Interesting read Shani, and a subject that I know all too well having experimented with so many food modalities to try and find an answer to healing my gut.

introducing fake foods like High Fructose Corn Syrup and Trans Fats.

This is a key point, possibly more relevant for chronically ill than the obese. I've read in many different alternative healing books about how 'fake foods' place a burden on the body. They are essentially foods that we're not biologically supposed to digest. Healthy digestive systems can digest them, but with strain and difficulty.

Doctors and scientists are quick to shout hokum over these types of claim, with very little basis for their skepticism beyond dogmatic belief that the scientific principle of experimentation must be followed before any conclusion is reached. I don't think any scientific experimentation has been done on this theory, mainly because scientific studies are often funded by companies/governments with agendas. Who is going to pay to prove that wheat is hard to digest and contributes to chronic illness? 😂

There is one constant in pretty much all of the more extreme dietary protocols suggested by alternative practitioners for pathological chronic illnesses, and that is to remove all processed foods. Strict meat keto dieters eat pretty much nothing but meat, claiming they get all necessary minerals/vitamins from organ meats, particularly liver. Raw wholefood plant based diets nearly always cut out wheat, dairy, eggs etc... all highly processed foods that were either not present in that form in nature, or have been massively effected through the modern processing as with dairy.

I've tried intermittent fasting for over a year with little effect. But I know it helps many people with energy issues and stabilizing proper weight when the digestive system is functioning correctly, even when partly damaged. Also, when I do fast for more than 16 hours the extreme 'pregnant' bloat in my abdomen dies down a lot 😂 Which is kind of a kick in the teeth if I'm honest because I'd love to be free of this 'crazy frog' look, but none of the other fatigue/pain/cognitive issues improve with a long fast, or with consistent intermittent (12-14 hr overnight fasts with 4 hours between meals). Gotta eat eventually and then I blow up like a balloon within an hour of eating.

It is interesting what you highlight at the end of this blog about the possibility of our ancestors fasting as a habit. I'm am convinced this was the case. Both for practical reasons, and as a medicinal practice. And this could be the origin of where religious fasts came from. I honestly think that regular yearly fasts in healthy humans allows the digestive system time to rest and the microbiome to balance.

Ha ha, but these are just my crack pot theories based on logical progression.

Nice to see you writing again Shani 🙂