Doctor shares ancient superfoods for gut health! - Dr Pal

Hello guys, this is Dr. Palaniappan Manikam, Gastroenterologist focused on your gut health. In this video, we're going to talk about three top gut-friendly foods that I usually recommend to my patients. I thought I can discuss that online with you as well. Let's dive deep into it. Number one is Sea Bug Thorn. This is a tiny little berry that is found in the harshest conditions in the Himalayas. It's such a super gut-friendly food. It's a very naturally available plant that is not a supplement. It is rich in Omega-3, Omega-6, Omega-7 fatty acids, especially Omega-7 because it is a rare fatty acid that is not available commonly in natural foods. This power-packed gut-friendly food actually helps in protection of mucin, that gel that actually lines the intestinal tract that helps the intestine actually work better and also help in repairing the gut lining of the damage that we have done. The irony is Sea Bug Thorn is found 1000 feet above sea level in India. When you read the history of this tiny little berry, it has been used for centuries. Alexander the Great have used it apparently. Genghis Khan warriors have used it for endurance. In Chernobyl disaster, this plant has been used. And if you dig deep into it, ancient Tibetans have used this plant for medicine. Soviet astronauts have used this plant to protect from radiation. This is a wonderful fruit that has multiple properties. The characteristic feature of this plant is that this plant thrives in high altitude, survives all kinds of temperatures from minus 35 degrees to plus 35 degrees centigrade. It survives drought, frost, heat, winter, you name it. This plant is a gem. This reminds me of my friend Saravanakumar and his wife Thirupurusundari. He asked to switch off the AC and she wants the AC but still they thrive together. Let's talk about omega-7 fatty acids. People always talk about omega-3 and omega-6 because it is widely available as natural sources. Omega-7 is not as widely available through natural sources. So it is extremely important to identify food that is rich in omega-7. They are a type of mono-unsaturated fatty acids. As you know, unsaturated fatty acids can be divided into two, mono and poly. This plant is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids which is omega-7. Out of which, palmitolic acid is the most common ingredient. Palmitolic acid promotes fat oxidation and regulates fat metabolism which is one of the most important factors in preventing any kind of fat deposition. It also influences satiety hormones by reducing the hunger which helps in decreasing the calorie intake. Studies have shown that oil extracted from Sif-Bhaktan is rich in phytosterols which will help in decreasing the bad cholesterol like LDL. Also, it contains another chemical called quercetin which has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease. Unlike omega-3 and omega-6 which are poly-unsaturated fatty acids, omega-7 is a mono-unsaturated fatty acid and Sif-Bhaktan is one of the richest sources of this particular nutrient in the entire plant kingdom. My loyal subscriber Subramani is saying, Sif-Bhaktan should be named as the captain of the entire plant kingdom because it is rich in the rare omega-7. Thala Dhoni for a reason. Despite its benefits, incorporating Sif-Bhaktan into your diet is not very easy because it is not commonly available because of multiple reasons. Fresh Sif-Bhaktan berries have a shorter half-life so it is very difficult to transport to regions accessible outside their native growth areas. It's a huge problem. Number two, these berries have a sour and tangy taste so you need to develop an acquired taste to it. It may not be for everyone right away. So it requires a detailed processing, detailed transport and detailed evaluation of the collection and analysis of this berry. When I was trying to include Sif-Bhaktan in my diet, I came across this product called Ayuzera who do a very good job in hand-picking the Sif-Bhaktan leaves straight from the Himalayan valleys of Ladakh. With sustainable harvesting and advanced processing, we could see the hard work that is being put into the product to bring a fresh Sif-Bhaktan berry with no sugar, no artificial flavors. It is very difficult and these guys have done a good job. If I get the power of Baba Rajni, I will pull my friend Saravana Kumar through the tunnel of Himalayas and show them the Sif-Bhaktan. That's how powerful it is. Even Sif-Bhaktan leaves are extremely powerful with rich in antioxidants and polyphenols. They have been used for herbal tea traditionally in Chinese medicine. Dried Sif-Bhaktan berry powder can be used in chutneys adding a tangy taste to the existing ingredient. Thank you Ayuzera for sponsoring our special needs school in Madurai. It's called Punnagai Pookal where we support specially disabled kids with different abilities. Please check out the link in the description and consider donation if you are interested in this project. The Indian government has granted the Geographical Indication tag, GI tag, to Ladakh Sif-Bhaktan to promote its cultivation and preserve its identity. As this is a natural berry without any ultra processing techniques, I think it can be tried to see whether your gut likes it. Everybody's gut is different. So you need to try it out and then see whether this is working for your gut. My patient Aarogusamy is saying my bed is full of thorns. So I'm going to counteract with Sif-Bhaktan. Introducing the second super gut-friendly food is black rice. Can a type of rice help you with your digestion? Meet black rice, the ancient superfood with gut-friendly goodness. Did you know that black rice was once called forbidden rice? Because of its exceptional nutritional and medicinal benefits, it was purely reserved for royal and wealthy people in China. And common people were not able to access the black rice at all. And that's why it's called forbidden rice. But we feed only like an emperor, but we don't follow their menu. This results in fat invading the whole human empire. Black rice in Manipur is called Chakhao. And it has been given geographical indication tag as well to promote its cultivation. 100 grams of cooked black rice has four times more fiber than white rice. It has 2.5 grams of protein rich in iron, manganese, magnesium and other nutrients as well. Unlike white rice, black rice is less processed, which means that the natural fiber is still intact, which slows down the gastric emptying and hence will improve the glycemic index of the food and control the glucose level in the blood. The black color of the rice comes from a pigment called anthocyanin, which is a very powerful antioxidant and it's a very gut friendly ingredient which reduces the inflammation in the gut. Black rice has more antioxidants than blueberries. Due to its antioxidant property, black rice is like the black hole from the movie Interstellar. It makes the father look younger than the daughter. Black rice is more expensive than white rice because it is harder to grow. Soaking the black rice overnight will help you cook a little bit faster. I'm just comparing the benefits of black rice and white rice. I'm not racist, I'm ricest. Black rice matters. I'm going to introduce you to a recipe with black rice that I absolutely love. It's called Chettinad Black Rice Pudding. It is a wonderful sweet dish with a balanced calorie so you will not go beyond your required amounts. The third super gut friendly food is called sauerkraut, a secret superfood for your gut. Meat, sauerkraut, a powerful ingredient for your gut which has been identified 2000 years ago. Packed with probiotics, fiber and antioxidants, helps to relieve your gut inflammation and promote your health. Over 2000 years, Chinese laborers while they were working on Great Wall of China were fermenting cabbage in wine to keep it fresh. Great Wall of China protects from invasion but sauerkraut's ingredients protects us from toxins from the Great Wall of the intestine. The technique spread to Europe where Eastern Europeans and Germans perfected it. Sailors actually took sauerkraut on their ship to prevent scurvy because of its high vitamin C content. So sauerkraut is packed with probiotics because you are fermenting cabbage overnight. Whenever you are fermenting some kind of ingredient, the probiotics are natural. You don't have to take any particular supplement to strengthen your gut. Cabbage is naturally high in fiber which helps your bowel movement going by increasing the colonic motility. It also contains sulforaphane, a cancer decreasing compound. The other advantage of the sauerkraut is to increase the immunity by stimulating the immune cells lining the gut as well which is an added advantage. When you start looking into sauerkraut, you realize that it is not for everyone because of the tangy taste. Even when I started, it was very difficult for me. But now I can tell you that it is an acquired taste. Once you get it, it is very difficult for you to stop eating it. Sometimes this can be very high in salt. So store-bought versions, you need to be careful. If it is pasteurized, the benefit of good gut bacteria goes down significantly. If you want the healthiest version of sauerkraut, let me tell you a recipe. Thinly slice 1 kg of cabbage. Massage with 1.5 tbsp salt until brine forms. Pack into a jar. Submerge cabbage. Cover loosely. Ferment at room temperature for 1-2 weeks. And then enjoy. My wife said, you are a cabbage. I said, why? She said, you have multiple layers. Doctor, YouTuber, stand-up comedian, social service. Oh, cabbage? I thought you said garbage. And she said, I forgot to add that layer. So for sauerkraut, all you need is cabbage, salt and some time. You will enjoy. More than you, your gut will enjoy completely. I am sure you will be able to incorporate these 3 gut-friendly foods slowly into your diet. Initially, it may be difficult. But slowly try to get this into your diet so that your gut lining is very strong. Please let me know if you like videos like this, where I can introduce new gut-friendly foods that you can incorporate that into your diet. If you have any other diet or ingredient that you have in mind, please let me know in the comment section. Would be happy to comment on that as well. Remember, one belly at a time. It is absolutely important. I will see you in the next video. Stay happy. Stay gutsy. May God bless you.