Covid-19 has made us aware of our weight & gut health. What can we do?

May 29, 2020

This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.

We are all aware that until there is a vaccine we need to do all that we can to improve our health by keeping our weight or BMI down. This post that I wrote in January about the Synergy programme to improve your gut health is even more relevant now. So I have updated it with some scientific facts:

  • Since the outbreak of Covid-19 the scientific research has shown that being overweight can be a negative contributory factor to how people cope when they contract the virus. From Boris Johnson downwards we have become aware that being overweight is not healthy and we need to slim down as a nation.
  • There has also been a growing body of convincing research suggesting people with poor gut health are at a higher risk of suffering severe COVID-19. Some 120 leading scientists have written to the Health Secretary to investigate the link between coronavirus and bad diet.

The gut microbiome and diet are linked to immune system function, as well as heart health and lowering the risk of developing diabetes – both of which are risk factors for COVID-19. 

There is also growing evidence people with risk factors linked to inflammation – also linked with an unhealthy gut microbiome – may have worse outcomes if they contract COVID-19.

For more information about the scientists campaigning to get the government to look at gut health read this article from the Daily Mail.

WHY NOT DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR GUT HEALTH?

I have completed this programme twice. The first time I lost weight, felt healthier and my digestive system worked so much better. However, as with all humans I gradually went back to my old ways, maybe not quite as before but enough to upset my gut health. So when we went into lockdown my husband and I decided to repeat the programme. We knew that we would gain weight simply because we were not exercising as much and we also could be tempted into comfort eating in what was a worrying period of our lives.

Also my husband is set to have a back operation as soon as lockdown is lifted so he wanted to be as healthy as he could be. I have continued my yoga classes increasing to four a week. The gut cleanse programme and the yoga have made me feel positive as I know I am doing the best I can so that if I contracted Covid-19 I would be in the best physical shape that I could be. We have one body and one life so let’s give it the best fuel that we can.

So this post is not about dieting, it is about the Microbiome Purify Programme which cleanses and heals your digestive tract.

How it all began for me

It all began when a couple of months ago a friend, Maddy, invited me to a talk given by a Dr. Rav Naik about our gut health. It was more about our health rather than our weight though he did touch on the obesity problems that this country has – no. 1 in Europe for obesity which is a worrying statistic.

The point that he really stressed to us is that, if our gut is healthy our body will work more efficiently and it will be able to deal with the odd bit of ‘bad food’ that we chose to eat occasionally.

More and more the myth behind these fad diets is being blown up and we are all learning that it is about eating healthily rather than starving your body for a few weeks. Often, after a successful weight loss, when you start eating again, you gain the lost weight very quickly and sometimes even add some more.

Best book on the Gut by Giulia Enders - the Microbiome Purify Programme

I read some time ago the book Gut by Giulia Enders – it takes the taboo out of discussing this subject.

‘Both funny and informative, a brilliant examination of one of our most complex ― and underappreciated ― organs.’Source: The Observer

I therefore had a headstart in knowing how important it is to have a well-balanced gut with the correct pro and pre-biotics. Dr. Rav showed us that often we may think we are eating healthily, when grabbing a Smoothie rather than a Cappuccino and a croissant, but this is not necessarily as healthy a choice as we think. He got us to download the free app Food Scanner by change4life.

Foodscanner app - the Microbiome Purify Programme
Food Scanner by change4life.

When you do your next food shop you can find out, by using this app and scanning the barcode, how much sugar etc is in each product. For example one own brand carton of freshly squeezed orange juice (1L) contains the equivalent of 23.3 sugar cubes. We all know that sugar is poison but keeping off it can often be a problem as it is addictive and our bodies can sometimes crave it.

It has been proven that if our gut is not balanced it can have a knock-on effect both physically and mentally. Our body is a brilliant machine if cared for. It is much like a car i.e. you need to put the right petrol and oil in it and give it an occasional service with a complete oil change for it to run smoothly. If you don’t it will breakdown.

Over the last decade, the gut – or rather 100 trillion microbes living inside it, known as the microbiome – has been unearthed as a vital organ, controlling not only our digestion, but our immune system and even mood. From depression to diabetes, asthma to cancer, obesity to anorexia, so influential is the microbiome that some researchers are calling it ‘The second brain”.

So armed with all of this knowledge I was determined to try to do something about it. Time for a cleanse. Maddy who got be thinking about my gut is an agent for Synergy Worldwide which produces The Microbiome Purify Programme.

What is the Microbiome Purify Programme?

It is a 21 day programme that cleanses and heals the digestive tract then floods the body with high quality prebiotics and probiotics combined with essential vitamins, nutrients and protein. It consists of 5 scientifically formulated products – Body Prime, Biome Actives, Biome DT, Biome Shake and ProArgi9.

Summary of what the Microbiome Purify Programme does:

  • Detoxes the body
  • Cleanses the digestive tract
  • Rebalances the gut microbiome
  • Repopulates with good bacteria
  • Provides environment for good bacteria to thrive
  • Heals leaky gut
The Microbiome Purify Programme
The Microbiome Purify Kit
The Three stages of the Microbiome Purify Programme:

Stage 1 – Days 1-5  Prime the Body  

Start taking Body Prime, a supplement containing magnesium, apple pectin and prune powder, to curb cravings and prepare your body for a new health regimen.  At this point you need to start cutting out caffeine, sugar, alcohol, starch and processed foods. Incidentally, if you don’t already take a magnesium supplement, you should!  It helps with stress and anxiety and also helps the body to absorb the nutrients in the food you are eating.  80% of the population are unknowingly magnesium deficient.

Stage 2 – Days 7 – 12

The programme kicks in proper with a 7 day supply of clinically formulated, organic nutrition for the microbiome. 

Biome DT: containing psyllium husk, broccoli, inulin, glutamine and zinc.  This is fantastic for healing the gut, reducing inflammation, boosting the immune system.  
Biome Shake: This replaces breakfast and lunch.  It is high in vegetable protein (18g per 2 scoops)  with essential vitamins and minerals and most importantly contains inulin, a prebiotic to feed the probiotics.  Prebiotics enable probiotics to flourish and populate within the gut.  Quite delicious and filling. You continue with a normal evening meal but keeping it high in protein with vegetables and salad.  Many people start their day with a carbohydrate based breakfast.  As we get older, we should switch to protein to promote lean muscle mass and help us to avoid spikes throughout the day which can see us grabbing for the biscuit tin.
Biome Actives: capsules containing inulin and Bacillus coagulans – probiotics
ProArgi9: featuring l’arginine, l’citrulline and vitamins for enhanced overall performance.  ProArgi is Synergy’s flagship product.  It helps the body to increase nitric oxide levels which promotes improved cardiovascular health.  In a nutshell, it moves everything round the body much quicker so that oxygen and nutrients get to the vital organs faster.

Stage 3: Days 13 – 21

Continue taking Biome Actives and ProArgi.  Ideally try to stay away from sugar, caffeine, alcohol, starch, and processed foods.
Many people are put off the Programme by the idea of being so abstemious for 21 days. So Maddy suggests to people that they do 12 days and then see how they feel.  Interestingly, taking a less strict but perhaps more realistic approach, encourages people to try the programme. Many actually get so in to it, they do complete 21 days.

It truly is not hard to follow and it is not about feeling hungry. The two shakes really fill you up and I now regularly have a shake for breakfast. I know that I am getting so much protein, and all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

You are encouraged to snack on nuts, fruit, raw vegetables, olives etc. It isn’t a diet to lose weight but typically people do lose between 5-7lbs. As I said I lost 8lbs and have kept it off even taking in to account the Christmas period. I have kept off the caffeine and processed foods. My sugar craving is definitely under control. I have taken to eating a square (or two) of dark chocolate after supper. I never used to like dark chocolate as it was not sweet enough. That is a huge result for me who used to consume a large bag of Revels during a film! Now I don’t even look at the sweet counter at the cinema.

If you would like to learn more about the Microbiome Purify programme, this revolutionary cleanse system:

Email Maddy at [email protected]

Maddy is a Synergy agent and will happily answer all of your questions either by telephone or email. She can then get your programme ordered for you which will be delivered to you a few days later.

It is worth pointing out at this stage that Synergy is a US-based company. They manufacture and sell their own supplements for the healthcare industry.  Synergy has a limited range of organic, natural supplements targeted primarily at cardiovascular and gut health.  Very few producers of supplements and vitamins, actually manufacture their own. They cannot therefore really be sure of the processes used.  This includes a lot of well known brands that you find in high end health food shops!

A New Year, A New You and a New Healthy Lifestyle!

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