And now, more waiting

The "after" swabs were sent at the beginning of the month. Now we wait. If the American Gut project stays on schedule we should have some interesting before and after comparisons by September.

I do have a few parting thoughts until then.

Food Journal: Monday, March 31

Breakfast:

Child 1 - 2 eggs scrambled, melted cheese on top; yogurt w/ granola

Child 2 - 2 eggs scrambled, melted cheese on top; yogurt w/ granola

Adult 1 - coffee & half-n-half

Adult 2 - coffee & whole milk

Lunch:

Child 1 - almonds, raisins, banana, thai drunkin noodles (leftovers from restaurant)

Child 2 - reheated mashed potatoes & barbecued pork country ribs

Adult 1 - reheated black beans & barbecued pork country ribs

Adult 2 - reheated mashed potatoes, sauteed kale, beef chuck roast

Dinner:

All - Beef short ribs, twice baked potato wedges, green beans w/ salt & butter

Child 1 - 1 TBSP PS & 1 TSP ground psyllium husk both in water

Child 2 - 1 TBSP PS in water

Adult 1 - 4 TBSP PS in water

Adult 2 - 2 TBSP PS in Nancy's Peach kefir

Evening snack:

Adult 1 - couple handfuls granola w/ milk

Food Journal: Sunday, March 30

Breakfast:

All - Scottish style oatmeal w/ walnuts, raisins, honey and milk, and the usual coffees for the adults (yes, same as Sat.)

Lunch:

All: Cheese quesadillas on corn tortillas and a hard boiled egg.

Dinner:

All - Hamburgers (homemade patties, no bun), baked polenta, sauteed kale

Child 1 - 1 TBSP PS & 1 TSP ground psyllium husk both in water

Child 2 - 1 TBSP PS in water

Adult 1 - 4 TBSP PS in water

Adult 2 - 2 TBSP PS in Nancy's Peach kefir

Evening snack:

Adult 1 - 1/5 bar 85% dk. chocolate & milk

Food Journal: Sat, March 29

Breakfast:

All - Scottish style oatmeal w/ walnuts, raisins, honey and milk, and the usual coffees for the adults

Lunch:

All - Reheated black-eyed peas, topped w/ left-over enchilada (cubed chuck, sweet peppers, cheese, flour tortilla)

Adult 1 - 2 TBSP PS in water

Dinner:

All - chicken sausages (grocery's meat counter); sautéed kale & red cabbage topped w/ raw sauerkraut; re-baked potato wedges

Child 1 - 1 TBSP PS & 1 TSP ground psyllium husk both in water

Child 2 - 1 TBSP PS in water

Adult 1 - 2 TBSP PS in water

Adult 2 - 2 TBSP PS in Nancy's Peach kefir

Evening snack:

None. Well, none yet. It's only about 8:30 as I type this. ;)

Food Journal: Friday, March 28

Breakfast:

Child 1 - 2 eggs scrambled, melted cheese on top; yogurt w/ granola

Child 2 - 2 eggs scrambled, melted cheese on top; yogurt w/ granola

Adult 1 - coffee & half-n-half

Adult 2 - coffee & whole milk

Lunch:

Child 1 - tomato soup w/ saltines (from can)

Child 2 - tomato soup w/ saltines

Adult 1 - tomato soup w/ saltines; 2 TBSP PS in water

Adult 2 - cheese/carrot/broccoli soup (from can)

Dinner:

All - Polenta (butter, no cheese); sautéed kale & red cabbage topped w/ raw sauerkraut; fresh oysters (1-2 ea); Chocolate mousse (homemade)

Child 1 - 1 TBSP PS & 1 TSP ground psyllium husk both in water

Child 2 - 1 TBSP PS in water

Adult 1 - 2 TBSP PS in water

Adult 2 - 2 TBSP PS in Nancy's Peach kefir

Evening snack:

none

Food Journal: Thursday, March 27

Breakfast:

Child 1 - 2 eggs scrambled, melted cheese on top; yogurt w/ granola

Child 2 - ditto

Adult 1 - coffee & half-n-half; 2 TBSP PS in water

Adult 2 - coffee & whole milk

Lunch:

Child 1 - spaghetti sauce over pasta noodles

Child 2 - don't know (ate at friend's house)

Adult 1 - reheated black-eyed peas, few forkfuls of raw sauerkraut (Farmhouse Culture brand), barbecued pork country ribs

Adult 2 - spaghetti sauce over pasta noodles

Dinner:

All - braised chuck roast, mushroom sauce/gravy, cheesy polenta, green beans

Child 1 - 1 TBSP PS & 1 TSP ground psyllium husk both in water

Child 2 - 1 TBSP PS in water

Adult 1 - 2 TBSP PS in water

Adult 2 - 2 TBSP PS in Nancy's Peach kefir

Evening snack:

None

Food Journal: Wed, March 26

First I want to report that we won't be doing 7 weeks of science project after all. My wife has a trip planned the first weekend of April. That would have her gone for a couple days right before taking the end samples. That completely defeats the purpose of my big, long explanation for extending the project a week in order to have a more homogenous diet among us all.

So, like Solomon, I am splitting the baby. (Yeah, yeah, he didn't really split the baby.) We'll run the experiment an extra half week instead. We'll sample mid-week next week.

That means today I must restart our food journals. Enjoy.

Breakfast:

Child 1 - 2 eggs scrambled, melted cheese on top; yogurt w/ granola

Child 2 - ditto

Adult 1 - coffee & half-n-half; 2 TBSP PS in water

Adult 2 - coffee & whole milk

Lunch:

Child 1 - don't know (ate at friend's house)

Child 2 - mac-n-cheese (Annie's from a box); 4-6 cocktail pickles

Adult 1 - 2 eggs over reheated black-eyed peas and few forkfuls of raw sauerkraut (Farmhouse Culture brand); yogurt w/ granola

Adult 2 - ditto

Dinner:

All - braised chuck roast, mushroom sauce, baked potato w/ sour cream, green beans

Child 1 - 1 TBSP PS & 1 TSP ground psyllium husk both in water

Child 2 - 1 TBSP PS in water

Adult 1 - 2 TBSP PS in water

Adult 2 - 2 TBSP PS in Nancy's Peach kefir

Evening snack:

Adult 1 - vanilla ice cream

Adult 2 - vanilla ice cream

Week Five Report

Today marks completion of week 5 of the science project. It is also spring break for the kids. Though we're not traveling anywhere for spring break, it does have us out of our normal routines.

This means we're eating differently, both compared to our typical diet and compared to each other. It's not wildly different by any means, but all in all, if we take one extra week, so that next week is the last week, then our final week will be much more homogeneous among us all. I think that is a more useful parameter than whether the experiment is 6 weeks or 7 weeks. I think we've hit a steady state equilibrium as regards the resistant starch component, the remaining difference is going to be from our individual diet and our initial condition. So, by waiting I hope we can better control the individual diet factor, and we have the "before" samples to control for the initial condition.

About the only other thing I have to mention is that I'm feeling much more acclimated to the RS. Recall I mentioned taking a 4 TB dose right before bed during week 2. Last week I forgot to take a morning dose on two or three occasions. I played catch-up by taking a double dose in the late evening. In all instances it didn't bother my sleeping in the least. In fact, I think part of the reason I forgot about dosing was that I had so acclimatized to the RS, that it was easy to forget about it. It just wasn't as big a part of my life as it had been. Some of it is certainly the novelty of the science project wearing off, but in retrospect I'd also have to say that the first few weeks the RS was causing more noticeable changes in digestion than I originally appreciated.

I think reading so many other people's reports made me expect -- not the worst -- but some big changes. When we didn't get big changes, I began thinking, hey, this stuff is no big deal, there's nothing to it. Now, I'd say it is true for us it was no big deal; however, there <i>is</i> something to it.

One last thing I wish to mention is that since we have a little more time in the mornings I'm going to take blood glucose readings from everyone and see if there's been a change in our morning baselines. Look for an update later this week.

Cheers.

Week Three Report

Today marks completion of week three of the science project. For week two I decided to see if a stronger dose would make a difference in some of the brain-gut effects. For an entire week I took the 4 TBSP within an hour to sometimes immediately before bed. It did not suit me.

My dreams were not any more vivid, but sleep was considerably more restless. My metabolism felt ramped up through the night when my body should have been resting. I also had a feeling like a massive bolus was working its way through my gut over the course of the night. The "2nd meal" effect did kick-in. In full force, in fact. It seemed to kill a fair amount of my appetite, all the way to dinner the next day. I still got hungry and ate as I usually did, but it seemed like I was eating less and feeling full far sooner: like 1/2 to 3/4 of they way through my first helping. I never had seconds, which normally I will, even if just a little bit.

For week three I went back to taking the 4 TBSP in two separate doses and it sat with my system much better. It's a little curious that 2 TBSP gives no particularly noticeable effect (well aside from the usual part of a bit more gas) but 4 TBSP makes a huge difference, almost like gorging on two really big pieces of cake and ice cream the evening before. (Maybe I've done that.)

As far as keeping up with the test, compliance has been really good. Carie and I have not missed a day. The kids I might have forgotten once or twice over the last two weeks. It was a little hard figuring out what would work best for them. I didn't want them having stomach problems while at school or drinking a bunch of water before bed. I have figured out a good routine for them now and I don't think we'll be forgetting any more days.

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Week One

Tomorrow will make exactly one week into our 6 week resistant starch experiment.

I've altered the doses for the experimental phase ever so slightly compared to what was originally planned during the Indiegogo campaign. During the course of the campaign I learned that RS is very preferentially favored by bifido bacteria. As Tim Steele's bifido count was about 10-12 times the typical individual's the question obviously arose, was that directly a result of RS, or something else? Also, as bifido latches onto RS and can use that as a transport shuttle through the stomach and small intestine would taking RS with kefir enhance the effect of RS? Finally, I received an email suggestion that a little psyllium husk goes a long way, and that I probably wanted to go a little lighter on its dose for my 10 y.o. An upset stomach obviously is no fun, and I want this to be a way to make science real, personal, and fun for the kids. So, 1 TSP/day it is. I'll say he's a heck of a trooper taking it. The stuff once mixed with a liquid is gloppy and tastes like soggy cardboard. He swallows the mess without much of a complaint. I would have never been able to do it at his age. I had huge taste and texture issues as a kid. Fortunately I'm long over them now. But I digress. :)

So, here's the experiment:

Adult 1 (me): 4 TBSP Bob's Red Mill unmodified potato starch taken as 2 doses with ~4oz water, once in the morning, once in the evening.

Adult 2 (my wife): 2 TBSP potato starch taken as one dose with ~4oz kefir, mixed and allowed to rest for a few minutes before ingesting.

Child 1 (10 y.o.): 1 TBSP potato starch mixed with water, 1 TSP psyllium husk mixed with a non-bifido yogurt.

Child 2 (6 y.o.): 1 TBSP potato starch mixed with water.


Tim has indicated that based on his research and his own personal experience that the 4 TBSP dose is the amount necessary for the full therapeutic effect. Then again, to my way of thinking we're not sick so as a prophylactic measure, how little is necessary to positively impact one's gut flora? So that's my thinking in dialing it down for the kids. Additionally, will kefir & RS act as force multipliers for each other, where one can reduce the dosage to get the same or even better results? Finally, how does mixing in another soluble fiber, psyllium husk in this instance, impact the gut biome?

To me these are all interesting questions and my only wish would be that we could have 40 people doing the science project with us. Of course, if I had 40 people I'd then start wondering about mixing it up with some other soluble fiber supplements and other commercial probiotics. :)

As far as any immediate effects we've experience one week in, I can't say that I've noticed any. Fortunately there's been no upset stomachs, extreme flatulence, or diarrhea. I suppose there's a little more tooting going on, but it seems to be more a matter amplifying whatever we might be eating, than spontaneously creating it on its own. And, if we aren't eating a gassy meal, we aren't experiencing any unusual or unexpected gas. As far as mood, I haven't tried to inquire (I will eventually, but I don't want to color anyone else's perception this early into the experiment), but my personal perception is that everyone seems to be about the same. Sleep, likewise, feels the same. The kids are going to bed and waking up in the morning same as usual. I had a dream or two last week, where normally I don't have any that I would recall, but even then they weren't particularly vivid.

All in all, no significant changes. Is that indicative of us already having a healthy gut biome? Well, that's the beauty of this science project. We don't have to speculate. In 8 weeks or so we'll have the "before" results and hopefully have a pretty good idea.

Cheers. -Allan