Wine People, Meet Your Gut. Gut, Meet Your Wine People

Written by Guest Contributor:  Teresa Carluccio
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I have always considered myself a fairly self-aware hospitality professional with a solid approach to my physical wellness. Running one of San Francisco’s busiest restaurants was stressful, relentless and exhausting, yet looking back, it was surprising how many physical health warning signs I was missing in my excessive daily wine and food life. 
 
For nearly five years, I had chronic bloating, brain fog daily, persistent back pain, and constant diarrhea. I had no energy, slept horribly and was stressed, anxious, and ‘down’ a lot of the time and somehow this became my ‘new normal’. My doctor’s only advice was to cut out dairy but I knew there was more to it, and I started a healing journey through Holistic Nutrition studies at Bauman College, and moved from a profession in wine and food to health and wellness.
 
I quickly learned that gut health starts with balance in our body’s microbiome.
 
Our physical and mental health is closely related to the massive collection (100 trillion+) of non-human cells in our bodies, centered primarily in our gut. We depend on the good bacteria in our intestines to help break down food into nutrients for absorption, they produce vitamins and anti-inflammatory compounds that we cannot, and even assist the immune system in recognizing invaders. 
 
The gut is often referred to as our ‘second brain’ because the microbiome is in constant contact with our brain and central nervous system, helping to regulate the body’s hormone production, appetite, digestion, metabolism, mood, and stress.
 
Researchers are still working to decode exactly what comprises a healthy gut, and how changes in the microbiome relate to pathology of disorders and diseases. This is complicated by the fact that we each have a ‘bacterial fingerprint’; that is, a different combination in our gut and body and there are many factors that influence each person’s core gut microbiome. These include age, pharmaceutical use, hygiene, environmental interactions, and immune system health. 
 
So while individual needs vary, there are simple ways that you can manage your digestive and gut health to help your body thrive:
 
Focus on Your Digestive Tract
Chew your food thoroughly, eat mindfully and take deep breaths before your meal to help the body relax and bring the blood back into your digestive tract. Then, food can be properly processed and nutrients to be absorbed. 
 
Watch your Poop
Pay attention to your elimination. The Bristol Stool Chart is a great reference chart; healthy is regarded typically as type 3 or 4. If you are not having one to two of these types of bowel movements per day, this is a good indicator that things are not healthy in your microbiome and digestion. 
 
Incorporate Probiotics 
Probiotic supplements can help replenish the digestive tract and restore microbiome balance. Live cultures are available naturally though fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, yogurt, kefir, kvass, and kombucha. You can read further about probiotics in my recent blog post. Note: Always check with your physician before starting a probiotic protocol as individual needs vary.
 
Manage Stress
When chronically stressed, digestion will be impaired. Making changes, such as taking a ‘tech-free lunch break’, a short meditation, walk in nature, stretching, movement, laughter, or breathing exercises are sure ways to reduce stress and ease up the load on your gut.
 
Mind Your Diet 
Strive for a diet that is rich in anti-inflammatory fruits and vegetables. Eating whole foods and fermentable fiber allows the ‘good’ microbes to flourish. Worth noting, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is dominated by sugar, bad fats, and processed/refined foods that feeds ‘bad’ bacteria, which could lead to an imbalance in your microbiome. 
 
Moderate Alcohol 
Excessive alcohol consumption is considered by the CDC to be 8+ drinks per week for women and 15+ for men. This excess causes dysbiotic changes in the microbiome and decreases the absorption of zinc, B vitamins and protein - elements that are critical to gut health. 
 
Evaluate Your Sleep Cycle
The gut is constantly in a re-building cycle and, every five to seven days, nearly all of the ‘human’ cells in the lining of the digestive tract will be replaced. Aim for seven to nine hours or uninterrupted sleep to help support your gut repair process. 
 
Finally, remember that you DO have control of gut health, but it takes some work. As gut health improves, you may also see improvements in your digestion, immune system, the quality of sleep, energy levels, and overall mood. I did!
 
Making the little changes can contribute to substantial results over the long-term! It just takes small changes, and a little guts.

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Teresa Carluccio is a 15 year restaurant professional, a Certified Nutrition Consultant, and Bar Method Instructor. Through her company Mise en Place Nutrition, Teresa offers culinary training and nutrition education to individuals, small, and corporate groups. You can contact her at www.miseenplacenutrition.com or follow on Instagram @miseenplacenutrish 
 
Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended for education purposes. The content is not to provide medical nutrition services, diagnostic, nor for the purpose of treating any disease. Please consult with a physician for any medical questions or concerns, and existing medical conditions. 

What We're Reading: 

There's no shortage of wine stories and media inundating our IN Boxes. Here's what has piqued our interest this week.

The Rise of the Sober Bar – bbcnews.com

A global wrap-up of the many bars and on-premise locations popping up where drinking is not the center of entertainment.

All Hail the Horizontal Workout! Six Ways that Sex Improves Your Health – The Guardian.com

A new study suggests regular sex can help prevent early menopause. And there’s lots of other research to suggest the benefits of time between the sheets.

Meet the Community:

Our community is only as strong as the company we keep, and here we meet some of the folks who make our profession so dynamic.

Cecil Park, Founder, WineFornia; and Winemaker, INNOVATUS, Napa Valley, (USA)

Years in the Industry:
Twelve. I work as a winemaker and winery designer in Napa.  I started my own wine consulting company, Winefornia, and launched a wine brand, INNOVATUS, in 2014.
 
My Biggest Challenge to Wellness:
Not dying... was the answer when I asked my 8 year-old son what he would think was my biggest challenge last year. 

Actually, I had many challenges last year after I was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer, exactly a year ago in January 2019. I realized that I was extremely tired and mentally exhausted after the hospital visits because the hospital seemed to focus only on symptoms, not on causes. So I started watching lots of documentaries and YouTube videos, and learning from teachers who talk about wholeness of mind, body and spirit.  

I learned that cancer is a condition, not a disease. I needed to re-condition myself physically and mentally. In order to do that, you have to eat well, sleep well, play well, pray well and be well. I tried, almost like fighting, to do well on all of these. However, wellness comes only when you relax.

I am still learning, and happy to recognize and accept my inner self and my surroundings. Thanks to this awakening and all the precious support from family and friends, I am doing well now.

How I Keep It Together To Stay Well:
I drastically changed my diet, work hours, and reading subjects. I also developed some rituals for physical and mental health, by listening carefully to what my body tells me and how my mind flows. 

For meditation, I use a YouTube channel called "Meditative Mind” and meditate for 30 to 60 minutes before sleep. During the meditation, I focus on the Seven Chakra Chant. I drink freshly squeezed lemon tea (with cannabis stock that I grew and dried) in the morning and turmeric tea with honey at night, and try to take a short nap whenever I feel tired. If a nap is not possible, then I just work on breathing with my eyes closed.

You can connect with Cecil on LinkedIn, Instagram @winefornia, Facebook and online at https://www.winefornia.com

Let’s Meet Up:

The wine world is truly global and here are upcoming events and activities that we hope to see you at!

ABG Events And Presenter Activities:

Unified Wine & Grape Symposium Feb 4 - 6, Sacramento CA

·      Panelist “2020 Headwinds Facing the Industry” (Beck)

·      Moderator, “Tapping into Consumer Trends” and Panelist, “Data Matters – It’s Not Your Size, It’s How You Use It” (Cathy)

Wonder Women of Wine , Mar 28 - 29, Austin TX

Panelist “Health & Wellness” Panel (Beck)

Drop a line to rebecca@abalancedglass.com or cathy@enolytics.com if you are interested in getting together for practice, a chat or a great glass together.