Many are writing about gut health these days, and I am going to jump on that train too. Let’s talk about what gut health really is and how you can make your gut healthier.

Remember that gut health is complicated, and I am not prescribing blanket solutions for all gut problems. Listen to your body, stay balanced, and take this advice (along with all other advice) as a suggestion.

Gut health refers to the state of your digestive system. This system is responsible for two things:

* Absorbing what your body needs
* Removing what your body doesn’t

While these two jobs seem simple, there is a lot that can go wrong, especially in the arena of bacteria. Your whole digestive tract contains a collection of bacteria, but that isn’t a bad thing. In fact, this bacteria is critically important, and your collection of bacteria is called your microbiome.

The key thing to know about your microbiome is that it needs to be balanced. There are many different kinds of bacteria (some good and some bad). You need lots of different strains of bacteria in the body.

Many things can contribute to what is happening in your microbiome, but there are two ways in particular that people try to control the balance: antibiotics (which are supposed to target/eliminate bad bacteria) and probiotics (which are supposed to replenish good bacteria).

Antibiotics do their job and have saved millions of lives, but often at the expense of eliminating good bacteria as well as bad bacteria, which creates an imbalance in the gut. The typical American diet does not help promote healthy bacteria either.

For these two reasons, probiotics are extremely popular. Probiotic capsules contain billions of good bacteria CFUs (colony forming units).

We sell probiotics of course, and the choices can be overwhelming. Check out this video from Greg where he discusses what you should be looking for when choosing a probiotic.

While probiotics can be very useful, bacteria is not the only gut health factor you should be concerned with. According to John Hopkins, when trying to improve your gut health, getting enough sleep, managing stress, and moving more are just as important as your diet.

That being said, your diet should have a healthy amount of fiber and good bacteria. Foods like Greek yogurt and kefir are chock full of natural probiotics. In general, fermented foods are rich sources of healthy bacteria.

But, if fermented foods aren’t your favorite, as this study shows, probiotics are a proven way to relieve gut issues and support a healthy change in microbiomes.

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I saw an article this week that detailed the sad story of a woman who took Ozempic for weight loss. Initially, things went great, and she lost a great deal of weight. However, when her price for the drug went higher, she had to quit taking it and gained all the weight back plus an additional 15 lbs.

Because we sell nutritional supplements, you probably expect me to get on an anti-pharmacy soapbox and say “I told you so.”

I am not going to do that.

I have not seen evidence that drugs like Ozempic are overly harmful in themselves. In fact, they are usually just appetite suppressants. Appetite suppressants help lower calorie intake, and that is a good thing. We sell appetite suppressants here too.

As an aside, I want to point you to this video I recorded a few months ago. It discusses the different categories of weight loss products and how they work. While it is fairly lengthy at 25 minutes, it may help you if you are in weight loss mode and considering supplements or drugs.

Back to Ozempic, here is my general thought: Ozempic does what it is supposed to do, but it cannot rewire the mind, and it cannot create the habits and discipline needed to change eating behavior once the drug usage is stopped.

In short, Ozempic is designed to only work when you are taking it. I am not saying that in a derogatory way; the same is true of our appetite suppressants too. It is pretty much true of every category of weight loss products.

This is why, while I talk a lot about weight loss here, I don’t talk much about the weight loss products we sell. I see weight loss products as a small part of the equation. Essentially, they can help you lose weight faster to get to your target weight faster. That is a positive thing; use appetite suppressants with my blessing, whether pharmaceuticals or supplements.

However, you should not depend on these kinds of products to maintain weight loss long term. Long-term weight maintenance does not require any expensive drugs or supplements. For most of us, it just requires a few wiring changes between the ears. Focus on that; that is what is going to make or break your weight management success.

I have friends who have exited businesses for large amounts of money, resulting in an instant retirement with no financial care in the world. Suddenly, they have tons of free time and can do anything they want to do.

That might sound enviable, but be careful what you wish for. In transparent moments, those friends will often admit that their new life has been challenging. They talk about loss of purpose, loss of identity, restlessness, and boredom.

Here’s why: Humans are designed to be busy, and we are happiest when we are busy and have tension in our lives. When we get bored, for better or worse, we tend to find a way to generate some excitement. In fact, if you stop and think about it, that is the role that sports plays in society. Sports provide humans with busyness and tension.

I bring this up because many of us are retired or thinking about retiring, and others are in jobs that are either not fulfilling or demanding. Some of us are now empty-nesters without the time demands of parenting. As a result, a lot of us probably face (or will soon face) the same restlessness and boredom that my wealthy friends face.

If you find the idea of doing nothing unappetizing, that is normal. There is simply not much fun or meaning in “killing time.”

If you are dealing with what I am talking about, I want to encourage you to be intentional about finding solutions. And, while hobbies are often denigrated in society as non-important, they are one of those solutions.

Hobbies are beneficial in many ways, including emotional and physical health, especially when aging. Here are just a few of the proven ways that hobbies improve your life during aging.

• Increased brain function
• Increased creativity
• Decreased stress
• Increased happiness
• Better relationships and more social connections
• Increased self-esteem
• Increased physical health

The benefits of hobbies have been widely studied, as discussed here in this article from Harvard. In fact, you can find enormous amounts of data about this topic on health websites across the web.

I get that there is a perception about hobbies as being unimportant. I get it: building furniture in the garage may not be as important as the work you used to do. But, don’t underestimate the importance of having that hobby, not just for yourself but for the people around you. Hobbies make the world a better place for all of us.

Give yourself permission to find some.

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A clinical study that I found interesting was released about a week ago. The study compared two diets: a vegetarian diet and a diet containing about 6 oz of lean, unprocessed beef daily. It found that those on the vegetarian diet had improvements in glucose/insulin and cholesterol (total and LDL).

I want to mention the group that funded the study was the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. If this sounds strange, just know that it is normal for interested parties to fund these kinds of studies. That does not mean that bias must be present, but it is a warning sign. In this case, I think it is significant that the results were different than the organization probably hoped for.

As far as the study goes, there are some factors I think that should be considered before drawing many conclusions:

• Few people who eat meat limit their red meat intake to 6 oz, and the meat they eat is often not lean and unprocessed. For example, many burgers today have a whopping 8 oz of hamburger in them with a high-fat content 🙂
• For the vegetarian group, the improvements in cholesterol and glucose/insulin were statistically insignificant. It is not like there was a substantial ground-shaking improvement.
• There were many other health factors (such as muscle mass) that were not considered by the study. In other words, the benefits of a vegetarian diet in one area might be counteracted by increased risks in other areas.

I have said this over and over: I believe in clinical studies. In fact, I look to them as the primary and best way to actually know the effectiveness of various health remedies. But, this particular study is woefully weak in giving much in the way of real answers. It simply is too limiting in the questions it is designed to answer.

So, regarding meat, until I see something better, I will stick with my mantra about moderation. I am skeptical of extreme diets, and while some may disagree, I consider vegetarian diets to be a bit extreme when viewed historically. People have always consumed meat. Very likely, they consumed far less than what many consume today, but eating meat has always been part of the human condition. I see no big reason for that to change, and in fact, I think there are big benefits to eating meat.

So, this is one of those studies where the takeaways are modest. If you are a vegetarian, carry on. If you are a meat-lover, make sure you are not overdoing it, but carry on too.

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Because we have been in Greece and eating Greek food exclusively for the past week, I thought it might be timely to talk about the Mediterranean diet a bit.

While there is no official diet “rules” to follow, the Mediterranean diet generally looks like this:

• High intake of extra virgin olive oil, leafy green vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and legumes.
• Moderate intake of fish and other lean meat, dairy products, and red wine.
• Low intake of saturated fat, eggs, sweets, and red meat.

The diet is generally considered to be a “plant-based diet” and contains high levels of several nutrients including polyphenols, fiber, and mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, it is important to note that the diet varies from many diets considered healthy in the US because it unapologetically includes meats, vegetable oils, and wine.

So, is the diet a fad or are there real benefits to following it? As it turns out, there are real benefits.

The most important benefits of the diet revolve around cardiovascular health. In particular, the Mediterranean diet reduces blood pressure and improves endothelial function; high adherence to the diet is associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease risk and longer telomere length (a recognized biomarker of aging).

Evidence from randomized controlled clinical studies and observational studies also supports the benefits of the Mediterranean diet for glycemic control and diabetes risk, cancer incidence, cognitive decline, and overall lifespan/longevity.

And yes, there are weight loss benefits as well.

I want to emphasize that these benefits are not just my opinions or the opinions of the people who live in that part of the world. These are proven benefits based on clinical data. Here are a few important caveats:

• The benefits of the diet have been observed to be greater in Mediterranean regions than in non-Mediterranean. What this suggests is unclear, but it could mean that there are other factors at play other than diet that help accentuate the benefits of the diet.
• It is somewhat hard to quantify exactly what foods belong in the diet. As an example, I am writing this from Naxos, an island that is famous for potatoes. Potatoes are not part of the diet, but I can promise you that every restaurant in Naxos serves locally-grown fried potatoes and they are spectacular. Perhaps the locals don’t touch them, but I find that unlikely.
• The use of wine in the diet is debatable. For sure, most people in the region drink wine but very importantly, they do so with meals. If you follow the diet and drink wine, remember to limit wine consumption to meal times as much as possible.

Remember that you don’t have to go all-in on any diet. The Mediterranean diet actually looks an awful lot like many other diets that are considered healthy. There is a pattern here. Rather than forcing yourself into a rigid diet plan, most of us should just resolve to eat healthier: more vegetables, less meat, and less processed food.

And, according to the Greeks, consume more olive oil. Contrary to what many in the West believe, a daily intake of olive oil will not kill you.

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About a decade ago, I had a major back surgery.

My back injury happened in a water skiing accident. Over the next year, the pain came and went but never got better. Eventually, I found myself at a chiropractor who did somewhat extreme adjustments and I ended up numb below the waist. I brought this up to him and he claimed it was temporary and no big deal.

By the time I figured out that the chiropractor had no idea what he was doing and got an MRI done, I was in real danger of ending up with a lot of permanent damage. Fortunately, I found a skilled surgeon who fixed my spine.

After the surgery, I figured out quickly that I was not out of the woods yet. I was in extreme pain and started doing therapy, which could be excruciating at times. And, I started walking, which in itself was painful.

It took about a year of work to get through that pain. However, after that, except for one incident a year ago when I injured my knee and ended up with a few weeks of back spasms, my back has been completely pain free. Today, I do anything I want to do, including lifting weights.

I tell that story because many of you have back pain. I would never suggest that your back pain is the same as mine was and what worked for me will definitely work for you. Back injuries are very unique because they involve very complex nerve networks where a millimeter of a disc being out of place makes a big difference on the pressure that is put on nerves. I get that.

Unless a doctor tells you differently, I do want to encourage you though to move and work, and work some more. Generally speaking, back problems are helped when you strengthen the muscles that support the back and make them more flexible. Do core work.

A study released last week suggests that just stretching your hamstring helps with lower back pain. This is rather obvious when you think about it: tight hamstrings put pressure on the back muscles, which in turn tightens them. Tight back muscles lead to back pain.

Here are some simple hamstring stretches. These were the kinds of things I did in therapy after my back injury. Many of them can be done without even getting out of bed.

When you are ready to start strengthening your core, there are many possibilities at your disposal. Marla likes yoga; I do more extreme things like weight lifting and planks.

Above all, stay positive and don’t give up on trying to eliminate back pain from your life. It is not a necessary part of aging. For most of us, the secret is simply in hard work and movement.

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