We never like to be the bearers of bad news, but the foods most popular to the American or Western diet are detrimental to gut health and will destroy your digestive ability. For starters, many of these foods weaken your immune system and provide a hotbed for systemic infections that can eventually invade the entire body. Inflammation, Autoimmune issues, weight gain and a host of other problems quickly become chronic when these foods are regularly eaten.

Such foods include sugar, gluten, casein (an indigestible protein found in all dairy), grains and starches that feed yeast (candida) such as rice, beans, white potatoes and sweet potatoes… and all processed foods or refined oils.

The problem with these foods is they cause intense cravings that are hard to battle on your own. How do you remove these foods from your diet without caving under the pressure of those cravings or feelings of deprivation? The answer lies in staging a multi-front attack across 7 universal factors of health, known as the Body Ecology 7 Universal Principles.

Luckily you can turn the internal tide to ensure that beneficial bacteria holds residence and prevents harmful organisms from colonizing. But don’t expect that it’s as easy as popping a probiotic pill every day. Not enough of the beneficial microflora in a pill will survive the trip through your stomach acids to make it into the digestive tract. Instead, you want to consistently eat probiotic rich foods and beverages.

Adding fermented foods and beverages to your diet will help begin to turn the tide. But only if you give the beneficial bacteria a fighting chance once they’ve made it into your gut. And that requires an alkaline environment, which brings us to the next obstacle…

This compromises nutritional absorption and as the body becomes more acidic than alkaline, it becomes fertile ground for diseases to develop. Additionally, too much acidity may allow parasites, yeasts, cancer cells and other toxins to proliferate in the body.

What we begin to see is that an acidic environment encourages harmful invaders to flourish, which in turn compromises digestion. Foods rich in nutrients that can fight invaders, fortify the body and alkalize your inner environment cannot be adequately absorbed, and so the vicious cycle continues. Best of all, the secret to alkalizing your inner environment is to design your day-to-day diet around a specific type of food combination, as outlined in the Body Ecology Principle of Food Combining.

When the body is stressed, it releases a hormone called cortisol. When cortisol is released in excess, the body becomes more acidic. The Body Ecology Principle of Acid and Alkaline tells us that when the body becomes acidic, it is prime real estate for pathogenic microorganisms. Remember, these are inflammatory agents and can lead to permeability.

High cortisol levels also indicate that the sympathetic nervous system, otherwise known as the fight-or-flight response, has been activated. When the sympathetic nervous system is constantly running, digestive function slows down considerably. When digestive function slows, this leads to unwanted fermentation in the gut and can also create a more acid state within gut.

MODULE 1
Origins of True Health — Why the Gut Matters
Understand the importance of our shared origins – the truth about human evolution and the microbiome
Get out of the Denial Epidemic and discover why sick really has become the “New Normal”
Learn why healing your gut wins you the health jackpot
Understand candida yeast and fungal infection and what to do about it
Learn the 5 Surprising Factors Sabotaging Your Health
Take charge of your health – know your next steps
MODULE 2
The Secret to Health: Your Body’s Ecology
Understand why diets don’t work and why you need a system of health and healing
Build your foundation with the 7 Universal Principles, 2 Stages and fermented foods
Learn how to address and correct chronic conditions and everyday aches and pains
Learn how to use your essential tools to support and heal your body
MODULE 3
Embodying the 7 Universal Principles of Body Ecology
Master the Principle of Uniqueness: Knowing Yourself
Master the Principle of Step by Step: Knowing Where and How to Begin
Master the Principle of Balance: The Dance of Yin and Yang
Master the Principle of Acid & Alkaline: How to Choose Your Foods
Master the Principle of Food Combining: Optimize Your Digestion
Master the Principle of 80/20: Two Simple but Powerful Rules
Master the Principle of Cleansing: Purify From the Inside Out
MODULE 4
Foods In & Out
Meet the Foods That Heal: Foods Allowed in Stage 1 of the Body Ecology Diet
Meet the Foods to Avoid: Foods Not Allowed in Stage 1
Considering Dairy: The Pros & Cons
Introducing you to Supplements for Support: Whole Food Nutrition
MODULE 5
Stage 1 Diet — A 21-Day Commitment
Experience a day in the life of the Body Ecology Diet: Morning, Noon & Night
Understand what to expect and how your body may react, plus what to do about it
Get your Action Plan: Tips to Help You in Stage 1
Get Meal Plans & Recipes: Delicious Healing Recipes From Donna’s New Cookbook
Master your success mindset so that you can maintain your commitment to health for true, permanent transformation
MODULE 6
Transitioning to Stage 2
Understand the art of transition and learn everything you need to know to move into Stage 2
Learn the most effective way to introduce new foods back into your diet
Understand how to tell if you need to move to a different stage of healing
An introduction to Nutritional Genomics: How to Customize Your Diet and Lifestyle to Your Genes