Nutritional information

Beat the bloat! Fix poor digestion to increase your energy levels and happiness

Hi there and welcome to my blog! A platform for like minded people to read, share and connect.
What to connect over this time? Our digestion..
It’s a topic that’s been part of my life for a long time now since my gut health has never been.. that great.
Over the years I gathered some tips&tricks and a lot of information regarding bloating, digestion and gut health.
That’s what I’m sharing with you all today!

First I will tell you how it’s possible to increase your energy and happiness by fixing your digestion.
You will be surprised..
Our digestive tract goes far beyond just processing the food we eat. It has a brain of it’s own (our so-called second brain) called the enteric nervous system.
This enteric nervous system consists of some 500 million neurons.
The enteric nervous system normally communicates with the central nervous system(spinal cord, brain) via the vagus nerve and the orthosymphatatic nervous system.
However, study’s showed that the enteric nervous system can function on it’s own! How amazing is that..
And it’s not just this, think about all the bacteria living in your gut. These little things(millions of them) control a lot of what’s happening down there.
No wonder our energy and happiness is dependent on our gut health, it’s all connected.

Now we’ve got that covered, I’ll share some tips&tricks so we can all work on our gut health and become our most happy and energized self!
I’m not just sharing tips that personally help me, but I did some research and gathered a variety 0f tips&tricks because what works for you might not work for someone else.

1. Keep a ‘stomach diary’
Sounds silly, but this might be the best tip..
In a stomach diary you write down what you ate, how you felt afterwards and how your body reacts(after eating and moments later).
This way you may find out what is causing the bloat that day, and probably other days!
I’ll share what I gained from keeping a stomach diary, because most of those foods are know for causing ‘certain symptoms’:
-wheat/gluten: bloating, stomach pain, less energy, headache, mentally unbalanced, constipation and diarrhea(2 or 3 days after eating moment)
-apples: bloating immediately after eating
-legumes(especially lentils): bloating, gassy, farts with a strong smell, constipation
-chickpea flour: bloating
-oats: heavy/sluggish feeling
-peanut butter: headache, feeling sluggish
-lettuce: bloating

2. Leave out certain foods one by one
A good way to find out which food is causing a certain symptom!
Leave out one type of food at a time and start eating it again after a few weeks. That way you’ll easily notice if it’s causing any discomfort for you.

3. Chew well and enough
Digestion begins in your mouth.
Literally, enzymes start working when you chew and saliva is added to the food in your mouth.
So chew well, but also chew more. The more you chew, the less your body has to do.

4. Drink enough water
Keeping your body hydrated will help with optimal digestion and liver performance.
The liver plays a big role in providing our body with the needed nutrients from the food we eat. To function properly the liver requires a good amount of water! Keep that in mind and you’ll find it so much easier to drink enough.

5. Don’t drink while eating
So make sure you drink enough around your big meals
This might be a hard one for some, but try to stop drinking 30 minutes before, while eating and 30 minutes (to an hour) after eating.
”There is no doubting the fact that drinking too much water during meals can interfere with the natural and necessary levels of bile and stomach acid. This would slow the digestion process and reduce the body’s ability to produce enough digestive enzymes to digest foods properly.”

6. Move your body and twist it out!
Kick start your digestive tract by moving your body. Preferably after sleeping, naps or sitting for a while.
I’m not saying you should go to the gym or go for a run, but just move.
Walk, stretch, shake it out. Twisting your body is like a massage for your digestive organs and it will increase digestion big time.
What I like to do first thing in the morning is; I roll myself from bed to my yoga mat, stretch, twist and focus on my breath.

7. Rest and digest
Make sure, when possible, to rest just before eating and after your meal.
When resting our parasympathetic nervous system starts to ‘take over’.
This nervous system is in control over all actions which occur when the body is at rest including sexual arousal, salivation, secretion of tears, urination, digestion and defecation.
The opposite happens when we’re active and our sympathetic nervous system is pulling the chords, which controls our flight or flight response.
When we start to eat without calming down (eating on the go, a quick lunch break etc.) our sympathetic nervous system is still active and this means our digestion is not.

Rest > parasympathetic nervous system > digest
Active > sympathetic nervous system > fight or flight response

8. Reduce or avoid stress
If you read the first part, about our gut and brain being connected, you’ll understand why. Stress negatively stimulates the brain a lot and the brain sends signals to our gut, which gets ‘stressed’ too. This might cause constipation, pain, slow digestion etc.
This is also the other way around.. when we eat foods which negatively stimulates our gut it sends signals to our brain.
What happens? Your vibration might be lower, headaches, foggy brain, less concentration..

Our digestion plays such a big role in our overall health take good care of it and adjust your lifestyle if needed so you are able to THRIVE!

Lots of love, let’s connect
(and talk about our bowel movements hehe)
(oh and I’m keeping it really ‘neutral’ here, but still I want to mention: cut out all animal products and you’ll notice a big positive change in your digestion and mental health)

The vegan supplements I take & why I take them

Geke Keuter 0

To supplement or not to supplement..
Taking supplements is something I used to refuse.
Like many other people. Especially many wholefood vegans.
Maybe that’s the case for you, but here you are reading about why I did choose to take supplements! 🙂
Or maybe you want to know what supplements I take and if I notice any positive effects.
In this post I’ll cover aaall of that!

1. Flinndal sublingual B12 tablets
B12 is the first vitamin vegans get recommended to supplement on.
Why?
Because it’s said that B12 is found in animal products.
Why that’s actually not true? Please read the first part of this article I wrote on B12:
http://www.growinspirit.nl/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cobalamin-vitamin-b12/
B12 used to be found in soil and this soil was on the vegetables we ate.
Now we have to wash our vegetables very well because of the many pesticides used.
Sooo bye bye B12!
I used to get B12 injections (when I was still a meat eater) because of a deficiency, now I use sublingual tablets.
When taking B12 sublingual it’s fully absorbed into the bloodstream. It doesn’t have to go through the stomach where it might be destroyed before entering the small intestine where it would get absorbed!
I really feel it when I’m low on B12. My balance is off, feeling sluggish, can’t focus or remember things well and some other symptoms.
These are the tablets I take and I’m loving them! I have 1 to 2 every week:

2. Flinndal vitamin D tablets
This incredible vitamin is SO essential for our overall well being!
And it’s so easy to end up with a deficiency..
Vitamin D is made in our body under influence of enough sunlight.
Living in the Netherlands+spending most of my time inside is not very beneficial for my vitamin D levels.
More than half of the dutch residents their vitamin D levels are too low!
Waaay back in time us humans were outside way more, now a days most of the jobs are inside+the things that get our attention like television and what not..
So after doing my research on this(because I was experiencing very bad winter depressions) I decided to supplement on vitamin D, everyday. Summer and winter, BUT.. not while traveling.
When traveling I’m spending most of my time outside and so far all the country’s I’ve visited are very sunny.
Supplementing on vitamin D definitely increased my energy levels and.. I hardly ever get sick.
Make sure to take your tablet after a meal since vitamin D needs a little bit of fat to be absorbed.
This is the brand I use (yes again Flinndal, but I promise this is not sponsored haha)

3. Arctic blue Omega-3 capsules
Omega-3 is such a powerful vitamin, especially for our brain health!
That’s why I choose to supplement on omega-3.
I would easily be able to get enough from flax seed, chia seed, other seeds, nuts and so on, but that’s harder while traveling.
And it’s also about that little bit of extra health for me..
A while ago my hair started falling out like crazy and I feel like this supplement definitely helped with fixing this.
The capsules I take are from the brand Arctic Blue and I’ve been loving them.
They don’t have any taste, unlike capsules made with fish oil..

So here you have it, these 3 vitamins are the ones I take everyday!
When on my period I like to supplement on iron, but it totally depends on the blood flow and how I’m feeling.
Most of the time I just focus on iron rich foods and combining my food well so the iron from the food gets absorbed well.

I hope this is somehow helpful for you when it comes to making up your mind about supplementing or choosing which kinds of vitamins or brands to buy!

Everything you need to know about Cobalamin (vitamin B12)!

Geke Keuter 1

Hi guys! ♥
Since I’m really interested in nutrition and how it affects the human body I thought it would be a good idea to share some posts once in a while when it comes to health and nutrition.
Ofcourse I am starting with the well known.. vitamin B12!
A small, but very important vitamin for our well-being and survival.
There are lots of misconceptions when it comes to how we, humans, get our B12 in.
If you think you have to be vegan to worry about it, sorry to say it, but that’s not true.
There’s a lot more to it then just not getting in enough B12..

Sorry if all the information in this post is overwhelming, but it’s not a shallow topic!
I came across complex information and words, but I tried to put it as accessible and clear as possible for all of you.

First I want to debunk 1 myth:
We get told that B12 comes from animal products when in fact B12 is solely bacteria-based.
It is true that B12 is found in animal products, but hear me out..
B12 is created by bacteria found in soil and dirt!
For over thousands of years humans got in their B12 by eating plants with bits of soil on them.
Now a days we wash our veggies so well (understandable with all the pesticides used) that we no longer consume dirt with B12 in it.
That’s why taking a B12 supplement is a no-brainer for me.
Now you might think: doesn’t that make veganism unnatural? You have to take a supplement to get in your B12.
Whether you get your B12 from supplements or animal products, it’s all a supplement anyway.
Animal flesh (and animal secretions) have B12 in them, because it is created in their gut after eating plants with soil on them.
The soil is (supposed to be) rich in B12.
So when you eat animal flesh or animal secretion you are getting in the B12 produced in their body’s, but also everything else stored inside of it (antibiotics, hormones, cholesterol, ‘bad’ fats, toxins).
BUT.. today’s meat industry has animals locked up(even some which are labeled ‘free-range’, ‘grass fed’,’organic’) which means they are not getting in any natural B12. They are fed mixtures of corn, soy, hormones and what not which contain no natural B12.
These animals need B12 to survive like we do. The B12 ends up in their milk, eggs and flesh.
Wouldn’t it be easier for all of us to just take a supplement? The B12 is easily produced through bacteria fermentation.

Personal story:
When I was about 16/17 years old they found out I was B12 deficient.
The first questions the doctor asked me where: Are you eating enough meat? Eating enough overall?
Yes I was eating more than enough meat, more than once a day.
What they told me was that my stomach didn’t have enough intrinsic factor which is necessary in the absorption process of this vitamin. So that meant that eating lots of B12 ‘rich’ food wouldn’t help’my situation’ at all.
I needed injections. It was the only solution according to the doctor.
After a while I didn’t want the injections anymore, because god knows what more is in that pink fluid..
I did some research and found sublingual tablets. The idea is that you put the tablet under your tongue, let it ‘melt’ and it gets absorbed into the bloodstream!
I’m still taking those exact tablets. They are vegan, easy, tasty and pink.

I understand if this story doesn’t really make sense, especially about the intrinsic factor.
That’s why I will be covering everything about it in this post! Using easy language instead of the ‘medical’ words and what not 😉
I will explain what B12 is, what it does, the absorption process, symptoms of deficiency and which other factors are highly important in the whole absorption process

What is B12 exactly and what does it do in your body?
B12 is also called Cobalamin and it is one of the 8 B-vitamins.
All B-vitamins help the body to convert ‘food’ into fuel! (carbohydrates into glucose)
B-vitamins also help the body to use fats and protein and they help our nervous system to function properly.
They are needed for healthy skin, hair, eyes and liver.
Especially B12 is important for maintaining healthy nerve cells and it helps in the production of DNA and RNA(our body’s genetic material).
B12 works together with B9(folate/folic acid) to help make your red blood cells and to help iron work better in your body.

What’s intrinsic factor?
Intrinsic factor is a protein that helps your intestines absorb vitamin B12.
It is made by cells in the stomach lining and it helps with the absorption later on in the small intestine.
But for this to happen the B12 needs protection for the acidic environment in your stomach!
B12 is very acid sensitive so without protection it will get destroyed before even entering your intestines, where the absorption happens. Transcobalamin-1 is another protein made by the lining in your stomach and it binds to the B12 giving it a safe passage through the stomach.

What might cause B12 deficiency?
Well, there are many things playing together in the whole process so there are several causes to take in consideration.
-An auto-immune disease called Addison-Biermer where the antibody’s in your own body turn against the intrinsic factor or the cells in your stomach lining. This leads to insufficient capacity to create intrinsic factor, which leads to malabsorption of B12.
–Inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract also leads to intrinsic factor deficiency.
-When you have a condition that affects the way your body digests food, for example: crohn’s disease, celiac disease, bacterial growth or a parasite.
-You’ve had surgery where a part of the stomach or the last part of your intestine has been removed.
-When you don’t have ANY condition what might cause B12 deficiency you’ll have to look at your diet.
-Certain medication you might be taking, like metformin.
-Alcoholism might play a part in the deficiency.

What happens when you’re B12 deficient?
Since B12 is important for maintaining healthy nerve cells AND helps with the production of red blood cells and also helps iron work better in your body, you might (this is different for everyone and it depends on how bad the deficiency is!) experience some ‘nasty’ symptoms..
For example:
-Pernicious anemia (which causes tiredness, breathelessness, headaches, pale skin, loss of appetite and weightloss)
-Gastrointestinal problems like: mild diarrhea or constipation, loss of bladder or bowel control
-Neurological symptoms: changes in the way that you walk and move around (less balanced), memory problems, disturbed vision, depression and much more. Even dementia when the deficiency is really bad over a longer period of time.
-A pale yellow tinge to your skin
-Hair loss
-Decrease in fertility
The symptoms I experienced were a yellow skin, disturbed vision(Still have to live with this), changes in the way I walked, hair loss, memory problems, tiredness, headaches, depression.. maybe more, but it’s hard to exactly know what was causes by the deficiency.

How do I meet the daily requirement?
While B12 is found in some fantastic plant foods, it’s not recommended to solely depend on this since your body only absorbs 50% of the B12. AND it has to go through the stomach and intestines, where intrinsic factor and transcobalamin come to play.

B12 is found in products like tempeh, nori, spirulina, barley grass, kombucha and nutritional yeast.
Also most plant milks and fake ‘meats’ are fortified with B12.

The daily requirement of B12 depends on your age and body size(has to do with the amount of red blood cells being produced).
Adults, male and female, require 2.4 mcg of B12 daily.
For pregnant women this increases to 2.6 mcg and for lactating women even higher; 2.6 mcg. Since B12 is excreted into milk!
The body can store B12 for years in the liver so that means you don’t have to take an exact amount of B12 daily.
The sublingual tablet I take is 1000 mcg and I have it once or twice a week.
A few months ago I had my blood tested and the amount of B12 in my blood was too high(I was taking those tablets daily..oops!), so I stopped taking them for a little while until I felt I needed to up my intake again.

What happens when the amount of B12 is too high?
Vitamin B12 is water soluble, which means ‘leftover’ amounts leave your body through urine.
The human body is smart and knows how much to absorb or excrete.
This makes it hard to overdose on B12. However, there are some side-effects to be on the lookout for:
-If you have an eye disease called Leber’s disease, B12 supplements can damage your optic nerve badly.
-B12 supplements might interact with other medications you are taking. So it’s important to always check with your doctor.

Always check with your doctor before taking any kind of supplement, especially high amounts.
The human body is complex and over time we unlearned how to listen to our body and give it what it needs..
Lots of outer influences affect what happens on the inside, starting when we are still growing in our mother’s womb.

I think it’s really important to eat healthy and balanced so your body is able to thrive on a daily basis.
Taking a supplement where necessary is not saying your diet is bad, but it’s admitting that hings are not going as they should in the whole food industry and society.

I truly hope this information was helpful and interesting for you, always feel free to leave a question or any other comment ♥
(English is not my native language so I don’t mind if you point out any mistakes!)