods and rather do home cooked meals each day.

This isn't probiotic, but I've noticed that my system is much happier with fish than red meat. So there is plenty of that each week.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#92
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Food cooked more than 4 hours ago was considered poison. tbf, a random dish left under Indian room temperature for hours probably is actually unsafe. Mumbai right now is 32C/90F according to Google, which is about the worst temperature to leave food in.

If we dig deeper into the norms, some foods were allowed to be taken even after 24 hours (Tamrind Rice, My grandmother always said Tamrind rice tastes better after a day, and it was ok to consume, but would raise a fit if I ate rice that was cooked in the morning). Some foods were allowed to be taken upto 8-10 hours after cooking.

Microorganisms are harder to grow or sustain below 20C/70F, above 50C/120F, and/or in dry, and/or soaked in salt/sugar/acid/base. Your grandma is spot on about unflavored rice from morning. Not 100% sure about Tamarind rice after a whole day, but that make some sense too(I'd Tupperware and refrigerate immediately or at least reheat occasionally).

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#93
post #78

So this is really cool. I've been super interested in this one gene mutation called LRRK2 which has a really bizarre link to details in contentious debates over history (too long to include in this comment). The gene mutation is connected to both Crohn's disease and Parkinson's. So after seeing this article about how glial issues are connected to Crohn's, my immediate thought was - well, what about Parkinson's? And i…

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36497-x

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#94
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds a lot like a specific caste's food culture than general Indian culture. Dhabas and street vendors didn't pop up overnight.

I can guess the insinuation, but these norms were in place, culturally, across the spectrum. Sure, some castes (like Brahmins) have had stricter rules, while some had laxer ones (for Kshatriyas, Vysyas & Sudras) But I do know that eating out and eating only freshly cooked food was always the norm. Also, Dhabas and Street Vendors, are a relatively newer thing, starting up in about 1800's.

I'm saying it didn't appear in the last ten years. And eating fresh food is pretty much a tropical standard, except for preserved items (pickles etc). It changed only with refrigeration.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#95

I’ve recently moved to a meat heavy diet, and that pretty much fixed my ibs completely. I still get flare ups if I eat too many oranges or bananas, but eating meat on every meal is absolutely essential.

Oranges and bananas are out for me too, because of histamine intolerance, which correlates heavily with gut issues. Sharing to help others since I wish I had known sooner!

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a reason why salads aren't a thing in warmer countries. The same reason applies to people only drinking tea, not cold water. If it's not cooked, it might be actually dangerous.

> reason why salads aren't a thing in warmer countries Meanwhile cooked chicken can be safely left on a countertop in Canton for hours? This model needs more variables.

I don't know, but they seem to often marinade chickens, then steam well, then hang dry, and/or keep hot.

Temperature-growth chart for food pathogens is said to show a bell curve peaking at ~35C/95F. Keeping well-flavored food hot(>122F) works to similar effects as refrigerating, just not energy efficient nor good for maintaining flavors.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#97
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indian culture places very strict restrictions about food. 1. No outside food. For even until a decade ago, eating out was considered a last resort. The idea is that one must be aware of what exactly goes into ones food, and that usually meant home cooked food. 2. There are a variety of foods and flavors in India, that are recommended for various circumstances and contexts. Pregnant women had a well defined diet regi…

> Food cooked more than 4 hours ago was considered poison. tbf, a random dish left under Indian room temperature for hours probably is actually unsafe. Mumbai right now is 32C/90F according to Google, which is about the worst temperature to leave food in.

There's a good reason why food safety standards of today require things to be reheated last minute and served hot.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a reason why salads aren't a thing in warmer countries. The same reason applies to people only drinking tea, not cold water. If it's not cooked, it might be actually dangerous.

> reason why salads aren't a thing in warmer countries Meanwhile cooked chicken can be safely left on a countertop in Canton for hours? This model needs more variables.

It's not safe.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much creatine, if I may ask?

*[Notice: diarrhea warning]* For those that don't know, if you aren't used to creatine then taking more than a few grams has a good possibility of giving you the shits (or sometimes even strong abdominal discomfort). This will (mostly) go away fairly quickly and varies drastically from person to person, but you've been warned. Best to take it on a weekend or something, and slowly build up to your max dose. The effect…

I take 3 grams in juice on an empty stomach and have never had any problems. Maybe the juice is key.

Re: In the gut's 'second brain,' key agents of health emerge

#100

I’ve recently moved to a meat heavy diet, and that pretty much fixed my ibs completely. I still get flare ups if I eat too many oranges or bananas, but eating meat on every meal is absolutely essential.

Oranges and bananas are out for me too, because of histamine intolerance, which correlates heavily with gut issues. Sharing to help others since I wish I had known sooner!

Got any suggested reads on this? I have annoying sporadic rhinitis flare ups and I've always suspected a link with food. Would love to see if there's a way to determine what foods may be an issue!
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